Greetings! Welcome to another chapter of DOA. A handful of you now know who we are, but a lot of you still do not. So we thank you all for your reviews and guesses. Enjoy the next chapter.

Ste had never been to a place like this before. He thought he'd seen something like it on the telly though. It was dead posh, but classy too: understated. It wasn't the sort of place Ste usually dreamt about.

A plush, thick, white rug softened the smooth rich wooden floor of the largest, most luxurious room Ste had ever seen. The ceiling was high and the place was dark, the sky outside dotted with stars and a stream of pale light from the moon glowed through the window. The air was filled with a warm scent that Ste didn't recognise, yet made him feel content and restful.

A large pair of French doors opened without any help; which Ste supposed wasn't odd in a dream, so he approached them and looked through onto a night time garden. Trees rustled gently in the breeze that made the night flowers and long grasses dance playfully.

"I'm getting good at this," greeted a playful voice behind him. Ste didn't have to turn to know who it was. His whole body grew alert, until it almost felt like it was vibrating with anticipation.

"Good at what?" he asked. He leant forward; his arms on the rail of the balcony, observing the beautiful sky above them and probably displaying his bum to Brendan. It didn't matter – it was a dream. Body consciousness was irrelevant. And Brendan wouldn't remember anyway. It was Ste's dream, not his.

"Nothin'," Brendan replied, appearing beside Ste. Ste tried to be cool and not look, but he couldn't keep it up. And anyway, it was a dream.

Brendan looked amazing. He always looked amazing of course; pale, strong, with stunning dark hair and beautiful blue eyes that looked so sad. But with the moonlight shining on him and a shirt open low enough to display enough of his strong hairy chest to make mouths water, Ste knew he wouldn't have been able to resist if his life depended on it.

"So," said Brendan, a slight smirk failing to mar his perfection, "what do you think of the place?"

"What?" said Ste.

"Your dream house, isn't?" said Brendan.

"Er, hardly," Ste replied, scornfully.

"Well, it's your dream, isn't it?" Brendan pointed out, his smirk growing.

"Yeah, but…" but Ste wasn't sure what the "but" was. Why was he dreaming about a place like this?

"I think it's good taste, actually," said Brendan, "masculine but smart, you know."

He had an odd little self-satisfied smile that Ste couldn't understand. It was quite annoying and Ste wasn't going to put up with it. "Oi! You ain't allowed to tease me in my own dream!" he snapped

"Aren't I?" Brendan asked with amusement.

"No!"

"Right," said Brendan, "what shall we talk about then?"

It was Ste's turn to smirk. "It's my dream, we don't have to talk at all."

Brendan's smirk disappeared and he gazed into Ste's eyes. "What would you prefer to do then?" he asked.

Ste bit his lip. Why was he being shy in a dream?

"What do you fancy, Steven?" Brendan asked, "A walk in the moonlight? A sing song? What?"

Ste frowned at him. If this was a proper, nice dream Brendan would already know. He wondered if he was about to find himself naked in school assembly any time soon.

Brendan stood straight and turned his whole body towards Ste. Ste copied; watching Brendan curiously as the older man stepped closer, confidently.

"Or something more…" Brendan paused, bringing a hand up to Ste's face and stroking it. Ste let out a breath of relief. "Intimate," Brendan concluded, lips inches from Ste's.

Ste didn't swallow or even feel nervous. This was a dream. They could do what they wanted.

He leant forward, watching Brendan's expression for signs of emotion and pressed his lips to Brendan's. It was fine. It was OK to kiss your boss in a dream. He couldn't hold it against him in the morning, because it was a dream. Brendan had no idea this was happening inside Ste's mind.

The kiss itself was bloody amazing. Like a taste of something glorious. The softness of Brendan's mouth contrasted with the roughness of his stubble, then again with surprisingly soft hairs of his moustache.

Brendan broke the kiss far too soon, which Ste was not happy about. Maybe there was still going to be a sudden revelation of an audience of laughing people. But Brendan's face was still warm and so close, eyes locked onto Ste's. He snaked a hand around Ste's waist, pulling their bodies closer together. Brendan's other hand came to rest on Ste's hairline and he restarted the kiss, this time supporting Ste's body completely; curving his spine to increase the amount of their bodies that could touch. Lips, tongue; an assault that left Ste breathless and when they eventually broke away, Ste was relieved to find that Brendan was at least as affected by the kiss as he was.

"Do you think our kisses will be this good in real life?" Brendan asked in a husky whisper.

"Will?" said Ste, "you're cocky in my dreams!"

Brendan grinned at him, "You're dreaming about me. I think this is going to happen."

"This might be my nightmare," Ste pointed out, "you don't know."

Brendan smirked at him and trailed the hand from behind Ste's head down to the front of his trousers to feel the hardness there, making Ste gasp. "I didn't think so," Brendan whispered.

"Oh God," Ste groaned, grabbing Brendan's head and desperately kissing him again. Brendan's hand flew behind Ste; holding his arse and pushing their groins together, sending Ste into a state of desperate need. This was ridiculous. It was just a dream, no matter how amazing it made Ste feel.

He got lost in the kiss; the beautiful, perfect kiss that it was. After a few seconds he couldn't care what was up and what was down. He couldn't even feel the floor beneath his feet anymore. All he could do was cling harder, more desperately, to Brendan's tall and muscular form.

He mewled when it ended, but Brendan didn't stop. He planted gentle kisses in a path along Ste's jawbone, every one making goose pimples bloom where his lips touched.

"Look down," the Irishman whispered.

Ste was barely coherent anymore, but he managed to obey. They were floating. If this wasn't a dream he might have screamed. As it was he clung harder to Brendan, throwing his legs around the older man's waist. Brendan grinned, "Told you I was good at this."

"Bloody hell!" Ste cried.

"That's the effect you have on me, Steven," Brendan breathed; joining their mouths again. Ste clung tighter with legs and arms, not scared of falling as much as he was scared of losing contact with Brendan.

"You ready?" Brendan hissed, voice broken with need.

Ste gasped "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Brendan's lips found Ste's neck and as inexplicably as he had before, smelt him.

"I bet you'd taste amazing!" Brendan breathed.

It was such an odd thing to say that Ste ignored it. He groaned at the beautiful feeling of those lips on his neck. He was probably being shameless, but it didn't matter. It was just a dream. Brendan would never know about it.

Their dream clothes were wonderfully unreal. Irrelevant. They were vanishing even as the two men set each other on fire with desire.

A cry interrupted them.

"What's that?" whispered Brendan.

"Er…" said Ste. It sounded like Lucas. But this dream was a good one. Amy could deal with it. "Nothing," he said, pushing Brendan's mouth back against his neck.

"Ste!" shouted a voice.

Ste groaned. Brendan's face showed confused annoyance.

"Ste! I'm on the loo, can you sort out Lucas?"

Ste groaned again. Brendan growled.

"Amy," said Ste by way of explanation.

"I know," said Brendan, "I hate Amy."

Ste woke up feeling how unfair that was. Brendan had never even met Amy! Then he realised he was being ridiculous. Brendan didn't actually hate Amy. That was a dream! And it was completely normal to be this turned on by a dream. He glanced down at the bulge in his boxers, he'd probably have to sort that out later.

Lucas had wet the bed. It brought Ste back to earth with a bump, but after his son stopped crying his thoughts returned to the wicked dream. It was almost time to get up anyway.

Ste pulled on his favourite hoodie and couldn't help but touch his neck again. He'd been doing that all day. Sure that he could feel the brush of Brendan's lips and sharp teeth. The thought made his cheeks burn and his heart race so fast he thought it was going to beat out of his chest. Ste wanted Brendan, badly. He'd never wanted someone so much in his entire life, it was like he was a moth drawn to a flame. Ste's body burned and ached with his desire for Brendan, it was like his blood was buzzing through his veins.

The dream...the dream had been amazing. It was everything Ste had been imagining and more. But it was proper weird to think about your boss like that, wasn't it? The Brendan of his dreams was very different to the real Brendan. Ste wasn't sure which one he preferred, but it was nice to feel desired for once (even if it wasn't real).

"Ste, aren't you going to be late?" asked Amy from the kitchen.

Ste took one last look in the mirror, trying to smooth down his hair that just wouldn't stay flat "Yeah, I'm just about to leave." he snorted remembering dream Brendan's frustrations with Amy.

"Don't go finding any more you know what's." said Amy, keeping her voice low.

"I don't like finding 'em you know." Ste argued defensively. "It's proper freaky when I do."

Amy bit her lip, unable to mask her concern. "You don't think it's someone trying to give us a message do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Amy stepped closer to Ste, closing the door to the kitchen and blocking out the noise of the kids. "Don't you think it's strange it's you who keeps finding these bodies? They got left outside your house and your place of work. It's just all feeling too much of a coincidence. What if we've upset someone and this is their way of paying us back. What if we're next?"

"We won't be next." stated Ste firmly.

Amy blinked, surprised by the certainty. "How can you be sure?" she whispered.

Ste couldn't help but worry about how young and vulnerable the mother of his children sounded. The answer was almost obvious, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "I just know, alright?"

It was only when Ste was walking to work ten minutes later that it finally came to him. They weren't in danger because Brendan would protect them. The thought was almost laughable, but it was true. It was like the time Leah stuck her hands into wet concrete outside the house. It was dry before anyone knew what she'd done and now a permanent fixture on their street. The same could be said about Brendan, Ste had only known him a few days but he knew some how he was there and would protect them. He'd appeared and made an impact just as quickly as Leah's hand prints.

Ste was half way to the club when he noticed someone sitting on the pavement. It was almost dark by then and he decided it was best for him to avoid any trouble. He was about to avoid them by crossing the road, when he suddenly recognised the clothes and rat-like features.

"Come to have another go, have you?" asked Ste angrily.

Macca didn't move and continued to stare unblinkingly down at the ground.

"You think this little game of yours is really going to work? Stalking me and pretending you can't hear me now? I'm not going to stay away from Brendan and you can't make me. I don't care what you think he is, I don't believe it. There's no such things as vampires!' Ste marched forward and stood over an unmoving Macca. "Do you hear me?"

Macca remained deadly silent and unmoving.

Ste angrily bent down and grabbed Macca's shoulders, he was about to shake him when he released something just wasn't right. Macca was completely stiff, solid almost and completely freezing cold. His eyes were open, unseeing and unblinking: dead. The body flopped down onto the pavement, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Macca, Brendan's apparent boyfriend, was dead. Macca, who only hours before had warned him about Brendan Brady, was dead.

He almost threw himself away from the body and was violently sick in the gutter. He continued to heave until there was no bile left, just acidic air that burned his throat. He sat on the curb rocking up and down, unable to do anything. Before when he'd found Will's head or the body pieces it hadn't bothered him like this. They were just pieces, parts of faceless people he didn't know. It had terrified and traumatised him, but he'd managed to push it to the back of his head. But this time it was different, this time it was someone he'd briefly known and talked to. Ste may very well have been the last person to see Macca alive. He again dry heaved into the gutter, his stomach now completely empty.

"Are you okay?"

Ste almost threw himself into the arms of the person sitting next to him. He didn't question how they'd slipped silently next to him, he was too terrified for that. His finger nails dug into the other man's chest, trying to anchor himself in the present.

"I warned you this would happen." said the man. "This is what happens to people who get close to Brendan Brady. He destroys them, just like everything else he touches."

A wave of red hot rage shot through Ste and he angrily shoved Simon Walker away. "A man's been murdered and all you can think to do is blame Brendan, you're pathetic!"

"It's the truth." stated Walker. "When will you finally see what that man is? He's a monster and if you're not careful you'll be his next victim."

"Brendan wouldn't hurt me!" Ste said, not sounding as sure as he would have liked. "He isn't like that." He remembered how gentle and caring he'd been in his dream.

"Oh Ste." said Walker, his voice almost patronizing like he was talking to a small child. "He's exactly like that. I knew that man over there. He was Brendan's lover and I tried to help him. Just like you he wouldn't listen to me and now look where its got him."

"How do I know you didn't kill him?" asked Ste defiantly, he couldn't believe Brendan would do this.

Walker flashed him a smile, revealing his long pointy teeth. 'I'm the one who keeps the monsters at bay, keeps children like your kiddies safe every night. Not the monster itself. The real monster is Brendan, the wolf dressed in sheep's clothing."

Somehow Ste didn't feel reassured by Walker's words. Why did he feel safe with Brendan, but not with the man whose apparent job was to protect people from monsters? There was something about Walker that unnerved him, something unnatural and almost unhinged. Ste once again glanced at Macca's body, the only mark on it seemed to be two small puncture marks. It was his face, however, that was the worst part. A permanent look of terror was forever fixed on his rat-like features. Whatever had killed Macca had terrified him. What if it had been Brendan? What if he was the monster that Walker said he was?

"That's it." said Walker, as if he was reading his mind. "It's starting to all make sense now, isn't it Ste? Don't ignore those thoughts, you have to see Brendan for who he really is before you become another Macca or Vinnie." his eyes were burrowing into Ste's intensely, hypnotic almost.

Brendan was a murderer, Brendan murdered all those people. Brendan wanted him dead. He was nothing to Brendan but his next meal.

"Stop it!" hissed Ste, painfully, gripping his own head. After a moment the voice and pressure that were pressing down on his head were gone. "What are you?"

"A vampire slayer!" growled Walker, almost taken a back by Ste's defiance. He was getting more and more frustrated, agitated even. Things didn't seemed to be going the way he wanted them to.

"If you're just a vampire slayer then how come you can you get inside my head and plant thoughts there? Even Brendan hasn't done that." said Ste. "You're just as bad as you say he is."

"I'm nothing like him!" Walker almost howled, his face full of pain and hatred.

The sound of police sirens caused Walker to freeze. "I've got to go, the police are coming. They can't find me here. I've got things to do before the night's over.' he desperately stepped forward and gripped onto Ste's face with his long nails. "Promise me you'll think about what I've said about Brendan. Promise me Ste!" his nails dug further into Ste's cheeks with every word.

"Alright!" cried Ste.

Satisfied, Walker finally released his grip on Ste's face. His eyes mercurial filled with unknown emotions and madness. With a grace Ste would never be capable of, the vampire slayer turned with a swish of his coat and disappeared into the night. Blending into the darkness within seconds.

Ste slid back to the cold pavement and began to shiver violently again. Before tonight he was almost sure Brendan was on the side of good, but what if he wasn't? Macca had tried to warn him and now he was dead. Even Walker seemed consumed in a madness that Brendan seemed to be the cause of. As the blue lights drew closer something occurred to Ste that made his insides feel like ice. This was the third body he had found in the space of three days. Amy was right, it was too many to be a coincidences. Someone was obviously sending him a message or warning, what if the message was that he was next?