First, I have a cold and it's making me a little cranky. Sorry...not sorry?

Second, I've had this chapter prepped and ready to post for weeks, but...I'm feeling more and more like not posting. I'm posting on three sites and it seems like there are no readers. Or rather, hardly any reviews/comments, and that is discouraging. Either the readers suck or my story sucks! *sigh* Back in 2003, when I first found fanfiction and started posting my first story, I posted several times a week and had 30+ people commenting. That was super encouraging. I even had people telling me I should write something original, so that I could get it published. *grin* That felt good! Just recently we lost one of the people from that site (so many people from that site have passed away) and it breaks my heart! It always felt like a family there. It's different there now too...I still know people there, but it's less family-like and that's sad. I guess what most writers want is to know people are reading...and the way we know that is by readers telling us what's going through their minds when they read out stories...communicating with us in some way.

Anyway, I know I'm whining, so...I'll stop! For now. Lol.

So...our latest adventure was to Gig Harbor! Sooo pretty there! Someone from another site suggested it. I'm sure we'll go back there sometime soon. We found a great little pub and could probably sit there all day just watching the boats come and go...and drink beer!

Chapter Fifty-two
"Off the Menu"

That night Tom and Edmund sat vigil at Buffy's bedside, where she didn't move at all—not to roll over or even just turn her head—putting them into near panic mode. Edmund dragged the only chair in her room closer to the bed and sat in it and Tom sat on the edge, toward the foot of her bed.

For hours, both boys just sat there staring at her. They took turns pacing at the foot of her bed and running their hands through their hair. It wasn't long until they were both completely disheveled in appearance.

They talked a little, but neither knew quite what to say to the other. Tom didn't say much. He hadn't answered Edmund's question—about his feelings for Buffy—and Edmund wasn't going to ask a second time. Tom's lack of response told him everything he needed to know. And Edmund's admission was still weighing heavily on the other.

At around four o'clock in the morning, Edmund turned and looked at Tom. "We should tell my aunts...about this," he said, gesturing at Buffy's prone form. She still had not so much as twitched.

Tom frowned, then shook his head. "Maybe, but...not yet. Let's give her a couple more hours," he suggested. "No need to worry them if we don't have to."

Although torn, Edmund nodded, then looked back at the sleeping blonde, frowning at her stillness. "She'll be okay," he said firmly, nodding again. She had to be!

Tom nodded. "Of course, she will," he said with confidence he didn't actually feel. He'd seen her heal quickly before. It would be the same this time. He wished he had some chocolate to give her—when she woke up. That's what they'd give her in the infirmary at Hogwarts.

~oOo~

Just over two hours later, Buffy started to stir—causing both boys to jump up and move to her side.

"Buffy?" Edmund whispered.

She groaned and wiggled a bit, then cracked her eyes open. "Oh. Hey." Then she frowned. "What are you guys both doing here? What time is it?"

Edmund sighed with relief—but Tom huffed. "I would say that it's nearly dawn. And we've been up all night watching over you!" he all but snapped. He was standing and pacing now. "And we're here, because someone decided to feed herself to a starving vampire. Fantastic idea, if you ask me! Just... brilliant!" He turned to face the girl lying in the bed and glared down at her. "What were you thinking?!"

Sighing, Buffy pushed herself to a sitting position, then pushed her covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm not sorry. It was my fault he was starving, so..."

"That's... ludicrous, Buffy!" Edmund snapped next.

"No. It's not! He made me a promise in that cemetery and he didn't break it," she argued. "He was—"

"How do you know he kept that promise?" Edmund cut in. "Maybe he's been draining victims all over the city and lied to us! To you!"

Standing, Buffy put her hands on her hips and glared up at Edmund. "Did you not see what he looked like. I don't think he could fake that. Besides, I'm good at reading people, so...stop it!" she said, reaching out and poking him in the chest. "Besides, it's my body and my life!"

"We were worried, Buffy," Tom said quietly. He was now leaning on the door jam to Buffy's bathroom. "We've been sitting here all night agonizing over what to do."

"Do? There was nothing to do. I slept it off, just as I always do," she told them, then shrugged. "I'm fine. See?" She danced around in a circle and smiled at them. "Good as new."

"I've never seen someone bitten right in front of me before," said Edmund. He shook his head. "I've never known anyone to survive a bite. Try, for a moment, to see this from our perspective."

Buffy sighed. "That vampire...Alistair...he's not the same kind of vampire you're used to, Edmund. Not the same kind either of us are used to. They're not the soulless monsters I'm accustomed to going after."

Edmund sighed. "I know. I mean...I think I know," he said—then frowned. "I didn't know there were other kinds." Backing up, he dropped back into the chair, then reached up and pulled his glasses off, then rubbed his face. "I didn't enjoy watching that tonight, Buffy."

"I'm sorry...about that part," Buffy said.

Leaning back in the chair, Edmund looked up at her. "I was ready to go tell my aunts and... goodness, we ought to tell my parents too."

Buffy shook her head. "We can't," she said. "And, as you can see, I'm fine!"

Tom snorted. "I wish you'd stop telling us you're fine! Just...stop!"

Buffy turned to look at Tom. He'd pushed off to door jam was pacing again. "Well, I am...look at me!" She spun around again.

Reaching out, Tom grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from spinning, then forcibly tilted her head to her right to look at her neck. She flinched.

"Fine, huh?!" he barked. "Now you have two bite marks, one on top of the other!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "Those may or may not heal...I'm not sure. I don't care! And yes, I'm a bit sore, but I'll live. I promise. Now, if you two barbarians will excuse me, I need to use the little girl's room!" she said, pushing past Tom and going into the bathroom—slamming the door as she went.

Sighing, Edmund stood up and used his shirt to clean his glasses. "Well, we told her!" he said, shaking his head. "You know, I've never met a girl quite so defiant."

"Neither have I," said Tom. He was both infuriated by her and ridiculously besotted. He wanted to pull his own hair out over the things she did—or hex her silly—and pull her into his arms and hold her protectively. And kiss her until she forgot her previous life and everything about it—and he hated that she was ripping his soul apart!

"I should probably wash," Edmund said, tearing Tom away from his thoughts. "If my parents show up and I look like I haven't gotten any sleep, they'll blame Vin and Sophie."

Tom nodded. "You go. I'm staying here," he said.

Edmund looked at him and frowned, then turned and walked out of the room.

When the other boy was gone, Tom looked at the chair, then sat on Buffy's bed instead. He sat there for a while, expecting her to come right back out—then heard the shower turn on. Sighing, he lay back on her bed and went over the events of the day before. The day had started off promising—well, if knowing where to find his father meant anything. But it had quickly turned sour—for him, at least. And then their jaunt into Diagon Alley and the encounter with the vampire. Looking back, the day was a disaster!

~oOo~

Buffy spent as long as she could in the bathroom. Part of her hoped both Tom and Edmund just left. Like... went home! So they couldn't lecture her on the dos and don'ts of vampire handlage, because she knew how to handle them. She did!

But when she opened the door and saw that Tom was still there—and that he'd fallen asleep on her bed—she smiled at him affectionately. She felt bad that she'd scared her friends, though not bad about what she'd done for the vampire—it was the right thing to do, in her opinion. But she understood their anger and fear. If she'd been in Sunnydale and had allowed a vampire to bite her, Willow and Xander wouldn't be too pleased with her either.

Creeping forward, Buffy climbed onto the bed and, putting her head on his shoulder and draping an arm over his chest, nestled herself into Tom's side.

Tom eyes opened just as she was getting comfortable. "I should go back. I'm likely in quite a bit of trouble," he said, starting to get up.

Buffy snorted and held on tight, preventing him from rising. "You should just stay. I'll ask Vin or Sophie to go over there and smooth things over. Besides, you need some sleep." She patted his chest. "Just...let's sleep."

"I can't stay in here...in your bed," he argued—weakly. Now that he was lying down, his own exhaustion was hitting him.

She laughed a little. "They won't care. They don't even ever come down here."

"Edmund might return though," he argued. Part of him hoped the other boy would come down and find them. Maybe seeing them together would stay his affections for Buffy. Tom was not going to share her—or give her up!

Buffy shrugged and snuggled into him. "So what. What's he going to do? Tell my mother?"

Tom chuckled. "He might tell his own mother."

Buffy snorted. "Oh my gawd! Edna is the biggest stick in the mud. We're not even doing anything!"

Tom thought about it. They really weren't doing anything, but still, this was highly inappropriate. Well behaved girls simply did not behave as Buffy did.

Yawning, Buffy patted his chest again. "Just...you know, close your eyes. Get some sleep, 'kay?"

For a second longer Tom considered getting up, but then, stifling a yawn, he closed his eyes, thinking that maybe she was right.

"You're staying, yeah?" she asked—sensing that he wasn't going anywhere.

He nodded.

Smiling against him, Buffy murmured, "Nox," and the room went dark!

Closing his eyes in the dark room, Tom wrapped an arm around Buffy and sighed. Just as he was drifted off to sleep again, he realized that Buffy had just put the lights out without her wand.

~oOo~

When Tom woke up again, the room was not completely dark anymore and Buffy was gone. He wondered how long he'd been asleep and twisted to look toward the windows—which should have been behind him, since he'd been lying the wrong way across the bed. But they weren't. Instead, they were to his left—which meant that Buffy had maneuvered him at some point while he was sleeping—and the curtains were open. He was also under her covers and, when he shifted beneath them a bit, he realized that his shoes had been removed. He felt a moment of panic, thinking maybe she'd removed other articles of clothing—then relaxed when he realized he was still in his trousers.

Merlin, he must have been completely exhausted to not have been aware of Buffy getting out of the bed—not to mention the removal of his shoes! He wasn't surprised though, after being awake all night!

Just lying here, he listened to the sounds of the house. It was quite a bit quieter here than it ever was at Wools. Living in a home full of children was often noisy—much to Mrs Cole's upset. She was always trying to keep them quiet, but rarely succeeded. Here it was the opposite. So peaceful.

Briefly, he wondered what it would have been like to grow up in the house of his father, with or without his mother. He supposed that, since she'd died after giving birth to him, he would have had a stepmother. The woman who he'd seen would have been his mother! And the two children there would have been his brother and sister. What might that have been like? To have a father. Siblings. A family!

It didn't matter though. He hadn't grown up there! Instead, he'd been left at Wools...alone and told nothing of his parents!

Sighing, he listened hard and thought he heard a car pass by on the street above—and wondered again at the time. Were Vin and Sophie still asleep? Or were they up and about? How late in the day was it? Was it lunch time? Or possibly even dinner time! Just the thought of food made his stomach rumble. He was hungry.

Knowing he should get up, he groaned, then rolled onto his side, putting his back to the window, and closed his eyes again. It wasn't often he had the chance to sleep in, so he took advantage of it.

~oOo~

It seemed like no time at all had passed when Tom awoke again—this time to the slamming of a door somewhere in the house. Opening his eyes, he blinked and stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out where the sound had come from. Someone had just entered the house—or left it—he decided. He knew he needed to get up and so he threw his covers off and rolled from the bed.

Quietly, he made his way up the stairs—and was glad that he didn't encounter any of the house's occupants. They had already moved up to the first floor, which would give him the chance to go up to his room unseen. Quickly, he went through the kitchen and up the stairs in there. He desperately needed to change into something less sleep rumpled—and possibly run a comb through his hair.

In his room he hurried, because he didn't trust Buffy—or one the sisters—to not come waltzing in without knocking on the door first. They said they would try not to, but invariably they claimed that they'd forgotten. That was something he didn't have to deal with at Wools—everyone there was too afraid of him to raise his ire. Here though, they just laughed.

Once redressed and his hair combed, Tom went to the door that led to the first floor lounge—and that is where he found Buffy, Vin, and Sophie!

"Hey you!" Buffy burst the moment he walked into the room. "I thought you might sleep all day."

Tom looked at her sheepishly.

"I'm glad you're here, Tom," Vin started. "Sophie and I have just come from Wools. We've smoothed things over with Mrs Cole."

Tom frowned. So that was the sound he'd heard—them slamming the front door on their way inside.

Sophie snorted. "We had to tell her a tiny little lie in order for her to see reason."

Vin huffed. "It wasn't a lie! Buffy was injured!"

Tom looked from the sisters to Buffy—who shrugged.

"I told them about yesterday," she admitted, biting her lip.

"And?" Sophie prompted.

Buffy sighed. "And promised them that I'd try not to do it again."

"Try?! You'd better do better than try, young lady!" Vin snapped in motherly fashion.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I told you, it couldn't be helped."

Vin arched one of her dark eyebrows. "Allowing a vampire to bite you couldn't be helped?"

Buffy huffed. "I told you. Alistair was starving and it was my fault. He was the vampire I'd let go over at Highgate that night and—"

Sophie waved her hand dismissively. "You've explained already," she interrupted. She didn't want to hear excuses again.

"But you aren't listening to me," said Buffy, shaking her head. "You only hear that I let him bite me and not that he was starving because I'd made him promise not to feed on people. He was—"

"He?" Sophie cut in. "These things are monsters, Buffy.

Buffy huffed. "You sound like Edna," she accused.

Sophie quickly sucked in a breath—and then hissed. She sounded like an angry cat or a snake. Obviously, she was insulted, but Buffy didn't care.

"What sort of vampire slayer are you?!" Vin said next. "We should call Edna back here immediately, so she can talk some sense into you!"

Buffy sighed. "Trust me, I would never have thought it possible that I would do this, but...there truly is a difference between the vampires I'm used to and the ones in the wizarding world. Would you like to read about them?"

"NO!" Vin and Sophie said in unison.

Buffy eyed them. Both were clearly frustrated and she didn't know what to say or do—so she glanced at Tom, who was just standing there watching in silence.

"Tell them, Tom," she said, trying to get his assistance. "Tell them this is different."

Tom stared at Buffy. He was annoyed and frustrated by what she'd done too. He'd been terrified the day before and didn't appreciate the worry she'd put him through. He didn't know much about the other vampires—except for what he'd seen that night in Hyde Park where they were attacked and the vampire exploded into dust—that had been something else! But she was right about the vampires of the wizarding world. While not harmless, they were held to its laws. They were not permitted to take lives and if they did, they were hunted down and incarcerated. It wasn't smart to offer one's self to a starving vampire, but...now that the incident was over he could see her point of view. Somewhat.

"Tom?" Vin prompted.

He sighed. "Buffy isn't wrong. From what I've witnessed, the vampires from my world are...different," he admitted, looking from one sister to the other. "They are not souless monsters that go around killing people. And...they are governed by the Ministry of Magic. There are consequences if they harm people.

Buffy grinned. "See?"

Tom's eyes swung to Buffy and sparked angrily. "I'm not finished!" he snapped. "Different or not, that wasn't something I'd like to ever see again, Buffy! You must consider your actions and how they affect others! I was...Edmund and I were... terrified!" He said the last word almost at a whisper. He hated sounding vulnerable, but he truly had been terrified that he might lose her. He'd only thrown the other boy in to appear to her sense of compassion.

Buffy sighed. "Well, I've learned my lesson about starving a vampire...let me tell you," she said. "They need to eat too, so..."

"But not you!" Sophie said, pointing her finger at the slayer and then wagging it at her. "You're off the menu!"

Buffy chuckled. "Like I said, I won't do it again...if it can be helped," she added—then held up a hand and continued on quickly when all three of the others' mouths opened to argue with her. "Come on, guys. I know better than anyone what vampires are. Believe me, I'm not in the habit of letting them feed on me. This situation..." She pointed at her neck and continued. "There were extenuating circumstances, which I don't see happening again. I only did this, because I'd caused the problem. I don't foresee the situation occurring a second time. Can we just leave it at that? Please?"

Vin and Sophie sighed, then nodded, then rushed at Buffy and hugged her.

Watching, Tom shook his head. The sisters had clearly been upset by all of this, but they'd let it go easier than he could. He was still upset, bordering on angry, and he wasn't prepared to let it drop completely. But he'd have to put on an agreeable face—to appease the sisters, at least—and discuss it further with Buffy later.

~oOo~

Okie dokie...your turn! What do you think? Don't be shy!

And remember, I appreciate absolutely every one of you! Even if I'm Miss Whiny Pants!