FAIRFAX: Fairfax had managed to get Shannon into the room he'd prepared for him. It would be safe in there through the day. He'd called in sick to work too, and the office just about had a heart attack because Fairfax never got sick or missed work. It might have seemed suspicious with Shannon missing and all, but Fairfax didn't have a choice. He was sure Malcolm would take care of tying up loose ends so no one looked for any of them. The following night, Fairfax had entered the room before Shannon was awake and sat close to him on the bed.

SHANNON: When Shannon woke he was startled by the terrible hunger he was feeling. And then he remembered what happened and he groaned as he turned over onto his side. The boy's hand went to his throat and he covered the smooth skin that had been torn away so violently the night before. There wasn't even a scar in it's wake, just smooth and untainted skin. Shannon could feel the overwhelming lightness coming off of Fairfax but he did his best to ignore it.

FAIRFAX: Breathing a sigh of relief when Shannon woke up, Fairfax was back to being happy about his decision. Maybe it would be difficult, but Shannon was alive, and out of the hospital, and above all--with him. "How do you feel?" It had to be his first question; Fairfax didn'tk now thing one about being a vampire.

SHANNON: "Hungry. Cold." Shannon didn't look at Fairfax. He couldn't bring himself to even lift his head up yet. Being a vampire for the past twenty hours or so had been traumatic for him and he just ewanted to curl up and die. "Leave me alone." He didn't want Fairfax there any longer. The overwhelming feeling of light coming off of him was almost painful because he felt so dark.

FAIRFAX: "No, you need food. Malcolm told me you needed food." And he'd got bloodbags from the hospital in case Malcolm didn't show up to take Shannon hunting. Tugging one from the little fridge in the room, he fed the tub into a mug. "Come on, sit up." He slipped his hand beneath Shannon's back, trying to lift him upwards.

SHANNON: "Keep off me." Shannon tried to tug himself free from Fairfax's grasp but he wasn't used to his new found strength and just about toppled right off of the side of the bed. "Don't." He snapped.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax wasn't as strong and it became clear very quickly that he wasn't going to be able to make Shannon do anything. Sighing, he offered the mug of blood. It was cold, and he couldn't imagine that was a good thing, but it was what they had at the moment. The smell of it was faint to Fairfax.

SHANNON: Taking the mug, the smell of the blood was too overwhelming to pass up. He took a sip and then spit it back into the mug because it was cold and that surprised him. After a second though it was too much to resist and he swallowed down the contents of the mug in a few greedy gulps.

FAIRFAX: Malcolm's voice came from the other room and Fairfax jerked with surprise. "In here." He said shortly, getting up to open the door. His apartment was dark now, so there was no danger of sunlight getting inside. Flicking on the lights of the room, he examined the dull glow of Malcolm's skin and his smug face as he tugged in a bewildered looking girl. "Who's that?" Fairfax frowned and Malcolm shook his head. "It doesn't matter who this is."

SHANNON: Shannon was currently trying to lick the inside of the cup clean and when he saw Malcolm come in, tugging a girl behind him, his face soured. Being killed by the man the night before had obviously left him feeling less than friendly toward the man. "What do you want?"

FAIRFAX: Laughing coldly, he pushed the girl forward. "Not what I want--what do you want?" He'd drugged her, for one, so she was terribly pliable, not to mention her blood would do Shannon some calming good. The way she smelled was infinitely sweet and she covered her mouth when she laughed, even though she didn't know what they were all laughing about.

SHANNON: When she was close enough he could smell the blood coursing through her and it made his eyes go dark with bloodlust. Crawling to the end of the bed he watched her, waiting for her to get close enough. His body had gone into instinct mode at the smell of her and when she finally reached the bed he pulled her down.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax had nightmares--not everything about him was trash bin boats and flowers, so he knew what was coming. But to see Shannon take down a human being with such perfect precision made him clench his jaw. Still, he watched with wide eyes and Malcolm looked terribly pleased with the whole ordeal. "He's quite willing, isn't he? Definitely not what I expected your tastes to be, Fairfax."

SHANNON: Shannon bit the girl, his teeth sinking into her throat. He made a bit of a mess as he drew his fangs back and then he sucked at the wound he'd made, drinking down as much of her as he could. When he finally had every last drop of her he pulled back. The sight of her cold and limp body made his stomach heave and he gagged. Pulling away quickly he fell off of the bed and onto the floor.

FAIRFAX: Refusing to draw away, Fairfax stayed put, figuring that Malcolm would know what to do. "Open the window." Malcolm barked, pointing at the heavy curtains. Some fresh air would do the new vampire good, even if he didn't need to breathe it anymore. Fairfax obeyed and a crisp breeze wafted into the room.

SHANNON: Shannon continued heaving, trying to reject the blood, but his body wouldn't stand for it. After several long moments he ended up face down on the floor. He would have been panting if it weren't for his lack of need for oxygen. When he was finally calmed down he turned over and looked up at the two men.

FAIRFAX: They were like night and day, the two of them staring down at Shannon. Fairfax had no expression, not judging or horrified, just there. Malcolm pretended to yawn. "The bloodbags were a cute idea, and they'll get him by--but don't expect him to be safe if he isn't kept full." Not for awhile anyway.

SHANNON: Honestly, Shannon wanted to cry. He wanted to break down and sob over how everything had turned out. Maybe this was hell and he hadn't been good enough to get in to heaven, he wasn't sure. "I don't want to be like this." He said, pressing his face down against his forearms. "I can't be like this."

FAIRFAX: "Well you are like this." Malcolm said with slight indignation, bending down to grab Shannon and stand him up. "You're beautiful, and powerful, and immortal. That's what everyone wants--stop bitching."

SHANNON: "It wasn't what I wanted." Standing upright, he wrapped his arms around his own narrow waist and frowned. "I hate you." He said to Malcolm, his voice shaking with fear but not much hate at all.

FAIRFAX: "That's all right with me." He offered a languid shrug. "I'm not the one who cares if you hate him." Malcolm walked smoothly to where Fairfax was standing and pointed down at him. "He's that one. I'm the one who's going to teach you how to be what you are now."

SHANNON: "I don't want you to teach me, id rather die." Shannon didn't care if he was being a baby or dramatic. This was the last thing he had expected to happen and he hated it. Hated that he was a monster. If anything he would have wanted to be like Fairfax. Light and warm.

FAIRFAX: The very first spark of true annoyance washed over Malcolm's face and he looked at Fairfax. "That can be arranged, Shannon. It can be arranged that both of you die. Right now." He put his hands on his hips.

SHANNON: "You can't kill Fairfax." The threat made him start to feel anxious and he started shaking, his eyes going dark. "You can't kill him!" he practically screamed. The frenzy took a hold of him and he launched himself at Malcolm, trying to take him down.

FAIRFAX: The spite welling up in his progeny was exhilerating and perhaps Malcolm had made a far better deal than he'd even imagined. When his back hit the floor with a thud, he brought his arms up deftly to grapple with Shannon, capturing his wrists and holding them away from him. "Now, now. He's the one that wanted this for you."

SHANNON: Instead of trying to fight with his hands he started snapping at Malcolm with his teeth, coming very close to biting him on more than one occasion but he always narrowly missed. When the frenzy slowed to a stop he just looked confused. Unsure of what had happened or how he ended up on the floor.

FAIRFAX: The look of confusion made Malcolm relax, releasing the boy and climbing out gracefully from underneath him. Brushing himself off, he considered leaving, having very little sense of obligation left to either one of them. "I'll come back in a couple weeks to begin collecting my fee, Fairfax." Fairfax nodded, glancing at Shannon briefly.

SHANNON: Shannon stayed on his forearms on the ground, feeling humiliated and confused. He waited until Malcolm was gone before looking up at Fairfax. "How could you trade your life away for this? You killed yourself to turn me into a monster."

FAIRFAX: "I'm not going to be killed." He said, surprised. That would have defeated the whole purpose of keeping Shannon around. Was that what Shannon though? He went to sit next to him. "Don't hate me, please? You're not a monster. I've seen monsters and you're not one of them. I promise."

SHANNON: "I killed that girl." He said, frowning as he looked up at the bed. "Her life for mine. How is that fair?" it wasn't, it just wasn't. And he was horrified to think he might do it again.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax turned his attentions to her and instead of the lifeless form she had, he let her look as if she was just sleeping happily. Eventually, her presence drifted from the room entirely and she just wasn't there anymore to be seen. "Killing to survive isn't wrong. And--I've heard you don't even have to kill them. There are places, people that make it so you don't have to kill."

SHANNON: "It is wrong. I would have rather died than kill someone." He walked over tothe bed and he put his hands down on it, touching the girl that Fairfax had tried to make invisible with his magic. "I killed her, she had more to live for than I did." Because Fairfax didn't know him, they weren't family. He just didn't understand why they were here. How they had gotten to this point.

FAIRFAX: "You didn't even know her. She was just some girl, probably some stupid hooker or something." Fairfax was growing tired, and he stood up to gather up the girl's body. How in the hell he was supposed to dispose of it, he didn't know, but he would bury it in the park later. Putting it into the bathroom, he shut the door on it for now.

SHANNON: Shannon sank down on the end of the bed and just sat there, feeling hopeless. It wouldn't be long before Fairfax realized his mistake and just left him behind like everyone else in his life had. And then he would be alone and undead and unsure of everything, where as he'd been so sure before.

FAIRFAX: "Are you still hungry?" Fairfax got bold, realizing that it would have to be he who helped Shannon through this. He would simply have to learn what it meant to be a vampire.

SHANNON: "Yes." Uncomfortably so. Though he hoped that it would go away now that he had fed. That was what happened when vampires fed right? They didn't feel hungry anymore? "is it always going to be like this?"

FAIRFAX: "Your body is going through a lot. I think it's just going to need quite a bit for awhile." Then, perhaps when things evened out, Shannon wouldn't be quite so ravenous. It would piss Malcolm off, what Fairfax was about to do, but that made it all the more reason to do it. Taking a letter opener from the bedside table, Fairfax, without thinking, dug it into his arm.

SHANNON: The smell of fairie blood filled the air and he snapped his head in the direction of Fairfax's arm. Within seconds he was on him, mouth locked around the wound on his arm as he tongued it and then sucked blood into his mouth. It was sweet, rich. Richer than the girl's had been or the blood from the bag. Shannon literally started glowing and he started to feel heady and light.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax had never let a vampire feed from him, though he'd seen it done by other fae who'd gotten down on their luck. It was terrifying and not only did it feel like his blood was being stolen, it felt like his soul was going along with it. As long as he could stand it, Fairfax stood, then slowly sunk to the ground, arm lying up on the bed where Shannon fed. "Shannon." Fairfax croaked.

SHANNON: Shannon drank another few long gulps before he pulled away and rolled onto his back on the bed. He was sighing softly, pushing the air out of his lungs just on habit. He licked his lips and then his fingers, getting all of the blood off of them.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax rolled over onto the floor and blinked up at the ceiling so that he could get his bearings again. It had felt good, actually, of all things. Being that close to Shannon, feeding him, it made him give a shudder.

SHANNON: Moaning, he rolled over onto his stomach and just buried his head against the pillows. It smelled like Fairfax and he really liked that. The feeling of the faerie's blood in his body was electric and he was tingling.

FAIRFAX: When he finally felt like he could stand, Fairfax climbed up onto the bed, noting the way Shannon's aura was rolling over him in rich red and gold hues. Sitting there on his knees, he stared down at Shannon. "There's a club were my friend works. It's a strip joint, but the girls make money on the side by donating. And I can always get more bloodbags from the hospital."

SHANNON: "Oh god. It feels so good." Meaning Fairfax's blood. It made him feel alive again in a new way and he was shivering as he laid there. "You tasted good."

FAIRFAX: As bizarre as that was, Fairfax grinned a little proudly and he tilted his head. "Yeah?" He'd never had the occassion to taste himself before and he looked down at his arm which was doing a fair job of healing from a mixture of his own durability and Shannon's saliva.

SHANNON: Turning over slowly, Shannon's skin was still glowing with stolen magic. He ran his hands up over his face and he pushed his glasses up and away from his eyes so that he could rub them.

FAIRFAX: Fairfax couldn't help but just keep staring and his shoulders relaxed. "Wow," he said breathlessly. Shannon looked like the moon visiting Fairfax's bed. "We should go for a walk outside."

SHANNON: "All right." Turning over onto his side, he started to sit upright so that he could look over at Fairfax. Shannon was high and he moved closer to Fairfax to press his face against the other boy's chest and then up to his throat. "You smell wonderful."

FAIRFAX: He'd be lying if he said that didn't feel really good. Fairfax, however, was used to doing the pursuing when he found something he wanted. He had all the charming little tricks, and none of them included becoming a blood donor, or stealing boys out of hospitals. Putting a hand against Shannon's chest, Fairfax frowned. "Thanks."

SHANNON: "Why are you frowning?" That made Shannon frown and he felt like maybe he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry, I ddidn't ask you for this, I didn't ask to be this."

FAIRFAX: "I know it's my fault." Fairfax snapped suddenly. "Okay? Are you going to say that everytime something happens? You're just drunk right now. Marlowe says that can happen when you--when you drink from my kind."

SHANNON: When Fairfax snapped on him he recoiled and just hunched his shoulders up. Yes, he was drunk, but that didn't mean he couldn't be hurt. And the tone of voice that Fairfax was using hurt him, even if the other didn't mean for it. Backing up off of the bed he just shook his head and he got up to go to the door.

FAIRFAX: Perhaps nearly dead people were easier to get along with than undead people. Fairfax sighed and went to catch up after him. "You just make me want to take advantage of you, is all. Try to convince you that even in the middle of all this kissing me would be a good idea." He smiled his most charming smile and he stood in front of Shannon, blocking his way out the door. "Come on, I'll show you my park."

SHANNON: "I don't want to go to the park anymore." Yes, Shannon realized that he was probably up and down too quickly to make this easy on Fairfax at all but his emotions were running on high and everything he was feeling felt like it was amplified by a million times. "I feel like I'm going to burst into little pieces."

FAIRFAX: Fairfax put his hand out, touching it against Shannon's upper arm. "You won't break apart. What do you want to do? Name it and we'll do it."

SHANNON: Shannon wrapped his arms tightly around Fairfax's shoulders and he buried his face against the side of his neck. "I just want you to hold onto me for a little while, can we do that? Can we just stand here or maybe lay here?"

FAIRFAX: "Yeah, yeah we can do that." It was a perfectly solid agenda for the evening. Sitting down on the bed, Fairfax curled his feet up underneath him and held onto Shannon.

SHANNON: Shannon just leaned against him, arms wrapped tightly around the other boy. "I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful." he was thankful that he was still alive but he didn't want to be alive like this. Maybe he'd get used to it, he was willing to give it a try if it meant keeping Fairfax happy.

FAIRFAX: "Don't be sorry. I should have found another way, but I didn't have time." There had to be something he could have done himself, some sort of magic that was old as time itself.

SHANNON: "Is there anyway to take it away?" he asked, meaning being a vampire. There had to be some way to reverse it, right? Does this mean I am never going to die. Malcolm said eternity, I can't be alive for that long."

FAIRFAX: "Don't worry about all of that stuff now." Fairfax said soothingly. There was no point delving into the whole lore of vampirism just then.

SHANNON: Nodding, Shannon just laid his head down against his shoulder and he closed his eyes. He liked that he finally felt warm again. Being dead was cold and Fairfax had warmed him up.