Days had slowly crept by, Brian realized with a heavy heart. Still, Nickolas had not shown himself again. He desperately wanted to see that innocent face again, vampire or not. But Brian's idleness only served to fuel foolish thoughts and plans.

And only a week later, Brian had made up his mind. After sending Jasmine and her five bumbling idiotic friends off to the forest to fetch some fruits, Brian quickly grabbed a blanket and headed towards the castle. It was bright and early in the morning. They had to still be asleep, Brian smiled smugly.

Swiftly, Brian approached the castle. It looked amazingly haunting. Had Brian not built up the resolve this past week, he didn't think he had the nerve to enter it. It's aging walls were a token of its distant past. It was just as impressive as he remembered seeing it over twenty years ago. Brian took in a few deep breaths before he stepped past the huge gates. He gulped, knowing what the consequences were if he failed.

After entering the main tower, Brian let his intuition guide his direction. His footsteps echoed loudly as he made his way past the chambers and halls. The castle wreaked of blood. But Brian pushed his cowardly thoughts aside. He vaguely remembered reading in the books about how the catacombs housed the coffins in which vampires slept in. They had to be underground!

He must find the stairs. After what seemed like hours, Brian was able to locate a set of stairs that looked as if they had been trampled on recently. It was exceptionally dark down there. He grabbed the nearest torch and lighted the path down to hopefully the catacomb. After an endless number of steps, Brian reached the bottom of the steps and stared in awe. There, in a vast dimly lit room, were a series of neatly arranged coffins-more than fifty to his dismay. Stealthily, Brian tiptoed across the room, still unsure of what to do next.

A space in the center of the catacomb grabbed his attention. Odd! It seemed like there used to be a coffin there! Brian slowly and quietly made his way to the center. Once there, he wondered how he was going to find Nickolas. Brian slowly, but meticulously gazed around, searching for any clue. That was when he noticed a hole in one of the coffins near him. Sticking outside of the hole was a piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like Nickolas' clothing!

Brian tried to calm himself down. He reached into his pocket for the inhalant. It took him quite a bit of manipulating and searching to find this little solution. He hoped it worked. According to the books, even the most powerful vampires were susceptible to it!

Slowly, Brian put the opening of the inhalant container into the hole where the shirt stuck out and poured the solution into the box. He then covered the hole and allowed the solution to vaporize. After about five minutes, Brian slowly grasped the coffin lid and pulled upwards, making sure to minimize his noise level. As he slowly revealed the inside of the coffin, Brian was delighted to see that it was indeed Nick in that coffin. But to his surprise, he found another vampire-this one female. He gazed uncomfortably as her arms gripped Nickolas in a possessive way and her head nestled in Nickolas' chest.

Brian was awed. Both looked so youthful. Nickolas looked still to be a child. Without a second thought, Brian reached over to unclasp the girl's hands around Nickolas' body. The task proved more difficult than expected since the girl's hands refused to give in. He pried for about half an hour before being able to release one of her hands. After much trouble, Brian was able to release Nickolas' body.

Brian scooped Nickolas up, and to his surprise, the boy's body was light and soft. He placed Nickolas on the ground next to the coffin and quickly replaced the lid. Then he turned around to look at the sleeping Nickolas and smiled. Still a baby! He unfolded the blanket he brought with him and wrapped the boy's body with it. He had to act fast! It was almost night time. Within minutes, he lifted Nickolas' body and headed for the stairs.

The route out of the castle was not so difficult. Within a few more minutes, Brian was at the gates. The sun was still shining brightly. He hoped that the blanket provided enough protection for the young boy. He knew that vampires were afraid of sunlight, but he had yet to know why. Brian ran back to the little hut, hoping that what he did today was a step in the right direction.

Brian gently placed Nickolas on his bed and covered his frail body with more blankets. After wrapping Nickolas in several layers such that Brian could not see any more skin, he headed back to his hut. Nickolas was on his back, but Brian could not hear any breathing at all. For a moment there, he wondered if he had carried the right vampire, but trudged on regardless.

Tonight would be the first night after sixteen years that Brian could finally be happy once again. Nickolas was still there after all, just in a different form. But this time, no one, not even the vampires, could steal Brian's best friend away from him. They had already stolen sixteen years of Nick's body and Brian's youth as well. He just couldn't afford to lose anymore years.

Gently, he propped the light bundle onto his bed inside the cabin and unraveled the blankets so that Nick could breathe easier. It was nighttime, and the evening sun was sinking quickly into its bed beneath the sky. Quickly, Brian turned off all the electric lights and lighted the small candles. Already, his long lost friend was beginning to stir.

Meanwhile, Brian's Jasmine and her five bumbling idiotic friends were just coming home with baskets of berries in each of their hands.

"Yeah, this would be enough to make a dozen berry cakes, Jasmine," said one guy.

"Hey, Jasmine, would you like me to carry your baskets for you?" cried another.

"You've already gotten two, how much more can you hold?!" Jasmine replied tartly before she rolled her eyes.

"I've got four hands!" he said with glee and laughed.

>From a distance away from her dark hut, Jasmine saw a glowing ensemble of fireballs floating around in the black background.

"Dad has never turned off the lights like that. What's going on, then?" she asked, knowing well that her five tag-along friends were too stupid to answer.

"I don't know. Let's go and see." They all said at once.

"Daddy, what are you doing with all the lights out?" Jasmine hollered and opened the door when suddenly, she saw a very youthful looking boy about her age at Brian's side. She was puzzled, but was charmed by his looks. For several moments, she just stood there dumbfounded, looking at the strange boy in the dim light.

"The boy is just as surprised as I am," she thought to herself.

"Daddy?" she asked, not knowing what to question first of all.

"Yeah, dad, who's HE?" asked one of the idiot friend, making sure that everyone heard his emphasis of the strange-looking, unknown boy. "And how come we don't know him?"

Surprisingly, the boy himself looked bewildered and confused as well. It was too awkward a moment for Brian. He hadn't expected his daughter to come home so early.

"Interesting boy," cried one guy, "but my hands are heavy, and I need somewhere to put the baskets in. Where's the lights so that I can see my way here?"

"Yeah, let's turn on the lights!" said another. Jasmine grinned at the anticipation of seeing this cute boy in the bright light.

"No stop!" yelled Brian. At once, the five guys and Jasmine looked at him and stood where they were. "Just leave the baskets where they are. Jasmine, guys, I want you all to meet Nickolas. Nickolas, I want you to meet my daughter Jasmine and her friends." Brian sighed.

Nickolas shook hands with each of them.

"Who is he?" persisted the idiot friend.

"Nickolas... is... my old time friend," Brian explained. "He may be a little young, but he is not immature." Nickolas looked up to Brian with his confused look.

"He's certainly not old, man," commented one.

"Yeah, Nick, but why are you so pale? Did you eat something bad? Or did you paint yourself with a white brush?" another spoke and laughed hard at his dumb joke by himself.

"Shut up, big mouth!" Jasmine said. "Stop being insensitive. Dad, I've never heard of you speak of Nickolas before." She looked at her father and then at Nickolas. Nickolas again looked at her, but stayed extremely silent. He himself didn't what to say to Brian's daughter.

"It has been many years since Nick has come back to see me... since... he was a child," Brian began. He had to be careful to make his story seem credible to the young ears in the log cabin. "That is why you kids haven't heard me speak of him that often."

"Ohhh," all five heads nodded dumbly in agreement. Jasmine took the initiative towards Nick first.

"So how long are you going to stay here? I hope you would stay with us for awhile." She smiled sweetly to Nick, to which all five guys watched with envy at the incoming stranger who they all barely met for five minutes and had already made Jasmine smile.

"I can't..." Nick began.

"Why not?"

"I need to go before..."

Suddenly, Brian intervened. "All right, Jasmine. Nick and I need to talk out there for a sec. You and your five friends go make some cakes now, okay? Daddy would be back in a few minutes."

Her father was trying to get rid of her. Jasmine could see through to his innermost thoughts, but she smiled and nodded. Besides, it didn't look like the beautiful strange boy was going to leave anytime soon. Her father would not let him. Jasmine turned around and headed to the kitchen, the five teenage boys on her heels.

Once Jasmine and her friends were gone, Brian looked back at Nick. He scooted closer to his young friend while holding his arms out to support Nickolas. He looked up and smiled at the boy. "You don't need to worry about tonight. You can stay here with us."

Nickolas stared uncomfortably at his older friend. "But I'm hungry." Brian smiled cheerfully at his friend. "Not to worry." Without another word, he turned around and walked towards a corner full of clay jars. He quickly carried them back to Nickolas' bed. "I've got all kinds of blood for you, but I believe that goose blood is the best."

Nickolas stared at Brian wondrously. "You know what it tastes like?" he asked timidly.

Brian frowned. "No. But my intuition tells me that goose blood is best." Nickolas smiled at that remark. Brian lifted the jar to his lips. Slowly, Nickolas pressed his lips against the top of the jar and sipped the blood slowly. Surprisingly, it tasted better than anything he had ever tasted before in his life.

"Do you like it?" Brian asked eagerly.

Nickolas nodded. "It's delicious."

Brian smiled proudly. "That's because I added some red wine to it." He watched with a huge smug grin as Nickolas slowly emptied the jar.

Gradually, Nick's pale cheeks showed some color, making him resemble once again the young boy that Brian had missed so much. The transformation was amazing. With color, Nickolas' face also looked more smooth, less rubbery. Brian smiled, delighted by the change.

Once Nickolas had tasted the last drop of blood from the jar, he handed it back to Brian.

"Are you still hungry? I have more blood," Brian asked, concerned. Nickolas shook his head. "I'm too full now."

Brian laughed. "For a vampire, you sure do not have a huge appetite."

Nick grinned. Then, silence ensued.

Brian gazed at Nickolas, still figuring out how this whole situation will work. "Umm, I have not told Jasmine nor her friends about you, yet." Nickolas nodded. "You don't have to. I will leave in a while." "No!" Brian declared, startling Nickolas. "You will not go back." Brian leaned forward to squeeze Nickolas' hands. "Nickolas, I brought you here because I've missed you. I know I should not have kidnapped you like this, but I was worried. Why did they do that to you, Nickolas? Why did they change you to a vampire?" Brian asked.

Nickolas saddened. "I don't know. Yekari said that she wanted a friend."

Brian looked pensive for a moment. "Was she the girl that shared your coffin?" Nickolas nodded.

Suddenly, Brian's face registered pure anger. "And so she decided to steal my friend!"

"Don't worry, Brian. She has been very nice to me lately," Nickolas tried to comfort his friend. "But sometimes, I don't understand her." Nickolas was about to say more, when he felt many pairs of eyes on him. He looked to the door to see Jasmine and her friends peeping through the cracks in the walls. Brian followed Nickolas' gaze. He stiffened.

"Jasmine! It's impolite to eavesdrop on your father!" Brian shouted. Slowly, the door opened, and the six teenagers shuffled inside the room, blushing from embarrassment. But none had dared to look away from the young vampire that sat on their father's bed.

Jasmine looked to her father and then back to the vampire. She walked up to the bed and examined the features of their kidnapped vampire. She smiled gleefully. "May I see your fangs?"

Nickolas stared at her, abhorred by her boldness. He shifted his weight back uncomfortably. He turned his attention back to his older friend. "I can't stay. If the others find me here, they will hurt you." Nickolas jumped off the bed, his thoughts feeding the growing panic. He had taken only two small steps when one of Jasmine's friends turned on the flashlight, burning his sensitive flesh. Within seconds, Nickolas fell to the floor in pain, desperately trying to shield his eyes.

"Stop!" Brian screamed. He ran to Nickolas' side to comfort the boy. Unfortunately, the damage had been made. Nickolas was reeling from pain and fear.

Jasmine's friend only smirked. "But Mr. Littrell, don't you see? We can control him with this light! You don't have to worry about him leaving. If you want him to stay, we can use the light."

Brian glared at Jasmine's simple-minded friend. "You're to not hurt him in any way." He looked at Nick and tried to gently rub the area that was exposed to the light. He saw that it was reddish and inflamed. Brian hugged Nickolas tightly to soothe his fear. "It's okay, Nickolas. I won't let anybody hurt you."

Nick tried to stand up on his legs, but was too weakened by Jasmine's friend's attack to do so. He looked up at Jasmine's friend, who still held Nick at bay with his ominous flashlight at Nick's face.

"The problem is not me," Nick answered, "it's the other vampires. They will kill you all if they see me here."

Brian was surprised to see that Nick was very weak.

He reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "Why is your grip so weak?"

"The other vampires didn't want me to run away. So they purposely fed me stale blood," Nickolas whispered.

Brian looked incredulous. "They would sacrifice your health for that? Well, you don't have to worry. I won't mistreat you like they did. I can get you very healthy blood."

Nickolas looked fearfully at Brian. "That's the problem. They will find me. They have a very keen sense of smell. They will know I am here." Brian laughed haughtily. "You underestimate me. I covered our tracks with lots of different scents. They couldn't possibly follow your smell to this place."

Nickolas looked to Jasmine and her friends. Jasmine smiled as he acknowledged her presence. "You can stay with us. We'll help you go hunting. Or maybe, you can help us a couple of bores!"

Nickolas smiled, feeling some warmth for Brian's daughter. "Yes! That would be fun."

"All right, it is settled. Are you up to it tonight?" Brian smiled slyly."

Nickolas tried to use Brian's arm to pull himself up. As he tried, he felt many pairs of arms supporting his frail body and lifting it up. Then, without another word, Nickolas laughed and ran out the door, with seven other bodies chasing him into the woods in search of live animals. The night passed quickly as the eight of them trampled through the forests.

After three hours and no catch, the eight people collapsed near Nick's favorite lake, dejected.

"Some vampire you are! We spent three hours and our hands our still empty," Jasmine's friend cried out.

Nickolas stared at him, annoyed. "I did not guarantee anything. Besides, I did locate the animals. You were too slow to catch them!"

Jasmine smirked. "You are very difficult."

Brian laughed. "Nickolas, I believe that they are not impressed."

Nickolas laughed. He looked out to the lake contentedly. "This is the best time I've had for so long. I think I can get used to this." He dipped his fingers into the water. "The water is so cool. I wish I could bathe in it."

Jasmine's friend smirked. "And while you bathe, be sure to catch us some fish!"

Jasmine smiled wickedly at the thought. "This is your chance to redeem yourself, Nickolas!"

Nickolas blushed. "That was only a thought. I wasn't really going to do it!"

"Wait a minute," Jasmine said, her face expressed joy. "I thought you looked familiar. You're the one who bathes here every few weeks!"

Nickolas stares at Jasmine in shock. "How do you . . . "

"know? Believe me, we've seen it all, Nickolas. Don't deny it. It was you, wasn't it?" Jasmine's friend cried out excitedly.

Nickolas was so thankful that it was so dark outside because he had blushed every shade of red that existed. He got up and wanted to bury himself right there. He was especially embarrassed by Jasmine's friend whose words he knew were intended to be friendly but sounded so gay. Brian only laughed. Nick continued heading back for Brian's hut as the teenagers prided themselves in this new discovery. He had only taken a few steps when he stopped in his tracks.

"What?" Brian asked, sensing the sudden change in Nick's steps.

Nickolas bit his lip. "I must go back. Or they will search for me." He turned around and stared Brian squarely in the face. "You know that this won't last, Brian. I can visit you sometimes." Nick looked hopefully at Brian, his eyes pleading for some sort of understanding.

It took a long while before Brian again sighed, knowing that the fate of their friendship had already been determined sixteen years ago, and would remain so for the rest of Brian's short life. It saddened Brian to think how ephemeral their reunion was. He just couldn't face the absolute truth. Nickolas was a vampire. Brian did not notice the wet tears that fell silently and uncontrollably from his chin.

"I'll miss you, Nick." He hugged the frail vampire for what seemed to be the last time and watched the silent figure walk away into the dark, cold background.

>>>>>

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