Warning!!! - Very slight cursing

    You tried texting and calling Benny for days, but he wouldn't answer. You even tried confronting him at school, but he was always surrounded by Ethan and Sarah who barricaded him from you.

    No matter what you did, you couldn't apologize to the love of your life for hurting him so badly.

    Sometimes, you managed to catch a glimpse of the distressed boy between classes or during lunch. It tore you apart to see just how damaged he truly was. His eyes lost their familiar sparkle, and he never smiled. The boy known for shameless flirting and endless laughter stared emptily at the nothingness before him until he could return to the safety of his house.

    How could you do that to him?

    After the third day of grouchy friends and unanswered phone calls, you finally decided that apologizing at his house would be the best solution. Benny lived with his grandma, and Grandma Weir loved you to death. You figured Sarah and Ethan wouldn't follow Benny to his house, so you would be able to see him.

    Once the last bell rang, you bolted from Whitechapel High. You hadn't drunk any blood since your fallout with Benny, and the blood cravings had been bothering you since fourth period. You wanted to be at your best for your apology, so you figured you would make a quick stop on your way to your boyfriend's house.

    You smirked to yourself as you spotted a fat squirrel rooting around in garbage cans in a secluded ally. You scanned the are quickly for witnesses before sidestepping into the alleyway.

    After months of practice, you caught the squirrel with ease. You bared your fangs and prepared to enjoy the satisfying slush of blood, your teeth just barely breaking the squirrel's skin.

    "Hello, (Y/N)," an all too familiar voice sneered, making you jump to your feet as you threw the squirrel to the ground.

    You stared into the vibrant blue eyes of Jesse Black, a vampire cult leader you and your friends had destroyed only weeks before. Or so you thought.

    Behind him, Jesse's best friend, Gord, appeared as well. You noticed the sharp gleam of his fangs as he sauntered over to the two of you.

    "I thought we killed you both," you deadpanned with a look of annoyance.

    "And I thought you would've wanted something other than squirrels," Jesse nodded towards your aborted lunch, "It's not like you haven't eaten a human before."

    "I'm not like you anymore," you spat, "I don't need to be a monster to feel powerful."

    Gord laughed amusedly. "You think that's what this is about? Feeling powerful? Wow, those losers really did soften you. Honey, I'm more powerful than you ever were."

    "Look, I don't know what you fools are doing or how you're even alive, but you'll be back where you belong soon enough," you threatened.

    "And who's going to stop us? Huh?" Jesse challenged, his blue eyes shining dangerously.

    "Me, obviously," you growled as you lowered yourself into a hunter's crouch.

    "You and what army?" Gord laughed.

    "The same army that kicked your butt the last time we faced off," you growled as your eyes began to glow a bright yellow.

    "We've been around town for longer than you think, (Y/N)," Jesse stated matter-of-factly, "We know about your little fallout with your friends."

    "They'll forgive me once they know your back in town," you replied as you tried to ignore your wavering confidence.

    "You know I'm right," Jesse sing-songed, "Why don't you join us, hm? You can drink all of the blood you want, and you'll never have to bow to those geeks ever again. Remember everything you did back at the high school? They'll never appreciate you now."

    "You lie!" you seethed, "They'll come around."

    "You hurt them," Gord reminded you, "Even with a threat around, they'll just forget you exist. You know that as well as I do."

    "You don't know anything about me or my friends!" you thundered, "Now leave me alone!"

    As soon as the words left your mouth, you felt your back collide into a wall as a hand clasped tightly around your throat. Jesse was in your face, his fangs bared as he stared at you with a wave of burning anger.

    "Stop denying who you really are," he snarled, "Join us. Be what you are meant to be. You've done it before, so do it again."

    You struggled in his firm grip before you managed to kick him off of you finally. You fell to your knees as you coughed for air.

    "When you're done waiting for a bunch of losers, you know where your real friends will be," Jesse growled before turning around and walking away. You watched as he disappeared as quickly as he appeared with Gord following closely behind him.

    You were so frazzled that you forgot about your snack. You ran as quickly as you could to Benny's house, shock and worry plastered on your face. When you got there, you banged on the door so hard your knuckles hurt.

    What was Jesse doing back? What was he planning?

    Whatever it was, it was going to be bad, and he was willing to fight to get it.

    But what did he want with you?

    Grandma Weir opened the door, only to get a good look at the mess you had become. Your hair was a knotted wreck, and your eyes were wide with fear and worry.

    "Can I come in, please?" you begged as you scanned the treeline for any undead visitors.

    "Get in here, (Y/N)," Grandma Weir ushered, "Benny, come quick!"

    You ducked into the house, sighing slightly with relief as you enjoyed the protection the house offered you. As a vampire, Jesse could only come inside if he was invited, and no Weir would invite him inside any time soon.

    Benny ran down the stairs as fast as lightning, nearly tripping over his feet a few times. He slammed himself onto the kitchen countertop, staring at his grandmother in worry.

    "What...happened, Grandma? What's...wrong?" he panted nervously. You stared at him in confusion; did he know you were there?

    "Ask her," Grandma Weir instructed him as she nodded to your disgruntled figure.

    Benny slowly turned on his toes, his eyes narrowing as they settled on you.

    "...What are you doing here...?" Benny deadpanned.

    "I came to apologize-" you began.

    "No. I've accepted a lot of apologies, but this is not something I can forgive. You lied to us, and you insulted me so you could make out with my evil twin. Who does that?" Benny bark angrily. Your eyes flashed with hurt; Benny never talked like that.

    "Benny! Don't talk to her like that!" Grandma Weir scolded.

    "No, Grandma! You don't understand! You didn't see how she acted or heard what she said! She's a traitor, and she broke my heart!" Benny yelled. With a final glare at you, he turned around and marched out of the kitchen.

    "Dang it, Benny! I just wanted to apologize for what I said! I'm not really from around here; you know that now! I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys, but I didn't want to risk being alienated! I've done some bad things in my past, I'll admit it! But I wouldn't do it now! I only acted like that to kill the evil twin that you created! I know evil better than you guys, so I figured I would handle it! I'm really, really sorry!" you rambled as you marched after him, "I made some bad choices. But now, all of you are mad at me, and I just saw Jesse and Gord in town, and they want me for some plan, and I can't even get you guys to help-"

    Benny froze when he heard Jesse's name. He turned around to face you, his eyes filled with worry as he looked you over. "Who was in town?"

     "Jesse and Gord. I was in town for a snack when they approached me. They're back," you explained solemnly.

    Benny's eyes lingered on your messy hair. "Did...did they do anything to you?"

    "That doesn't matter," you spat, "All that matters is that they're back, and they have a plan."

    "Like hell it doesn't," Benny growled as he bounded over to you, his anger now directed at Jesse and his followers, "That sleazy vampire doesn't get to touch what's mine."

    His arms wrapped protectively around you as he scanned your face for damages. His nimble fingers pulled bits of rubble from your hair. As he pulled out the pieces of cement, he glared at them distastefully.

    "What happened in town?" he asked shortly. You couldn't tell if he was still angry at you or his two undead enemies, but you figured it was best if you didn't know.

    "I was getting a snack," you began as you sat down at the kitchen table, but you couldn't finish. As soon as the word snack left your mouth, you doubled over in pain, grasping your stomach as it growled and grumbled. You groaned lowly, cursing yourself for your cravings.

    You shut your eyes as you tried to ignore the scent of the two humans in the room with you. You buried your nose into your shirt, but it didn't help.

    "(Y/N)?" Benny asked worriedly as he ran to your side.

    "Back away!" you growled as you looked up into his chocolate brown eyes, your own (E/C) eyes flashing dangerously at him as you bared your fangs.

    "I'll get the blood substitute," Grandma Weir announced before leaving the room in a hurry.

    "What's wrong, (Y/N)?" Benny asked concernedly from afar, his previous anger being the furthest thing from his mind as he watched you writhe uncomfortably.

    "I haven't eaten in a while...The hunger...It's getting stronger..." you managed to force out between clenched teeth, "I was going to eat, but I got distracted..."

    Just as another wave of pain and nausea washed over you, Grandma Weir was back with a juice box filled with her blood substitute. "Drink up," she ordered sternly.

    You snatched the box from her hand, not even bothering to use the small straw she had taped to the side. You sank your teeth into the nasty, wet cardboard, but you relished the feeling of liquid filling your mouth.

    Within seconds the entire box was drained. You leaned back into the chair; your hunger was not entirely satisfied, but at least now, it was tolerable. The two Weirs stared at you, waiting for your reaction.

    "Man, Sarah was right. This blood substitute is awful," you giggled to lighten the mood.

    "Well, it's a substitute, not real blood!" Grandma Weir admonished before she returned to her work in the kitchen, "Just be glad I gave you the one made from deer and not from rats!"

    "Ugh," you gagged at the thought, "Thank you for that. I guess I owe you one."

    "When was the last time you ate anything...?" Benny asked quietly.

    "...The morning of the evil twin hunt. I don't see why it matters, though. We have much bigger problems than that-"

    "Why haven't you drunk anything? Why aren't you taking care of yourself?" Benny chided.

    "Why haven't you answered any of my texts or calls? Why aren't you facing me instead of having Ethan and Sarah pretend to be your bodyguards? We both have done wrong the past couple of days," you snarled, "Now, let's just focus on the problem at hand."

    Benny sighed as his face fell into his hands. "...Did you refuse to eat because of me...?"

    "I wasn't hungry," you sidestepped shortly.

    "Ugh, I'm such an idiot," Benny groaned as he threw his head back, "You didn't eat because of my petty anger..."

    "Like I tried to tell you a few minutes ago, I'm not the same girl as I was back in New York...I don't know how you did it, Benny Weir, but you managed to break down my walls. You managed to find my emotions again, which I didn't think was possible. I was acting that day, but no matter what happens, that's always going to be a part of me. I didn't want to tell you until I was ready to admit it, though...I knew how you would react, and lo and behold, I was right," you rambled as you stared at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze, "Your vehement reaction bothered me more than anything else ever has. I've never cared about someone as much as I care about you. So when I couldn't so much as look at you, everything else felt nonexistent. Hunger was the last thing from my mind."

    "...I'm such a jerk," Benny grumbled, "It doesn't matter how I felt...I should never have done that to you."

    "We were both jerks recently," you compromised, "But right now, we have bigger problems."

    "Jesse can wait," Benny snapped, "You need real food."

    "And you need priorities," you rolled your eyes as you tried to ignore the heat in your cheeks.

    "You are my priority," Benny replied seriously.

    "Well, why don't we focus on how Jesse wants me for some plan of his?" you reminded him, "Then we can worry about my next meal."

    "He wants what?" Benny growled as his eyes darkened.

    "He wants-"

    "Start from the beginning," Benny ordered, leaving no room for argument.

    "I was in town, preparing to eat a squirrel when Jesse and Gord walked up to me. Needless to say, I didn't get to finish eating," you giggled dryly as you tried again to lighten the suddenly ominous mood.

    "Continue," Benny instructed humorlessly.

    You took a deep breath before continuing. "He came with the same stupid speech he had the first time. He told me to stop ignoring who I really was, and to join him for his next evil plan to take over the world. And then..."

    "And then?" Benny pressed as he watched your face fall.

    "He slammed me into the wall when I refused him," you spoke quietly like you were afraid he would hear your answer.

    "...I'm going to kick that vampire's butt when I see him," Benny threatened as his muscles tensed, "Nobody touches my girl like that and gets away with it."

    But as Benny rambled on, one important fact you ignored dawned on you.

    "He's been watching us!" you accused as you rose from your seat, "He knew that we weren't on good terms. I don't know where he's been, or how he's done it, but he knows more about us than we think. He knows we're angry at each other, and he'll use it to his advantage if given a chance."

    "Dang it," Benny muttered under his breath, "Who knows what he could do with us separated."

    "And Sarah's still mad at me," you reminded him, "Who knows what she would do for revenge."

    "Sarah wouldn't do something like that," Benny dismissed before he looked back to you, "...Would she?"

    "Would you think I could clap back as ruthlessly as I did a few days ago?" you asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "We've got to find Sarah," Benny replied quickly, his lips pursed in a straight line.

    "Agreed."
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I don't know if this counts as another cliffhanger, but at least it ended happier than the other ones! But what does the return of Jesse mean for our favorite Whitechapel crew? Does anyone want to see a part 3?