Just like that the tables had turned. Fay wanted David dead.

"C'mon man. Get him out of there before all hell breaks loose." Paul urged Dwayne under his breath as David and Fay began to size each other up.

"I'm trying but the house is warded. Damn it!"

Dwayne hissed as he re-doubled his concentrated efforts. If he could just get a fix on Marko he could coax him out from behind the protection of Fay's walls. Do that and they could call it a night. The skill of mind bending was something he was damn good at, David knew this first hand, but Fay had gone and changed the locks. Whatever magical wards she had managed to cast in the last few days blocked his abilities. There had to be a backdoor route somewhere. He just needed the time to find it.

But time was a precious commodity that they were quickly running out of.

"You wouldn't dare."

David readjust his footing to counter-act Fay's calculated prowl before he switched to the offence. The two began the slow dance of circling one another.

"Oh please. David, I could have your head on my wall before dawn if I wanted to."

"Go ahead and try because I am not leaving here without him. If that means having to end you, well, what's one less witch in the world?"

Paul watched the two with a sick sort of fascination. This was not the feisty laughing woman he had come to know. This was a stranger. A dangerous one. She only had eyes for David and Paul knew that this was going to end in blood.

"David, you don't seriously mean that. I mean...c'mon, you're joking, right?"

"What do you think?"

The moment the words left David's mouth Fay made her move. Paul stumbled backward as David leapt sideways to avoid Fay's sudden lunge.

"Shit!"

Fay lunged and retreated as David maneuvered himself just beyond her reach. He had to work hard to draw her away from her front porch with every back-step he took. If he had wanted the witch dead, he would have made his move by now. Instead the two of them kept up their deadly dance; twisting and sidestepping in rapid succession. It was a blur of black and pink to the naked human eye.

"Go left."

Dwayne motioned Paul to keep well out of reach as he abandoned his task for the moment. The kid wasn't going anywhere. He knew from experience just how dangerous David could be in a fight but he was not fool enough to jump into the middle of one. That would be beyond stupid. The best he could do now was damage control.

Ugh. What is that?

Something appeared in Fay's hand as she ducked under David's claws. Whatever it was the vampires were instinctively repulsed by it.

A crucifix?

But it was the wrong shape.

When Fay slashed at David's throat, Paul cringed. Oddly enough so did Dwayne. The strike had almost connected. David managed to back-pedal fast enough to avoid being hit but he let loose a snarl of alarm.

The panic in his tone was genuine.

The skin along the back of Dwayne's neck prickled in warning as Fay switched tactics and went for David with the deadly determination of a matador with a sword. And she had a sword. A sword? That wasn't a sword. A knife? No. A wooden stake? That looked like a sword?

What was going on?

Dwayne grimaced as his eyes started to burn. He could not look directly at the object that Fay wielded with such authority without feeling sick. Paul was in similar position, only he had gone an off-shade of grey as a result.

This was getting out of hand and they were on the wrong side of Fay's attention. David did not have a clue about what he had put them up against and if Dwayne did not think of something fast they would pay the ultimate price for David's inflated ego. That was not going to happen.

HELP!

And there was the call.

On cue Dwayne sidestepped David and gave him a solid shove to propel him out of the way as Paul lunged at the woman in pink from behind and grabbed her upheld wrist. It was a stupid move on his part as he attempted to wrestle her for the possession of the mysterious object.

For a woman that petite, she was stronger than he would have guessed.

"NO PAUL! STOP!"

Marko bolted out of the house in a panic. The cats on the porch scattered except for one. Fat Cat refused to be moved. His black and white bulk tripped up Marko and sent him sprawling on the cement walkway. Someone would end up dead because of him and when Marko saw Paul grab hold Fay he knew that he had to do something.

"Let her go Paul!"

Fay hissed viciously as she twisted and writhed out of the vampire's grip. The repulsive object she wielded shot upward and glanced off Paul's head just above his left eye. A god-awful agonizing scream accompanied the foul stench of seared flesh and burnt hair as he fell back. Blinded, Paul instinctively brought both hands up as smoke hiss between his fingers.

It hurt like hell. Worse than hell. Worse than dying.

"Holy oil!"

David roared in outrage as he looked to Paul's cauterized face and then at the object that had begun to gleam painfully in Fay's right hand.

"You witch bitch!"

"You are a moron David! Do you really think holy oil can do this?"

Fay panted hard between her snarling as she whipped her arm up and held the long yet narrow wooden spoon aloft like it was a flaming sword of justice. To any member of the undead, it was. The gleam that surrounded the wooden object pulsed dangerously bright.

Instinctively Dwayne and David back the hell up while Paul staggered blindly, driven by the same instinctive need to get as far away from the witch as possible.

"I warned you David! You didn't listen then. But you will now."

Fay's eyes blazed as she stood firm before her would-be attackers. The spoon, a plain old cooking utensil, radiated power in her hand. To a vampire the painfully bright pulsating light was impossible to look at.

"Big Spoon David. The tool of my grandmother's grandmothers. A santa reliquia handed down from mother to daughter. Sanctified by popes you've never even heard of. This thing has annihilated creatures of darkness far more powerful than you will ever be. And now I have a perfectly legitimate reason to use it, so tell me David. Who dies first? It's your call."

Dwayne speared David with a look that would have slaughtered if it could.

THAT'S A FREAKING HOLY RELIC! WHAT THE HELL DAVID! ARE YOU INSANE? NO MARK IS WORTH THIS!

Dwayne's voice snarled at full volume through the mental connection the three vampires now shared. Paul whimpered before he doubled over from the pain in his head. David was completely blindsided. He had no idea what he had led them into. The reality of just how much he had messed up was right there in front of him and he was at a loss for words.

"Those boys, their blood is on your head. I hope you choke on it you leech!"

"Stop Fay. No one dies tonight."

It was Marko's scared voice that did what David, Dwayne, and Paul could not. Fay paused, her chest heaving from the effort it took to power the spoon. She regarded Marko with utter disbelief.

"Why are you defending him? Look at what he did to you! What he did to Paul! This is the only way to reverse what's happened."

"Will it save Paul? Will killing David solve anything?"

"It's too late for Paul Marko. I'm sorry. But it's not for you. I can still fix this. I have to."

The wooden spoon shook she adjusted her grip on the worn handle. The amount of energy that it took to power the relic had begun to take its toll. It was now or never.

Marko was scared. Beyond that really. But Paul was in pain. Pain that Fay had caused. She was going to kill him for something he did have any control over. That was a line that Marko would not cross. Not even to save himself.

"My place is with Paul. Where he goes I go. If it's too late for him...then...same goes for me. I won't leave him to do this alone."

Paul could not believe his ears. He could not see Marko but he heard him. Loud and clear.

"Do you have an idea what you are saying? What that actually means? You lose yourself Marko. Bit by bit you will lose everything that makes you who you are. Your humanity? Your family? Your memories? Gone. Forgotten. Lost to time. All that will be left is the outer shell of what you once were and the eternal parasite you will become. An eternity of darkness, death, and loneliness is what you get. Is that what you want? Don't kid yourself Marko, vampires die all the time. Nothing lasts forever. Not even your friend."

"No." Marko shook his head. "Fay..."

"Get inside. I don't have time for this." Fay inhaled sharply as she fought to steady herself. "You don't know what you want and you are too young to make that call. Get inside and lock the door. Don't listen and don't look."

The pent-up energy that was building in the spoon strained for release. The longer she held it the harder it shook. She levelled the spoon at David. Maybe it was her maternal instinct working overtime but whatever it was Fay felt responsible for Marko. He was just a kid. Like hell was she just going to stand by and let that corpse faced demon ruin his life.

"This ends tonight. And good riddance you fiend."

Without any hesitation Marko inhaled sharply before he made what could be the worst decision of his life. His body became a solid barrier between the lead vampire and the witch.

"I'm sorry Fay."

Fay gaped at him.

"No. Don't do this to me. Marko, step aside. Now. Please. I can't keep this up. He has to die so you can live. Do you understand that?"

"Don't be mad Fay."

He reached for the spoon.

"MAFANKULO! CAZZO MADRE DI DIO! TI AMMAZZO DAVID!"

Fay shrieked at a harpy's pitch as she whipped the spoon away before Marko could make contact. Had he touched it, the energy surge would have destroyed him where he stood. The spoon buzzed through the air before it struck the side of David's motorcycle. A flash of blinding white light erupted from the impact as the black and chrome Triumph ceased to exist. No flames, no ashes, no wreckage. There one moment and gone in an instant. Just like that.

All that remained was the plain wooden spoon on the cracked asphalt of Fay's driveway.

Marko exhaled a shaky breath while the fury that had kept Fay going evaporated. She crumpled slightly into her robe.

She failed him. David had won.

"Che palle. You poor lost boy."

Fay's forehead came to rest against the colourful patchwork on Marko's shoulder as tears silently tracked down her cheeks and onto his jacket.

"Don't cry Fay. It'll be all right."

Fay sniffed hard as she swiped her fingers under her eyes.

"No it won't Marko. It can't."

"You don't know that."

"Nothing good ever comes from a pair of fangs."

"And not claws?"

He had seen the marks on David's face. Those were not made from acrylic press-ons.

Fay shook her head.

"Go. Paul needs you. He's going to be in a bad way for a while but he'll survive. I didn't hit him that hard."

"Fay..."

Her arms wrapped tightly around Marko and squeezed. Everything she wanted to say, to convey, was in that simple action. She did not trust herself to speak. He had made his decision. It was going to be a burden that he alone would have to carry from now on.

"Go. Just be careful. Take care of each other."

"It's what we always do."

It was Marko who broke the hold and went to Paul's aid. He refused to even look in David's direction as he grabbed Paul by the arm and hauled him upright.

"You're such an idiot man."

Paul grimaced as Marko slung his arm over his shoulder and steered him toward his bike. Paul was in no condition to ride solo. Blinded and sporting charred third degree burns across his scalp, he was going to be out of commission for a while. Thankfully vampires had that fun little trick when it came to healing faster than the average bear.

"Shut up Paul."

Marko took care not to jostle his best friend too much as he got him settled on the back of the bike and mounted up in front.

"Welcome to the fold little bro." Paul slapped Marko on the shoulder. Marko's smile was weak as he kicked the engine to life.

"You good?"

"Yeah."

Paul held onto Marko and hooked his heels behind the foot rests as Marko backed the bike onto the street. One last glance was given to the woman who had put everything on the line for him before he opened the throttle. The pair jetted down the quiet suburban street without so much as a backward wave.

No one moved until the roar of Paul's motorcycle became a thing of the past.

"I'll meet you at the cave." David murmured quietly to Dwayne as he took his leave. He had a gut feeling that what went down tonight would not end here. He may have won the battle, but the war was far from over. He just shook his head as the corner of his mouth curled upward. He gave Fay a simple nod before he took to the sky with a loud rush of air.

Fay watched him soar up into the dark cloud coverage and vanish from view. She muttered something in dialect under her breath and to the untrained ear it sounded like a curse.

"Pagherai per questo nel sangue."

Dwayne ran a hand through his hair as he made the cagey decision to break the silence.

"Look, Fay."

Fay stiffen and turned slowly around to face him. It took a lot of nerve for Dwayne to stand his ground. To say that Fay was pissed was a grave understatement.

"What."

"You knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time before he turned. There was nothing you could do."

He told it like it was. Even if she refused to hear the truth in it.

"Go away."

She turned her back to him and headed for the porch stairs. The wooden spoon was waiting on the welcome mat courtesy of Figaro who had fetched it when no one was looking.

"Fay, don't be like this." Dwayne started after her.

"Reeeeeeeerrrrr! Hisssss!!!!"

Fat Cat planted his bulky form in the vampire's path. His fur was puffed out in an attempt to intimidate instead of resembling a well-packed meatloaf with socks. The black and white feline glared up at Dwayne with a look that clearly told him to "beat it".

Dwayne found his way blocked by an ever-growing barrier of angry felines, growling and hissing with long tails lashing. Houdini, the orange tabby with the notched ear, took a run at him and went for his shin.

"C'mon Fay!" Dwayne shook the tabby off his leg only to have it attach itself to the other.

"Leave Dwayne. You are not welcome here."

"No."

Dwayne grounded himself to the spot. Let the cats have at him. That was not going to stop him.

Fay's eye twitched. What did he want? Her to fly into another rage only at him this time? Threaten to dismember him with gardening shears? Give him a tan? What good would that do? She was tired of these infuriating vampire games. Enough with the cat and mouse routine. She was done with it all. With them. Just done.

"Just leave me alone."

She bent to retrieve the spoon. A encouraging nudge from Figaro's striped silver head distracted her for a brief moment. Those gem green eyes of his spoke volumes as he fanned out his well-groomed whiskers encouragingly. It was not over until she called it and Fay still had a cat left in this dog fight. A mean one. That gave her an idea.

Cats always land on their feet and so did she. She was a Prima and that meant something. There was a chance that she could still salvage the situation. She just had to go about it in a different way.

Cats, no matter what size, play by their own rules.

Fay lengthened her spine before she turned to face Dwayne. The prim and proper striped tabby stood at her side with his thin tail arched in a bent question mark.

"Fine. Let's make a deal then. You keep them out of David's hooks. Keep them true to themselves. Do that for me. And if you do, I'll show you who I really am."

Fay tossed back her hair and straightened out of the slumped posture of defeat. If she could not beat them at their own game then it was time to change the game. Bloodsuckers were by no means dead from the neck down and Dwayne was no exception.

He arched an eyebrow at the offer. His interest with piqued to say the least. But he said nothing.

"I might even let you have a taste. If that's what you want. This I swear. By my blood, of my blood, for my blood."

Dwayne's dark eyes turned solid black when the scent of Fay's blood reached his nose. He inhaled sharply and swallowed hard as his incisors lengthened in response to the exotic copper tang that hinted at something more than human. Something familiar. Something predatory.

Four droplets of blood dripped from Fay's finger and landed with faint plats on the white painted porch planks.

"Do you agree?

Dwayne huffed and shifted his stance.

"If I don't?"

Fay gave him a pointed look.

"I know what you want. You can't have it unless I say so. So cut the crap and do what I asked. If you do I will make sure you won't regret it."

Fay smirked ever so slightly as she brought her hand up to her mouth and waited. Dwayne was zeroed in on the blood that ran down her finger, blood that she slowly lapped up with her tongue. She knew she had him when she heard that distinctive growl of frustration.

"Fine."

"Done."

She sealed the deal with a kiss.

Figaro jumped into her arms and settled himself on her shoulder as she stepped inside her house and slammed the front door. On cue Fay's multiple cats slunk off into the dark corners of the property with their tails low and ears pinned back. Fat Cat was the only one who remained. He carefully moved back to his spot on the porch and parked himself right on top of the blood splatter. There was no way he was going to let Dwayne get a peak at the goods. The cat gave an annoyed growl for good measure to prove that he meant business.

"Cats are such assholes."

Dwayne ignored the hiss the furry bowling ball with toes sent his way.

Fay leaned with her back pressed against the wooden door as she listened to Dwayne take off on his bike. It was in that moment that she stopped fighting the scratchy tickle in the back of her throat and let the tears come.

Dammit!

A soft merwow made her smile as Figaro rubbed his rough nose against her chin.

No worries

"What the hell am I doing?" She asked him as she slowly sunk down to the ground, sitting cross-legged in the tiled foyer. Figaro curled his tail around her wrist. She hugged him close and buried her face into his velveteen fur as a few more traitorous tears escaped out of the corners of her eyes.

"This is so messed up."

Figaro purred in agreement.

"At least I have you."

Despite his best efforts however a part of Fay felt like crawling under a rock and just staying there.

"So what now Fig?"

As if on cue the bedroom phone began to ring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few nights later once the sun finally dipped below the horizon, Dwayne and Paul hit the streets. Paul was still in rough shape but feeding off David as well as a few wayward street waifs had helped some. At least he could see out of both eyes again and his equilibrium had finally returned.

The two made their way uptown to Fay's place in record time. They nearly ran down an old man as they violated a number of traffic laws but they could not have cared less. Who was going to stop them?

Dwayne would have preferred to fly but Paul was still on shaky grounds and Dwayne needed him to help persuade Fay from doing something regrettable. Whoever said that "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," clearly knew what he was talking about.

"I don't know about this man." Paul grumbled as they neared Fay's house. It had not been a pleasant experience the last time he was there. David said that it would take a few weeks before he healed completely. When it did he would have a permanent token of Fay's affection. Such were the effects of using anything that was blessed by a freaking pontiff.

"Will you shut up?"

Dwayne gazed up at the house, concentrating on something beyond his sense of sight. The wards that Fay had used against them had weakened considerably since he last tried to breach them.

"She home?" Paul asked. He looked from Dwayne to the house and then back again. When Dwayne shook his head, Paul sighed.

David was not going to like this.

"C'mon."

Dwayne dismounted and walked up to the porch while Paul trailed after him. They tried the front door and found it locked. So much for wishful thinking.

"Go around back."

Paul slipped around into the backyard as Dwayne peered into the restored front window. The curtains were drawn tight and he could not get a clear view of the interior of the house. The place felt like an empty shell. One that still expected company however.

"Can I help you?"

Dwayne looked over his shoulder at an elderly gentleman who glared at him from the cracked cement porch of the house next door.

Great. The neighbours.

"I'm good. The woman who lives here is a friend of mine."

The old man snorted and retreated into his home. He did not buy that line for a second. A point was made when the door was locked behind him.

"Where are you Fay?"

Dwayne stepped back as the front door of Fay's house swung open. Paul had found an unlocked window at the back of the house and had let himself in. Dwayne stepped inside and saw why it was so quiet. The house was empty. All of the furniture was covered in white sheets or packed neatly into boxes off into various corners. It seemed that Fay had high-tailed it out of town with a few possession and her cats in tow while they had been dead to the world.

"Where would she go?" Paul asked as he began to snoop for clues.

They went from room to room, checking to see if Fay had left behind any sort of message. In one of the upstairs bedrooms, hers he rightfully guessed, Dwayne spied a small broken figurine that lay abandoned on the carpeted floor. When he picked it up he saw that it was a small hand-carved statue of an Egyptian cat. Fay was ever the cat lady and this piece felt old. It was special and not something she would have left behind by accident.

He pocketed the pieces and turned to Paul who drifted into the room after giving the bathroom a serious once over. A few cans of Aqua Net hairspray had found their way into the pockets of his jacket.

"Let's go."

Without another word the two exited the house but not before they closed the place up properly. Someday Fay would return. They had a deal after all and Dwayne planned on keeping his side of the bargain.

"Where to now?"

Dwayne gave the house a final once over. It was quiet and empty but not sad. The cats and their Lady would be back. When? He had no idea. But it would only be a matter of time. Time was something he had plenty of.

"Boardwalk."

Marko and David would be waiting for them at the usual spot near the old steel truss bridge at the end of the Boardwalk. From there they would set out to hunt midst the crowds, like they would go on to do every night from there on in.

Santa Carla had a resident pack of vampires of her very own once again but the town felt different without its Cat Lady to maintain the balance. Without Fay there was nowhere that the Lost Boys could not go or nothing they could not do. The city was theirs to do with as they pleased. For the time being anyway. All that would soon change in a way none of them would see coming. Santa Carla had a mind of her own, and she did not play favourites.