He stood on the beach watching the waves.

"Ignorant fools," Massi said, coming up behind him.

"Isn't that what they call an oxy-moron?" the dark figure said.

"We've lost Trey for awhile. But he'll be back."

"He always does, doesn't he? He's too much like us to stay with Antonio. He couldn't live the way Antonio lives... drinking stored blood of all things," the figure replied disgusted.

"What's the next move?" Massi asked.

"Let them wait. Feel like their finally secure. Then we'll make them pay," the figure said.

"Are you sure you want to continue?"

The figure spun around and sent Massi flying into the air and slammed him against the side of the cliff. "You dare question me?!" he shouted.

"I apologize," Massi murmured, getting up and dusting off his shirt as if it happened all the time.

"I made you!" He said walking towards Massi purposely, " I gave you power," he stepped forward as Massi stepped back, "I made you into the greatest vampire of all time and this is how you repay me?!" he continued going forward as Massi moved backwards in fright. "You let Demetrio and his little brat walk all over you and thus all over me!"

"Forgive me, master. It'll never happen again," Massi simpered, afraid of the look in his master's eyes.

"You're right!" he said as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "It will never happen again." The figure rammed a stake through Massi's heart.

*******************************

"Tony!" Emily yelled from the kitchen, clutching her heart.

He ran in and grabbed her shoulders. "What is it?" He asked concerned.

"It's Massi. He's...he's dead."

"What?!" he asked not sure he heard what she said.

"He's dead," she repeated, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you sure? How can that be?".

"Stake through the heart," she said, rubbing her chest.

"God! By who?" he asked, sitting down.

"I don't know," She answered honestly.

"This person that he was talking about?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him to control their shaking.

"I don't know. I swear! God, I'm sorry, I know he was your best friend even though it was a long time ago," she said, touching his shoulder.

"You're sure? You're sure he's dead," he asked still in disbelief.

"Yes. Positive."

He put a hand to his head. "The bastard deserved to die and here I am grieving for him," He said, wiping his eyes.

"It only shows you truly do have a heart."

"What's going on?" Trey asked coming in the room.

Tony walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, son, your Uncle Massi is dead," he said gently.

Trey looked at Emily. "Really?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry, Trey," she answered, squeezing his arm.

"Oh, man," he said, putting a hand to his face.

"Trey, you didn't..." Emily started.

"No!" he exclaimed. "I wanted to. But, no, it wasn't me."

"Do you know who did it, son?" Tony asked carefully.

"Emily said she felt another presence. Someone else who wanted Massi dead," Trey said looking at her for support.

"I don't know who or what I felt," She admitted.

"When was this?" Tony asked.

"Before Thanksgiving." Emily told him.

Tony nodded. He was still hurt that Emily had known that Trey was his son and had kept that information from him. Not only had she known about it but she had talked to him. Before Tony even had a chance to. She maybe even touched him, hugged him.

"Um, Emily? You might want to ask your dad," Trey said hesitantly.

"What?! My dad? Why?" she asked confused.

"I sort of talked to him while you all were away. I asked him to help me come up with a way to get rid of Max. To kill him. I told him he was the one that killed your parents and tried to kill you." Trey explained, sounding apologetic.

"Oh, god! " she said, putting a hand to her head. "What did you tell him?"

"Everything."

"He couldn't have," Emily said shaking her head in disbelief.

"He was pretty peeved. I wouldn't put it past him. Then again, I wouldn't put it past anyone that ever knew Max."

There was a knock at the kitchen door and it opened. "Can I come to my defense?" Brian asked, poking his head in the door.

"Tell me that you didn't," Emily said rushing over to him.

"Of course, I didn't, baby," he soothed, wrapping his arms around her. "Like Trey, I would have liked to have put a stake through the guy's heart. But I couldn't just go and do it," Brian said reassuringly.

"Any ideas who?" Tony asked.

"I've done a little poking around. But my reputation precedes me and I'm not getting many answers. You'd be better off to talking to your crowd than I would. Why don't you make a list of anyone both you and Max knew and of those people who would have something against you both," Brian suggested.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Tony said sarcastically.

"That'd be a long list," Trey chuckled.

"I know it's not as easy as it sounds. But we need something to go on," Brian told him.

"Everyone Massi and I knew together is either dead or are vampires.

"So make a list of vampires!" Brian told him.

Tony shook his head,"I can't do that, Brian. Not even for you."

"Why not?" Brian asked.

"I can't tell you who the vampires are! We have a code as well. We don't point each other out. We don't give each other up to the mortal world."

"Well, I'm not exactly entirely mortal, am I, Tony?" He asked.

"You're not one of us! And there's a big difference there."

"I thought you trusted us."

"I do. But I can't give you that."

"Well, make the list in your head, for God's sake, and then you tell us who to go after. I'll be damned if I'm going to let this guy get us anymore."

"He doesn't want you! He wants me."

"By us knowing you, caring about you, he wants us too," Emily told him, touching him lightly on the arm.

"Well, stop caring about me!" Tony yelled, pulling his arm away.

"Antonio..." Trey protested his reacting to Emily that way.

"And that goes double for you! You take Isabella and you get as far away from me as possible. You got it?!"

"I'm not leaving you," Trey said angrily.

"You do as you're told, Demetrio!" Tony yelled.

"I'm not six anymore, Papi!"

"I don't want to lose you again," Tony said, laying both hands on his son's shoulders. He shook him, "Can't you understand that?! I won't lose you again!"

"I understand perfectly. But you understand this; it took me five hundred years to even speak to you, to look you in the eye, and I'm not leaving you now that I have."

"Trey?" Raven called from the living room.

"Except when she calls," Trey grinned, "Excuse me," he said, patting his father on the shoulder, and left the room.

"What do we do, now?" Emily asked Brian.

"I want you to be careful. And I want you to call me when you're in trouble," Brian said, taking her in his arms.

"I was only trying to protect you. And Megan and the girls."

"I know. But don't try to do things on your own again! Even Guardian's need their father's sometimes."

"Yes, Daddy," she said, kissing his cheek.

He smiled. It was the first time she'd called him daddy. "Alright, Tony. You think and then you talk. You got it?" Brian said, pointing to him.

"I'll think. And when, and if, I think of someone that would be behind this, I'll see if I want to talk. And to involve anyone else."

"Fair enough," Brian said, looking at Emily.

"Tony, don't do this alone," she insisted, taking his arm in hers.

"I have to. For now," he said and pulled away. He left the kitchen and went out the front door.

"He'll come around," Brian told her gently.

"I hope so," Emily said. "I don't want to know what will happen if he doesn't."

To be continued...

in Fork in the Road