"Come on Williams, just let me have it!" Jenner bounced up and down in his seat, whining like a small child.

"Look, Costas, I already told you you can't have it!" Williams pulled his cruiser up to the curb next to Jenner's house and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm already gonna get in enough trouble as it is. This diary is evidence and if I let you have it after everything that's happened today I might lose my job."

"Do you honestly think your job is more important than what's happening here?"

"I don't know." Williams shook his head. "I have no idea what to believe anymore, but I do know I got a mortgage to pay so I'm gonna have to choose my job today."

"I dunno man," Lena said, "this guy's in trouble, real big trouble, and that book might be able to help us."

"And once we've had a chance to look it over, and decide that it's not breaking any laws, I will personally see to it that it's released to Mr. Costas. Until then, you can't have it. Now get outta my car, and don't go away anytime soon. If we need you we'll need to be able to get in touch."

Jenner sighed and resigned himself to giving up. There was no way to get that diary from Williams now. Lena and Jenner were left standing alone as Williams sped away.

"So. . . Where are you staying?"

"Wherever I can find a bed." Lena didn't look at Jenner as she spoke, but he could tell she was embarrassed.

"You don't have a place to stay?"

"Most nights I can find something. The shelters downtown are okay if I make curfew."

"That's ridiculous, don't stay at a shelter. You can sleep here."

Lena scratched her head and looked away from Jenner as if she was waiting for someone to come towards her over the horizon. She cupped the back of her head and said, "that's awful nice but. . ."

"But nothing!" Jenner said, "you gotta stay here. I mean, one of my roommates is hospitalized, the other one put her there. I need someone here with me, not to mention I'd feel much safer with you here."

Lena turned her head slowly, trying to keep her smile restrained. "Really?"

"Well, I've got a vampire after me don't I? And you hunt vampires, right?"

Lena chewed her lip and nodded. "Okay, I'll stay. Just til Duchess is back though!"

"That's fine." Jenner smiled. "I'll be glad to have the company."

Jenner climbed the stairs into his apartment and waited for Lena to join him. The kitchen was still a mess, but he didn't bother cleaning it. Instead, he went straight for the pantry and inspected his groceries.

"I could make us dinner, what do you like?"

"Uh. . ." Lena shrugged. "What ever."

"I don't have much, but I'm sure we could make something delicious." Jenner started taking things out and placing them on the counter. "How are you with onions?"

"Pardon?"

"Onions, you can chop them no problem? Some people can't take it, they cry too much."

"I'm sure I can do it."

Jenner set up Lena at the counter with a cutting board and an onion half the size of his head. He laughed as tears streamed from her eyes and left streaks in the dirt on her face.

"Why do people do this to themselves?" Lena asked, holding a dishcloth to her eyes.

"It's worth it in the end, I promise." Jenner and Lena sat down for dinner and laughed together as they ate. Jenner told stories about old jobs he'd had while Lena shared tales of her exploits as a hunter.

"I still can't believe I been hunting the same dirty vamp this whole time." Lena said as they cleaned the dishes.

"It's fine, what were you supposed to think? How could you know how it really works?"

"I shoulda known. . ."

Jenner sighed and clapped a hand on her back. "Don't worry about it. Now we know that Matilda is the vampire, and we know how to handle her. We just need to. . . Get her arrested I guess. As long as we don't kill her, she'll be stuck in that scrawny body till it dies and hopefully by then we'll be long gone."

Lena nodded then stopped what she was doing. "What. . . What am I supposed to do now? I killed all those people, I didn't know. . . I thought I was a good guy but. . ."

"You're still a good guy Lena. All of those people you killed. . . Maybe they weren't vampires but they were most definitely Faithfuls, people who worked for the vampire. For now, let's just get some rest? We can worry about Matilda in the morning."

"Yeah, sure."

"Speaking of Matilda, you can take her room tonight."

Jenner led the way down the hall towards Matilda's room. He stopped to point out the bathroom and Lena said, "fancy digs."

"Really?" Jenner skewed his face.

"Yeah, never stayed in a place so swanky."

Jenner looked Lena up and down and she glared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing I. . ." Jenner looked at the peeling paint and the mouldy carpet before shrugging. "I just have a whole new appreciation for you Now. This here is Matilda's room. . . Your room I guess."

Jenner flipped the switch and the room lit up. Without a second thought Jenner leapt backwards and cowered behind Lena.

"Oh my god! Get her, Lena, get her!" He peeked out from behind her to look at Matilda as she sat cross legged on her bed, her head in her hands.

"Get who, man?" Lena examined the room and stepped over the threshold.

"Matilda! She's right there!"

"Dude, you're under some crazy stress. I think it might be makin' you go bat shit."

"What? No! She's there, on her bed."

Matilda looked up and Jenner saw that she'd been crying. Lena moved towards the bed and waved her hands over the mattress, right through Matilda's body and she dissipated like a patch of black fog before reforming again.

"Ain't nobody here, man."

"It's no use, Jenner, she can't see me."

"What? Why not?"

"The vampire took my body. I'm as good as dead now. . ."

"Why are you crying?"

"Oh shit! I'm crying again?" Lena felt her dry face and became confused.

"I'm dead, you'd be crying too." Matilda only seemed to be paying attention to Jenner.

"But you gave your body to the vampire. You volunteered."

"I. . . Don't think I should be staying here. . ." Lena inched towards the door.

"Just because I drank his blood doesn't mean I volunteered. You think your mom WANTED to do what he asked?"

"My mom. . ." Jenner creased his brows.

"Now he's got my body and I'm stuck here! I tried to leave, I did, but I'm stuck!"

"Hey, bro, you okay? You're lookin' kinda pale." Lena stepped closer to Jenner and he put his hand on his head.

"Now what am I supposed to do? How long am I going to be stuck here?"

"Seriously, Jenner, you don't look right."

"Everyone shut up!" Jenner screamed and started searching for his phone.

"Dude, it's just me here."

"You don't need to yell you know." Matilda pushed up her glasses. Her body shifted into a black fog then she was standing beside Jenner as well. "She's right though, you seem sick."

Jenner left the room and his companions, both living and dead, followed. He held his phone to his ear and Lena asked, "where you goin'?"

"No answer, oh God. I knew it wasn't okay, I knew as soon as I saw Duchess alone!" He sped down the stairs and Lena and Matilda followed. Jenner and Lena burst out through the door and Matilda tried to follow, but as soon as she passed rough the doorframe her body grew weak. She blew away as a puff of smoke and rematerialized inside the house.

"Damn it!" She yelled as Jenner waved down a cab.

"Jenner, where are we going?" Lena asked when they got into the car. "Should I even be followin' you? This is all some crazy ass shit."

"I need to get to my mom's." Jenner was holding back tears as the cab maneuvered through narrow roads. As they travelled deeper into the suburbs, the streets widened and Jenner urged the driver to go faster.

They pulled up next the the muddy patch where Mohammad's car had bumped up over the curb. Jenner threw some cash at the man behind the wheel and ran towards his mother's front door.

It was open just a bit and Jenner kicked it in. The gust of air in the door's wake carried a familiar smell that urged him to move faster. Lena followed close behind as Jenner searched the first floor.

"You think that vamp got her?"

Jenner tried not to listen, he flew up the grand stair case and the smell grew stronger the higher he climbed. Iron and biology. Wet, freshly spilled blood.

"Oh god. . ." Jenner turned to vomit as he opened his mother's bedroom door. She hung from the wrists in the middle of the room, her blood splattered over every wall. He rushed to her side and untied her, then they fell to the floor together.

"Carlos?" She asked in a tiny voice, "is that you?"

Jenner cried as he touched his mother's face. Her blood coated his clothes as she tried to reach a weak hand towards him. "It's me mom, I'm here."

"Did. . . Did you finally get a hair cut?"

"Of course, ma." He smiled as he lied to her. "Just for you."

"Such a sweet boy." She started to close her eyes, her hand fell back to the floor. "So smart too."

Jenner cried as he felt his mother slipping away. A bright light emanated from her body as she split into two unique beings, the physical body Jenner had come to love and the spirit which had come loose in her death.

"I love you." Her voice was distant and Jenner was blinded by her brilliance. He stared at her, but he had to shade his eyes with his hand.

"I love you too."

"I'm so sorry, I should have known better."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been here for you."

Jenner's mother's spirit smiled and her light grew brighter. She wiggled her fingers in a peaceful, farewell wave and then she, and her light, faded away and the room grew cold. Jenner cried over her body while Lena fidgeted uncomfortably by the door.