Joan and her mother sat in Ryland's hospital room. Their faces blank and void of any life. Tears stained on their cheeks and they looked pale. Ryland was asleep as he had just gotten out of surgery.

He didn't know yet.

"Mom we should go home." Joan tugged her arm.

The woman shook but made no actual movement. She just stared into space.

"Mom." Joan tried again.

Still, she did not budge.

Joan whimpered and ran out of the room on her own.

To Joan, Lyssa had killed her father, and that was unforgivable. She hated the vampire, hated her more than anything else on the planet. Her blood boiled, and she shook with rage. She wanted her dead, she wanted her head on a pike. She wanted Lyssa Norwood off this planet once and for all. She was going to do it herself if she had to.

She got into the truck and drove.

Lyssa and Bex stared at the table as they sat in the dining room. Lyssa's hair was wet with the shower she had taken a couple of hours earlier. Cleaning supplies with bloody water sat next to the table. The sun was starting to come up and Bex knew she should be home getting ready for school but the air was thick and tense. The words of Valyssa Norwood hanging around Bex's neck like a twenty-ton weight.

Just seconds ago Lyssa had said,

"I'm leaving this town, you're coming with me."

As in you have no choice. As in that is an order. As in we leave right away.

Bex stared at the table.

"It's not safe for me here Rebecca. I have to go. They know where I live now, but I physically cannot leave without you. You must come, or else we risk killing ourselves. Do you understand?" Lyssa said.

Bex covered her head with her arms and grabbed fistfuls of her hair.

"I can't," Bex said.

"Rebecca,"

"I can't! Lyssa what about my family? My friends?"

"You can make new friends. I'll be your family now."

Bex closed her eyes and clenched her hair tighter.

"Come away with me Rebecca. We knew this day would come sooner or later. Why make it harder for us when we can just do it now. Please."

Bex shook her head no.

Lyssa got up and sat next to Bex. She rubbed her back and did her best to soothe her. She knew it wasn't an easy thing to do. She knew she was asking Rebecca the impossible. Still what choice had she? She nearly died, that was on the list of times she found herself at death's doorstep. One of the top three times she was really, almost killed.

Lyssa knew the Slayers would not take this lying down. She knew they were going to retaliate against her no matter what they said. She knew her time in this small town was up and she had to go. No, if ands or buts about it.

"We can go wherever you want. Paris, London. Hong Kong. You name it. I can show you so many amazing things. Where is one place you've always wanted to go? Name it and we will go there." Lyssa said.

Bex let out a whimper.

"We can spend so much more time together. I can take you dancing and show you monuments. I can teach you etiquette and maybe even get you into a royal dinner. Imagine that, you with royalty. Or we can do something neither of us has done before. I've never been to a rainforest before. We can go to tropical islands and meet crazy locals. Before you know it you'll be so happy."

"Please stop," Bex said.

"Come away with me Rebecca. Please." Lyssa nearly whispered.

"You know I can't."

"And you know I can't leave without you."

"I won't."

"I'll order you then," Lyssa said seriously.

Bex looked up to glare at her.

"You'll come with me or I'll make you. You may hate it at first but you'll learn to love it, learn to love me..."

"No. That may work in books and movies, but in real life that is a psychological disorder called Stockholm syndrome. You'll make me go crazy. Love doesn't work like that Lyssa, and you know it. If you make me leave I'll hate you."

"They'll come for me." Lyssa looked down in defeat.

"They won't."

"They will Rebecca and you know it. It's bad enough we have to be wary of vampires, but now vampire slayers. I am only one person, I can only handle so much. They'll kill me. Maybe even kill you by default."

"Damn it, Lyssa, what am I supposed to do? I can't just leave my family." Bex shot up from her chair and began to pace around.

"I know my love, I know. But you have to, for your own safety."

"I can't." Bex began to cry.

Lyssa got up and wrapped her arms around Bex, holding her tightly against her chest.

"I can't." Bex cried into her.

Lyssa took a deep breath and rested her chin on top of Bex's head. Lyssa's own eyes watered, this was not how she wanted things to go between her and Rebecca but it seems like history has cruel jokes for her. Making her repeat all that she already knew would happen.

She would cave and stay and then like always, her life would be in danger again. Rebecca would be killed one way or another. She would end up alone again, either that or dead. Part of her even wished she were dead, just so she wouldn't have to do this all over again.

It always came down to this.

Always.

"Okay, then I'll stay too." Lyssa closed her eyes and accepted her defeat already.

She'd rather suffer here with Rebecca than go off on her own. She was always weak like that. Love was her ultimate weakness and anyone who knew her knew that. She would do anything for the people she loved, even if it meant dying for them.

Bex quieted her sobs and pulled out of the vampire's arms to look into Lyssa's eyes. Lyssa forced a smile despite her tears.

"If we are going to die, I'd rather us die together." Lyssa wiped a tear-off of Bex's cheek.

Bex took a shaky breath before wrapping her arms around Lyssa and forcing her into a kiss. Lyssa quickly melted against her. Lyssa's hand went to caress Bex's neck but she jerked back with a hiss as the Silver necklace burned her. Bex grunted and tore the necklace off, throwing it across the dining room before kissing Lyssa again.

Lyssa relaxed into Bex and let out a soft moan into her mouth. They kissed hard and passionately, their bodies pushed into each other. Lyssa picked Bex up in her arms and sped to the bedroom. She softly placed Bex on the bed, their lips never breaking apart.

Lyssa pushed her down on the bed, her hands running up Rebecca's side slowly. Their lips broke apart and as Bex gasped for air Lyssa placed small pecks all over her face. Kissing away her tears.

"Don't ever leave me," Bex said quietly.

Usually, that was Lyssa's line, but hearing Rebecca say it warmed her inside.

"Never my love, never." She kissed her again.

Bex lost herself in the moment. She didn't care that her parents were probably freaking out wondering where she was, or that she was supposed to be at school, or that at any moment vampire slayers could storm in with stakes at the ready. All she cared about at that moment was how much the girl in her arms meant to her, and how much she loved her.

She pulled Lyssa's shirt off, Lyssa pulled Bex out of her pants. The sun wasn't shining that bright outside as clouds that lightly shook out snow blocked it. So the room was lit up a dull grey color, making it still fairly dark.

Lyssa pulled Bex out of her shirt, pulling the blankets to cover her as she noticed Bex shivering a little from the cold house and her cold touches. Bex smiled at her in appreciation. Lyssa slipped out of her own pants and crawled under the blankets as well, their lips crashing together once more.

They writhed together in passion. Their bodies belonging to each other. Bex clung to Lyssa, her hands pressing into the pale skin of the vampire. Her breath came out in soft short puffs, causing a tiny burst of warmth against Lyssa's shoulder.

The bed creaked softly under their movements, only a tiny beam of soft grey light leaking in through the window curtains on the floor by the bed. The wind whistled through the trees outside, snow plopping to the ground off of swaying branches.

Joan's boot crunched the snow beneath her as she made her way towards the house. Her eyes caught sight of the van and she walked over to it. She opened the side door and pulled out a Slayer kit. Pulling out a stake and sticking it in her backpack. She walked around the house and found the harpoon line hanging from the balcony. She grabbed it and began to climb.

Her face was emotionless, only one task on her mind.

She pulled herself over and into the room undergoing redecorations. Her eyes scanned the painted wall where fall trees and leaves greeted her. She grabbed the harpoon gun and loaded it up again before walking out of the room into the hall.

She saw the dining room light on and was about to walk downstairs when a soft moan greeted her ears. All the hairs on her arm stood on end and she walked quietly to the bedroom.

"Lyssa," Bex moaned softly.

Joan's eyes watched as the two writhed under the covers. She felt something inside her snap. The last straw maybe. She pulled out the harpoon gun and aimed. Her hands were shaking and her eyes filled with tears, her breathing gave her away.

It was too loud.

Lyssa paused and pulled back.

Bex looked at her in confusion until Lyssa looked towards the doorway. Bex followed her line of sight. Joan aimed the gun but when she pulled the trigger it got stuck, being outside in the snow all night having taken a toll on the old thing,

Joan dropped it and quickly grabbed a stake.

"What are you doing?" Bex sat up, covering herself with blankets.

"I think it's obvious," Lyssa said.

"Joan, are you crazy!? You can't face Lyssa alone!"

"You killed my father!" Joan spat at Lyssa.

Lyssa eyed her in confusion before using her super-speed to quickly get dressed.

"I did no such thing, he was very much alive when I left him."

"Lair! You killed him, I saw the bite marks on his neck."

"I did not! I never drank from him." Lyssa said.

Bex grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, the mood officially ruined. She sat up with a huff and picked up her clothes. Joan couldn't help but let her eyes drift over to her naked form. Lyssa hissed and stepped in the way to block her view.

"I'll kill you, I hate you!" Joan spat at Lyssa.

"Joan, she didn't kill him, I would be able to tell if she was lying. She's telling the truth." Bex said nearly dressed.

"It doesn't matter what we say, she has made up her mind," Lyssa said.

Joan clenched tightly to the stake in her hand.

Bex ran a stressed hand through her messy hair and moved to stand next to Lyssa.

"You're a monster." Joan's lip quivered as she struggled to remain composed.

"Leave now, before you end up in the hospital too," Lyssa warned.

"I'll finish what he started." Joan stepped forward.

Bex eyed her friend and felt bad for her. It was clear Joan was falling apart. Clear she was in deep pain. Instead of dealing with that pain she was taking it out on Lyssa.

"Don't do this, be smart," Lyssa warned.

In honesty Lyssa had her fill with fighting for one day. She just wanted nothing more than to spend time with her Rebecca. Fighting Joan now wouldn't help anyone, it would only make matters worse.

Joan raised the stake, but before she could go in for an attack Bex ran to her and engulfed her in a hug. Joan let out a pain-filled sob before dropping the stake to the floor. The wood made no sound as it landed on the carpet.

"Shh, I got you. It will be okay." Bex assured her.

Joan fell to her knees and cried. She wrapped herself around Bex and cried hard into her shoulder. Lyssa sighed and couldn't deny that she felt guilty. In her defense they did come looking to kill her, what else had they expected to happen?

Lyssa glanced at her reflection which was shaking its head at her. She sighed again.

She knew it was going to be a long day so while Bex was comforting Joan, she walked out, stepping over the stake to go put on some tea for the two girls.