A/N: Okay, folks, it would seem that I left you with a cliffhanger and a lengthy wait. I'm a jerk. I apologize. Feel free to throw rotten eggs and beer bottles, if it'll appease your anger. :)

WWE owns all, except for Jeff Hardy who is the property of TNA.

But Matt Hardy, Gangrel and Kevin Thorn, well, they're their own men, as far as I know.

Thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, or alerted! You complete me. :)

Matt stood in the doorway, frozen, his breath caught in his throat.

The older Hardy's wide-eyed gaze was fixed upon the pale, bound figure of his younger brother, who was lying in an unmoving heap, face-down on the floor.

He couldn't move. He couldn't think clearly. All he could do was stare dumbly, mouth agape in dubious, horrified shock.

He'd come here in the hopes that he could reconnect with his estranged sibling, knowing that Jeff could probably use a non-judgmental shoulder to cry on right about now. He'd been hopeful that his brother would find the support encouraging, a stepping stone to use on his road to recovery.

Instead, he'd found… this. Now, staring at the too-still form lying prone before him, Matt felt as if he'd wandered into a nightmare.

Finally forcing himself to move, to act, he took one lethargic step into the room, letting the heavy door whoosh shut at his back. His eyes never strayed from Jeff's motionless body. He was just lying there, seemingly unaware of his brother's presence, his eyes closed, his pallor deathly white.

As Matt grew closer, he saw blood, pooling on the carpet from a tiny rivulet near his shoulder. And more, running down the back of his pale leg…

The sight jolted the older Hardy back to sharp awareness, pulling him forcefully out of the traumatized stupor he'd been immersed in.

Realizing his brother would probably need medical attention, Matt quickly approached the seemingly unconscious Jeff with breathless anxiety. He dropped to his knees by Jeff's side, his eyes immediately falling upon two small, bleeding wounds on his neck, like deep needle-marks, or some type of animal bite. Face tight with anger and confusion, Matt ran his gaze over the cruel straps that were holding his brother's arms taut behind his back.

What kind of a sick fuck would've done this?

"Jeffy?", he prompted softly, his voice unsteady. There was no response. The younger Hardy continued to kneel with his face to the floor, lewdly posed, deathly still and utterly silent.

Matt swallowed hard, turning his head to the side, firmly averting his gaze from Jeff's openly-exposed nudity.

"Jeffy", Matt repeated softly, pushing tangled hair out of his brother's face. He heard a sharp intake of breath, saw muscles tensing.

"Jeffy?", Matt said anxiously, desperately needing to hear a response, some acknowledgment that he was okay, "Please, Jeff, answer me-"

A soft sob was his only reply.

"It's gonna be okay", Matt said, using his most soothing voice, "It'll be alright." He gently ran fingers through his brother's long, tousled mane, in an effort to calm him. "Listen, I'm gonna get you untied, okay?"

Jeff tensed up immediately upon hearing this, shaking his head desperately. "No", he whispered, his voice raw with terror and distress, "Please don't. They'll see, Matty!" His green eyes were clouded with desperate fear. Matt stared dumbly, not understanding who Jeff could be referring to, and certainly not comprehending why he'd ever wish to remain trussed like an animal on the floor. Nothing about this was making any sense. "It'll be much worse if you let me go", Jeff whispered, continuing his quiet pleading, "You should just leave. I'll be fine, I promise. Just go."

Jeff knew that Matt would never leave him here like this. He also knew that he was going to have to find a very good explanation for all of this later, one that would satisfy Matt's curiosity. Right now, however, he couldn't have cared less. Right now, he just wanted to finish fulfilling his duty as a slave and a fuck-toy for the night, so he could finally get some sleep.

Matt watched his brother closely, his gaze darkening. Lowering his voice, he said softly, "Jeffy, what do you mean, they'll see? Is the person who did this to you still here?" He shot a dark glance over to the closed closet door, another to the darkened bathroom.

Jeff shrugged noncommittally, shutting his eyes tiredly.

Matt returned his attentions to Jeff. He regarded his brother, his gaze shimmering with unspoken concern. He couldn't stand seeing Jeff like this. It broke his heart.

"I'm untying you, Jeff", Matt repeated in a gentle but firm tone, "You don't have to worry about anything anymore. I'm gonna take care of you."

Ignoring a few feeble, softly-spoken protests, Matt undid the straps around his brother's wrists, followed by the heavy restraints on his upper arms. Once he'd been freed, Jeff hesitated for just a moment before reaching around and pulling the painfully large butt plug out of his ass.

As his brother was recuperating on the floor near the bed, Matt quickly checked the few places in the room where anyone could hide themselves. The closet, the bathroom. He even looked under the bed and behind the small desk in the corner. There was no one.

Relieved, Matt helped his younger brother to sit up. The young Hardy collapsed, exhausted, back against the side of the bed. Jeff looked down with disdain at his own weeping member, which had been fitted with a cock-ring for the entertainment of the vampires. Sliding the device open with shaking hands, he pulled the ring off of his rock-hard dick and threw it with force across the room.

Matt grabbed a blanket from the bed and offered it to Jeff. The young Hardy accepted it gratefully, wrapping it tightly around himself. Matt couldn't help but notice that his brother still looked nervous, shooting odd glances towards the windows over and over again.

Matt dropped down next to Jeff. He allowed the younger Hardy to rest his head upon his shoulder. Jeff's weary, bloodshot eyes slowly slipped closed.

"Jeffy, who did this to you?", Matt asked gently, one hand running through his brother's multi-colored locks.

Jeff abruptly pulled away from his brother's comforting embrace. "I want you to leave", he said quietly, unable to meet Matt's worried gaze.

Matt didn't move. "No", he replied gently, "I've obviously been too wrapped up in my own shit to realize that something was going on with you, Jeffro, but that stops now. I'm gonna help you get through this, whatever it is-"

"I don't need your help", Jeff said, his voice laced with tangible desperation, "Please, Matty, just go-"

Matt's gaze darkened as he regarded his sibling. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because this is my problem, Matty", Jeff replied quietly, "And you don't want any part of it, believe me."

"I can't help you if you won't tell me what's going on", Matt said, as gently as he could, "After all, we both know that keeping quiet about your problems hasn't been known to help you in the past-"

The young Hardy just looked away, suggesting that he was finished talking about this.

"Jeff-", Matt prompted warningly, frustration evident in his voice.

"God dammit, Matt!", Jeff snapped suddenly, surprising his older sibling into silence. "This is not the time to talk about it!", his voice shook with frantic anger, "You have to get out of here-"

Matt shook his head. "No", he said calmly, "I don't think I will. If you believe I'm gonna leave my little brother alone and unprotected after what I just found, you're out of your mind, Jeffy."

"Matt, you don't understand what's going on here!", Jeff protested vehemently.

"Then make me understand", the older Hardy countered calmly, watching his brother closely.

At the moment Jeff was too tired, too beaten-down and used-up, to fabricate anything resembling a decent response to that.

"We're rooming together until we get this figured out", Matt said, his tone brooking no argument.

Jeff looked resigned to that. He'd figured Matt would want to stay as close as possible to him, now that his brother had caught a glimpse of the way he actually spent his evenings.

Jeff glanced at the window again, his face expressionless, before returning his gaze to his concerned older brother. Slowly, creakily, he rose to his feet, using the bed for support.

"I'm going to take a shower", he said quietly as he shuffled off towards the bathroom, "If you're staying here, you should go get your stuff."

Matt rose. "Jeff, you know", he said quietly, "You were attacked. We should probably take you to the hospital, and from there they can get a police report filled out-"

"No hospitals. No police", Jeff replied quietly, as if by rote.

Before Matt had had a chance to tell him what a ludicrous notion that was given the circumstances, Jeff had shut the bathroom door in his face, leaving his brother standing alone in the cold, empty hotel room.

[xxxxxxx]

Antrim had not spoken much since the narrow escape from the bookstore.

His persistent silence was putting Adam and Jay on edge, making them wonder what his intentions were. His sudden reappearance was certainly convenient, and they were both utterly grateful for his actions at the coven house, though their natural distrust of vampires made the two of them wonder on some level if he had ulterior motives for saving them.

Resolving to be on their guard, they said little as Antrim flew them back to their hotel, where they were told to pack their things, check out, and meet the vampire around back. Ten minutes later, the trio was standing on the edge of a darkened alleyway, winter wind slicing through their heavy coats.

Antrim had flagged a taxi, and once they were all stuffed into the back seat, the vampire instructed the driver to bring them to the airport.

The little car sped through the winter night, its driver completely oblivious to the unholy creature that he carried as a passenger.

"Antrim-", Adam said softly, his tone at once full of incredulity and excitement.

"We shall speak later, Adam", he said gently, his gaze trained on the passing city lights, "I promise, I shall answer all questions you may have. Patience."

Adam and Jay shot each other a meaningful look, each thinking the same thing.

Can we trust him?

God, I hope we can trust him.

They glanced at Antrim, who continued to serenely watch the city skyline moving outside his window. He did not seem to notice their anxiety. Or, perhaps, he deemed it unworthy of his attention.

They arrived at the airport and went through the routine of purchasing tickets, checking luggage, passing security, and locating their gate, all without incident. They would be meeting up with WWE on the road, as they both had matches tomorrow night. San Jose, California was the destination this time, one city on an endless list of cities, unremarkable, unmemorable.

They only had to wait an hour before they'd boarded a half-empty plane. Fifteen minutes later they were in the air, cutting through the frigid winter night.

It was only when the lights of Chicago were far behind them that Antrim broke his stoic, guarded silence.

He gazed over at both wrestlers, something akin to affection shining in his deep, unnatural eyes. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier, boys", he said, "But I had to listen, to ensure that we were not being followed. Now that we have left the city, there is no danger, and we can speak freely."

Adam and Jay appeared so blatantly relieved at this revelation that the vampire couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"The two of you should learn to better shield your thoughts. Anxiety and suspicion has been rolling off of both of you in waves, for hours now. Though, I cannot blame either of you for suspecting me of treachery, I suppose. I am a vampire, after all, and I was living with a rather… unsavory group of individuals. A most distasteful and unfortunate thing, though I can assure you, it was necessary for my survival. There is, however, no need for either of you to fear me. I remain rather fond of the two of you", his strange eyes flicked over Adam's pale features as he intimated this, "and I shall continue to do all I can to protect you from harm."

"Thank you", Adam replied, meeting the ginger's gaze. A smile pulled at the edges of his soft pink lips, gratitude worn openly, sincerely.

Antrim nodded, before forcing himself to look away.

He wasn't sure why Adam in particular evoked such protectiveness in him. It was not, after all, in his nature to shield humans from his kind. He had never gone out of his way to do so before. But this boy… he awakened something deep and primal within him.

What would it be like, the vampire speculated, to bring this child into the darkness? To give him an eternity of youth and beauty, to allow him the opportunity to experience all the wonders that lay beyond the human realm? Would he thank me for that, or shun me? I cannot help but wonder…

Jason's voice abruptly pulled the vampire from his musings.

"We're really sorry we caused so much trouble, Antrim", the blonde said, sounding rather nervous, "We just didn't expect things to go south so quickly."

Antrim turned his strange gaze to Christian and laughed his quiet, musical laugh. "I have grown quite used to your trouble-making ways, Jason. Do not worry yourself over it."

"You know", Adam interjected, his tone serious, "We thought you were dead."

"Ah, indeed", Antrim replied gravely, "Gangrel did nearly get the better of me, didn't he?"

"How did you survive?", asked Jay, attention rapt upon the mysterious vampire.

"A month beneath the soil will cure the gravest of wounds", Antrim said evenly, "I simply buried myself, and slept. It ended up being quite rejuvenating, as I recall."

Adam and Jay glanced at each other, unsettled.

No matter how much they were around vampires, they would never, ever get used to them or their repulsive, undead ways.

Jay narrowed his eyes, regarding Antrim a bit suspiciously, as if something had just occurred to him. "But why were you running with that group of disgusting vampires, from the bookstore? That doesn't really seem like your crowd-"

Antrim leaned forward, as if to emphasize his point. In turn, Adam and Jay pushed themselves further back into the under-stuffed plane seats, wide eyes fixated on the deathly-pale face of their vampire ally. "You must not judge them, or me, until you fully understand the situation, boys. You see, the Council hands out edicts of exile, much like the one placed upon Gangrel's head, rather frequently. And exiled vampires hold the lowest status in vampire society, a culture that isabsolutely centered upon fighting over rank and title, and status. Once exiled, these vampires become nothing in the eyes of their peers. They become garbage, worthy of two things only: extermination, or sport. These exiles, these outcasts, are often tortured or killed, if ever spotted by freely-roaming, un-sentenced vampires. Therefore, they tend to live sparsely, with barely a possession to call their own, so that they can easily run away if the need arises."

Adam looked confused. "But why were they living together in a huge group, then?", he asked, "Isn't that the fastest way to attract an enemy's attention?"

"They congregate in groups for several reasons, protection first and foremost. It is easier to pick off a single exile, after all, than it is to take out a whole nest of them. You must also understand, however, that an exile's existence is lonely and endlessly taxing, each night spent moving from city to city, wondering if he is being followed, wondering if that night, or the next, shall mark his death. But these secret covens offer camaraderie, a feeling of security, of brotherhood. It is no small thing, knowing that there are others who understand your pain, and will allow you shelter, despite your crimes, or your past." He sighed. "The point is, the life of any exiled vampire is extremely difficult, and centered almost exclusively on survival. It is a terrible way to be forced to live-"

"But why were you with them?", Adam interrupted, somewhat impatiently, "You're not an exile."

"Unfortunately, I am", Antrim replied calmly.

The boys absorbed this news, stunned.

"How the hell did that happen?", asked Adam, wide-eyed with disbelief.

"After I rose from my month recuperating underground, I was called before the Council", the red-head related, his tone as detachedly composed as if he were recounting the plot of a particularly uninteresting play, "They had many questions for me, concerning Gangrel, and his whereabouts, and his recent actions. I told them only what I knew, which I needn't repeat to you, as you are quite aware of it all." The two blondes nodded in concert. "Nothing I said placated them. They were convinced that I was lying, that I was hiding him somewhere, that I was aiding him when I should have been informing the authorities of his whereabouts. Nothing I said could convince them otherwise, and I was sentenced to exile. I suppose I was lucky not to be executed on the spot." He shrugged. "Anyway, the point is, I found that coven of vampires to be as repulsive as you did. But they were a survival tool. It's as simple as that."

"I'm sorry you were exiled for Gangrel's bullshit, Antrim. You didn't deserve that", Jay said, his tone sincerely contrite.

Antrim, grateful for the sentiment, nodded in reply.

The vampire smiled at these boys, so beautiful and vibrant, and seemingly untouched by darkness. He had done well, turning Gangrel in to the Council. Otherwise, who knew where Adam and Jason would be now? Who knew what they would be like? Gangrel was quite particular in his tastes, after all. Undoubtedly, he would have molded these lovely creatures into a pair of sad, broken dolls, beaten, raped, and utterly devoid of life. The thought chilled him.

"So, boys", Antrim said, sitting back in his seat and lacing his fingers over his slim abdomen, "now that I have assuaged your curiosity, let us speak of other, more pressing matters. For example, I would very much like an explanation for tonight's… visit. After all, you must have a grave need, to be walking unprotected into a nest of vampires with such ridiculous leverage."

Adam frowned. "Was it so ridiculous? If those vampires hadn't been exiles-"

"Then they surely would have dined well tonight upon two foolish blondes, before taking news of Gangrel's whereabouts to the Council themselves", Antrim interjected smoothly, "You don't really think un-exiled vampires would have acted any differently towards a pair of wayward humans wandering into their lair, do you?"

Edge sighed, "I suppose not. It's just… We were desperate."

"I gathered that."

"You have to understand, Antrim, we came here because we were completely out of options. A friend of ours is going to die, or go insane, if we don't help him. We just… couldn't think of any other way to get the Council's attention."

Antrim regarded the two boys gravely. "This concerns Gangrel, correct?"

Jay nodded. "He came back, despite the Council's sentence, and enslaved a close friend of ours, just a few months after we were freed. He's had him under his power ever since."

Sadness flicked across the vampire's pale features. "A long time to be enslaved to one as sadistic as Gangrel", he said quietly.

"Jeff, our friend, he's strong", Adam said, "Stronger than Jay and I ever were. But there's only so much any human could ever take in that situation, and I think Gangrel's been escalating his abuse..." He trailed off, looking away from the face of the attentive, concerned vampire sitting across from him. He couldn't stop thinking about Jeff's thin, bruised face, his dead eyes, the way he flinched whenever someone accidentally brushed by him in the locker room… The thought of it brought back so many terrible memories, and made him feel slightly sick.

"I can help your friend", Antrim said, his eyes on Adam.

"How? Your contacts in the world of vampires have gone away. You can't get Gangrel arrested again. You're an exile now", Adam tried desperately to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice. Antrim didn't have to be here, he reminded himself. He could've left us for dead in that coven house.

"Who said anything about getting him arrested?", the red-head replied. "No, I had something a bit more… permanent in mind."

For the first time since they'd left Chicago, hope bloomed in the blondes' faces.

"You mean you plan on... killing him?", Jay asked hesitantly.

"Certainly", Antrim replied calmly, "He is obviously too dangerous to be left alive. The Council, unfortunately, has been grievously ineffective in their handling of the situation. I shall, therefore, gladly do what needs to be done."

Adam sat forward. "And what about you?", he asked, gaze intense upon the vampire's face, "If you kill Gangrel, what will the Council do to you?"

"Oh, nothing too severe, I should imagine", Antrim replied, "Exiles are barely worthy of their attention, remember. If they ever even discover Gangrel's death, I believe they shall simply count themselves as glad that one less exile lives to stain their unspoiled society."

The blondes did not look completely convinced of this explanation. They did not, however, argue.

Silence sat heavily between them for a little while, as each digested the possibility of a world without Gangrel in it.

"I should like to meet this Jeff", Antrim muttered abruptly, his gaze fixed upon the night sky moving past their window, "If I can offer him any reassurances in these desperate times, then I would like to do so."

"He'll be at the arena we perform at, and he should be staying at the same hotel we are", Jay said, "It shouldn't be too hard to arrange a meeting."

Antrim nodded silently in reply, his gaze never straying from the pitch-blackness outside the tiny portal.

The vampire wondered if Gangrel had any idea what was speeding towards him, on some innocuous-looking airplane in the dark hours of the night. But Antrim couldn't foresee any way the other vampire would be able to anticipate this. His ignorance would spell his doom.

This time, Antrim resolved, he would not allow Gangrel to walk away.

The vampire allowed a small smile to twist his pale lips. He had to admit, he would enjoy bringing the blonde vampire a great deal of pain before he died.

Suddenly, he realized that his mouth felt very dry. He hoped that they were going to land soon.

He needed to sink his teeth into someone's neck. He needed to taste the gush of blood over his tongue, a shot of adrenaline into dead veins, a banquet feast served up to a starving man.

Soon, he promised himself, pervasive dehydration slowly invading every pore of him.

Closing his eyes, he relaxed tense muscles, pushing the hunger away.

Sleep, however, was never a thing that came easily to him.

Not anymore.

[xxxxxxx]

Jeff walked swiftly out of the hotel, and into the cool air of early evening. Pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket pocket, he paused for a moment, looking around instinctually for an area of high traffic in which to enjoy his smokes. He had, after all, learned long ago that there were painful consequences for wandering off by himself after dark.

He was happy to see a hip-high concrete wall to the immediate left of the hotel entrance, one running the entire length of the building. Relieved that he would not have to wander far, Jeff took a seat upon the structure and lit a cigarette, closing his eyes, allowing the tobacco to calm his frayed nerves.

He'd had to practically beg his brother to let him come out here by himself. Typical Matt, being worried about every little thing. Though, Jeff supposed he couldn't blame him, considering what he'd recently witnessed.

It had been a few days since he'd last been attacked and, true to his word, Matt had continued to ensure that the two of them roomed together, constantly hovering near to see if he needed anything. Jeff tried to shrug it off, to explain to Matt that he was fine, and that he really didn't need such close and stifling scrutiny. But his brother wasn't fooled by his act, not this time. This time, he was beginning to get a glimpse of the depth of his brother's fear, an emotion Jeff so desperately tried to hide.

The young Hardy had been continually thinking about Gangrel, who had disappeared the night of the attack and not returned since. Perhaps, Jeff mused, he's been discouraged by Matt's near-constant presence. The young Hardy had to admit that the break in activity was a welcome relief, though he was rather terrified about what would occur when Gangrel did decide to come back.

He sighed, wondering what his brother must think of him right now.

Matt thankfully hadn't pushed him for any information yet, perhaps because he thought he needed time to heal from his "ordeal". But Jeff knew the questions would be coming, sooner or later. The young Hardy didn't want to think about it, but he knew he'd have to have a plausible story to tell his brother. Matt wouldn't be satisfied with the usual muttered half-truths and plastic smiles. He'd seen Jeff's shame with his own two eyes, after all.

Explanations had to be given.

Despite the stress of being constantly scrutinized and watched over, however, the young Hardy did have to admit that he was extremely grateful for Matt's presence. His brother was certainly over-protective, but he was also a strong, unyielding shoulder to lean on in hard times. Being with Matt, talking to him, laughing with him about stupid shit, always made Jeff feel protected, as if he wasn't alone in this anymore.

But there were always moments of terrible clarity to pierce his illusions of security. And these would force him to realize that sooner or later, Gangrel would be making a reappearance, as he always did.

The vampire, Jeff knew, would not be pleased about the way things had gone down in the previous city. He might even finally force Matt into his sick little game. His brother had been the one to interrupt Gangrel and Thorn's little fuck-party, after all.

Jeff took a long, shaky drag of his cigarette.

He can't touch Matt, ever. That would kill me, thought the young Hardy. My brother… Another deep, desperate, smoke-filled inhale. My brother is innocent. He'd never understand any of this shit. It would fucking ruin him.

Jeff sighed deeply, bone-deep tiredness running through him. He felt as if he hadn't slept in years.

He let his chin drop to his chest, his eyes content to look upon nothing more than the static pavement at his feet. Half-listening to the sounds of traffic and the distant conversations of passerby, he took another drag, enjoying the sweet burn of the cigarette smoke as it travelled down his throat, into his lungs.

"Good evening, Jeffrey", a cultured, slightly-accented voice sounded to his right.

The young Hardy gasped, startled, his head shooting up, panic swimming in his bloodshot green eyes.

There, perched next to him on the wall was Gabriel, the man he'd met in that odd bar called "The Aftermath" a little over a week ago.

"What the hell?", Jeff exclaimed loudly, nearly falling from his seat as he clumsily shifted back from the interloper sitting beside him. Gabriel, for his part, managed to look as nonplussed as he'd been when they first met, mysterious and charismatic, a man utterly unaffected by the trivialities of life.

It took but a moment for the young Hardy to regain his senses. Once he had, he jumped to his feet, backing up a few paces, his eyes fixed upon the strange man sitting on the wall.

"I don't know why you've been following me, but I don't take kindly to stalkers", Jeff said in a low, angry voice.

"Stalkers?", Gabriel repeated softly in his exotic, oddly unplaceable accent, "I'm not familiar with the term."

The young Hardy glared. "You seem smart enough. Figure it out." He turned to leave.

"Jeffrey, wait. Please, just for a moment."

Jeff stopped and turned around, glowering fiercely.

"No. I absolutely cannot and will not deal with this shit. I have enough going on in my life without having to worry about some psychotic freak that decided to follow me halfway across the country after talking to me once in a bar for five minutes. Go away."

The man on the wall sat there, calmly as ever, unmoving, his face a stoic mask, revealing nothing of his emotions. As before, Jeff couldn't help but be struck by his near-ethereal beauty. Gabriel's long black hair was pulled back in a loosely-worn braid tonight, those delicate, aristocratic features set off perfectly by the wild, dark locks. A pair of bright blue eyes watched Jeff patiently, intensely.

"I understand your anxiety", the mysterious man said, his tone placating, "But I assure you, I mean you no harm. I have, in fact, travelled here to offer my assistance, if I might."

The young Hardy glanced behind him. He was almost at the front doors to the large hotel. All he had to do was turn and take a few quick steps, and he would be safely inside.

"I don't need your assistance", Jeff replied, "Go the fuck home." He turned to leave again, hoping that would be the end of it.

"I have seen the one causing your pain", Gabriel responded quickly, "Gangrel, is it?"

Jeff froze. He turned around, slowly, his face pale, his eyes huge.

"How the hell do you know about him?"

"I promised you when we first met that I could help you", the strange man replied calmly, "And I still hold to that. It was not difficult to find the source of your pain, considering the fact that you wear it so openly. Now that the foundation of your torment has been identified, it must be destroyed. I shall see to that immediately."

Jeff stood there, numb, blood going ice cold as he abruptly realized the full scope of Gabriel's intentions. "You can't", he whispered, "He- He'll…" The young Hardy choked. "He'll kill you. He'll kill me."

Gabriel smiled. He suddenly appeared very, very intimidating. "Please, let him try."

The young Hardy's gaze was slightly pleading. "I don't understand. Why the hell are you doing this?"

The other man's smile softened, and those fathomless blue eyes met Jeff's own, comforting, reassuring. "My reasons are my own, Jeffrey. Please, simply know that you have an ally against this Gangrel. He will not plague you for much longer."

The two regarded each other for a moment, the silence intense. Gabriel nodded, then shot Jeff a sober, yet charming smile, before turning to walk away.

"I shall see you again soon, Jeffrey", he called over his shoulder, "I promise."

Jeff watched him walking away down the darkening street, his gut churning with a strange mixture of fear, uncertainty, and hope.

[xxxxxxx]

Menacing clouds rolled in to cover the darkening California sky.

As a clap of thunder sounded off in the far distance, a lone taxi pulled up to the back lot of the HP Pavilion, a mid-sized arena located in the heart of San Jose.

Three passengers, two tall blonde men and a taller red-head, exited the cab, paid the driver, and began making their way quickly towards a barred fence, which was guarded by an armed security guard. The man looked slightly annoyed that he'd have to turn more fans away. Really, couldn't people read? The entrance was in the front of the building!

One of the new arrivals stepped forward to address the guard, who couldn't help but unabashedly stare. Why did this guy look so… familiar?

"Hey, man", the strange blonde was saying, his tone becoming somewhat urgent as he glanced down at his watch, "Could you let us in? We're performing here tonight."

The guard stared harder at him, thick brows furrowed, before turning his suspicious gaze to the man standing at his shoulder. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and a seemingly delighted smile crossed his face. "I know you two; you do those five-second poses!"

Jay fought the impulse to roll his eyes. They hadn't performed that shtick in years. "Uh, yeah, buddy, that's us", he said dryly, exchanging knowing smirks with Adam.

The guard immediately began fumbling for the keys on his belt.

"I'm really sorry, guys", the guard apologized, "I didn't recognize you."

"Don't worry about it", Adam replied, smirking, "We're probably coming in through the wrong gate anyway."

The guard ushered them inside though chose not to confirm, or deny, his statement.

A loud clap of thunder echoed all around the arena suddenly, like the war drums of a not-so-distant army, savage, cruel, and bloodthirsty. It was an ominous sound.

"Come", Antrim said softly, "We haven't much time." He was looking out, through the locked gates, into the black shadows of the parking lot. Seeing something, perhaps, that humans were not capable of seeing.

Adam and Jay followed his gaze. They saw nothing. They felt Antrim's unease, however, saw him suddenly draw up, his lean frame taut with nervous energy.

"Boys", he urged quietly, "We should go."

Glancing nervously at each other, the blondes turned away from the parking lot. They thanked the guard for his assistance, and quickly made their way inside.

Once they were safely indoors, Adam whirled to face Antrim, asking bluntly, "Alright, what the hell was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

Adam glared. "Don't patronize us, Antrim", he replied, "The two of us may be human, but we're not stupid. What were you looking at in the parking lot that got you so nervous?"

Antrim regarded the two blondes for a moment, saying nothing. Obviously, he was unsure of how to reply to Adam's query. He sighed, his strange gaze drawn back towards the exit doors, down at the end of the hallway. "I'm not sure. I believe there was something… non-human", he murmured, "Something very powerful."

"Another vampire?", asked Adam, his tone anxious. That was all they needed.

"I cannot say", the red-head replied, "Whatever it was, it cloaked itself exceedingly well."

"Do you think it's a threat?", asked Jay, his gaze following Antrim's, watching the doors as if, at any moment, some feral vampire would burst in and kill them all, "I mean, do we have to worry about this on top of everything else?"

Antrim turned back to the two humans, who were watching him anxiously.

"No", he replied gently, "Unless it returns, or attacks directly, there is no reason to be concerned. We must remember, it could have simply been a powerful vampire, attracted by a large gathering of humans. This place would make for ideal hunting grounds tonight."

Adam and Jay chose not to respond to that statement. God, fucking vampires…

"Well, I guess we should hurry", Adam said, changing the subject, "We're already running late."

"Do you think Jeff will be in the locker rooms?", Antrim asked as they walked swiftly through the well-lit hallways.

"No, he does everything he can to avoid them", Jay responded, "I think he's just really nervous about being scrutinized too closely by the guys, you know? He doesn't want anyone he doesn't trust looking at his body, and I'm sure by now, he trusts no one, no matter how friendly they may appear."

"Which reminds me, Antrim", Adam said, abruptly changing the subject, "I wanted to mention…" The blonde sighed. "Jeff doesn't trust vampires. I'm sure you can understand why." The red-head nodded. "I think you should let the two of us talk to him first, alone. That way we can explain what's going on, kind of ease him into the idea of dealing with a vampire."

"I am certainly not opposed to it, if you believe this way is best", Antrim replied calmly.

"We'll keep him talking, and prevent him from running away", Jay said, "I figure once he's calmed down enough to listen, you can let him know that you're here to get rid of Gangrel. But, uh, I'll warn you right now, it's not going to be easy to get through to him. Jeff's a tough nut to crack."

Antrim shook his head, and sighed. This boy, this Jeff… He was dreading meeting him. Seeing the broken leavings of Gangrel's cruel abuse, greeting the whipping boy whose life had become nothing more than a series of responses to his vampire master's evil whims…

He still didn't know what he was going to say to this poor child. After all, years of his life had been gleefully stolen away by his former friend, Gangrel. Any words of comfort would undoubtedly seem rather… inadequate, given the circumstances at hand.

"Hey, Antrim?", Adam's voice pulled him back to the sparse, brightly-lit halls, which were fairly bustling with the buzz of pre-show excitement, "We're here."

The vampire noticed a set of closed doors to his immediate right, dark blue in color. A sheet of white paper had been taped to one, reading "Men's Locker".

"Unfortunately, we can't bring you in here with us. The locker rooms are restricted to wrestlers only", Adam explained.

"Just try to stay somewhere close, and keep yourself out of sight, if possible", Jay continued, "We'll hurry."

Antrim nodded calmly, and moved off towards the end of the hallway as the boys disappeared into the locker room. He wasn't worried about being discovered, not in the slightest.

Looking left, then right, he listened closely, wishing to absolutely assure himself that there were no intrusive humans wandering nearby. He did not, after all, want anyone to see what he was about to do.

Satisfied that he was alone, he began scaling the wall, moving swiftly and silently, not stopping until he was perched upside-down on the smooth concrete ceiling high above. He hung there, silently, patiently, smiling amusedly as several humans completely passed him by, ignorant of his presence in the shadows above their heads.

Ten minutes passed. Antrim kept his strange eyes trained on the locker room door, on that clumsily-written note that had been taped there, telling the men where to go. Finally, the portal opened. A flood of conversation and laughter poured into the quiet hallway.

"Yeah? Well, fuck you too, Mizanin!", Adam stood in the doorway, laughingly getting the last word in a verbal-sparring session he'd been having with another wrestler, "Come on Jay, I've had enough of these retarded clowns for one evening."

A heavily-accented voice cried, "Suck my balls, Copeland!"

"No thanks, Sheamus", Adam replied, his tone mock-regretful, "Don't wanna catch anything nasty."

He turned and left before anyone could get another jab in. They were wasting time here.

Moving out into the hallway, the two blondes began to look around for their vampiric compatriot. They saw nothing, no one.

"Antrim!", Jay hissed quietly, "Hey, where the hell are you?"

"Right above you, Jason", came the unruffled reply, "Look up."

"Jesus Christ!", exclaimed Jay, jumping back from the vampire, who was hanging upside-down from the ceiling like a great, pale bat.

Antrim chuckled as he smoothly and silently made his way down the wall. "Did I startle you?"

"Fuck yes, you startled me!", replied Jay, "I nearly pissed myself!"

"Are you two ready to go?", asked Adam, who was obviously attempting to hide his unease over Antrim's bizarre acrobatics, "We have about an hour before our match, but we shouldn't have any trouble tracking Jeff down in that time. He usually likes to hang out by the back doors, so he can smoke."

Antrim nodded, gesturing for the two of them to lead the way.

It took about five minutes for them to reach the rear entrance. This area was largely deserted right now, as the show was taking place on the other side of the building.

Immediately, Adam and Jay noticed that the door had been propped open with a small box. Part of Jeff's back, his slim waist, his drooping shoulder, his disheveled, unbrushed hair could be seen through the yawning portal.

Edge turned to Antrim. "Hide, alright?", he whispered, "We'll come get you when it's time."

Antrim gave him a reassuring smile. "I shall be close-by, listening in. Good luck."

Without further warning, the vampire was gone.

Adam and Jay shared a nervous look between them, but wasted no further time. They began walking towards the doorway, their strides purposeful, their manners determined. They couldn't leave this time without knowing that Jeff would accept their help. The young Hardy was running out of options, after all.

The pair strode up to the back entranceway. When Jeff did not react to the sound of their approaching footsteps, Jay rapped lightly in the center of the door a few times, in order to garner his attention.

"Hey, Jeff?", Adam said carefully, "You mind if we talk to you for a few?"

The young Hardy was leaning heavily against a railing, smoking one of his ever-present cigarettes. His tired eyes gazed off into the distance.

"I told you two to stay the fuck away from me." His voice was quiet, dangerously soft, every word edged with a dark and venomous intensity.

Any sane person would have turned around and walked back into the building, leaving the angry young man to his business. Adam and Jay would not be diverted from the task at hand, however.

"Jeff, listen, we won't take up much of your time, alright?" Jay paused, waiting for a reply. When he received none, he continued, "We wouldn't have bothered you again, but we finally found a way to help you, and-"

Sharp, bitter laughter interrupted Jay's account.

"Help me?", Jeff spat, "The last time you offered your oh-so-gracious help, asshole, Gangrel dragged me out to a field in the middle of nowhere, beat the ever-living shit out of me, and raped me until I couldn't see straight. The last thing I will ever need is your help! I have enough problems!"

He snuffed his cigarette out on the railing, and began walking back inside.

Adam blocked his path. "Listen, I understand why you're pissed. We fucked up."

"That's a fucking understatement…", Jeff muttered, a glare of pure acid upon his pale face.

He continued as if the young Hardy hadn't spoken. "But we actually found a way to get rid of Gangrel, forever. Imagine, Jeff, being free of him-"

"Look, I can't talk to you", Jeff said fiercely, trying to move past Edge once again, "He always knows. Always. I've never been able to get anything past him. And I can't deal with his punishments anymore. So please, let me by." Jeff stared at his friend, angry and yet pleading, waiting for him to move.

"I'll move as soon as you hear this", Adam said, unwavering, "I promise, it won't take long."

Before Jeff could protest, Jay continued, "We have someone with us tonight who's ready and willing to lend a hand with the Gangrel situation."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Who? The police?", he scoffed sarcastically, annoyed that he was being forced to listen to this.

"It's someone we trust, Jeff, someone who saved our lives, a long time ago. Now he's willing to save yours", Adam replied quietly, solemnly, "We met him when we were Gangrel's slaves. He had the chance to, er, have us for the night. But after seeing how horribly Gangrel treated us, he was disgusted enough to turn him into the vampire council. He's the reason that we're free, Jeff. We owe everything to him."

Jeff stared, unsure of how he should react to this new revelation. Was Adam implying that he and Jay had been freed by a fucking vampire? He'd always wondered how they'd managed to break free of Gangrel, but he'd certainly never expected… this.

"We thought this person was long dead, killed years ago by Gangrel. But we came across him, completely by circumstance, when we were visiting Chicago a few days back."

"We began telling him what's been going on here", Jay took up the narrative, "What Gangrel's been doing, how he's been hurting you for years…"

Jeff's gaze darkened.

"He immediately agreed to help you, Jeff", Adam said, his tone gentle yet completely earnest, "And believe me, this is the type of help you want."

"Is it?", Jeff mused. His mind turned strangely to Gabriel at that moment. He wondered if accepting this strange vampire's help would be any worse than taking Gabriel's.

Either way, Gangrel would find out. He always knew. And Jeff always suffered for that knowledge.

"Jeff?", Jay urged gently, wondering what the young Hardy was thinking.

"I have to go", Jeff replied slowly, softly. He started for the door, which was still blocked by an unmoving Adam.

Jeff glared. "Get out of my way, Adam."

"Just meet him, Jeffy", Adam replied stoically, "That's all we're asking."

"I have already been here too fucking long", Jeff hissed, quivering with rage, "Gangrel's going to rip me apart for talking to the two of you. And now you want me to have a conversation with the guy who turned him into the Council? Are you out of your fucking minds? I mean really, what the hell is wrong with the two of you?" Adam and Jay remained silent through every word of Jeff's scalding lecture, allowing him to vent his righteous anger. "How dare you just decide to bring this guy here? You know that Gangrel will notice something is up! He'll see this guy following him, or realize that you two are acting weirder than usual. And then, like always, I will be the one to suffer for it, because he's been sure that for years I've been planning something with the two of you, and nothing I've ever said, or done, has convinced him otherwise. But you never take that shit into account, do you? It doesn't affect you, after all."

Adam and Jay both had the good sense to look ashamed. How very foolish they had been in the past. They would not, however, apologize for their exploits this time around. Both truly believed that bringing Antrim here was the best, and only, course of action, if they wanted to save their friend.

An outcast to take down an outcast, a vampire to take down a vampire. It seemed… logical, in some odd way. There would be no council, no intrusive laws. This time, a fight between evenly-matched opponents would decide the fate of Gangrel's hapless human slave.

"Jeff, he really can help you", Jay said, "Don't you at least want to meet him?"

A flash of conflicted pain crossed the young Hardy's face, immediately replaced by tired indifference. "No, I don't." There it was. The lie, laid out, simply, succinctly. Let them do with it what they would.

Adam opened his mouth, obviously ready to argue.

"No! Enough!", Jeff said sharply, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say, "You two never listen to me, but you will listen now, god dammit!" Adam closed his mouth. Jay froze, attention riveted upon the young Hardy. Jeff continued. "Understand, this little pet project of yours to play the saviors has been a useless effort for years now. You can't fucking save me, and you certainly can't free me. You should've realized by now, Gangrel wrecked whatever was worth salvaging a long time ago. He's turned me into nothing more than an over-used sex toy." He closed his eyes, perhaps to shut out the sick and pained expressions upon his former friends' visages. "I'm not fucking worth saving, because even if Gangrel went away tomorrow, there's no healing from the shit he's done to me. I'm finished. Eventually, that bloodsucking pig is going to go overboard and accidentally kill me during one of his little fuck-fests. I'll bow down and thank him for it. So tell your vampire friend to go back home to Chicago. He's not wanted here."

Adam stared, horrified at the casual, even hopeful way Jeff spoke of his own death. Had he truly given up, then? Was he past the point of saving?

"Five minutes, Jeff", Jay intervened, sounding perhaps a bit more desperate than he'd have liked, "That's all we ask. Just talk to him for five minutes, and then we'll leave you alone if you ask us to."

Jeff didn't respond, beyond a dark, pouty glare. He looked angry, and fed up. He was so tired of being ignored. Why couldn't they just listen to him for once? Why couldn't they leave him alone?

He began feeling around in his jacket pocket, eventually producing a cigarette and a lighter. Lighting up, he took a deep, lingering inhale. A cloud of hazy cigarette smoke sluggishly twined about his head in the low early-evening light, like a dirty, broken halo.

"Five minutes is all Antrim will need to convince you that he means well", Jay was continuing, "He's a good guy. Once you meet him, you'll trust him just as much as we do. Honestly." The other man's tone, meant to be gently persuasive, grated on Jeff's last nerve.

The young Hardy said nothing. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. He was already troubled by Gangrel's conspicuous week-long absence, wondering what it could portend. There had been little else on his mind for the past several days, considering the nature of the vampire's disappearance. He knew, when Gangrel did decide to return, he would bleed for it.

And now, there was this new vampire to worry about, on top of everything else. Surely, should Gangrel discover that his enemy was in town, he would find some way to blame Jeff for it. He seemed to blame Jeff for everything, whether he was responsible, or not.

"So…", Adam prodded annoyingly, perhaps taking Jeff's silence for reluctant assent, "You'll meet Antrim?"

Once again, Jeff didn't answer, choosing instead to turn away from the invasive blondes and lean against the railing so he could smoke. It was intended as a dismissive gesture, but Adam and Jay would not be discouraged by the young Hardy's silence, nor would they be put off by his abrasive demeanor.

"Go get Antrim, Jay", Adam said, "Let him know Jeff's willing to talk."

Jeff said sharply, "I never said I was willing to talk."

He glanced back. Jay had already slipped past Adam, who was still blocking the doorway. He narrowed his eyes. Fucking stupid bastards.

The young Hardy abruptly realized that something about this situation was making him feel rather uneasy, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly that was. Perhaps it was the way Adam and Jay were acting, so serious, so gravely intense, as if someone was going to die if Jeff didn't acquiesce to their stupid plans.

He shook his head. This was why he hated dealing with these morons. They virtually bred stress and anxiety.

A deep puff of smoke-filled air, and his near-perpetual frazzled nerves calmed themselves once again. Better.

"Jeff? I'd like to introduce you to Antrim, if I could." The young Hardy turned around. Jay stood in the doorway, though Jeff's eyes were immediately drawn to the tall, thin man who was standing immediately to his right, shrouded by the evening shadows. "Antrim, this is Jeff Hardy."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jeff Hardy." The man's voice was sweet, almost musical in tenor, and Jeff found that he immediately liked the sound of it, despite himself.

He kept his face blank, however, and his thoughts guarded, as had become habit around those of Antrim's kind. "Wish I could say the same", Jeff replied with the forced calm he always tried to adapt around vampires. The less they could sense of his disgust, of his fear, the better.

Antrim stepped into the circle of light cast by a lamp overhanging the door, his every movement as graceful and restrained as a practiced dancer's. Jeff couldn't help but stare. This vampire… It was apparent, simply from his sad, gentle smile that he was nothing like Gangrel. Nothing at all.

Antrim's sharp eyes studied Jeff's drawn features, his wan, waxen complexion, his dull, lifeless gaze. He was beaten, and exhausted, but despite it all, this one was an exceedingly rare beauty. He could certainly see why Gangrel clung to him so selfishly.

Ravenous hunger, a dark and greedy beast deep within the vampire's gut, abruptly flared up at the boy's scent. Jeff smelled of desperation, and defiance, and fear. Perfect and pungent, and tempting as sin.

Antrim shut his eyes, scolding himself for his weakness, pushing that clawing hunger down, suppressing it. He knew that he had nearly made a grave error. If he had allowed his vampiric nature to show even slightly, then he would surely never win Jeff Hardy's trust. These negotiations were surely a fragile thing, and desperately important.

The vampire's eyes slid open, falling once more upon the boy's tense features.

"He has been cruel to you", the vampire remarked in his soft, strong voice, carefully watching as Jeff took a deep drag of his cigarette, "I can see the evidence of your pain written upon your face. I can hear it in your words."

Jeff tensed. Gabriel had said almost the exact same thing to him.

That was… strange.

Not wanting the vampire to notice his unease, the young Hardy gave a bleak, bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, my life fucking sucks. I guess I've stopped trying to hide it."

There was that sadness again, flashing across Antrim's odd-colored eyes. It made Jeff angry. He didn't want Antrim's sadness, or his pity. He was tired of being fucking pitied. And god, the nerve of this fucking bloodsucker, daring to show up here, daring to pretend that he actually gave two shits about Jeff's shitty existence…

It pissed him off. It was a god damn insult, for him to suddenly show up here now, when the best years of his life had already been stolen away by that fucking molesting pig Gangrel-

"I assure you, Jeff", Antrim said solemnly, breaking into the young Hardy's stream of dark thoughts, "Had I known about your situation, had I had any inkling that Gangrel had returned and enslaved another human, I would have offered my assistance, immediately."

Jeff's eyes narrowed. "Stay the fuck out of my head."

"Forgive me, it was not my intention to pry", replied Antrim, his tone genuinely contrite, "Your thoughts were quite… forceful, however. I couldn't help but overhear."

"Whatever", Jeff muttered caustically. He turned away, to face the coming storm once again.

Antrim sighed. "Jeff, I know that you do not trust me. This is perfectly understandable, given Gangrel's past treatment of you." Jeff said nothing, nor did he react in any way to the vampire's statements. Undeterred by the boy's stony silence, he continued, "I can only assure you that I am here for your benefit, to protect you, to ensure that you receive no additional injuries from your supposed master."

"You're right about one thing, Antrim", Jeff said quietly, "I don't trust you." He gazed into the vampire's face, eyes sparking with green fury. "You see, I've met plenty of shit-sucking vampires over the years. They were all as bad as Gangrel. Some actually turned out to be much, much worse. The point is, not one of them ever saw me as anything other than a good fuck, an amusing pet, or a convenient snack." The young Hardy glared, all composure slipping away. "So don't insult me by lying to me. Just lay it out there. Do what you're here to do. Get it the fuck over with." He took a step towards the vampire, and bared his throat.

Adam and Jay appeared horrified.

Antrim forcibly looked away from the pulsing jugular vein, a dark, snaking line that ran just beneath the young Hardy's flawless, alabaster skin. "I am not here to feed upon you, Jeff Hardy", he said, "Despite any pre-conceived notions you may have about me."

Jeff stared.

Never had a vampire refused to feed from him.

He abruptly grew ever more suspicious. Surely, it was coming. Any minute now, he would be pinned beneath him, and those fangs would be buried deep in the tender flesh of his throat.

Really, what was this guy playing at?

"As I said, Jeff, I understand that your trust is not easily won." Jeff said nothing, a distrustful glare twisting his features. "I did not expect to come here and immediately gain your friendship. That would be foolish of me. My reason for being here tonight is simply to let you know that help, though long delayed, has finally arrived. I shall not allow Gangrel to harm you again."

"Yeah, right", Jeff muttured, snuffing out his cigarette on the railing, "Good luck with that one, asshole." He began moving towards the door.

"Hey, Jeff, wait!", Jay moved to stop him.

Jeff whirled around, scowling fiercely. "You had your five minutes. Now stay the fuck away from me."

He stamped back inside, kicking an empty box out of his path and watching in satisfaction as it slid and skipped across the cold, concrete floor.

Antrim watched the boy's furious departure with stoic concern.

"Well", Jay remarked, once Jeff was out of earshot, "that didn't go well at all."

"Perhaps", the vampire gave a vague reply, his strange gaze still fixed upon the empty doorway.

"What do we do now?", asked Adam.

Antrim finally turned to face his human companions.

"We shall search out Gangrel", he replied simply, "And then, we shall kill him." Despite the morbid topic of conversation, the vampire's smile was non-threatening, even gentle. "Jeff shall soon be free, boys. I promise."

Adam and Jay shot each other looks of silent encouragement.

Bringing Antrim here had been the right decision on their parts. He would help Jeff. He would do what needed to be done.

They had to believe that.

[xxxxxxx]

The show had wrapped up about an hour ago.

Jeff headed back to the hotel immediately afterwards, as he was exhausted, and fed up, and just fucking over it. He wanted desperately to locate his room so he could slam the door, lie down, and hopefully get some much-needed sleep.

He was stressed out, his tired mind running in frantic circles, trying to make sense of the impossible situation he'd been placed in.

Fucking Adam and Jay, bringing that god damn bloodsucker here. It pissed him off more and more, each time he thought about it.

Jeff silently resolved to stay as far away from them as he possibly could. He didn't want that vampire anywhere near him. Let Adam and Jay be naïve morons. Let them believe Antrim's lies. Jeff would have no part of it.

Entering his room, he realized that Matt was already there, loudly bustling about in the washroom, running the water, drying his hair. The routine sounds immediately comforted the young Hardy. They portended another night spent in peace.

"Hey", Jeff greeted, dumping his bags by the bed and collapsing heavily down onto the mattress. God, he was fucking exhausted. He really hoped that Gangrel would stay away tonight, so he could get some sleep…

He forcibly pushed that thought away. There was, after all, no reason to dwell upon the vampire's strange absence. He would return, or not, when he wished. Jeff never had any say in the matter, one way or the other.

"Hey, Jeffro", Matt replied, coming out of the bathroom. The younger Hardy was surprised to see that his brother was dressed for a night out at the club. "Listen, I don't want to leave you here by yourself, so I was gonna see if you wanted to come with me and some of the guys. We're heading out to this local place, I actually think it's right down the street-"

"I'm really tired, Matt", Jeff replied, lying back, "Think I'm just gonna crash. I'll be fine here, honestly. Go out. Have fun with your friends."

"Jeffro…" Matt hesitated. The thought of leaving his little brother alone made him extremely nervous. He still didn't know anything about the vicious attack in the previous city, after all; Jeff refused to talk about it. What if he was hurt again?

"Matt", Jeff urged, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here, in the hotel, asleep. You should go out. You've been driving yourself insane this week, not having anything to do at night. Go have fun. I'll be here when you get back."

Finally, the older Hardy was persuaded. He promised to return within a few hours' time. He also ordered Jeff not to leave the room while he was away, under any circumstances. Rolling his eyes in dramatic fashion, Jeff promised he would stay put.

The young Hardy shut the door. He couldn't help but feel reassured when the heavy electronic lock audibly clicked into place. Sighing heavily, he shuffled off to bed, sure that he would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

An hour passed.

The young Hardy lay there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He knew every detail of it by now, every pore and cranny and spot of dirt. He didn't want to lie here studying this ugly, unfinished hotel ceiling. He wanted to close his eyes, and get some rest, for once.

But despite the comforting darkness of the nicely-appointed room, despite the cozy embrace provided by soft bedding, Jeff was finding sleep to be utterly elusive. He tossed and turned, his thoughts a frenzied jumble of stress and angst.

"I need a fucking cigarette", he mumbled, pissed off.

Rolling his sore, aching body out of bed, he clicked the light on.

Sighing irritably, he moved over to the desk chair, where he'd carelessly slung his jacket. He fumbled in the pockets, looking for cigarettes and his lighter.

He pulled a smoke out, pushing it tiredly between his lips. Suddenly his eyes fell upon a small placard that had been placed on the desk.

"THIS IS A NON-SMOKING ROOM."

"Fuck, of course it is", Jeff grumbled irritably. He was tempted to light up anyway.

He weighed his options. He could lie back down and stare at the ceiling all night, awake and restless, or he could trudge downstairs, go outside, and smoke a quick cigarette to calm his frazzled nerves.

The latter seemed the more attractive option at the moment.

Jeff threw some jeans and a t-shirt on, then made his way out to the street, cigarettes, lighter, and key card in hand.

He lit up, leaning back against the rough concrete wall of the hotel. Shutting his eyes, he inhaled, enjoying the cool, crisp night air.

And suddenly, he was wrenched from his position, back and up and over, as if he were a ragdoll being handled by an abusive child.

The world was spinning lights and blurry nothingness. He had no idea where up was, or down.

And then, without warning, he was dumped, roughly, onto the filthy ground of some random back alleyway. Fuck, where was he? Was he even in the same city?

He stared at the ground, eyes wide, nauseated and shaking, and too afraid to look up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone standing there, looking down on him intently, watching from the shadows. Frightened, the young Hardy tried to crawl away from the mysterious figure, scuttling blindly on hands and knees in the darkness.

"My, Jeffrey, you have certainly been a very disobedient slave", a horrifyingly familiar voice abruptly intoned, "Gangrel is most worked up about it."

That simple declaration froze Jeff where he was, shaking, wide-eyed, and panting in fear.

The young Hardy glanced up through a curtain of tangled, wind-blown hair. Thorn was leering over him, a thoughtful frown upon his well-formed lips.

"Rise."

Without thinking, Jeff obeyed the softly-spoken command, firmly turning his panic-stricken gaze away from the hungry eyes of the vampire.

Thorn pushed him forcibly back against the wall, drawing a sharp gasp from the boy as he collided roughly with unyielding brick.

"Perhaps you recall the other night, Jeffrey. We were rudely interrupted", he said, caressing his cheek softly, menacingly, "I would like very much to continue what we began."

Oh, fuck.

"Gangrel… he doesn't like others… touching what belongs to him", Jeff said softly, praying that this small reminder would make the vampire back off. Knowing that it wouldn't.

Thorn smirked down at his terrified prey. "Come now, Jeffrey. We both know that Gangrel is a fool", he said dismissively, "He is not worthy of mastering such a fine piece of flesh."

Jeff shuddered, looking away from those greedy, piercing eyes.

The vampire placed two fingers under Jeff's chin, sharp nails digging into tender flesh. He forced the young Hardy's gaze front.

"I, on the other hand", Thorn smirked lasciviously, "am a most capable master. Though, admittedly, not as lenient as Gangrel."

Jeff watched in growing horror as the vampire's incisors lengthened before his eyes.

"Please don't do this", he begged, "Gangrel will fucking kill me-"

Thorn grabbed Jeff's hair roughly, wrenching a broken gasp from the boy. "Mention him again and there will be consequences you do not wish to deal with. Do you understand me, Jeffrey?"

"Yes", the young Hardy replied, struggling to get himself under some semblance of control, "I understand."

This seemed to please Thorn, who began moving in towards Jeff's bared neck.

Jeff froze in place, his eyes shut tightly, every muscle tensed and ready for the pain that always accompanied a feeding.

He waited, breathless, nerves on fire with the hated anticipation of it all.

When he didn't feel those teeth tearing into the soft skin of his neck, he cautiously cracked open one eye. What he saw did not comfort him.

Thorn was just standing there. Staring at him. Rage written on his face. Rage burning in his eyes.

Before Jeff could react, before he could think, Thorn struck with a vampire's quickness, wrapping a hand around his throat, brutally wringing all the air out of his body.

"Who have you been talking to, Jeffrey?", the vampire hissed, quietly furious. Squeezing, tighter, tighter.

Choking, unable to breathe, desperately clawing at the vampire's wrist, Jeff's mouth worked in futility.

Thorn moved in close enough to Jeff's face that his frigid breath tickled the boy's feverish skin.

"What a stupid child you must be, believing you could hide this from us." Jeff stared up at the vampire, wide-eyed, frozen with uncertainty.

Cold lips brushed over the boy's jawline, feather-soft, threatening.

"I can smell them, Jeffrey", he whispered, "On your skin, in your hair. You have been conversing with other vampires. With other… immortals." He spat the word as if it were a filthy curse. "You will tell me the nature of your discussions. You will tell me who these intruders are."

Thorn squeezed Jeff's neck once more, drawing a garbled choking noise, something between a cough and a whimper. Abruptly, he released him, watching coldly as the boy stood there choking, coughing, trying to get air.

"I do not like to be kept waiting, Jeffrey", the vampire said lowly, dangerously.

Jeff stared, wide-eyed, unsure of what he should say. He couldn't tell Thorn he'd been talking to Antrim, the very vampire who'd consigned his master to exile. Gangrel could never find out about that. It would be his death sentence.

He opened his mouth. He would find a lie to tell Thorn. Any lie. Anything at all would suffice…

And then it occurred to him that there was nothing to say, because only the truth would placate the vampire, and the truth…

It was not an option.

Undecided, terrified, exhausted, Jeff stood mutely, staring up at his captor.

Looking into the dark, rage-filled eyes of Thorn, Jeff could finally see his death reflected back at him. He welcomed it, he ushered it in. Let death come. Finally, in this disgusting alleyway, surrounded by garbage and darkness and anonymity, he would find his end. How sad it seemed, and yet, how very fucking appropriate, given the pile of shit his life had become.

"Look, I- I can't do this anymore", he whispered, his voice breaking, "I can't play these fucking games. So just kill me, if that's what you have to do. Get it the fuck over with."

Jeff looked away tiredly. He shut his eyes, waiting. Waiting.

Thorn didn't move.

It seemed an eternity that they stood there like that, human and vampire, in a silent stand-off.

When Thorn attacked, it came swiftly and without warning.

Jeff felt a sudden rush of air in the still night, the vampire's arm rearing back, readying to strike. The boy's eyes snapped open, just as a fist came crashing forward into his face. His neck snapped back with the force of it, as his body crumpled heavily to the ground. Consciousness immediately, blessedly, slipped away.

"You will pay for your betrayal, Jeffrey", Thorn stood there, looking down on Jeff, who lay there, a heap of blood and bruises, "I would kill you right now, but I am sure your master Gangrel would be most interested to hear about these new friends of yours. We shall have to see what he decides to do with you." He began walking away.

He came to the mouth of the filthy alleyway. Glancing back, his sharp eyes picked out the pale, unconscious form of Jeff Hardy, lying there amongst the filth and the garbage, a deep bleeding gash upon his forehead. A strange mixture of lust and contempt flashed across the vampire's face.

"It is a shame that your treachery prevented us from taking our pleasure tonight", Thorn mused. Shrugging, he began strolling leisurely down the deserted, lamp-lit street. "Ah, well. These things do happen, I suppose." He smirked. "Though, I must admit that I am greatly looking forward to our next meeting, Jeffrey. It should be something to remember…"

Will Jeff ever come around and accept Antrim's help? Will Matt ever figure out what's going on? How does Gabriel fit into all this? Where in the hell is Gangrel? What's up with Thorn, and why is he such an insufferable dick?

FIND OUT THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE NEXT TIME!

(oh, and please review. it would truly be appreciated.) :)