"Hey, guys," Cory greeted as he entered the Matthews' house. Amy, who was watching television, quickly looked up.

"Hi, Cory. Listen, have you seen Shawn today? His father called; apparently Shawn didn't come home last night."

"No, he wasn't at school today," Cory said worried. "You don't think something happened?"

"Oh Cory, I hope not," Amy said. "If you hear anything, be sure to let us know."

"Okay," Cory immediately agreed. "Where's Eric?"

"Oh, he's staying over at Jason's house for the night, supposedly studying for the SATs." While Amy supported her oldest son, she had a pretty good idea of how committed he was to his schoolwork. "It will be dinner time soon, so don't go far."

"Okay. What're we having?" Cory asked.

"Leftover spaghetti," she answered.

"Cool," he said, trying not to worry about his best friend.

That night, Cory awoke to a tapping on his window. Having a good idea who it was, he walked over. Sure enough, Shawn was watching him from the roof. Wondering what this was all about, he opened the window. "Hey, Shawn. What's up?" he asked casually.

Shawn eyed him intently from where he stood. "Hey, Cory…" His voice seemed a bit shaky, "You… think I can come in?"

Cory was a little worried, Shawn hadn't acted meek like this for a while. "Sure." He stepped back to let him in.

Shawn leapt inside with one fluid motion and somehow avoided making any noise. He began pacing back and forth. "Cory? We can tell each other anything, right?"

Eager to help his friend, Cory quickly reassured him, "Of course, Shawn, we're best friends."

Despite his edginess, Shawn started to smile. "Best friends, huh? Yeah, we're like family. Brothers, even."

Cory smiled, "Yeah, we're like brothers. So, what's bothering you, Shawn?"

Shawn stopped pacing and stood still. "Remember that girl Margaret? Well, yesterday, we went on a date, right? And she and I started making out, you know, when…" He broke off.

"C'mon, Shawn, you can tell me anything," Cory encouraged, "Brothers, remember?"

Shawn took a deep breath. "Well, Margaret told me… That is, she showed me… Cory, Margaret's a vampire. She bit me. Now I'm one, too."

Cory took a moment to process this piece of information. Is this revenge for that whole werewolf thing? "Um, Shawnie, I don't want to put this the wrong way, but how do I know you're not crazy?"

Shawn had expected such a reaction, though Cory's was nicer put. "Feel my neck; the bite's all healed up, but you can feel the mark."

Cory hesitantly reached out his hand and touched his friend's neck. Shawn moved his hand to the appropriate spot. Cory could indeed feel two scabs. He also couldn't help but notice that his friend was very cold. "Well, uh, so you have a scrape, that doesn't make you a vampire."

Shawn leaned in close and opened his mouth, revealing long pointed eyeteeth. No longer confident, Cory felt himself become nervous. "Okay, Shawn, you say you're a vampire – I'll believe you… C- could you put them away?" Shawn closed his mouth and leaned back.

"So… uh, what's it like?"

Shawn met his eyes and Cory saw the intensity that blazed there. "It's the most amazing thing! Cory, I can see everything. I know you haven't turned on the lights, but to me it's like daylight." Shawn grinned, "And the smells! I understand so much just from the smells alone. Cory, you can not imagine some of these smells, they are just so different!"

Cory grinned as well, enjoying his friend's pleasure. "Sounds awesome. Any downsides?"

Shawn's grin faded. "Well…" he looked away, "There is the blood thing… Everyone… they smell like…" he trailed off.

Cory felt himself get nervous. "Like… food?" he offered. Shawn locked eyes with him. That would be a yes…

"I will not be a predator," Shawn declared. "I am Shawn Hunter, not Dracula!"

"Good to hear." Cory smiled, relieved. "So, uh, Shawn… Any cool powers?"

Shawn thought it over. "Hmm, well, I've got the super senses, I'm not Superman, but I've got some pretty good super strength… Uh, I can't fly, I tried that… Listen, Cory, it's been a very long day, do you think I could crash here? I just can't handle going home right now."

"Sure, you can sleep here," Cory replied. "I'm not sure my parents will be too happy, though."

"Don't worry," Shawn said, "No one needs to know I'm here. Feeny didn't see me, no one did. I can sleep under Eric's bed just fine, I don't really need to breathe anymore."

Cory didn't much like the idea of his friend sleeping under a bed, but he saw the wisdom of such an approach. Besides, Shawn had hid in his room before… sort of. "Well, if you're sure you'll be alright…"

"I'll be fine," Shawn assured, "You just go back to sleep, now." He crawled underneath the bed.

"Good night, Shawn," Cory bade as he climbed in. So, my best friend's a vampire and he's under Eric's bed right now. Okay… At least it can't get any stranger…

Cory woke up to his alarm clock. The night's events fresh in his mind, he stared off into the distance. Shawn a vampire? Was it a dream? It had to be a dream. Crazy…

"Would you turn that off?" Shawn asked from under Eric's bed.

"Uh, sure!" Cory switched it off. So it wasn't a dream… Which meant either Shawn really was a vampire, or he was kidding. Cory assumed it was the latter.

"Um, Shawn," he started, "Am I crazy, or did you tell me you were a vampire last night?"

"Close the curtains and I'll tell you." Shawn answered. Cory looked over at the window with sunlight streaming through, and hastily closed it. Shawn slipped out from under the bed and faced him. Shawn really was quite pale and there was something strange about his eyes.

"You're not crazy," Shawn said, flashing his fangs as he spoke, "And neither am I."

"Whew, that's good. Haha, I was worried!" Cory laughed to make up for the bizarreness of the moment.

"Need me to prove it?" Shawn asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Shawn, you're my best friend," Cory began, "If you say you're a vampire, then by golly, you're a vampire!"

"So that would be a yes, then?" Shawn queried.

"If you would, that would be very helpful. Thank you." Cory said quickly.

Shawn walked over to the bathroom door and slowly opened it. The window behind the shower was spilling harsh sunlight into the room. Closing his eyes, Shawn quickly reached his hand in and pulled the shower curtain closed. Making sure that the other door was locked, he motioned for Cory to enter.

Cory stepped into the bathroom with Shawn, wondering what was going to happen. He looked at Shawn questioningly. Shawn nodded toward the sink. Cory turned and gasped at what he saw, or rather, what he didn't see in the mirror. In the mirror, Cory was standing by himself with no Shawn.

"So, are you convinced?" Shawn asked from beside him.

"Yeah… sure." Cory answered, dazed. He kept staring at the mirror. It's real. It's all real… "Sooo…" He tried desperately to find a topic of conversation. Suddenly something occurred to him. He turned to look at Shawn. "Wait, Margaret's a vampire?"

"Oh, yeah," he looked solemn. "She definitely is…"

"And she attacked you! Shawn, we've got to tell the police! She could still be out there!" Cory darted out, heading for his phone. In a blur, Shawn appeared, grabbing his shoulder. "Shawn!" he cried in alarm.

"Cory, you can't tell anyone, especially the cops!" Shawn said sharply, digging his fingers into his friend's flesh. "They would never believe you unless they saw me. They'd lock me up in some government facility. Cory, you can't tell anyone!"

"Shawn, you're hurting me!" Cory cried in fear and pain. Shawn instantly let go and backed away.

"I'm so sorry, Cory!" Shawn said, visibly shaken. "It's these vampire urges. They're very hard to control."

"That's okay," Cory got out. "Look, I promise I won't tell the police. But I can't keep this from Topanga, okay? We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Yeah, okay," Shawn agreed quickly, "But just make sure she doesn't tell anyone."

"Okay," Cory agreed. He glanced at the clock. "Listen, we've got to go to school soon. Are you coming?"

"No, it hurts to be in the sunlight now," Shawn said. "And my eyes can't seem to adjust properly to the light."

"Hmm," Cory fished around in his drawers, pulling out sunglasses and a bottle of sunscreen. "Here, try these."

Shawn frowned, and then after a moment he smiled. "Sure, I'll give it a shot."

"Good," Cory said with relief. "I'm going to take a shower. You can change into my clothes if you want."

"Thanks," Shawn said, looking at the sunscreen bottle hopefully.