Beth didn’t stir for days. When a week had pasted, Josef was sure he had doomed another woman to the fate of the comatose dead. Not alive but not dead. He nearly wept at his friend, who has taken to sitting beside the freezer day and night.

“I’m so sorry, Mick” Josef whispered, as they both sat beside the freeze. “I shouldn’t have. I just-I just didn’t know what to do.”

“I understand” Mick whispered.

“I should have let you…”

“She would have died before I got there” Mick whispered.

“What is she now?” Josef muttered, forlorn.

Something stirred behind them. They both jumped, ready. Beth was struggling with the lid of the freeze. She managed to get it open in with a bit of effort. She sat up, looking at them.

“Beth” Mick whispered, as if disbelieving his own eyes.

Beth looked at him. “Mick”

“She’s alive” Josef whispered. “I didn’t-I didn’t…”

“You did it” Mick said, gripping his oldest friend’s shoulder for a moment before stepping closer to Beth.

“I’m…I’m a vampire” Beth said, sounding shocked and yet strangely calm about the idea.

“You were attacked” Mick whispered.

“Josef found me” The vampiress turned her attention to the other vampire.

The vampire in question, who had been thrilled that he had not doomed another woman, froze under the fledgling’s gaze. He swallowed, before he nodded. “You were going to die. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You saved me” Beth said, struggling to move out of the freeze on her own.

Mick moved quickly, scooping her up and setting her feet gently on the ground, but not releasing her. “I was scared I had lost you.”

“It went dark…I don’t remember anything after that” The lights above them in the ceiling, seemed to suddenly hold Beth’s undivided attention. She stood there still for a long moment. “Everything is so different” she whispered. “Even better than the crystal…”

“Beth, you need to feed” Mick whispered, knowing that would one of her strongest urges this early.

Beth nodded.

“I-I’m going to leave you then” Josef said, feeling out of place.

“No!” Beth cried, rushing to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist like a child who didn’t want daddy to leave. “Don’t leave me.”

Josef and Mick exchanged a look. “You have Mick, Beth. You’ll be fine.”

“But…But…But you’re suppose to help.” Beth sounded like child trying to explain something way above her level of understanding. “You turned me.”

“Oh” Josef’s eyes widened with understanding. “The Sire/Fledgling bond…”