"So you're not even going to give me anything to do while I wait? I mean, some paper would be nice. I have the strangest urge to write poetry. Or to paint. I have such clear images in my mind. Of course, I'd need a lot of red paint, but still..."

"Just don't listen to him," Shane advised his friends quietly. "Fold. I don't mind telling you, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when all this will be over and we can turn the jailhouse back over to the Sheriff. Get back to our lives."

Shannon nodded in acknowledgement, trying to focus on his cards rather than allowing his eyes to flit nervously around the room. "Call," he announced in a shaky voice, his fear further evidenced by the hand continually straying to the gun at his hip, in spite of the fact that such a weapon would be of no use against their captive.

The third and final member of the card game showed no fear, but appeared instead to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. As well he might, for his beloved sibling, the brother from whom he'd always been inseparable, sat not ten feet from their table, languishing behind the iron bars of his cell.

His companions had told him they didn't expect him to sit guard with them over the jail's sole occupant, that it might be easier on him if he didn't have to see his brother. He couldn't have stayed away though, the bond between them was still too strong. If he'd missed his brother's last night on earth he'd never forgive himself, no matter what his sibling had become now.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Shane gently laid a hand on his arm. "Hmm?" he asked absently. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Shannon called," Shane told him, his eyes full of sympathy for his friend's plight. "Are you okay, Jeff?"

"I'll be just fine," Jeff lied, throwing his cards down carelessly. He stared blindly at the grain of the wooden table, his attempt to ignore the world thwarted by another call from the prisoner.

"Can't you at least bring me something to eat?"

"Like what?" Shannon asked warily, always the most gullible of the three of them.

"Well, I was thinking of something along the lines of Lucy, that brunette can-can dancer at the saloon..." Peals of laughter echoed between the walls of the jailhouse as he watched the horrified expression on Shannon's face and the fury on Shane's.

"Laugh all you like," Shane snarled, "since this will be your last night of existence. He'll arrive tomorrow, and then all this will be over."

"Shane, you wound me. After all the years we've been such good friends, it's hard for be to believe you're so eager to see my death." The captive pressed the back of his hand to his forehead melodramatically. "Well, when I say death, I mean... you know what I mean."

"I want to be alone with him," Jeff said suddenly, his hands clutching convulsively at the edge of the table.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Jeff? He's not the man he used to be." Shane cringed at Jeff's short, cold bark of laughter.

"You're not kidding! Yes, I'm sure. I can handle it. I just want to spend some time alone with what's left of my brother."

"Don't go too close to the cell, okay? No matter how he seems, he'll hurt you given the slightest opportunity. That's just what he is now. You can't trust him." Shane got to his feet and gathered the cards together, the spurs on his boots clinking against the ground. "Shannon and I will sit right outside, call us when you want us to come back."

Jeff nodded at his friends, forcing a wan smile onto his face. "I'll play it safe. Don't worry." He watched as Shane and Shannon left the small jailhouse, pulling the heavy wooden door almost closed behind them but leaving it slightly ajar in case they were needed. He crossed the room and sank to the floor, sitting with his back against the wall just out of reach of the monster that used to be his brother and keeping his eyes on the gaslight dipping in the draught.

He sat staring sightlessly at the low flame, feeling his brother's eyes watching him for some time before his captive spoke.

"You really should let me out, you know. You're my brother."

"I can't do that Matt," Jeff whispered.

"So you don't care about me anymore?"

"How I feel about you is irrelevant."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It's responsible for this whole mess."

Silence reigned again, until Jeff heard suede and leather rustling and Matt's boots scuffling on the floor, as Matt dropped to sit similarly against the opposite wall, inside his cell.

"Are you afraid to look at me?"

"Yes." Jeff fought to stop the tears that wanted to well up in his eyes.

"Why? Are you afraid I'll hypnotise you or something, make you let me out? Because that's just a myth, we can't do that. I know, I tried it on Shane earlier for fun."

Jeff's lips twisted in a cynical smile. "No. Because I'm afraid to see that you're not my brother anymore."

"I'm not so different, Jeff. I simply have different... dietary requirements now. And I suppose a rather tasteless sense of humour too, but I'm still the same deep down. I'm still Matt."

Jeff fell into thought for a while before speaking again. "You don't seem very scared about tomorrow."

"I'm not. If anything, I'm looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to it? You do realise you're going to die, don't you?"

Matt laughed. "Actually little brother, you've missed the boat on that one. We really should invent a new word shouldn't we, for when this happens? What do you call it when you kill someone who's already dead? But yes, I know I'm going to die. That's fine with me."

"I don't understand you. You get yourself turned into a vampire so you can live forever, and now you're looking forward to dying? That makes no sense at all."

"You shouldn't make assumptions Jeff, they're usually wrong. I didn't get myself turned into a vampire so I could live forever. I didn't want to get turned into a vampire at all. I never asked for this."

"Then what happened?" Jeff couldn't stop his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You know how I used to go out walking alone at night to clear my head? Well, that's what I was doing. I was starting to feel overwhelmed again, so I went to enjoy the silence and freedom of the night. I don't know if you'd understand that, I guess either you are a night person or you aren't."

"Overwhelmed?"

"I'll get to that. Anyway, I was walking and I heard someone behind me. That was really unusual, because I never normally see anyone else out when I walk at that time of night. But I was too wrapped up in myself to care, so when he grabbed me and dragged me into an alleyway, I was quite surprised. I didn't fight him though. I was ready to die. All for you."

Jeff's head snapped up and he looked at Matt for the first time since he'd arrived at the jailhouse to stand guard for the night. He still looked the same to Jeff - he still had the same mane of beautiful long black hair, still the same deep, entrancing eyes. He even still had the same gentle smile, in spite of the murders Jeff knew he'd committed.

"You look shocked, little brother. I must have done a good job of hiding how I felt."

"You wanted to die? Because of me?" Jeff's voice broke and his distress was evident in his tone. "What did I do? Whatever it was, I'm sorry, I never wanted to do anything but make you happy."

Matt shuffled forward and moved to a kneeling position, gripping the bars of his cell in both hands and resting his forehead against them. He looked pained that he couldn't reach out to Jeff.

"Shh, little one, you're putting words in my mouth. I said for you, not because of you. You never hurt me, don't worry. You were never anything but perfect. But anyway, I expected to die. I saw those fangs, and I know what vampires do as much as the next guy. I thought for sure he'd just kill me. I didn't know he'd turn me into this instead. So I'm not scared about tomorrow, I didn't want this life anyway."

"Do you..." Jeff hesitated. "Well, do you know what the vampire killer will do to you yet? I mean, I still don't know how you kill a vampire."

Matt shook his head with a rueful smile. "No, I don't know what he'll do. But I don't suppose he'd make any money if just anyone knew how you kill one of us. Nobody'd bother to call him in."

"Aren't you afraid it'll hurt?"

Matt pondered for a while before answering. "A little. But you'll be there, won't you? Please say you will. It'll be easier to bear if I can look at you while it happens. I want you to be the last thing I see."

Jeff nodded, having to stamp down even harder on the urge to cry. "I wasn't sure whether I'd be there or not, but if it's what you want, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you, I know it'll be hard for you to watch it. You always did love me too much." Matt's voice was warm and he sounded close to tears himself.

"A brother is a precious thing, especially one as protective and considerate as you were."

"You didn't only love me as brother though, did you?" Matt said, so quietly he could barely be heard.

Jeff froze. "I don't know what you mean." He clenched his hands into tight fists, his knuckles going white as he determinedly glared at his boots.

Matt gave a short, humourless laugh. "Come on Jeff, I'm dying tomorrow. The least you could do is tell me the truth."

"Um... you were my best friend too. Nobody'll ever take your place."

"So I'm so repulsive to you now I don't even deserve your honesty? Did nobody ever tell you that you talk in your sleep? That was how I first found out. Threw my whole mind into turmoil, believe me."

"I must just have had a weird dream or something, I never meant anything by whatever I said," Jeff said, nervously biting his lip and starting to panic.

"Maybe I'd have believed that if we'd had this conversation the next day. But we didn't, and I watched you. I watched you watching me, and I've got to tell you, you must have the heaviest eyes in the world. I could feel them running all over my body, all day, every day, and when I looked at you I could see you wanted me."

"Stop it," Jeff whispered, losing his battle with his tears as they spilled over his cheeks, hiding his face in his hands. Through all the talk, the monster had almost had Jeff believing it was still Matt in there, still his brother, but obviously the demon just wanted to torment him, trick him into facing things he didn't want to know about.

"I was so confused at first," Matt continued, ignoring Jeff's request. "I couldn't work out why I wasn't disgusted with you. I couldn't work out why when I saw you staring at me like that, I had to fight to stop myself blushing, not to stop myself going over there and smacking you one."

"Please don't do this to me," Jeff begged, his voice muffled by his fingers, his breathing becoming ragged as he wept. He wanted the earth to just open and swallow him up.

"And then it hit me. I wanted you too."

Jeff looked up, his despair written plainly all over his face. "Why are you doing this? What did I do to deserve it?"

"It was such a shock. I wrestled with my conscience in the small hours every night. All I wanted was to go to your room and crawl underneath the covers with you. I wanted to take you in my arms and hold you, I wanted to kiss you breathless. I wanted it all the more, knowing you wouldn't push me away. But I couldn't, because I knew it was wrong. And I knew fighting with what you felt was making you miserable too. We were both trapped."

"Please stop Matt, you're hurting me." Jeff looked so small and forlorn, like a child again, hiccuping occasionally through his tears.

"The times it got so strong I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself if I stayed in the house with you, I went out walking. And when that vampire cornered me and I saw those sharp teeth and probably sharper eyes, and I knew he was going to kill me, I was relieved. I was so glad it was all over. All my misery because I couldn't have you, gone. And you wouldn't have to hate yourself for what you felt anymore either, because you wouldn't want me if I wasn't here. I could have thanked him. Maybe if I'd known he intended to turn me, I would have fought him. Although it probably wouldn't have helped."

"It's not true, it's not true, you never wanted me like that..." Jeff wailed softly, wishing he could curse Matt to hell for making him think about these things.

"I was so disappointed when I woke up the next evening. I felt like I'd been cheated. But one thing's changed. I don't know how, but it's like your conscience changes when you get turned. I don't feel guilty for feeling about you the way I do. I'm not ashamed of it, and I'm not disgusted with myself anymore. So now there's only one thing I want before I die."

"If what you wanted was to make me accept how much I hate myself, you've got it," Jeff sobbed brokenly.

"No, I never wanted that at all. I want to hear you say you love me. I want to hear you say it with all the passion you tried to hold back when you were being brotherly. Tell me you love me, Jeff."

"I can't!" Jeff whispered, feeling all the energy drain from him as he tried to make himself tell his brother he was wrong.

"Please, Jeff. After all the things we've been through together, as brothers, I'm going to die tomorrow. All I want is to be able to die looking at your face, with the memory of your voice proclaiming your love for me echoing through my head. You did want me, and love me, didn't you?"

Unable to fight it any more, Jeff gave in to his need to confess, in spite of his certainty that this evil creature was playing games with his weakened heart and mind. "Yes," he whispered miserably.

"And you still want me, and love me now?"

Jeff hung his head, despising himself for wanting to cradle the monster in his arms no matter how deplorable he was. "Yes." He decided that if he didn't die here in this room tonight, as soon as Matt was dead tomorrow he'd go home and shoot himself.

"Then say it," Matt urged fiercely. "Say you love me."

Jeff crawled over to the cell, crying bitterly, and clutched at the bars, fully expecting Matt to reach through them and rip him to pieces at any moment, closing his eyes in anticipation. "I love you Matt. With everything I am, have been or could ever be, I love you. I can't remember a time when I didn't worship you. I've dreamt of being able to kiss your soft lips forever. I'm nothing without you, and I'm going to die tomorrow as surely as you are. I love you."

"That's all I wanted to hear." The triumph in Matt's voice was obvious, followed by metallic screeches. When Jeff looked up, he saw Matt effortlessly tearing the iron bars away from their sockets and bending them apart, stepping out of the cell and regaining his freedom.

Jeff stayed motionless on the floor as Shane and Shannon came running into the jailhouse, alerted by the noise as Matt broke out. He remained hugging the bars of the cell as he listened to his friends' screams when Matt held Shane at arm's length with ease while he drained Shannon's blood, then took a little from Shane before simply tearing his throat out.

"Guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach," Matt quipped as he licked and wiped blood from his lips and chin, advancing on his brother. When he pulled Jeff to the floor and pinned him down, Jeff offered no resistance.

"Just kill me quickly," Jeff pleaded, barely above a whisper, closing his eyes again and exposing his throat deliberately.

He looks just like I must have when he turned me, Matt thought. Afraid, but welcoming.

"Don't cry, little brother, I hate to see you cry. I'm sorry I pushed you that way." He bent to kiss Jeff's tears from his cheeks, his heart swelling in his chest when he heard Jeff's gasp as Matt's lips connected with his skin. "You know, if I couldn't get you to say you loved me, I would have stayed in there and let them kill me tomorrow."

"Please don't play games with me, Matt. Just kill me, get it over with," Jeff moaned desperately.

"I'm not going to kill you, my love. Well, I am, but I'm not. Look at me, sweetheart," Matt coaxed.

Hesitantly, Jeff opened his eyes and looked up at the vampire holding him down. He saw the blood still smeared over his face, remnants of Jeff's two closest friends in the world. He saw the dangerous canines, gleaming where Matt had licked them clean. And set into the face of that monster, he saw his brother's eyes.

Looking into their depths, he saw the smile Matt always carried there just for him. His mouth falling slightly open in surprise, he saw the brotherly concern there, he saw the fear of rejection, and most of all he saw everything they'd both been hiding for so long. Deep down beneath the foul cloak his brother now wore, he was still his Matt.

"I'll always love you, Jeff. You've always been my light," Matt whispered to him, placing a soft, gentle kiss on Jeff's half-open lips. It set Jeff alight and he wanted more, not caring about the taste of his friends' blood if it meant he got more of Matt. Conscience came a very poor second to love. "I'm going to make you mine. We'll treasure eternity together. Alone, it would be hell."

Jeff nodded, visibly bracing himself.

"It'll be okay, my sweet, it won't take long." Matt released Jeff's wrists and slid a hand lovingly around the back of Jeff's neck.

Jeff sighed happily, winding his arms around his brother's shoulders. "And then we'll be together."