Sean had been asleep for an hour when he heard the scream. Without a moment’s hesitation, he jumped out of bed., listening. The scream was coming from inside the cottage. “Paige,” he whispered as his eyes widened. He ran to the living room, hoping he wasn’t too late.

He expected to see some sort of villain standing over her, such as Omega Red, Emplate, or maybe even a Phalanx unit. Instead, he found Paige, crying and screaming, in the throes of a nightmare. “Sam! Daddy! Somebody help me!” Though she was screaming at the top of her lungs, her eyes were shut tightly. Sean had to use his sonic scream just to cancel out her own wails. After all, he couldn’t help her if he couldn’t get near her.

Sean grabbed the girl’s shoulders and shook her. “Wake up, lass! Tis only a bad dream!”

Paige stopped and opened her eyes. She looked around before her gaze fell on him. “Mr. Cassidy?” she asked slowly, blinking away tears.

He smiled slightly. “Aye, lass. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear ye were my sweet Terry, screaming like that.”

Paige thought for a moment. “Did she ever have nightmares when she was little?” It took a few moments for her to realize the mistake she’d made. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quietly, placing a hand on his arm.

Sean only shook his head. “Tis fine, lass. We’ve all made mistakes before.”

Paige stared at him. “You really miss her, don’t you?”

“Everyday of my life,” Sean said wistfully, looking at the window nearby. “Sometimes I think if I could just hold her in my arms once more, nothing else in the world would matter.”

He was still staring at the window when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to Paige and nearly gasped. The moonlight from the window seemed to frame her perfectly. She looked like an angel to him, at least, from the neck up. It took every ounce of will power he had to keep his eyes on her face. There was no telling how much would be visible in the moonlight, and Sean certainly didn’t want to find out. Well, he didn’t want her to notice him trying to find out, anyway.

“Mr. Cassidy, Ah know Ah’m nothing like your real daughter,” Paige said softly. “But if it means anything, Ah’ll always think of you as mah real Daddy.”

Sean smiled at her. “Aye, lass. It means an awful lot. Thank ye.”

Paige smiled back and hugged him.

Sean’s uneasiness faded as he held her. After all, she was only a child. A child he was now responsible for. How could he ever have seen her as anything else but a daughter?

“Ah love you,” Paige whispered suddenly, kissing his cheek.

Sean didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. Paige’s soft hair brushed against his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder. Indeed, he wouldn’t have time to say anything. Any words that were coming out of his mouth would’ve only sounded like a strangled gasp. The warmth on his neck indicated Paige’s breath, or so he thought. When she finally let go, he found that the warmth came from his own blood, which was flowing down his neck at a rapid rate.

Sean stared at Paige in shock and horror. She couldn’t stand to see him like that, but it had to be done. “Ah’m so sorry, Daddy,” she said quietly. Sean saw her bloody lips trembling, and somehow knew that it wasn’t over. He was right. Because as much as Paige really did love Sean Cassidy, her newfound hunger was greater. Much greater. He could still hear her whispering about how sorry she was, just before she bit into his neck again.

* * * * *

“M, snap out of it already! We gotta get outta here!” Angelo slapped Monet for the third time and howled in pain. He kept forgetting that she was pretty much invincible. Since the vampires had left the room and locked the door, he’d done his best to get her out. Of course, he couldn’t move her until she came out of the trance, and he wasn’t about to leave any living teammates here.

Angelo was just considering another slap when there was a scratching sound at the door. Before he could even think of answering it, the door was reduced to splinters. The girl called Penance scampered into the room, her pupiless blue eyes shining with purpose.

“Penny?” Angelo asked slowly. He wondered if the vampires had gotten her, too. If Ev had synched with her, it was possible. In theory, anyway.

Penny slowly crossed the room, keeping a close eye on Angelo. She waved a red hand before Monet’s face. After a while, she went back to the wreck that was once the door. Casting a final glance at Angelo, she ran into the hallway. Her shadow could be seen on the wall in the hallway as she paused. Suddenly, there was a sickening thunk, and just before Penny fell, Angelo could see something protruding from her head.

Ev and Jubilee returned a few seconds later. Jubilee was licking some blood off of her hands, while Ev held a sinister-looking dagger. Probably the same that had killed Penny moments before, Angelo guessed. “You weren’t trying to escape, were you?” Ev asked, a strange smile on his face. Angelo just fixed him with a cold glare.