When Jeff came in that night, Dakota bounded down the steps to meet him. He could not see the decorations from here. "Jeff, the hunger is killing me. Wanna accompany me tonight?" Dakota asked with innocence in her eyes. "Yeah, why not," Jeff replied. Dakota had Edge’s black coat wrapped around her. "Let’s go," Dakota said. The two went out to go feed. Jeff let Dakota try to kill tonight. Dakota picked out a man that Jeff approved of. She got up and followed the man out. She slid up behind him and pulled him into a dark alley. She tried to tear his neck but couldn’t. Jeff did that. He drank first and let Dakota finish the man. Dakota dropped the man and Jeff congratulated her. He reached out for her and pulled her closer to him. "Very good angel. Now, if you could only do the neck thing on your own..." his words drifted off. Dakota looked him in the eyes. "Leave me alone, I tried. I just freaked out when it came to the neck part. It’s natural to freak out...I’m sure you weren’t hunting on you third night out," she whispered. "Maybe not, but my first kill was my own. I worked for it and did it myself," he breathed back. She played with his hair for a second. She ducked her head and looked up at him. She went to kiss him, but pulled away quickly. She smiled at him. "Oh Cody, that was mean. Why did you tease me like that? It’s my birthday today. Can’t you be nice to me?" "You think I’m bad now, just wait until later," she whispered. She turned and started running towards the bike. He ran after her and they headed home.

When they arrived, all the lights in the house were off. Dakota put a blindfold around Jeff’s eyes. She took his hand and tried to lead him, but he would not move. She stood in front of him and he pulled her close to him again. Dakota stood on her toes and put her nose right against his. She leaned forward and kissed him. He tried kissing back, put she pulled away to fast. "Would you stop teasing me like that Cody? It’s just not fair," Jeff whined. Dakota got up in his face again, "But I have fun with it." She took his hand again and led him into the house. She pulled off his blindfold and flipped on the lights. "Happy birthday Jeff!" everybody cried out. Dakota took off Edge’s jacket and hung it on the door. Jeff tried hard not to stare at her. When it finally came time to open presents, everybody was in his or her usual spots. Jeff was in his chair, Edge and his brother were on the floor, Matt was sitting on the couch, and Gangrel was leaning on the back of the chair. Dakota, as usual, was sitting in Jeff’s lap. "Do you know how comfortable you are?" Dakota asked him, a look of mischief in her eyes. Jeff smiled at her, letting his eyes do all the talking. He thanked everybody for the gifts. Matt had gotten him a Pearl Jam CD, Edge a pair of KikWear pants, Christian a Stabbing Westward CD, and Gangrel a pair of Raybandz sunglasses. He looked at Dakota. "What you see is what you get," she said. Matt and the boys started laughing. "You’re just teasing me again. Aren’t you?" Jeff asked her silently. She shook her head and produced a teddy bear from behind her back. She handed it to him along with a card. The card read: ‘To my Jeff. Happy Birthday teacher. Maybe one day, I’ll be teaching you. Love, your angel.’ The bear had wings. She snuggled closer to him and sat comfortably while Edge out the movie in. The movie was a comedy, because she had picked it out, not the boys. When the movie was over, everybody got up to go to bed.

When Dakota didn’t move, Jeff got worried. Everybody had left but her. He thought she was asleep. He went to wake her, but she lifted her head and smiled at him. "Goodnight Jeff. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite...or anyone else for that matter." She smiled and went to get up, but he held her where she was. He bent his head to kiss her when a light came on. Edge poked his head in. "Come on Dakota. Gangrel told me to come send you to bed." "Goodnight Jeffrey," Dakota whispered. She rose and walked up the stairs. Edge smiled at Jeff who smiled back. Everybody was in bed. Jeff was just starting to fall asleep when there came a soft knock at his door. It opened and in walked Dakota, dressed in her pajamas. "You were scared, I know. I saw your dream. Come over here." Dakota did as she was told and climbed into bed with Jeff. He pulled a blanket up around her as she snuggled close to him. "Did you mean that before?" he whispered to her. "That’s for me to know, and you to find out." She slept peacefully in his arms.

When Jeff awoke the next morning, Dakota was gone. He sensed her downstairs eating breakfast. Jeff went down to meet her. "Awake before me, now that’s a first. Usually you’re never up before noon," he informed her. "It was your birthday...and you had a busy night, so I decided I’d let you sleep," she retorted. She rose and walked into the study. "What time is it anyway?" he asked. "1:00." "Thank you love," Jeff said. Dakota rolled her eyes and retrieved her book from the shelf. Jeff walked over and took her hand. "if I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two brushing pilgrims, ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." To this, Dakota responded, "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much. Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch. And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss." "Have not saint lips, and holy palmers too?" "Ay pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do! They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake." "Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purged." With this, Jeff leaned over and kissed her. At some point or another during their acting, everybody in the house was standing in the door watching. Jeff and Dakota did not notice this. Dakota spoke after the kiss was broken. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took." Jeff replied, "Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again." He leaned over and kissed her again, this time >for a little longer. In the middle of their kiss, Jeff wrapped his hands around her waist. A round of applause was heard from the doorway as a red-faced Jeff and Dakota turned to face their audience. "That was divine my children," Gangrel told them. Dakota blushed and nodded her head. The remaining three boys smiled and laughed. Dakota and Jeff ignored this and skipped a few scenes in their mini-play. Jeff said, "Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow, that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops—" Dakota responded with the line, "O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circle orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable." When they began to speak, the group quieted down and listened. "What shall I swear by?" "Do not swear at all; or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I’ll believe thee." "If my heart’s dear love—" "Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine," Jeff whispered. "I gave thee mine before thou didst request it; and yet I would it were to give again," she whispered back. "Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?" "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love is as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite. Goodnight, goodnight! Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say good night till it be morrow." With those words spoken, Dakota whispered into Jeff’s ear, "I love you, and my love is as deep as the sea." Jeff stared into her eyes, the blueness of them enchanting him momentarily. The crowd cheered and Jeff kissed Dakota. This time, she didn’t fight it. "Romeo, Juliet, back to reality," called Edge, but Jeff and Dakota would not break the kiss. It was enchanting them. When they finally did break it, everybody applauded them. "You recite Shakespeare so accurately," Gangrel spoke to them. Dakota just sat down on the couch, followed by Jeff and Matt. She thanked her sire for the complement and looked outside the window. It was about 3:00 and she wanted to go for a walk. "Excuse me," Dakota said. She stood and opened the door. When she was outside, she ran for her swing.