Edge looked at him and screamed in rage. "That girl has had everything taken away from her. She is a fledgling no more than you and your brother. Do you remember what it was like when you were of her "age"? How dare you." Edge glared at him with look of terror. "I said I’m sorry. Look, tomorrow I’ll take her on a walk and talk to her." "You better, or you’ll face me." With that, Edge left. Matt sat on his bed and thought about what he had done. Edge headed back to Dakota’s room. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "You came back," she whispered. "I always keep my promises," Edge whispered back.

With that, Dakota fell asleep and Edge watched her until she woke up. When she awoke, the sun was rising over their home in the middle of the forests of Canada. Dakota rose and walked to her window. Edge followed her. Jeff poked his head in the door. "I see you guys are awake," he said. They nodded and Edge left, leaving Jeff and Dakota alone. Jeff sat down on her bed

and looked out the window. Dakota noticed his troubled look and confronted him about it. "What’s wrong Jeff?" she asked. "Do you love me?" he asked her. "Of course I do, what would make you think that I didn’t?" "I don’t know. You just seemed so upset last night. You were not enjoying yourself at the party. You went off with Edge that night and not me," he confided in her. "Are you jealous? Is that your problem?" "Me? Jealous? Maybe just a little," he said, a smile creeping across his face. "Yes, you," Dakota said slipping into his lap. She looked up to him. "I only went with Edge because I figured you didn’t want me tagging along anymore. I didn’t enjoy myself at the party because I was afraid of the hunters everywhere. I saw you checking out my friend. I was jealous that you weren’t paying as much attention to me as you were to her." Jeff put his forehead against hers. She blew her hair out of her eyes. "You were jealous of your friend? I think that’s the first time you’ve ever been jealous of something I did. Usually I’m the one who’s jealous of you. I guess there’s a first for everything," he said moving his hair out of his eyes as well. Dakota pushed him back onto her bed and went to stand up. Jeff grabbed her arm and pulled her on top of him. She smiled and looked into his eyes. "Do you have to be so up front about your feelings Jeff? Can’t you give me time to

wake up before you abduct me?" she whispered to him. He held her close to him so she could not move. "Now it’s my turn to torture you," Jeff whispered before pulling her into a deep kiss. His tongue explored every crevice of her mouth and her his. He nibbled on her lip and she moaned. He flipped her over. She giggled. He pulled his head back. "Having fun yet?" he asked her breathlessly. "No," she replied, equally breathless. He kissed her again. She pulled back. "Let me get out of my pajamas now please?" "Can I help?" Jeff asked her. "Maybe," she returned. He smiled and she smiled back. "But only if you’re a good boy and give me a minute." Jeff smiled getting off her. "Your wish is my command Princess." She got a drink of water and flipped him around so that she was in control. "My turn for torture." He groaned as she took her turn kissing him. DAKOTA, ARE YOU BUSY? It was Edge contacting her through mind-link. JUST A LITTLE, WHY? BECAUSE I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU, THAT’S ALL. LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU CAN TALK, OKAY? OKAY. ENJOY YOURSELF AND UNTIL THEN...BE GOOD. That was Edge for you. She regained her concentration and rolled off of Jeff just in time for her to stand and Jeff to sit up when Gangrel and Christian walked in. Dakota smiled at them and turned to walk out to go downstairs to see Edge. Christian grabbed her arm with a grip that Dakota had never felt before. She helped and Jeff stood to free her. Gangrel shot Christian a look and let her go. I’LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER he told her. Gangrel called out, "You will not." Christian shrugged and walked out the door and outside to the garage. He got on his bike and headed out into the forest pissed off. "Jeff, could you leave me

and my childe alone?" Jeff nodded and walked outside. He gave Dakota a look that said ‘we’ll finish this later’. She nodded her head and sat to listen to her sire. "What did I ever do to him?" Dakota asked after Gangrel explained to her about Christian. "He thinks that you’re taking his brother and father away from him. He used to be the baby of the family and then you came along. He’s not to happy about how much attention you’ve been receiving. He’s just a little jealous." "What do I do about it Sire? I do not know what to do." "Just avoid him and give him time to calm down and cool off." Dakota nodded and Gangrel left her room to go and talk to Christian. Dakota lay down on her bed and turned on her CD player. She started crying to herself. Jeff looked up from his book and in the direction of Dakota’s room. He heard the song and was puzzled. He got up from the chair in the living room and walked up to her room. He knocked on the door. "Dakota? Can I come in?" he asked. "Go away. I want to be alone. Please, just go away." Jeff opened the door anyway. "I thought I told you to go away," came the muffled voice from the bed. She was curled up on her bed. "He’s everything you want; He’s everything you need; He’s everything inside of you that you wish you could be; He says all the right things; At exactly the right time; But he means nothing to you and you don’t know why." Jeff looked down at Dakota. "What’s wrong?" he asked her. She rose and walked out onto her balcony. He looked at her as she climbed to stand on the railing. She closed her eyes and held her arms out. Jeff realized that she planed to throw herself from her balcony window. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would damage her. He stood and walked over to her. "Don’t take a step closer or I will throw myself from here." Jeff stopped moving. "Cody, get down from there please." She shook her head. "Please Cody, please." She shook her head again. Edge knocked on the door and saw them standing there. Edge walked close to where Jeff was standing. "Nobody move or I will fall back." Edge fell dead in his tracks. "Dakota, what are you doing? Get down from there. Please come down and we can talk about this." She shook her head. "Please tell me what’s

wrong," Edge pleaded. She opened her eyes and looked at Jeff, then Edge. "Come down and talk to us, we’re here for you," they said. Their eyes were pleading with her but she closed her eyes again. Christian had heard the racket and decided to check it out. When he walked in the door, Dakota took a small step back. Every step he took foreword, she took back. Jeff whirled and stared at him. "Take one more step and she dies." Edge kept his eyes on Dakota, watching her and making sure she didn’t fall. She wouldn’t jump while they were watching. Christian smiled and took another step forward. Jeff’s teeth came

out of hiding. "Stop moving," he hissed. Christian stopped and looked at Dakota. He looked to Jeff and finally to his brother. He took another step forward. Jeff leaped at him, tackling him to the floor. Christian squirmed underneath him but Jeff held him down to the ground. "It’s amazing what powers love can give," Christian laughed out. Jeff punched Christian in the face. Matt heard Christian laughing so he came out of his room and headed down the hall. He poked his head in Dakota’s room. Edge heard him over all the noise that Christian and Jeff were making. "Go away," Edge screamed. Matt looked at Dakota and walked towards Edge. With every step he took forward, Dakota matched it with a tiny step back. Edge hissed again, "Stop moving. You’re killing her." Matt stopped in his tracks and watched Edge and Dakota. Jeff slammed Christian’s head against the floor. "Dakota, Dakota, Dakota," Christian chanted. With every chant of her name Dakota cringed and rocked. Jeff punched

Christian in the face again. Christian kicked Jeff in the groin and Jeff momentarily lost his grip. This was time enough for Christian. He flipped to his feet and stalked closer to Dakota. Matt turned and glared at him, but Christian advanced anyway. Edge called to his brother, "Stop or I’ll kill you myself." Christian smiled. "I dare you." Christian took one more step and Dakota lost her balance. She slipped and cried out, grabbing onto the banister. "Help me," she screamed. Edge and Matt went to grab her, but Christian tripped them. He walked over to Dakota. He sat on the balcony edge and stabbed at her fingers with a small knife. Her fingers slipped off one by one. Gangrel heard Dakota’s screams, but he was in town and could not do anything to save her. He was on his way back, but could not get there fast enough. Dakota reached up with her bleeding hand and held onto the railing. Jeff had just stood up. He ran at Christian, catching him off-guard and knocking him over the railing. Jeff had hit him with enough velocity to knock himself over the railing, but he grabbed it as he went over. Christian hit the ground with a thud. He grabbed his ribcage and moaned, but within three minutes he was on his bike and heading out to the forest to think about what he had done and what had possessed him to do such a thing to his baby sister. Edge climbed to his feet moments before Matt and bolted over to the ledge. Dakota was hanging on as was Jeff. Matt ran over to the balcony and helped his brother over while Edge helped Dakota. As soon as he had pulled her over, she leached to him, wrapping her arms around his

neck and crying. He held her close and rocked her while Jeff checked her for any other injuries. He brushed off his hands and sat next to Edge, watching Dakota in his arms. Matt wanted to stay with them but Edge gave him a look that said later. When Gangrel walked in, Matt and Jeff informed him of what had happened.

When Dakota had stopped shaking and crying, she realized that she was in Edge’s arms and that it was about 2:00 in the afternoon. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. She smiled back. They started talking about what had happened and why she had felt so hopeless that she wanted to throw herself from her balcony. She told him of what Gangrel had told her and once again about her problem with Matt. She also told him about her conversation with Jeff earlier that day. Jeff came in the middle of their conversation and talked some more. They spent the early part of the day talking. Soon Edge went to go brood over what had happened and Jeff was going out to work on Matt’s bike. Dakota was alone.