I expected to find him here alone, skulking in the shadows. I did not expect to see Bree in his embrace.

“Bree? What are you doing here? I thought... I... He’s a VAMPIRE, Bree! He’s just been waiting to kill you all this time. He doesn’t love you like I do, Bree... He just doesn’t!” I raise the wooden stake that I spent the last week carving and honing to a spiky, piercing point.

Bree cries out, “Woodward, No! Don’t be irrational, my dearest friend. Please, put it down.” She strides over to me and places her hand on my arm. “Please Woodward, this is not necessary. I beg of you to put the stake down.”

“Yes, Woodward, you would be wise to listen to Bree,” Colin says, his tone low and deceptively smooth.

I raise the stake again, my voice rising with the pent up frustration and hate for this creature. “You are filthy. You’re DEAD, for the love of everything Holy! And you’ll take her with you -- and she is light and purity and everything good. You don’t deserve her.” As I take a step towards Colin, he moves, unnaturally fast. He tries to get my stake from me but I cannot let him win. For Bree’s sake, I must kill him – and kill him good!

I kick out and make contact with Colin’s knee -- hard. He crumples down, momentarily shaken. I place my foot on his chest and shove with all of my might. He falls back and I see that the time is now! His heart is there for the staking. With a primal scream, I rear back and plunge for all I’m worth. But, as if in a nightmare – in slow motion – I see Bree move from beside me. What is she doing? Oh, dear Lord, NO! My momentum is too strong I cannot stop it. Bree throws herself on top of Colin and with all my might I drive my stake through the back and through the heart of the woman I love.

Colin says something to her – smoothes her hair. I am in shock I cannot move. “Is she...? Did I...?”

Colin kisses her hard on the mouth, there are tears in his eyes and as they turn to me, they are filled with such a burning hatred.

“Not only did you kill the woman you love, Woody, “ He says slowly and deliberately, “but you killed the woman I love. And for that, you will surely die.”