Eternal Thirst

Emma and Michael made their way through the thick underbrush, pausing every moment they heard a twig snap. Michael kept sending Emma sideways glances, shaking his head and moving forward again. After about five minutes of this, Emma finally stopped, grabbing Michael's arm and tugging him to a stop. "What's wrong?"

Michael huffed loudly, "You shouldn't be out here."

Emma raised an eyebrow at him, "Excuse me?"

Michael ran a hand down his face, "It's too dangerous, Emma."

"What? How?"

"Don't act like you don't know." He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

Emma opened and closed her mouth slowly, licking her lips before answering. "I wanted to help Michael-"

"How can you help?" He snapped, his eyes flashing. "All you're going to do is get yourself killed."

Emma's eyes widened, "I'm a vampire! I can track and hear much better than any of you guys and you know that."

Michael rolled his eyes, "You don't have to show off in a situation like this, Emma. Lyra's doing a tracking spell. We don't need you."

"They're my friends too-"

"You don't love them like I do."

Emma's mouth fell open at his words, tears stinging her eyes. She'd never been one to argue with someone, especially Michael. The two of them stood glaring at each other until they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Michael spun around, taking a defensive step in front of Emma as he did so, pulling a large knife out of his jacket. "Who's there?"

He heard a snort of laughter and he recognized it instantly, dropping his knife and rolling his eyes. "Seriously, Skylinn?"

Skylinn appeared between a few trees, a smirk on her face. "Really, Michael? A knife?" She laughed again, taking a few steps closer to them. "How the hell is that going to help you? We heal too quickly." To prove her point, she snatched the knife from his hands, dragging the blade across her palm, blood trickling down the silver steel.

"Skylinn!" Michael snatched the blade away from her quickly, grabbing her hand to examine it. When he opened her palm there was no sign of a cut anywhere, she had healed. Exactly like she had said.

Skylinn grinned up at him, "Cool right?"

Michael wiped the blade on his sleeve, "Not cool. There could be a Lycan out here, Skylinn, and they smell blood just as good as vampires do."

Skylinn arched an eyebrow, "Really? That's not what I was told."

"Well, they can on a full moon." Michael slipped the knife back into his jacket. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Zach called me." Skylinn glanced around at the trees, "You guys are looking for Sam. I came to help."

"You need to go home, Skylinn. It's not safe."

Skylinn licked her lips, placing a hand on her hips, nodding her head slowly. "You know, that sounds great. But, I'd rather not." She let her hands drop, narrowing her eyes at Michael. "I know Sam has been ignoring me but I don't care. I'm going to help him whether he wants me to or not."

Michael sighed, "That's not what I meant, Sky. What I meant was it's too dangerous for you to be out here."

Skylinn crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm a vampire. I can't be harmed so if anything you shouldn't be the one out here."

Michael raised an eyebrow, understanding suddenly washing over his face. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what Michael?"

Michael glanced over at Emma, giving her a small nod. Emma stepped forward, wringing her hands nervously. "Skylinn, we need to leave."

Skylinn rolled her eyes at Emma, "I'm not leaving. Someone better tell me what's going on right now or so help me God I’ll break someones neck."

Michael rolled his eyes at her comment but Emma's widened, like she was actually fearful Skylinn would really do it. Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair as she took another step towards Skylinn. "Look, Skylinn, it's not safe for vampires out here." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Obviously Zach and Lyra didn't tell you but...one bite from a Lycan can kill a vampire."

Skylinn was silent for a moment, her eyes slightly wide. "What? How is that even possible?"

Emma shrugged, "We don't know. And it may not be true we don't know that either. But one thing’s for sure is that it's not safe for us out here."

Skylinn rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, "So what you're telling me is that my best friend is out here dying in pain, on his own, and you guys won’t let me help him because if he bit me I'd die."

Emma nodded, causing Skylinn to throw her hands up into the air. "Then how are we supposed to help him! You guys can't find him, you don't know him like I do." Skylinn glared at them, her frustration becoming more and more visible by the second. "Oh no, what do I do?! I don't have my instructions from the ‘How to be a Vampire’ handbook!"

Michael chuckled, taking a step forward. "Look, Sky, I know you want to help Sam. But right now you'll do more help to us by staying at home. So why don't you and Emma-"

"No," Skylinn cut him off, clenching her fists as she spoke. "I'm not going anywhere. And you can't stop me." Before Michael could say anything Skylinn took off, disappearing into the trees.

Michael shouted, spinning around to try and find her but it was too late. He cursed loudly, kicking at the ground. "Dammit, Skylinn!"

Emma watched as Michael kicked again at the ground in frustration, turning and glaring at her. "C'mon, we're getting you out of here."

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Sam stumbled through the dark forest, letting out a pained cry every few minutes as his bones broke and reformed over and over again. The cool air felt nice against his burning skin and he took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air.

Sweat dripped down from his forehead and down his bare chest, leaving his skin shining in the pale moonlight. He stumbled again, falling forward to his knees and he felt the hair on his arms extend and retract again. His head throbbed as he tried to push himself to his feet again but he didn't have the strength so he sat there, in the cool dirt, trying to regain his breath.

"Sam?"

His head shot up at the sound of his name, spotting Skylinn not fifteen feet away from him. Her shoulder length curly blonde hair framing her face, her eyes the color of the deep blue sea. His shaking jerked to a stop; heat flooded through him, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat--not a burning. It was like a glowing.

Everything that made him who he was--his loyalty to his friends, the love he had had for his brother, the humor and recklessness, the hatred for what Skylinn was, his home, his name, himself-- disconnected from him in that second-- snip, snip, snip-- and floated up into space. He was not left drifting. A new string held him where he was. Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying him to the one thing--to the his center of the universe. He could see that now--how the universe swirled around this one point. He'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain. The gravity of the earth no longer tied him to the place where he stood. It was the blonde haired, blue eyed vampire not fifteen feet away from him. His best-friend, the girl that kept him up at night.

Skylinn.

"Sam, oh my God." Skylinn took a few steps forward, her feet crunching against the forest floor as she made her way towards him and it snapped Sam out of his trance, the pain overtaking his body once more.

"Stay away from me." Sam growled, causing Skylinn to freeze momentarily before moving forward again. She knelt down in front of him, taking his face in her hands. Sam forced himself to look up into her face, her deep blue eyes filled with worry as they scanned over his face. "C'mon we have to get you out of here."

She linked her arm through his, lifting him up to his feet with surprising strength. "I said, leave!" Sam hissed, shoving Skylinn away from him, only to have himself buckle under his own weight and stumble forward into her.

"No, Sam." She pushed him back onto his feet, holding him at arm's length. "I don't care if you're mad at me, I'm not leaving."

Sam didn't answer as he let out another cry of pain, his arm bending at an unnatural angle. Skylinn took a step forward, placing a hand on the side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Hey, hey it's okay." His light brown eyes locked onto her and Sam felt himself relax just at the simple sight of her, her warm breath fanning across his face seemed to sooth him as he felt his body start to relax.

Her cool hand pressed softly against his cheek distracted him from the pain momentarily as he closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths. But the moment was short lived before another wave of pain washed over him and his eyes shot open, screaming as he felt his legs break from beneath him.

Skylinn tried to catch him but his sudden weight took her by surprise and he landed in a heap on the floor, his legs bending at unnatural angles, his skin tone changing to a deep brown coloring. Skylinn was momentarily frozen at the sight, but she shook her head quickly, kneeling down beside Sam. She rested his head on her knee, wrapping an arm around his chest. "It's okay, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."

As much as Sam wanted to argue with her he couldn't, so he allowed her to stay beside him as he felt his arms starting to break again. Skylinn ran a hand through his hair, whispering comforting words to him as he whimpered beneath her, his body trembling violently. He hated that she was here with him, after he'd tried to avoid her at all costs here she was, on the forest floor helping him through his first change. Her fingers ran down his arms and he felt himself shiver with longing at her touch.

Suddenly Sam's back arched high into the air, a loud snapping noise echoing throughout the trees as he screamed again. Skylinn moved forward to help him again, but he swung his head to face her and she scrambled backwards at the sight. The entire front of his face had extended forward, his once warm and comforting brown eyes a bright gold. And the old Sam seemed to be fading out of his eyes at every passing second. He growled at her, "Get out of here."

"Sam-"

He growled at her again, this time the sound was so inhuman it sent a chill down Skylinn's spine and Emma's words ran through her head.

"One bite from a Lycan can kill a vampire.."

Sam rolled his head, his body trembling as the hair on his arms and legs began to grow. He turned to Skylinn, fear in his eyes as he let out a choked, "Go, Skylinn...please.."

Skylinn scrambled to her feet, taking one last look at Sam before turning and sprinting off the other way, her heart dropping into her stomach when she heard a deep howl from behind her.

She hadn’t run far before she stopped in an empty grove, placing her hands on her knees as her chest ached for breath. A twig snapped behind her and she spun around just as Dean came stomping down the slanted forest floor. He spotted her and picked up the pace, making it to her in just a few seconds. “Skylinn! What are you doing here? It’s not safe-“

“Dean, we have to go.” Skylinn cut him off, “We have to get out of here. Sam’s fully changed and-“

“You found Sam?” His green eyes locked with her blue ones. “Where is he?”

“Dean-“

Dean marched past her, bumping her shoulder as he passed. “I’ll find him myself.”

Skylinn grabbed his arm quickly, “Dean, it’s too dangerous. We have to-“

He jerked his arm away from her grip, yelling loudly; “I’m not leaving him out here!”

He made to stomp off again, but Skylinn ran forward, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him into a tree on the opposite side of the grove, keeping him pinned there. He struggled against her unnatural strength. “Get off me!”

“No!” Skylinn held him there, her voice rising. “I told you it’s not safe!”

“He’s my brother!”

“He’s not your brother anymore!” Skylinn yelled back, slamming her hands against his hard chest with surprising force. Dean fell silent, glaring hard at the ground as she continued. “I saw him, Dean. He could hardly recognize me. He’s not Sam right now, he’s something else.”

A low growl echoed from behind them and Skylinn turned quickly, her eyes going wide. A large wolf stood at the edge of the grove, stepping slowly into a patch of moonlight. Its coat matched the color of Sam’s hair, but the eyes told a different story, glinting a bright gold. The wolf pulled back his lip, snarling, revealing sharp fangs.

Skylinn felt her body fill with fear, “Dean…we need to go.”

Dean pushed past her, and she was too frozen in shock to stop him as he slowly advanced forward. “Sammy?”

For a moment, Dean swore something in the creatures eye’s stirred. But if there was something, it was gone a moment later and the animal growled, snapping it’s jaws.

Without a second thought, Skylinn raced forward, grabbed the back of Dean’s shirt, and took off. A blur of blonde as she ran, the howling from behind her echoing in her ears.

*-*-*-*-*-*-

Sam set the cream colored envelope on Skylinn's nightstand, staring down at it for a moment before he turned, walking out of her room and down the stairs. He felt himself bump into someone and he glanced up, finding himself face to face with Skylinn. She smiled up at him, "Hey, how're you doing?"

"I'm fine." Sam shouldered his bag, moving to walk around her but Skylinn side stepped, blocking his way.

She fixed him with a curious look, glancing at the duffle bag around his shoulder. "Going somewhere?"

Sam looked up at her, biting his bottom lip before he spoke. "I'm leaving, Skylinn."

She raised an eyebrow, her lip twisting up into a half smile. "Uh huh, sure. Seriously what're you doing, Sam?"

He fixed her with a look, watching as the realization grew in her eyes. "W-What? What do you mean you're leaving?"

Sam sighed, "I'm leaving Virgin Grove. I'm gonna go with Dean and work some cases with him. Try to find out what I am. I can't live here anymore."

Skylinn stared at him blankly, "What do you mean you can't live here anymore?"

"I just can't" He shouldered past her, walking towards the door. Skylinn spun around, her voice laced with anger as she spoke; "It's because of me isn't it."

Sam froze, his hand on the door handle. He sighed, turned around to face her, "I'm sorry, Sky."

"Don't call me that." She snapped running a hand through her hair, "Tell me what I can do. Tell me what I can do-"

"It's not something that you're doing, it's what you are." Sam spat, his voice turning harsh. "Y-You're a vampire...and I just can't deal with that."

Skylinn pressed her palms to her forehead, "And you think I can?! News flash, I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to die and come back as this..this thing! But I did and now I'm learning..to deal with it. And everyone else is helping me and is there for me. Why can't you be?"

She stepped forward, taking his face in her hands again. An simple action that surprised him and herself. It was different when she had done it the night before, he had been in pain then and he had needed her. But here, now, it was different.

She forced him to look at her, her eyes pleading with his. "What can I do..? Please, Sam, I need you. You're my best friend...I can't do this without you."

Sam reached up and took her hands away from his face, taking a step away from her. "My father was killed by monsters like you. My mom too. Dean hunts things like you. Monsters. Murderers." He stared at her for a long moment, “Being around Emma has made me see a different side of vampires. I know they’re not all bad. But that doesn’t stop them from having to murder people to feed. And that doesn’t make you any less guilty in my book. Because my family has been hunting things like you for years, it's all I know. And all I can think about since I found out what you are is driving a stake through your heart. And I know if I did that I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. So I have to go, nothing you say can stop me, Sky. I'm sorry."

Skylinn stared at him, her mouth opened as if to speak but no words came out. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she rubbed her nose, dropping her hand to her side with a smirk. "So that's just it then, huh? No...no don't you dare walk away from me. Don't you dare do this, Sam. Don't do this to me, to our friendship. Don't...please."

Sam sighed deeply, taking a step towards her. He placed two hands on either side of her face, leaning her head down and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye, Skylinn."

He turned away from her, every muscle in his body screaming for him to turn around but he didn't. His heart broke as he heard her start to cry but he forced himself to open the front door and walk towards his car, not glancing back.

Skylinn felt tears starting to fall down the side of her face and she turned, running up the stairs and into her bedroom. She jumped onto her bed, crying into the crook of her arm. After a while she lifted her head up, spotting the letter propped up against her lamp on her nightstand, her name written across it in cursive. She reached over, sniffed as she picked it up. She traced her name over it with a finger before turning it over and opening it, reading slowly.

Skylinn,

I know that you're reading this after I have left, and I'm sorry. But you have to understand where I am coming from. I'm a Lycan now, and you're a Vampire. Pretty F*cked up world we live in, right?

Anyways, I wanted to thank you. For being with me last night, for not leaving me even after I had pushed you away. For protecting Dean when I couldn’t. He told me that you knew one bite from me and you would be dead. And even knowing that, you stayed. So thank you, for being there for me, through everything.

But I have to go. It's different now...I have to find myself. Dean’s going to help me. He knows of a couple werewolf packs that are social enough to help me. And it's hard for me to be around you right now, I just have a bad history with vampires. And I know that as long as my mind is thinking like this I can't come home. I'm too scared that I’ll hurt you. That I'll kill you. So that's why I'm leaving. Me being gone will protect you in ways I just can't do anymore.

But I want you to know, that ever since I first saw you, you’ve made my heart race. You’ve made me a happier person. You’ve been there for me when other people haven’t. And it's because of who you are, that made me fall in love with you. I should have admitted it to you before, but I was too scared that it would ruin our friendship. Well, that’s pretty much gone now. So I have nothing to lose anymore.

I love you, Skylinn, and you probably won’t ever understand why. But maybe I’ll be able to make you understand one day.

Sam