“Where did Jaebum hyung and Jinyoung hyung go?” Bambam asked glancing around the medical room. He could have sworn they were both in there when he left to go to the bathroom. Now they weren’t there. The surviving rogue-vampires-turned-back-vampires all laid in the beds recovering. Rosé sat next to the bed that Jennie laid in and Jackson next to the one containing Jungkook.

“They went to go get Jiwoo’s body,” Jackson replied quietly. It was obvious he was hurt that Jiwoo was gone. Bambam had never seen Jackson so quiet. He also had never felt such a depressed aura coming off of him either.

“So...she’s really dead?” Rosé asked.

“Yeah. She’s really dead. Her dying words were for me to save him.” Jackson looked up at Jungkook who was resting and sighed. “I wish I could have saved her too…I don’t even know how she knew he was back to normal...”

Rosé fell silent thinking back to when she and Mark were fighting with Jennie. She remembered Jennie had been stronger than ever and how scared she felt that she might actually die; that Mark might die. Then, right as Rosé had managed to drive one of her throwing knives into Jennie’s side, she had noticed the evil fading out of Jennie’s eyes before she collapsed to the ground. Was it the same for Jiwoo when she had stabbed Jungkook?

“Maybe it was only temporary?” Somi spoke out her thoughts as she wrapped the wound on Chungha’s arm. “Like a short burst of power…”

Youngjae shook his head. “They wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble if it would only be temporary… What happened anyway, Jackson hyung?”

Jackson stayed quiet considering what to say but shrugged. He wasn’t entirely sure himself. “I couldn’t tell you for sure. I don’t even know.” He leaned his head back against the back of the chair, letting out a long sigh. “All I know is that Jiwoo sacrificed herself in hopes of saving everyone. Even if she could have been wrong, she seemed confident she was going to save everyone regardless if she died.”

“That’s exactly how she’s always been,” Jungkook muttered as he sat up slowly, clutching his stomach where the wound was. He looked at the bandage on his stomach and grunted as he sat back against the bed. “Ow…”

“Are you really yourself now?” Yugyeom asked.

Jungkook nodded and rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes. He had a migraine but it was nothing compared to what he had just gone through. “Yeah...I’m myself…”

Yugyeom let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god…”

Jungkook scanned the room slowly looking at each motionless body on the beds. “Ah...So she didn’t make it…”

“She told me to save you.” Jackson folded his hands together and bowed his head. “She didn’t want me to save her.”

“Keeping her pride to the very end, I see…” Jungkook shook his head. “She was never one to ask for help when she really needed it.”

Rosé scooted her chair over by Jungkook’s bed and grasped his hand. “We want to know what happened. With Jiwoo… With you. How did this happen? How are all of you...well… you again?”

Jungkook shifted on the bed to get comfortable and spoke slowly for everyone to follow. “The vampire that attacked me...Before he died, he told me there was a way to reverse the rogue vampire transition. All he said after was to taint the human saved by vampire blood. I had no idea what that meant until I remembered what my dad did to save Jiwoo the day she was attacked. He used vampire blood to save her and yes, she was supposed to die, but she didn’t. That’s why she was essential to reversing the effects.

“I couldn’t tell you about it because the rogue vampire was starting to take over.” Jungkook glanced up at Jackson. “Plus, I wasn’t about to tell vampires to kill my sister. I hated the idea of Jiwoo dying and didn’t say anything.”

“What’s it like being a rogue vampire?” Mark asked.

“It’s like…” Jungkook paused as if thinking about his words. “It’s like someone else has control over your body. You try to command your body and brain to do and say certain things but it does the complete opposite. It having my consciousness when everything I was doing wasn’t want I would do. I tried to take control but my body didn’t listen. It amplified my thirst, my anger, and my strongest desires.” He looked down into his lap. “I killed my dad because he tried to kill my sister and hated her for no reason. I always wanted to take my dad’s place with Jiwoo as the heads of the vampire hunters. We were supposed to do it together.”

“That’s why you kept trying to get her to join you,” Jackson said.

Jungkook looked at the bandage on his wrist and ran his finger along where the cut was underneath it. “It wasn’t supposed to kill her...It was only supposed to force out the vampire blood from her system. It’s my fault she’s dead…”

Jackson cringed as the images of Jiwoo coughing up the black liquid and flinched remembering how pained she looked. He didn’t want to remember her that way. He wanted to remember her happy, smiling; remember her the night before that they spent together.

“It still doesn’t explain how you guys are all back to normal though,” Bambam said. “The ritual was complete and you all got stronger. How did you all end up back to normal if the ritual was complete?”

“It was the silver from our weapons,” Jiwoo’s voice sounded from the entrance to the room. “The silver burned out the tainted blood from their bodies.”

Rosé, with tears in her eyes, was the first to stand and run to hug Jiwoo. She hugged her tightly and cried into her partner’s shoulder.

“How?” Mark frowned, staring at Jiwoo who appeared to be alive and well.

“She was barely alive by the time we reached her,” Jinyoung explained.

“I saw her lifeline,” Jaebum added catching the attention of Bambam, Youngjae, and Jackson quickly. “It wasn’t her time to die. She still has a full life to live.”

“You turned her,” Chungha said.

“Thank you…” Somi said. “I don’t know what I would do without my mentor…”

Jaebum shrugged. “It’s kind of my job.”

Rosé broke the hold she had on Jiwoo and grinned happily. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Of course. I need to see the day you finally confess your feelings for a certain someone,” said Jiwoo, nudging Rosé’s side.

Rosé blushed. “Shhh.”

“For who?” Mark rose an eyebrow. “You like someone? Who is it? Whose do I have to kick to win you over?”

Jiwoo giggled as Rosé blushed a brighter pink.

“Dummy…” Rosé muttered.

Jiwoo moved over to Jungkook’s bedside and gently tapped his shoulder with her fist. “Still kicking?”

Jungkook laughed and tapped her shoulder back. “Still kicking. I’m glad you’re back.”

Jiwoo smiled. “I’m glad you’re back. I’ve missed you. This you, not maniacal, blood crazy, trying to kill me you.”

“Yeah, I’m glad this me is back too. There were so many things that version of me wanted to do. I’m relieved he didn’t.” Jungkook’s face wrinkled in disgust. “It would’ve been embarrassing and very awkward…”

“Tell me about it later. We have a lot to catch up on,” said Jiwoo as she squeezed Jungkook’s hand gently.

“We do… But first, let me confirm something.” He pointed at Jackson. “Is he your boyfriend? Did you two kiss? Did he drink from you?” Jungkook’s eyes widened. “Did you two have se—”

Jiwoo quickly covered Jungkook’s mouth with her hand. “Okay… that’s enough out of you...I’ll tell you later.” She looked over at Jackson and nodded her head to the door. “Let’s talk outside.”

Jackson followed Jiwoo out of the room and over to a quiet spot. He studied her for a moment and just as she was about to say something, he pulled her close and kissed her. At first, she was surprised but relaxed quickly and kissed back. Jiwoo wrapped her arms around his neck as Jackson’s arms s around her waist. They shared a long, heated and passionate kiss before both of them pulled back. Jackson touched their foreheads together and they stayed like that for a while.

“I love you,” Jackson whispered.

Jiwoo grinned wide and whispered back, “I love you too.”

“What are we going to do now?” Somi asked. “Headquarters is a mess. Literally, everyone is dead other than us and like maybe five or six others. Plus the other vampire’s that are still recovering who I doubt would be willing to join us.”

“Not to mention we don’t have a leader anymore,” Yugyeom added.

“What are you talking about? We have a leader,” said Jungkook. “Two, in fact.”

“That’s great, but we literally lost all of the vampire hunters and we’ve found out that not all vampires are bad,” Lisa said.

“There’s always going to be bad vampires,” Jiwoo replied.

“No one is going to take us seriously with two vampire leaders,” Yugyeom pointed out. “Especially if the team we’ll have has only six humans out of fourteen.”

“They’ll call us traitors…” Bambam shivered at the thought.

“Well… we’ll all be traitors together,” said Jackson as he glanced back at Jennie, Jaebum, Jinyoung, and Youngjae. “You down?” He looked over at Bambam and held out his hand for a high five.

Bambam shrugged and high fived him. “I’m down.”

“Great!” Jungkook grinned. “Now that that’s settled… Last one to the gate buys lunch for the humans!” He shouted and bolted off. The other vampires were quick to follow after him.

“This is so unfair,” Somi muttered before jogging off with Chungha.

Lisa sighed as she walked next to Yugyeom. “If we at least get there before the lovebirds back there, we won’t have to spend our money.”

Yugyeom peeked over his shoulder at Rosé and Mark and nodded. “Fair enough.”

“First!” Jiwoo shouted as she touched the gate.

Jungkook stopped next to her and huffed. “It’s unfair that you got the high-speed power. I remember I used to beat you at races.”

Jiwoo grinned innocently. “Sometimes it’s great to lose, Kookie~ It’s unfair when you win all the time.”

Jackson ran up third and leaned against Jiwoo, holding his side. “I’m out of shape...damn…” He panted, leaning his chin against Jiwoo’s shoulder. “I think I’m going to need mouth to mouth.”

Jungkook snorted. “Gross. And get off my sister.”

Jackson smirked and wrapped his arms around Jiwoo’s waist. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“Yah, do you want to lose those arms? Let her go.”

Jackson tightened his arms around her and stuck out his tongue at Jungkook. Jiwoo giggled softly.

“You two are so silly. Stop fighting.”

“Not until he lets you go,” Jungkook said.

Jiwoo sighed and slid Jackson’s arms off of her. “Happy?”

Jungkook nodded. “Much better.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to be doing more than just wrapping my arms around her later anyway,” he mumbled to himself.

“What was that?!” Jungkook shouted, ready to throw a punch at Jackson.

Youngjae laughed. “Aigoo...Jiwoo’s sure got a lot to deal with.”

“I hope I don’t get like that when I have a girlfriend,” said Bambam.

Jennie’s eyes widened. “You’re straight?”

“Yeah.” Bambam stared at her. “What did you think I was?”

“I thought you were with that Yugyeom kid.”

“What? Ew. No. We’re just friends.”

“Friends with benefits?”

Yugyeom snorted as he and Lisa walked up with Somi and Chungha. “He wishes we were friends with benefits.”

Bambam rolled his eyes. “You are all so disgusting. We are not like that. He is not. I don’t wish that. That’s gross.”

Jaebum leaned over, nudging Jinyoung gently for his attention. “Is it too late to move far away from here?”

Jinyoung chuckled. “Are you taking me with you this time? I don’t know if I can deal with this any longer.”

“Where do you want to go? Let’s leave while we still can—”

Mark walked up behind the two and put his arms around their shoulders. “What are you two whispering about over here?”

“Nothing of your concern,” Jaebum said.

“Good! So you don’t mind me changing the subject then.”

Jaebum and Jinyoung both rolled their eyes knowing he was about to talk about Rosé. This boy was whipped.

Jiwoo looked back at everyone and smiled fondly. ‘We’re such a weird family… Then again, all the best ones are,’ she thought as she linked her arms with both Jungkook and Jackson. “Come on, guys. We’ve all got a new adventure to go on together.”

-end-