~Fang's POV~

My eyes open when I hear the loud crash of a wave. Where am I? Looking around, I see that I lifted by head off of a sleeping Vincent's shoulder and that we're still on the beach. Geeze, what time is it? Vincent didn't stir as I slip out if his now loosened grip and stretch. Unsure of whether or not to wake Vince up, I decide I want to bug him. I crouch beside him, practically behind, and poke his cheek a dozen times before he stirs, blinking his eyes at ocean in confusion.

"Boo," I whisper in his ear, making hin jump and whip his head around to see me laughing at him. Rolling his eyes with a slight smile, he kisses my cheek and pushes me back onto the sand. Still laughing, I sit back up and brush the sand off of me. "So how're you feeling?"

"Like a teenage girl."

"... Okay, I meant the poison thing."

"I know," he gives me a sly smile before standing. "Shall we get back? I'm sure Alec is producing some very.. Interesting theories of what became of us." I blush and shove his shoulder playfully before grabbing his hand and swinging it to math his teenager mood. It feels so normal to be holding his hand again, my fingers intertwined with his.

"I told you!" Alex yells around a mouthful of toast. "Congrats on the wedding! When's the due date? Boy or girl?" Vincent rolls his eyes and I turn beet red. Idiot.

"Considering we were on a public beach, the events you assume took place most likely did not," Vincent raises an eyebrow. I give him a grateful look and kick Alec's shin.

"Ya nasty!"

"What? I honestly thought that's what happened," he shrugs. "Besides, you two were, like, practically an old married couple when Vincent first showed up in the first place. Little piece of advice, Vin: you get em pregnant before you propose, they're more than likely to say yes."

"... I'll keep that in mind," Vincent replies flatly. I blush again and hit Alec on the head.

"We ain't gettin married, we just fixed things, kinda. Not really, but you get my point."

"Aw, that's adorable," Frill teases. "Now eat. Your toast is already set out. Fang, you like the strawberry jam, right?" I nod and sit down, face heating at Vincent's strange look.

"What?! I like strawberries, got a problem with that?"

"I just did not expect you to be a fruit person," he shrugs.

"Well vegetables are gross," I crinkle my nose. "And ice cream is definitely the reason I'm so awesome. I also have to pee."

"TMI, Fang," Alec teases. "TMI."

"You're so annoying," I roll my eyes and take a bite.

"No, you know what's annoying? PDA." So many abbreviations today, Al.

"Bring it in Vince," I smirk leaning over to kiss his cheek. He chuckles and bumps his nose against mine, mumbling something under his breath. I giggle like a little school girl and hang my hands loosely around the back of his neck.

"Guuuuuuuys! You're making me gaaaaaaag," Alec whines. I laugh and release a very red Vampy. He's so happy today for some reason, I'm starting to think he's high or something. On me. Haha, very funny.

"Fang, is there a way you could get Ayana's jacket today? She forgot it at the doctor's yesterday."

"Sure," I shrug. I'm feeing a little better than yesterday, thank goodness. But this woman acts like she's disabled, and she's not.

"You know what, I'll come with you."

"Then do I have to go?" I perk up.

"Yes." My face falls and I poke at my breakfast again until Frill finally lets me go, pulling me from the table and out the door Vincent frowns at the wall where the blood once was a moment before following. Guess he doesn't want to be stuck with the annoying gut, the kid, and the girl that stares at him nonstop.

"Let me see, we were just down here on this road." I nod and follow her, trying to ignore the eyes burning an invisible brand into my back. When it gets unbearable and I turn around, I see that it's not Vincent. He's staring at the ground as he walks, watching his shoes with every step he takes. Who is it then? Not Frill, and I can't see any townsfolk looking at me... A load crack in the air is followed by a shocking, painful burn in my stomach that makes me gasp and place two hands over where I was shot. Another two ensue, but a tall shadow is already in front of me getting his teeth as the last two shots fire into him instead of me. Why do guys always end up being my little meat shields?

"Fang!" Frill crouches beside where I've fallen into a pained crouch. Vincent winds up on his hands and knees, hand clenching the cloth over his chest. Vince....

"I'm okay," I force out. She shakes her head.

"No you're not. We need to get you to Doc Turner." Ew, not him. He's seventy and I swear he has a crush on me.

"But Vincent..."

"I'm fine," Vincent grits through clenched teeth. Where the heck was he hit? "I just.... It was who I... Fang..." He collapses, the puddle of blood around him growing too quickly to be good.

"Get him," I command, forcing myself to my feet. "It's the second dang time in one week someone's taken a bullet for me."

"Someone's after you," Frill gives me a worried look before hauling Vincent after us as I light headedly stumble into the old office.

"Fang?! What happened to you?" I trip over my own foot in my slow loss of awareness and my ribs hit the front counter hard, making me yelp and stumble backwards. Doc Turner and his wife, Merida, help me to my feet and the doctor looks into my eyes worriedly.

"Merida, get her to room number three. Someone must've put something on that bullet."

"Vincent," is all I can mumble as Merida drags me away. When it appears that Turner didn't hear me, I yell louder. "Vincent! Help Frill! He was shot twice!" Then I pretty much go limp, having used the rest of my energy up trying to warn him.

"No no no, Fang, stay with me darling." Old women and their nicknames....

"I can't..."

~|~|~|~|~

My eyes shoot open and I instantly rise into a sitting position. It was only a dream, it was only a dream, it was only... Never mind. The steering pain that rips through my abdomen when I sit up brings me into reality harshly. Vincent.

"Whoa there, Missy," a hand pushes me back down. Merida's emerald eyes look down at me with a kind expression, her whitening red hair a nice contrast to the dark blue walls around me.

"Where's Vincent?" I demand. And if Turner's in his lab coat... Crap. "He's not awake yet, is he?"

"No, but..." And it doesn't help that the doctor also has pitch black hair. That's in a pony tail.

"I need to get in there," I slowly get to my feet.

"But Fang.."

"No, he has some weird phobia of long black hair and lab coats," I say quickly.

"How bad?" She frowns, following me out the door. "Take a right."

"He will kill bad," I reply without looking back at her. Yeah, let's just say Turner very freakishly looks like Hojo.

"Oh dear.''

"Yeah."

"Fang, you should be resting," Doc scolds when I push into the room. "What are you doing here?" I quickly explain the same thing I just explained to his wife moments ago. "The only thing you can do about that is just stay and here and make sure he doesn't attack me when he awakens."

"But..."

"You were only out for a few minutes, Fang. I only had time to wrap your wound up, so take it easy until then," Merida lays a hand on my shoulder.

I sigh and drag a chair over to Vincent's side as Turner hurries to remove the bullets.

"Oh my," he gasps. "Did he, by chance, crack his rib before this?"

"I don't know," I shake my head. "He wouldn't tell me if he did." Did I do that when I attacked a few days ago?

"Well on of the bullets hit it and the rib broke, and now it's piercing his lung."

"What?! Is that bad?!"

"Very," he nods, turning to fiddle around with things in his cabinet. "But then again, when is hole in your main breathing organ ever good? Surprisingly enough, his enhanced healing isn't working at all."

"Great," I grumble. "So you're saying he's going to die by a bullet that was meant for me?"

"Fang," he looks at me seriously past his round glasses. "I'm going to do everything I can. I've never lost a patient and I'm.not about to start." Full on business mode, eh doc?

Just then, Vincent stirs, his crimson eyes fluttering open to the sight of a man in a lab coat, long black hair, and round glasses. His eyes widen and he tries to sit up, reaching for his empty holster. I grab his arm, making him jump and stare at me with a wild look in his eyes.

"Vincent, this is Doctor Turner," I speak slowly. "He's got to help you, okay?"

"I'm fine," he says, sounding like someone's strangling him.

"No, you're not."

"Yes I..."

"Vincent, don't frikin lie to me. If you don't let him help, you're going to die. Now lay down," I raise my voice with a death glare that would make that Rufus guy proud. "I promise I'll be right here the whole time." And Vincent finally obeys. Doctor Turner gives him a smile and holds up a needle.

"It's just to knock you out," he explains, reaching for Vincent's arm. I grab Vincent's hand and give him a look of assurance before he finally lets the doctor stab him. And what's sad and funny is Vincent's hand squeezes mine so hard when that happens, you would think he was giving birth. He even hisses in pain for some odd reason. For an exTurk, he sure is scared of tiny metal things. I understand why though. Then he wearily turns his head to look at me.

"Are alright?"

"They only got me once," I nod. His face falls as his eyes flicker down to the table.

"Sorry."

"Hey, you took the last two that could've killed me," I lower my head to catch his eye, which already has a drowsy look in it. "Just don't give up on us, alright?" I completely that we're not alone for a moment and press my lips to his. But I guess by the way he accepts it, he forgets too. That or he doesn't care what Turner thinks. I only pull away once he goes limp.

"How touching," Doc says flatly. "Now help me get his cloak off."

I help him unclasp the buckles and pull the red covering off him. I'd nearly forgotten how good looking he was without all that material covering his face. And sleeping, he looks even better, peaceful without that ever present scowl. Then we struggle with his shirt, pulling the leather down to his waist where it's tucked into his pants, which we thankfully don't have to bother with. Blood still drips out of his wounds, puddles pooling around him where it flows over his side. It makes me want to gag and cry at the same time. How could he think he was fine?

"I have to get the bullets out before I can do anything," Turner looks at my slightly green face. "You can leave if you want to."

"I promised I'd stay," I shake my head and sit back down. The whole thing seems to last forever with the old man beside me swearing every time he sees something bad or finds a super strong part of my lover. Finally Turner announces that Vincent is fixed up and we'll just have to hope that he'll be perfectly fine when he's awoken.

I don't even realize I've fallen asleep snuggling Vincent's arm until he moves it to flop over his bare chest. My head bangs into the table, making me jolt awake and scaring Vincent into awareness as well. He's really jumpy.

"My apologies," he grumbles.

"Feeling like crap?" I guess, stretching.

"Yes. And I would also like some water," he gives me a pleading look that's so uncharacteristic of him that I roll my eyes and get him a glass. "Thank you."

"I hate you."

"Okay."

"You're supposed to be sad about that, not alright with it!" I laugh.

"I know it's not true," he gives me a small smile. "I'm sure everyone does by now."

"Good, then they know you're not available."

"So you made yourself my girlfriend without my permission?" He asks, a note of teasing in his deep voice.

"Yup," I smirk. "And you've got nice abs by the way."

"Thanks, I guess?" He furrows his eyebrows. I shake my head and sit beside him again.

"Fang?" Merida sticks her head in. "Come on, I've still got to treat you. Your bandages are drenched."

"You haven't.." Vincent starts.

"No," I cut him off, standing and finally noticing that my head was light from blood loss, not nausea from the blood everywhere. "Hurry up then."

"Yes ma'am."

I clench my jaw as she digs around in my wound, pulling the bullet out when I nearly end up crying out in pain.

"There you are. It should be healed in maybe a month or two. Try to be careful until then."

I nod and watch her wrap it. There is one thing for sure; whoever wants me dead will stop at nothing to kill me.