~

It was about three quarters of an hour after John had gone out for his walk that Michael began to feel worried. He had no reason to, but the book he was reading could no longer hold his attention and he kept looking out the window to see if John was coming back. About another hour after that he was pacing the living room and he stalked to the front window, grabbing the nets and moving them to look out. The damn sun was high in the sky with not a cloud in sight, but he had no choice.

"Do you have a hooded jacket I can borrow?" he asked, walking into the kitchen where Ivy was making lunch.

"You're not thinking of going out there are you, Love?" Ivy asked, looking out the window. "That sun is strong today even though it's still a little chilly out."

"John isn't back," he said, since that was his only reasoning. "He promised he wouldn't be long."

"Oh, I'm sure he just became distracted," Ivy said with a small smile; "that boy could lose himself for hours just staring at leaves on the tree when he was small."

Michael didn't really want to frighten John's family, but there was a lot they had not explained about John's situation.

"The people who took him," he said, trying to choose his words carefully; "they weren't pleased to lose him and if the vampire community up here realised what he is ..."

"You mean ..?"

"I could be overreacting," he added hastily, although his instincts were whispering completely the contrary, "but I need to go and find him."

Ivy wiped her hands on a tea towel and then took his hand, leading him to the hall cupboard. Without a word she pulled out a hoodie from its depths and handed it to him.

"Bring him home safe," was all Ivy said as he pulled it on and he nodded. ...