Losing Game - A My babysitter's a Vampire One shot

Small town boy in a big arcade, I got addicted to a losing game...

He supposed it all started with Sarah. His first vision, his first encounter with the supernatural, how he got involved with Jesse...

But it didn't end there.

He and his friends became addicted to that heroic feeling that came with saving the day. At first they were just small escapades they left mildly scathed, (save for the first Jesse fiasco, that was actually scary), but with each time things grew more serious. The threats held more weight, the villains they faced more powerful.

They never put much thought to the idea that one day they would be losing.

The situation with the lucifractor was the real wake up call to that notion, but they still somehow managed to overcome it- with the help of some less than friendly allies.

They never questioned Jesse being let back into town, his banishment being lifted.

They never questioned the council involving them in more of their affairs.

They never questioned the increase in hunter on vampire, vampire on hunter attacks within not only Whitechapel, but the nearby towns as-well.

They'd grown so numb to the unnatural occurrences, let their guards down too much, naively assumed the best of people, that they never saw it coming.

Now here they were, in the midst of a full on humans Vs. Vampire war, battle lines being drawn, and Ethan never though he'd see the day come where he was actually at a loss to what side he was on.

He never thought he'd see the day where Vampires would win, and where he would think it was well deserved.

Yet there he was, Jesse Black in front of him offering him his hand- a deal.

He wanted to make a deal.

"I've already resurrected over one hundred and fifty of them, it's only a matter of time. There's nothing you or any of your little friends can do to stop it. This is war, and I'm giving you a chance to be on the winning side. Come work for me as a seer, exclusively in my ranks, and no one you love gets hurt. They'll be an exception, as the town is remade in my name. Decide not to, and all bets are off. So, what do you say old friend?" He said, a cocky smirk displayed on his face, the pale moonlight being the only source allowing for Ethan to see him somewhat clearly.

"W-What about my friends?" Ethan asked, in search of any possible caveats that could be escaping his detection. Leave it to Jesse to be sneaky like that.

"I trust they'll follow in your wake, you are the brains of the operation after all."

"Sarah?" He asked, needing some type of comfort. Someone to tell him that she'd forgive him eventually, even if it was a lie.

"She'll come around eventually. She needs to be with her own kind, and I'll ensure that that happens with or without your help. But she has a soft spot for you, seer, I wouldn't worry about it too much. She'll forgive you."

Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes in disbelief as to what he was about to do, he met Jesse the rest of the way and slapped his hand into the cold awaiting one.

Lightning struck, as if the town itself had just felt the energy shift (he wouldn't be surprised, the town was supernatural down to its very roots), and Jesse chuckled darkly in response.

It almost made Ethan want to back out. Almost. But it was done, he'd made his decision. There was no going back now.

"I'll make the transition as swift as possible, you have my word. Trust me seer, in my hands, you'll be the most powerful thing this town has ever seen. We'll be unstoppable." Jesse said, his fangs glistening, now ever so apparent to Ethan's wide eyes.

He just wished he could go back in time to tell himself what he was up against. That he was crazy for ever believing that he and his friends could win against such primitive, powerful beings.

Truth be told, they'd gotten lucky all those times before. But now he wasn't playing by luck.

He was playing by strategy.

The arcade was much bigger than he'd thought, and he'd gotten addicted to a game he was bound to lose. He was just a teenage boy from a small town, a normal kid with a normal life who fell in love with a girl that brought on more than he gambled for.

He was a small town boy in a big arcade, and he got addicted to a losing game. Loving Sarah was a losing game...

"I never thought I'd ever lose." He admitted honestly to Jesse, his heart pounding as he drew closer.

"Ah, but we're both winners tonight, Ethan. Don't you see?" He asked, stroking Ethans face in a way that made him shiver.

It wasn't a romantic gesture, no. It was a power move. He was showing him how small he viewed him, establishing their relationship.

Jesse was the older, smarter, more powerful of the two and Ethan was his mentee. He was there to learn. He was the lesser.

Ethan looked up at Jesse, taking one last breath, the last breath he'd probably actually need for the rest of his life- well...not life.

"I'm ready."

And then, there was darkness.

And when he awoke, there was still darkness. He was now a part of it. It was him.