"You think so?"
"I don't know how else to explain this."
"Hmm, maybe since Victor was behind it, it didn't work."
Sarah kissed his cheek. "It doesn't matter why, you are alive."
Jackson stood and shook Connor's hand. "Thank you for keeping a clear head. You saved her." They all sat pondering the strange events. Jackson asked, "What's this about Elisabeth's blood making you two stronger?"
The other three looked at each other hoping someone would take the lead. Connor finally did. "Sarah noticed it a little while ago. We didn't think it would serve any purpose to tell you."
"How strong?"
Sarah pursed her lips. "Well, certainly not as strong as Elisabeth. Connor isn't nearly as strong as we are, though he is much stronger than a newborn should be."
"And you?"
She avoided his gaze. "Pretty strong, probably stronger than you now."
"Wonderful. Me and Skippy, the weaklings."
Elisabeth put her hands on either side of his face. "How do you feel?"
He patted his chest a few times. "Great. A little tingly, like my senses are heightened somehow." He felt the tips of his fingers with his thumbs. "Kind of super-sensitive all over." He leered at Elisabeth, arched his eyebrows with a lascivious grin, then stretched with great exaggeration. "All this resurrection is exhausting, I need a nap." He stood and took Elisabeth's hand. "Come tuck me in, my Greek goddess." By the time they reached the stairs, Elisabeth's face colored beet red and she avoided Sarah and Connor's amused gazes.
When they neared the bed, Elisabeth squinted. "Maybe you really should rest. You have been through quite an ordeal."
Jackson pulled her to him by the tie in the sheet still wore. "No way. I can't wait to try out my new Spidey Senses."
She touched noses with him. "You better not die on me again."
He kissed her passionately, and she went breathless in his embrace. He pulled back abruptly with shocked eyes. Elisabeth held his face. "Oh no. What's wrong?" He answered with a grin that allowed her to see his fangs. She touched one with her index finger. "Oh my. What if my blood burns you?"
"I don't care. I'll heal." Elisabeth turned her head to expose her neck. He kissed her first, enjoying the feel of her blood coursing beneath his lips, then, as his fangs breached her skin, he braced for the burning that never came. He tasted only ambrosia, sweet beyond imagination. Their connection blossomed immediately as they savored each other's intense pleasure. Communicating love in a way neither had ever experienced, they converged in an esoteric dance in which the world fell away. Jackson drank deeply and enjoyed his venom coursing through Elisabeth, eliciting wave after wave of euphoria. When he began to retract his fangs, she held his head closer, not willing to break the bond they had waited so long to share. He ceased drinking, but still allowed venom to flow freely until she finally loosened her grip, exhausted. Gazing into her eyes he found his destiny. "Now, we are truly one."