Lulu: "I know who you're talking about! I tried hooking up with him at the last meeting, but he wasn't interested at all."
Carlee: "That explains a lot."
Lulu: "What do you mean?"
Carlee: "Clearly they're lovers. Must have been having a spat."
Chris: "Hey! Shut up already!"

Mary took a deep breath, held it, and looked up at the ceiling, shaking her fist. She counted to ten before exhaling.

Chris: "Mary, out of the hospital so soon?"
Mary: "What? I wasn't in the hospital, just the back of an ambulance for about five seconds."
Chris: "Really! Bugger that, the kid was telling the truth."
Mary: "What kid? And how did you know about the ambulance? Hey, wait a minute…"

Mary frowned, going back over the night's events in her head.

Mary: "You sent those two nitwits here, didn't you."
Chris: "What two nitwits?"
Mary: "The two nitwits I dusted tonight. What are you trying to do to me? Are you still taking orders from Stone? Because you know, nothing he does to me or Emily is going to make any difference. He can't touch her anymore."

Chris: "First of all, I'm my own man now. Stone has nothing to do with you and me. Second of all, you only killed one of my nitwits."
Mary: "Count again. I took one out earlier and the other not five minutes ago."
Chris: "Ha! I knew that ponce was lying. Thank you. I've been trying to get rid of those two for weeks now. Teenagers, you know? They're like cockroaches."

Anthony: "Mary? Everything okay out here?"
Chris: "Well, well, if it isn't the fine doctor."
Anthony: "I'm sorry, have we met?"
Chris: "Not exactly."
Anthony: "Okay then. I'm sorry, but it's been a rather hectic night, and the diner is closed. We were just leaving."

Anthony: "Mary? Here, take my car keys. I want you to go out the back door, get in the car, and wait for me."
Mary: "What? No!"
Anthony: "Do as I say. These people are… clearly on something. And dangerous. I'm a doctor, I know how to deal with them."
Mary: "Not to discount your credentials, but I really don't think you do. Chris, just leave, okay?"

Anthony: "You know this… man?"
Mary: "In a manner of speaking."
Chris: "Oh, there wasn't really that much speaking, Mary. Some moaning, maybe a little bit of screaming, but no speaking that I recall."

Anthony looked from Mary to Chris and back again.

Anthony: "Mary, are you involved with him?"
Mary: "No! It was just… no. I just made some unfortunate choices. One unfortunate choice. One time. Last Christmas. The holidays, you know… who doesn't make bad choices over the holidays? Have you seen the reindeer sweaters some people wear? They have blinking red noses. And--"
Anthony: "Mary, just get out of here."
Mary: "No! I'm not leaving without you."
Anthony: "Fine. We're going to back into the kitchen very slowly, okay?"

Mary reached for Anthony's hand and held it as they backed through the swinging door into the kitchen. As soon as it swung shut, Anthony latched it closed and all of the vampires rushed toward it, with the exception of Chris, who sat down in a booth and watched in amusement. Anthony began barricading the door as quickly as he could.

Mary: "What are you doing? The car's right out back, and the geniuses haven't even thought to go around."
Anthony: "They're hungry, and they're high. They'll take the most direct path rather than the path of least resistance."

Anthony finished pushing part of the metal counter in front of the door, putting deep scratches in the floor as he did so. Mary was certain it wouldn't take long for the vampires to push past it.

Anthony: "Okay, come on, let's go."

Mary followed Anthony to the back door and stood poised with a wooden spoon in one hand as he opened it slowly.

Anthony: "Coast is clear. My car is about ten yards away -- let's head for it quietly, but quickly."
Mary: "Okay. Oh, hold on, I forgot my purse."
Anthony: "Mary! Leave it. We don't have time."

Mary ran to the counter and grabbed her purse. She'd left it on the counter next to the oven, and as she grabbed both, she turned the gas on at the burners, then turned and ran with Anthony out the back door.

Mary: "If we get into a car wreck on the way home --finally, blessedly, home--I'm going to hunt God down and punch him in the eye."

Suddenly, an explosion went off behind them, rattling the car windows and causing Anthony to veer off the road, narrowly missing a tree.

Mary: "And God said: 'Let there be a triple dog dare.' Are you OK?"
Anthony: "Yes. What the hell was that? Did the diner just blow up?"
Mary: "Um, yes, I think it did. Damn, I must've left the oven on in all the confusion."

Anthony glanced worriedly in the rear view mirror.

Mary: "Don't worry, I'm sure those dumb hoodlums managed to get out. No need to go back and be all doctory."
Anthony: "That's not what I'm worried about. Modern medicine can't really do too much for exploded vampires anyway. It's just that I think you left the money from the cash register inside."

Anthony: "Oh well. I didn't much feel like going to the bank after all that, anyway. Home then?"
Mary: "Um. Yes. Home. Sure."

Anthony chuckled to himself and pulled back onto the road.

Mary: "Wait! No. Don't take me home. He knows where I live."
Anthony: "Chris? Do you think he survived?"
Mary: "I'm sure of it. He's the one who's like a cockroach. Not really a threat, but very annoying and impossible to get rid of."
Anthony: "Not really a threat? Could've fooled me."
Mary: "He's all talk."
Anthony: "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
Mary: "Don't get me wrong, I'll always have my guard up. But really, I just want to avoid any more drama tonight."
Anthony: "I can see that. What do you want to do?"
Mary: "Well, I've been up for what feels like days. Do you think… I mean, would you mind, would it be okay if-"

Anthony: "I have an idea. Why don't you crash at my place?"
Mary: "Are you sure?"
Anthony: "Of course. Honestly, after the night we've had, I'd rather not be alone."