Another fabulous story from guestsurprise, who owns Gena, Aleu, Ultimate Whampire (Vamps), Ultimate Feedback (Shocks), and Cassie. I only own Rachel and the Grant Mansion and gave guestsurprise full permission to use them. All other characters belong to their respective owners.

Undying Friendship

Things lately have not been going well at the Grant Mansion. Vilgax has been attacking the area more than ever because he was determined to get the Omnitrix from Ben. The aliens have all banded together to protect the town but it was clear that soon the area may need to be evacuated.

"Cassie…you and Gena will probably have to leave with us!" Rachel said sadly. She did not want to leave the mansion but she didn't want anyone to be in danger either.

"We can't leave! The others may need our help to fight Vilgax!" Cassie said bravely. Rachel put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sweetie, I know you want to help, but it would not do anyone any good if you were hurt; you know the others would be very upset if anything happened to you…,"

"You're right…" Everyone turned around and saw Blitzwolfer walk in. He knelt and looked at Cassie straight in the eye.

"Sweetpaws, I cannot let you be in harm's way. You and the others must leave…we will handle Vilgax…,"

"What if something goes wrong…" Cassie began. He gently put a claw to her mouth.

"Shhh…it's alright…everything will be alright Cassie, but I need you to be strong for me…" he smiled as he gently nuzzled her neck. She gave him a big hug and he gently picked her up and spun her around. He cared for her so much; he would die if anything ever happened to her. He gently let her down and walked out the door. Gena embraced Four Arms and Rachel did the same with Rook. Aleu gave Vamps a hug and kissed him deeply.

"Be careful Vamps…," Aleu whispered.

"You too Aleu…" he whispered back. He then brushed her black hair from her face. He kissed Cassie gently on the forehead and then quickly went outside and went out with the other aliens to prepare for battle. Rachel, Aleu, Gena, and Cassie piled into Rachel's car and they headed towards the outskirts of town. Once they saw that they were a safe distance, they could see the battle raging on. At one point, Cassie saw Four Arms punch Vilgax so hard that Vilgax smashed through many rocks. But the terrible horror was when Vilgax grabbed one of his weapons and pointed it at Whampire.

"WHAMPIRE! NO!" Vamps screamed as he jumped in the way and pushed Whampire out of the way. Vamps yelled in pain as the laser shot clean through his side and dark black blood came pouring from his side. Four Arms and the other aliens ran to help him, but Vilgax grabbed him by the throat.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Whampire roared and jumped at Vilgax and started sucking his energy as he bit into his neck hard. Vilgax roared in pain and let Vamps go, but then hit Whampire hard in the face and knocked him through several boulders. Whampire was almost out cold, but he tried to get over to his brother.

"They're going to die if we don't do something!" Cassie screamed as she looked in her binoculars.

"Cassie, calm down; other plumbers are already on their way. We must stay back…we promised them that we would!" Rachel responded, trying to remain calm.

"Cassie, Rachel is right! We need to remain calm!" Gena said, her voice shaking as she heard Four Arms' roar in the distance. After a few moments, they turned around and saw another alien had been hit hard and was being thrown in their direction. It was Rook! He crash landed only a few feet from the girls!

"ROOK! OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Rachel screamed as she held him on her lap.

"I-I will be fine, I just need to catch my breath…I am glad you all are safe." He turned and looked at each of the girls, seemingly a bit confused. "Is Cassie in another safe area?"

"What do you mean, sweetheart, she's right…" Rachel stopped when she saw Cassie was halfway down the hill on her bicycle heading towards the battle! "CASSIE! NO!"

"She will be killed! We have to stop her!" Gena yelled!

"How do we get to her in time?!" Aleu panicked, trying to find the quickest way to stop Cassie. Rook tried to get to his feet, but he was too weak. They all looked down in clear horror; Cassie was too far away for them to get to her now. Cassie ran all around the battle field trying to stay out of the way; that is until she saw Vilgax grab Feedback and Shocks started fighting him to get him to release his brother. She saw a weapon on the ground and grabbed it. The aliens had taught her how to use a laser gun just like that one. She aimed it right for Vilgax's back and she shot him right between the shoulder blades. He roared in pain and temporarily stopped fighting the Conductoids. He turned in anger, but when he saw Cassie, he burst out laughing and ran after her. She tried to run, but he grabbed her and held her up to his face.

"Pathetic! The great Plumbers sent a silly human girl to do their dirty work!" Vilgax sneered.

"Put her down, Vilgax!" Vilgax turned and saw Vamps holding his side and walking towards him, in strong but painful strides. Cassie was almost afraid at the sight before her. Vamps' lip was bleeding, his eyes glowed dangerously and his fangs looked as if they could slice through metal. His muscles were tensed and his claws were sharper than daggers. His side was bleeding, but he was coming towards them and fast!

"I will not say it again…let the girl go…," Vamps snarled. Whampire was behind him, hurt, but ready, and all of the aliens ran towards Vilgax. Vilgax put a sharp sword towards Cassie's neck.

"ENOUGH! Give me the Omnitrix or I will slice this pitiful human to ribbons!" He barked out. All the aliens froze; unsure of what to do. They had Ben in another part of the city because it was part of the plan, but now that Cassie was in danger, they did not know what to do. Suddenly, Ghostfreak phased through Vilgax and snatched his sword from Cassie's neck. Vilgax roared and threw Cassie on the ground. He grabbed his extra gun aimed it at Cassie.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Shocks and Four Arms screamed as they ran to protect her. Four Arms jumped to attack Vilgax and Shocks jumped in front of Cassie. Four Arms held his own, but both of them were shot with the laser gun. Cassie saw Shocks slowly lose consciousness, but he smiled at her before everything went black.

"Don't worry Cassie; I've got you…" he smiled before he laid his head down and he blacked out. Vamps went over to pick him up and he picked Cassie up too.

"Cassie, you're in grave danger! Run!" Vamps yelled as he tried to push her out of danger. She nodded and tried to run, but suddenly she felt Vamps pull her on the ground and cover her with his body. She heard him let out a blood-curling scream as electricity went through his body from one of the laser shots. She started crying seeing her Vladat best friend dying right before her eyes; Vamps couldn't afford anymore wounds. He gently wiped her face.

"Shh…Cassie, don't cry little one…just stay down…if they think we're dead, they won't fire," he smiled softly and then he passed out. Shocks was still beside them, unconscious. The battle went on for hours until finally Vilgax retreated. Most of the aliens were injured, but not critically. However, there were some that were on the brink of death. Aleu, Rachel, Rook, and Gena managed to get back down the hill and help the Plumbers to treat the wounded. Cassie was screaming because she could not get Vamps or Shocks to wake up.

"Cassie! You know you are grounded after running off like that!" Gena scolded. She knew that Cassie meant well but she was more scared for her than angry.

"Gena, I know I deserve it, but it's my fault that they are hurt! You should ground me from coming back altogether!" Cassie said, as tears started streaming down her face.

"Now Cassie; I don't think that's the answer…but Gena is right…you shouldn't have run into the battle! You could have been hurt or worse," Aleu responded calmly.

"I know! But I couldn't let them get hurt…and now I made things worse! Vamps and Shocks are out cold and won't wake up!" Cassie screamed. The other aliens quickly picked them up and carried them to the medical room while Cassie and the others followed and tried to wait patiently.

Hours and days passed and both of them were still out cold. They were barely breathing until they heard a yell from the operating room. Four Arms and Blitzwolfer ran in and saw Whampire yelling and pounding the floor, uncontrollably.

"Whampire! Whampire, calm down! What's wrong?" Four Arms yelled as he grabbed him and held him in a strong, but friendly bear hug.

"What happened!?" Blitzwolfer asked, clearly worried.

"VAMPS IS DEAD! I CAN'T SENSE HIS ENERGY! IT STOPPED AND SO HAS HIS HEART!" Whampire yelled as he fought in Four Arms' grip, but his friend would not let him go. He and Blitzwolfer held him tightly and let him cry it out. Everyone started to mourn for Vamps, but Whampire was the one who took it the hardest. He cried for 3 straight days and would not speak to anyone. When Shocks slowly came out of his coma, they told him the news. He took it just as hard as Whampire. Finally on the 5th day, the day came for the burial. Cassie took this time to take one last look at him before they buried him. She went over to his bed and cried on his chest.

"I'm so sorry Vamps! This was all my fault! You would still be alive if it weren't for me and my stupidity!" She cried bitterly. She left the room for a minute to grab some tissue and when she came back, she saw Vamps was gone! She stood frozen for a moment until she turned around and saw Vamps' face looking right at her, except he was upside down.

"Hello, Cassie…sweetheart, are you alright? You look like you've been crying…," he said as he wiped a few tears from her face with this thumbs. Cassie screamed and fell flat on her bottom.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT'S GOING ON! GHOST!" Cassie yelped. She ran out of the room with Vamps right behind her. Whampire saw Vamps coming down the stairs and he too yelled in shock. Vamps pounced on him and held him down. All the other aliens were freaked out too!

"Whams! It's me! I'm not dead! Calm down, brother," he coaxed as he kept his brother pinned. Whampire opened his eyes and saw that it was true; somehow, Vamps lived through that fight and his energy and power were stronger than ever!

"VAMPS, YOU'RE ALIVE!" Whampire said happily as tears of joy streamed down his face as he grabbed Vamps and hugged him tightly. All the aliens ran and hugged him tightly and welcomed him back.

"Vamps, thank goodness you're alright!" Shocks said as the friends embraced. "I don't know how we lived through it, but we made it."

"It was love…Vladats and Conductoids have been known to survive dangerous ordeals because of love. It appears Vamps wasn't really dead, but in a very deep coma. But our love for him and his love for us revived him," Whampire said softly.

"But guys…you know that neither Rachel, Gena, Cassie, nor Aleu know that you are alive yet…," Four Arms thought out loud.

"Actually, Cassie does, come to think of it…where is that young one?" Vamps said as he looked around. He saw her heading fast towards the front door.

"Cassie, come here; it's alright! I'm alive…," he called out.

"I don't think that's it, Vamps…I overheard Cassie and Gena and Cassie blames herself for us getting hurt. It's true that she shouldn't have been in the battle, but she doesn't want to come back to the mansion or come near any of us after what happened," Shocks said. All the aliens listened carefully and knew that Cassie shouldn't have disobeyed Gena, but she had good intentions. All of them went in the living room when suddenly they heard a car drive away.

"Who just left?" Whampire asked Rachel. He explained everything about Vamps to her so that Rachel would not be afraid. Vamps and Rachel embraced; she was so happy her friend was not dead after all.

"Gena just took Cassie back to their house. They were so tired that they decided to go home early," Rachel replied.

"Not if I can help it…I need to speak with Cassie," Vamps said.

"I will go with you…," Shocks replied.

"No…you're still hurt…wait here and I will bring her back," Vamps said softly. He then flew away. Back at Gena's house, Cassie was sitting on the sofa, clearly depressed. She was getting ready to go to her room for the night when she felt a breeze coming from the back door. She went to close it when she felt something cover her mouth and pull her close to a warm body. Her eyes widened when she saw Vamps smiling down at her. She began to struggle.

"Cassie stop struggling…," Vamps said as he tried to calm her down. He winced because his side was still sore from the battle but he wasn't going to let her go. He took his hand off her mouth so she could talk.

"Let me go! You've come back to haunt me because I got you hurt!" Cassie shrieked. Vamps sighed as he flew her up to her room and shut the door. He let her go and put her on her bed; she was standing up with her back to the wall. "Leave me alone! I promise I didn't mean to hurt you!" She then panicked as she saw him playfully stretch his claws out in front of him in a playful stance.

"Awwwww…c'mon, Cassie…you always like to wrestle! I'm not going to hurt you. It's me!" Vamps smiled. Cassie looked uncertain for a moment until she felt him pull her legs out from under her. He then started playfully nipping her arms and neck and wrestling with her. She laughed and started gently punching him back, but avoiding his wound. Their rough housing ended with her gently scratching his stomach; not in a flirty way, this was something she did for Vamps, similar to how someone would rub someone's back for relaxation. He moaned happily as he felt her get the tension and pain out of his abs from the fight. Suddenly, he noticed her sad expression. He knew what she was thinking.

"Cassie…it was not your fault…I am a Plumber…it is my job to protect people so stop blaming yourself…please…," Vamps whispered as he nuzzled her cheek. She then saw his bandaged wound and ran her hands gently over it.

"You don't understand…if I stayed off the battle field, you would not have been at death's door, Vamps!" Cassie said, tears starting to form. Vamps gently grabbed her and pinned her beneath him.

"Cassie…stop this! You were just trying to help. It is true you should not have been out there, but at least no one died…," Cassie looked away from him. He then gently pulled her chin to look at him. He started running his claws gently through her hair in a fatherly manner.

"Cassie…look at me…," Cassie didn't look at him. "Please, Cassie…look at me…," When she did look at him he kissed her gently on the cheek. Suddenly, Gena walked in and her mouth dropped open. She tried to walk back out, but Vamps used his telekinesis to pull her to the bed and to where he had a grip on her waist.

"Oh no you don't, Gena…come here…," Vamps chuckled. She tried to struggle at first out of fear until she looked up and saw the Vladat's warm smile. He gently caressed her cheek and her head.

"V-Vamps! They told me you were dead! But I am so happy to see you're alright!" Gena smiled as she gave him a tight hug. Vamps embraced her back and pulled a concerned Cassie into the hug too. Both girls had tears of joy streaming down their faces; it was the best feeling in the world to know that Vamps was alive. After a few moments of embracing, he flew them back to the mansion for the night and that's when Cassie saw Shocks and some of the other aliens chilling in the pool. She felt just as bad for getting him hurt too!

"Cass, hey! Aren't you going to check on the invalid? C'mere!" Shocks called as he tried to get her attention. Cassie paused for a moment and then tried to quickly get up the stairs. She really didn't want to talk to any of the aliens because of what happened.

"What the- hey! Don't ignore me! Four Arms, stop her!" Shocks called as he started swimming near the edge of the pool. Four Arms grabbed Cassie and headed towards the pool. Some of the aliens were out there, Swampfire, Blitzwolfer, Heatblast, Snare-Oh, Big Chill, Shocks, Feedback, Whampire, and Vamps. They were all cheering and beckoning her to come join them for a swim.

"Four Arms, please put me down!" Cassie said sadly.

"Doll, it's alright…we are not mad at you…we think you learned your lesson…," Four Arms cooed as he stepped in the warm water, with Cassie still trapped in his arms.

"Cassie, come here kiddo…" Shocks said as he swam towards her. He kissed her gently on the forehead and started tickling her neck.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH SHOCKS STOP! YOU NEEHEHEHEHED TO GEHEHEHEHEHEHET BETTER! NOHOHOHOHOHO!

"I want you to talk to me, Cassie. I won't stop til I hear that cute laughter and until you're not avoiding us anymore…," Shocks cooed.

"We know you're sorry…you're still our friend…and we still love you!" Four Arms smiled.

"Now give us a smile or else we will keep going!" Snare-Oh laughed as his tendrils were all over Cassie's feet and legs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA SNARE-OOHOHOHOHOH! STOHOHOHOHOP! HEHEHEHEHEHEEHEHLP MEEHEHEHEHEHE!"

"Learned your lesson, pumpkin?" Swampfire laughed as he gave a trapped Cassie a big raspberry on her neck.

"YEHEHEHEHEHEHS SWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAMPFIHIHIHIHRE LEEHEHEHEHT MEHEHEHEHEH GOHOHOHOHO! STOHOHOHOHP IHIHIHIT!" The aliens finally stopped and let her get a break. They all got out of the water and dried off. Aleu heard all of the wonderful laughter and couldn't help but smile. She was happy that everything was ok with Vamps and Shocks. She was just happy the nightmare was over!

"Aleu…" She jumped at the sudden mention of her name and bumped her head.

"Are you alright? Easy there…my, my, aren't you nervous…," Vamps chuckled as he smiled at her. He walked over to her and gently rubbed her head.

"I'm alright! I'm just happy you are alright ,baby; you almost died!" She smiled at him and gave him such a big hug that they fell backwards on the sofa with her landing on him. She accidentally brushed her hands on his wound and he flinched a bit. She tried to move but he pulled her closer to him and smashed his lips into hers. She moaned as he slowly let her go.

"It's alright, Aleu…thanks for caring…," he gently leaned up and kissed her on the nose. Her face looked so red that she looked like a tomato. He smiled at her and then let her up. He went and his brother embraced him again.

"I am just happy you are safe, Vamps! I don't want to lose you again brother! I lost you once and I don't ever want that to happen again," Whampire said, as tears started to form. Vamps embraced him more.

"Don't worry, brother! I am right here and I'm not going anywhere…" Vamps cooed as he rubbed his brother's back. "I say we celebrate now!" He chuckled and everyone gathered together and had some food and fun for the rest of the night. Later on, all of them got together and cuddled in front of the fire for warmth. There was nothing like resting together and everyone being safe and sound again.

guestsurprise's words: Vamps' love for his family and their love for him kept him alive. One thing's for sure, this Vladat won't be going anywhere. :) Treat for Goldie!

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GoldGuardian2418