And I'm back with another chapter. Honestly, you should have come to expect this by now :)

Anyways, I am pleased to announce the results of the poll set up on my profile. This poll answered the age old question: Who is stronger, Toepick or Phobos?

And the result: Phobos wins 6:3!

Thank you to everyone who voted, and I believe I managed to fix the other poll, the one concerning the lemons of the story. While I appreciate the few answers I've received in the reviews, I would prefer if you would go to the poll once I've set it up (which is after this chapter is over). I honestly did not know I could only have one poll available on my profile, so sorry for the inconvenience!

As for a review made by a guest named Fossil Fighter, I will be using more of kjmarch's aliens. While I can promise you Brains and Brawn will appear in the story, Darkflame will not. But do not be discouraged! I like the alien so much that I might consider making his debut in the sequel. So stick around!

As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below and I shall try and please my public!

Onwards!

To say Twyla was displeased was putting it lightly. Syaing Twyla was merely annoyed was sugar coating it with the sweetest candy available drown in maple syrup and slathered in chocolate sauce. One would need a whole new word for how Twyla was feel, as the words 'enraged' 'furious' and 'pissed off' did not even begin to describe it.

When she had been informed of what happened, all hell had broken loose. Even Manny had made a quick getaway after grabbing Jackson's unconscious body and scaling up the elevator cable as the Rebellion leader threw everything she had at Jinafire, Spectra, and Ben. She yelled at them, calling them not only the most hopeless recruits she had seen in a while, but several things that would have made the toughest people in the world break down and start crying. Twyla spat out every swear word Ben had ever heard of, and many he didn't even know existed, a few alien curse words coming out between the spouts of foul language.

"How could you let someone as insane as Maltruant get away with the most powerful bomb in existence!?" Twyla screeched like a harpy. She had definitely come a long way from the shy girl Ben had known that often only viewed the world from the safety of the shadows. She gone from that shy girl to a young woman who was fearless, brave, and with a very bad attitude and temper. And not only that, but she was burdened with a darkness lurking inside her that could go off at any moment. And Ben was pretty sure it was coming out now.

He flinched and watched with wide and fearful eyes as Twyla suddenly cried out in pure agony and fell to the floor, barely holding herself up on shaking arms and knees as her body began to convulse violently. The sickening sound of bones crunching and grinding against each other filled the air as her back suddenly began to bulge and bubble, as if something inside her were trying to break lose and come out into the world. Without warning, eight massive and pitch black tentacles ripped out of her pale skin, Ben watching with sick fascination, the tendrils thrashing and withering madly as dark red, almost black blood began to ooze out from the exposed muscle and tissue; Ben felt like he was going to vomit, and even Jinafire was beginning to show signs of pure disgust. Only Spectra watched with a blank expression.

The horrific transformation continued as Twyla suddenly began to vomit up blood, the precious liquid a sickening dark color as it dripped out over her teeth; they too began to change, becoming long and sharper, sticking out at odd angles as a second row split out from her gums and added to the bloodbath. Her pale skin was becoming even whiter than before as her she suddenly gasped and froze like a statue, even if the tentacles coming out of her back continued to move about. Her body shuddered once, twice before finally collapsing all the way to the ground, jolting and jerking as she continued to change. Her misty gray eyes suddenly split into a second pair the color of blood as dagger-like claws ripped out of her hands, even more blood dripping onto the floor as spikes popped painfully out of her arms and legs. Her feet split through her leather boots, turning into talons as her metallic leg whined and groaned before suddenly exploding, the iron limb falling away into the darkness as a fresh, new leg formed where it had been before.

"You insolent . . . . pathetic . . . worthless . . . . brat!" Twyla growled between ragged, almost pained breaths in a deep, demonic voice that just barely sounded like her own. She suddenly whipped her head around to glare at the three teens. Or to be more specific, directly at Ben. She looked at him absolute hatred in her three blood red eyes; the fourth was still covered by her eye patch. She suddenly lunged at him and he quickly reached for the Omnitrix, hoping to get something that could take more than a hit.

He never got to it.

Twyla beat his reaction time without even trying, pinning him to the floor with razor sharp talons that stabbed painfully into the floor, mere inches from his delicate skin. She growled and edged her head closer to him as Jinafire and Spectra did everything in their power to try and stop her, but to no avail; Twyla simple attacked them with her tentalces and sent them flying across the storage room without attempt.

"Twyla . . . please, just calm down." Ben begged in a frightened voice. For the first time since he had fought off against Zs'Sakyr when he was 10 years old, he was afraid. The universe's greatest hero, Ben Tennyson, was afraid.

"I am not Twyla," the hideous monster hissed demonically. "Twyla is gone forever. I am now in control. I am the Thing!" it howled, yanking its hand out of the floor and throwing Ben into the wall ahead of it with a swipe of the other. Ben hit the wall hard and he fell to the floor, his back racked with pain as he attempted to stand up. The Thing would not have any of it and lashed out with its tentacles, whipping them hard against his back and tearing his shirt into shreds. The tips of the tentacles suddenly sprouted barbs and they lashed out once more, streaks of red forming on Ben's back as the Thing continued to attack with Twyla's body. It lunged forward and raked its claws across his back before thrusting its hand forward and picking him up by the throat, tightening its grip and sinking its claws into his neck as it regarded him and spoke once more.

"She never loved you," the Thing hissed. "She despised you with everything she had and was just waiting for the day you would finally die."

"You're . . . . lying!" Ben choked out.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I am not. I know her better than anyone else," the Thing continued, grinning a frightening smile at him. "But it will not matter. I will grant you a final request, to kill you where you hang helpless in my hand and end your pathetic and pained existence."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Skurd exclaimed. While the Thing and Ben had been engaged in combat (one could argue it was more of a senseless beating than an actual fight), Skurd had expertly activated the Omnitrix and cycled through the available transformations before selecting a suitable one. And with all attention now on him, the self absorbed Slimebiote pushed down on the activation button and watched proudly as the Omnitrix did its work. Ben felt the skin around his skull slowly vanish, as if some flesh eating parasite were eating away at it. His skull slowly turned upside down as the bones ground and shifted with a sickening sound. The teeth became sharper as new, thicker skin covered his face and his eyes molded into one. His fingers turned into dagger-like claws that felt like they could slice through someone's soul. His legs wrapped around each other into a sort of ghostly tail as thick, green chains formed around his neck and wrists. The Omnitrix appeared on his chest, the chains all meeting together at the same spot as a dozen writhing tentacles suddenly spilled forth from Ben's insides. The transformation was complete.

"Move it, dear boy! Move it!" Skurd cried. Without a word, Ghostfreak phased through the Thing's grip and swooped forward with a frightening hiss, entering its body with his claws outstretched and ready to attack. He found himself in a black void, completely empty of anything recognizable; there didn't even seem to be a floor or ceiling of any kind of definition until he looked behind him. From some unseen point high above him, a single spotlight beamed down from the darkness and shone down on a frail figure that lay motionless in its warm glow. Ghostfreak flew towards the body and found it to be Twyla. The real Twyla.

He reached out carefully with a trembling hand when he heard a noise behind, like the sound of a teacher clucking their tongue and wagging their finger back and forth at a misbehaving child.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." the Thing cackled. Ghostfreak whirled around to look at it and nearly doubled over when he found it was an exact, albeit more healthy looking, duplicate of Twyla, right down to the eye patch. The only difference was its red eye as it slowly paced towards, wagging its hips in a seductive manner as it began to walk an aimless circle around the Ectonurite.

"Oh, Benjamin. If you only understood what you were dealing with." it said with mock pity.

"I think I'm dealing with my girlfriend's crazy alternate ego!" Ghostfreak shot back.

"But how do you know I'm the other personality? For all you know, the Twyla you knew and loved was nothing more than mask, a costume to wear when she needed to get something she wanted." the Thing went on, its pale lips curling up into a twisted smile.

"Lies!" Ghostfreak spat, narrowing his single eye.

"How do you know I'm lying? I share the same body with Twyla. I know her better than anyone she could ever come across," the Thing continued, its sick smile getting bigger and bigger. "Because I am her. The Twyla you know never existed." the Thing spat, smirking when she saw doubt in the Ectonurite's eye.

"Don't believe anything she says, dear boy! Destroy that monstrosity once and for all!" Skurd commanded, oozing his gooey body over Ghostfreak's back and molding them into a pair of Transylian conductors that danced and crackled with green electricity. With a raspy scream, Ghostfreak swooped at the Thing, his claws glowing with green stir as he swiped them across the Thing's body, drawing pure black lines across it. No clothing was lost or torn; it was as if they were attached directly to its body. This suited Ghostfreak just fine as he relentlessly attacked the Thing, snapping out his tentacles grabbing it in them and throwing it to the ground before zapping it with a massive amount of energy.

"Is that the best you can do?" the Thing wheezed; it knew it would not win against Ghostfreak right now and not ever. But if it could plant that seed of doubt, and make it grow into a mighty tree, then its death would been well excepted.

"You've done nothing!" the Thing gurgled, black blood starting to pour from its mouth. "Even without me controlling her, she never loved you to begin with! She never loved you!" she cackled, spitting up black blood again. Ghostfreak screeched a demonic howl and thrust her razor sharp talons into the Thing's throat, black blood pumping heavily out of its body and pooling around its body as it slowly died away, its body slowly starting to fade away as Ghostfreak breathed heavily, his claws soaked with black blood. Without a word he soared upwards into the black oblivion above him, leaving the corpse of the Thing and Twyla behind him. He quickly re-entered the world the world of the living and looked down to see the Thing's slowly and very painfully return back into Twyla's body; the tentacles slithered into her back, leaving the torn flesh and tissue, her blood now a deep pool beneath her. Her talons on both her feet and hands groaned and cracked against bone before starting to shrink, returning to normal nails stained red. Her newly repaired leg was sucked back up into her body with the sickening sound of wet flesh slapping together, leaving nothing but a bloody stump. Her skull cracked and ground together as her teeth retreated inwards, her eyes returning to a single pair of hollow, dead eyes that closed shut upon return. The spikes that dotted her body were slowly sucked back into her body, leaving Twyla covered in nothing more than the rags of her old uniform as she lay unmoving, but definitely alive, on the floor.

"What happened to her?" Spectra asked after a few minutes of fearful silence.

"It finally happened," was all Ghostfreak would whisper before turning towards the ceiling and flying straight at without stopping, phasing through it and leaving without another word.

"What just happened?" Spectra asked Jinafire as she reluctantly and carefully picked up Twyla's bloody body in arms and moved moved towards the elevator shaft, the dragon walking a few feet behind her and being careful to avoid the puddles of blood that collected on the floor; the lights in the storage room flickered back on to maximum power, illuminating a scene of pure destruction and gore as the power came back on.

"The cat will not come when you call it. Rather, it will come when it is ready." Jinafire said cryptically with sadness in her deep, golden colored eyes. Without another word, Jinafire wrapped her hands around the elevator cable and began to haul her weight back up, Spectra staring up at her before floating upwards, holding Twyla tightly.

"Since when did every start to talk in riddles?" she wondered to herself.


Word spread fast about what had happened.

Twyla had lost control over her inner monster and had paid the price for it, nearly slaughtering Ben in the process; had it not been for the quick thinking of Skurd, he would have surely been killed. And as much as the Slimebiote enjoyed the recognition he so dearly craved, even he was kind enough to allow Ben to have some alone time. For once in the Slimebiote's life, he willingly left his host because he was trying to be nice. Nice as he was, Ghoulia was having a heck of time putting up with him as he had decided to reside on her shoulder while she did work on Twyla. And he was not exactly quiet when she worked.

The poor Boogey girl had suffered from extreme blood loss; it was a wonder she was still alive in the first place. And for this reason, Ghoulia had opted to work in as little light as possible. It seemed that the longer Twyla remained in the shadows, shrouded in the safety of the darkness, her body would heal faster. It made since that her domain would heal her and care for her and at least stabilize her. Did not mean however, there were not consquences; Ghoulia had no choice but to amputate Twyla's left hand and replace it with a metallic and carbon fiber duplicate. The Rebellion leader would not be happy when she came to.

As for Ben, he had seemed to simply disappear. No one could find him, and everyone in the base tried. Jane couldn't find him in any of the air ducts, Clawdeen couldn't pick up his scent, Toralei's sensors didn't detect his body signature, simply no one could find him; it was as if he had simply disappeared from existence.

So it was quite by accident when Frankie of all monsters, somehow managed to find him out of the base of all places, sitting quietly on one of the watch towers with a rusted space heater sitting next to him and keeping him warm. Frankie bit her lip and slowly, quietly, pushed the trap door that led up to the watch tower open, holding her breath and hoping Ben wouldn't hear the low whine of the hinges over the loud hum of the space heater. It seemed he didn't and she simply stood there, ignoring the freezing feeling in her legs as she starred at him, noticing that he was holding something in his hands. She soon recognized it as a guitar of some kind when Ben strummed a few strings. And what followed was one of the most beautiful and most sad songs Frankie had ever heard.

"You feel like a candle in a hurricane. Just like a picture with a broken frame."

"Alone and helpless, like you've lost your fight. But you'll be alright, you'll be alright."

"'Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of."

"You might bend, 'til you break, 'cause it's all you can take."

"On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough."

"You get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off. Then you stand,"

Frankie gulped nervously upon hearing the words to the song. Was Ben seriously thinking of giving up on everything he had ever done? Of giving up on the Rebellion? Of giving up on the ghouls? Of giving up on her? She shook her head and continued to listen to the song, her lips silently mouthing the words as she learned them.

"Life's like a novel with the end ripped out. The edge of a canyon with only one way down."

Take what you're given before it's gone and start holding on, keep holding on!"

"'Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of."

"You might bend, 'til you break, 'cause it's all you can take."

"On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough."

"You get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off. Then you stand,"

"Every time you get up and get back in the race, one more small piece of you starts to fall into place!"

"'Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of."

"You might bend, 'til you break, 'cause it's all you can take."

"On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough."

"You get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off. Then you stand." Ben sang, the last few chords of the song echoing in the guitar before he gave a heavy sigh and set the instrument down beside him, not moving his posture as he continued to stare blankly out at the world before him.

"Whoever you are, go away." said Ben quietly.

Frankie paused; how had he heard her? It didn't matter anyway. Not one to abandon a friend in their time of need, she ignored his request and pushed the trap door all the way open, cringing as it banged loudly on the floor behind her. She quickly climbed into the tower and closed the door shut behind her, keeping out the freezing cold as she slowly approached Ben, reaching with a slightly shaky hand.

"I said, go away." Ben repeated more quietly than before. Frankie ignored him and sat down beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder. Ben sighed and turned his head to look at her with the saddest eyes Frankie had ever seen. The deep green pools that sat on handsome face were filled to the brim with sadness, betrayal, loss of hope, and complete and utter despair. It was the look of someone who had given on just about everything but the will to live. And even then, it seemed like he was actually thinking of giving up on that too.

"Ben, I . . ." Frankie started before trailing off, not being able to meet his gaze.

"I don't want your pity." Ben mumbled, turning away from her but not exactly telling her to leave. He flinched slightly when Frankie absentmindedly laid her delicate hand on his own, her palm dwarfed by his as they sat in silence.

"I'm not here to give you any pity," Frankie said after a while of just starring at the frozen wasteland before them. "That was a beautiful song. I didn't know you played guitar."

"I used to play a little back home," Ben said quietly. "I only ever learned a few songs before I gave up on it. And it's all thanks to this thing." he sighed, holding up the wrist with the Omnitrix on it. Frankie winced upon hearing the words; if she couldn't get him to change his attitude, things could go from bad to worse.

"Where'd you get the guitar?" Frankie asked.

"Rivet made it for me. Clever little devil's been tinkering away with the spare parts in Ghoulia's lab." Ben said with the faintest of smiles. The longest of pauses followed before any of them spoke.

"What exactly . . . . happened . . . . between you and Twyla?" Frankie asked quietly. She noticed Ben visibly flinched upon hearing the subject. Was it really that bad?

"She said she didn't love me. She said she hated my guts and never loved me to begin with," Ben finally said, a tear suddenly leaking from his eye, running down his face and dripping onto the floor. Frankie blinked, not expecting it. To her, Ben was the unbreakable, indestructible rock that everyone could cling onto in the worst of storms. He was the unbeatable hero that stood tall and brave, ready to face anything that threatened the world without fear. And now, to see the universe's greatest hero actually crying, Frankie didn't know what to do.

"That wasn't Twyla talking, and you know that," Frankie comforted him. "It was the Thing talking. It wanted to see you crumble, to break apart."

"How would you know? You've never had your heart crushed and stomped on so many times that it almost made you think you'd never be happy." Ben said bitterly.

"Actually . . . . I have," Frankie sadly admitted. "Jackson and I used to date before he found out about Holt; after that, we put our relationship on pause so they could work things out, but I've given up on waiting,," she sighed. "I used to think I liked Andy Beast, but things never got off the ground. And Neigthan and I never got passed being friends."

"Sounds like you have just as bad of luck as I do." Ben mumbled without looking at her.

"Not exactly," Frankie smiled, Ben giving her a confused look. "I still found one guy who still likes me."

"Who? Am I gonna have to beat them to a gooey pulp?"

Frankie giggled and rolled her eyes. "No, silly. It's you."

Ben blinked and tried to process what he had just heard. Frankie still liked him? After all he had put her through? After double crossing her at the dance, getting her kidnapped by Zs'Skayr, and blasted fifty years into the future? After all that she still liked him?

"Quit with the jokes, Frankie." Ben pouted.

Frankie frowned; that was not what she was expecting to hear. "I'm not joking, Ben."

"Really? What kind of ghoul would still like a guy after he lied to her since the day they met, got her kidnapped by an alien ghost, and sent her on a time travel mess to the future?" Ben asked.

"Me, of course," Frankie replied. "Ben, since the first day I met you, I knew there was something special about you. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time, and I still can't, but what I do know is that my life has never been better since you got here. Even with all the twists and turns, I've never enjoyed life more than when you first came here. And while most monsters may not admit it just yet, they can't picture a day without you kicking their butts in gym class or saving them an hour later," said Frankie, scooting closer to Ben. "And neither can I."

"You're lying." Ben mumbled under his breath, though there was the slightest of smiles on his face; it made Frankie happy to see she had made progress. All she had to do was give him one more push. And she knew exactly how to do it.

"If I'm lying, would I do this?" Frankie asked slyly, leaning over and planting a sweet kiss on Ben's unsuspecting cheek, leaving a ruby red lip mark on the pale skin. Her mint green cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as Ben turned red and finally turned to look at her. Even after all this, all that he had put her through, she still loved him. And for that, he finally had a reason to fight once more.

"Thanks," Ben smiled. "But I feel like I should return the favor." he added, leaning in and softly pressing his lips to her own with tender care. Frankie mentally smiled as Ben cupped her face in his faces, deepening it slightly as he careful rimmed her lips with the tip of his tongue while she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to further her affection for him. She shivered slightly she felt his strong hands slide around her petite waist and pull her closer to his lean, muscle frame; contrary to what most thought, Ben was quite fit for someone that heavily relied on a device that changed his genetic code. He wasn't as buff and strong as Manny, nor was he as weak and stringy as Jackson, but he was some sort of equal middleman that gave him an uncanny, almost perfect physic that made Frankie scratch her head for a moment and wonder whether or not ht boy she loved had been sculpted by a god (not Hades, of course. He still held a grudge). And even though he was no where as fluid as Jinafire when it came to fighting, he wasn't as crude as Manny was whenever he was throwing punches, often adapting martial arts styles for his own use and whatever alien he currently for his own personal use that made him a worthy adversary.

All in all, Frankie was proud to say she was dating what could have been called the perfect boyfriend in the physical sense; his personality had some ways to go, but that was where she and the other ghouls stepped in, always ready knock him down a few pegs if he got too full of himself.

Frankie felt herself nearly go limp as they broke the kiss for a few seconds to obey the necessary need for air, a moment in which Ben took to softly caress her mint green skin with love and affection, rubbing his firm fingers up and down her back and easing the tension in her tightened muscles. The young cadaver slid her hands under Ben's shirt in response to get a feel for his strong muscles while he softly kissed her on the forehead and gently peppered her neck before taking her lips in his once more; the two of them were so immersed in each other that they lost all sense of balance and promptly fell over lying next to each other, a pink tinge to Frankie's face and crimson shade to Ben's features as they finally separated and embraced each other lovingly.

Ben smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Frankie smiled.

"AHA!" a deep voice yelled. The happy couple whirled around to see Mr. Stein standing in the trap door, jabbing a large finger at them with pure anger on his face. "I knew you were up to something, Tennyson!"

"Dad, it's not what it looks like!" Frankie pleaded, but her father ignored her as he shoved his massive bulk through the trap door and marched over to them, his heavy feet clapping loudly on the floor.

"You are coming with me, young lady, and you are forbidden from ever seeing this scoundrel ever again!" he yelled, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the trap door. Frankie pulled and struggled against her father's strong grip, but it was almost useless. To make matter worse, she could feel the stitching on her arm starting to tear, threatening to come lose and send her father for a nasty fall.

Now seriously annoyed, Ben turned to the Omnitrix and slapped the activation button, letting the green light wash over him and change his DNA. He felt himself grow slightly shorter than before as his bones groaned and cracked, lengthening and becoming thinner as Ben's skin became lose like a paper bag that hung over his skeleton. After a few brief nanoseconds, the skin tightened and formed over the limited muscles that had grown over the bones, the skin know smooth and pebbled. His skin turned a pale shade of red as his fingers grew longer and his nails grew duller, his chin became a small cleft square spirals and swirls appeared on his skin. The skin then covered his eyes, blinding him and making them disappear all together as his organs sloshed and changed inside of him. The most noticeable part of the transformation however, was Ben's head. It began to grow upward, becoming slightly box-like in appearance as his brain began to expand and grow, filling every available space in the skull's brain case. A black jumpsuit with green, downward pointing stripes appeared on his body, the Omnitrix appearing on his chest and completing the transformation. And unlike his other forms, Ben knew exactly how to use this one without any experience.

"Mindmesser!" the Protinaphibian announced with a classy sounding voice. Mr. Stein paused and turned to stare at the alien as he somehow managed to hover a few feet above the ground, his eyeless face twisted into a frown. "I will ask you once, and only once, good sir, to let go of my dearest Frankie." he demanded.

Mr. Stein spat as Frankie glanced wildly between the two. "Why should I listen to you, Tennyson? Ever since you came here, you've been nothing but trouble!"

"I did not wish for to come to this, dear chap, but you leave with no other option," the Protinaphibian frowned as he raised his left hand with the fingers spread wide. "Close your eyes, would you, my love?" he asked Frankie politely. Frankie did as she was told as Mindmesser turned his attention back to Mr. Stein, his hand glowing an ominous red as he reached out with his mind. In a way, similar to Wildmutt, he could see the world without any eyes at all; unlike the Vulpimancer however, he simply pictured the world before him as his brain sent out electromagnetic pulses that let him see the world around him. He reached out with his mind towards his surroundings and found two other minds close to his; one was Frankie, as given by the nervous and happy pulses that swept across her brain, and the other was her father, made obvious by the anger that raged in his rather small hypothalamus.

"These are not the droids you are looking for." Mindmesser said clearly.

"These are not the droids I am looking for." Mr. Stein repeated with a slightly forced voice; the Protinaphbian could sense his intelligent mind struggling against his control and could see the glazed expression in his eyes; it would take a little longer in order for him to fully submit.

"You will let go of Frankie." Mindmesser announced.

"I will let go of Frankie." Mr. Stein droned as he let go of his grip on Frankie, who blindly scooted back over to Mindmesser.

"You will return to wherever you came from and forget this ever happened." Mindmesser grinned; his subject was now putty in his hands.

"I will return to my lab and forget this ever happened."

"And you fully approve of my relationship with Frankie." Mindmesser added as he sensed Frankie's rather large hypothalamus radiate waves of happiness.

"I fully approve of your relationship with Frankie."

Mindmesser was about to let go of his control on Mr. Stein and send him back to his lab when a mischievous idea crossed his large mind. "And you shall behave like a Gallus gallus domesticus when you hear the name 'Zs'Skayr'." Mindmesser finished, Frankie's stifled laughter coming from below him.

"I will cluck like a chicken whenever I hear 'Zs'Skayr'." Mr. Stein droned.

"Now leave my presence!" Mindmesser demanded with an air of royalty and a wave of his hand. Mr. Stein nodded and turned to climb down the ladder, closing the trap door behind him as his footsteps clanked heavily on the metal ladder; the Omnitrix timed out seconds after he left, Ben falling to the floor and landing rather painfully on his butt.

"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his sore backside.

"I can't believe you hypnotized my dad," Frankie smiled, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against his chest. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Ben grinned. "Babe, I'm always up for a prank. Lets see how he explains himself whenever he hears Zs'Skayr's name."

Down below, a loud "BWAK! BWAK! BWAK!" broke the silence.


Lagoona sucked in a deep breath, exhaling as the intoxicating smell of chlorine and heat met her nose. It was rather strange having a second chance at life, and the other members of the rebellion kept giving her and the previously fallen odd looks, but she was determined to make her second chance worth it. With a slight bounce in her step, she walked towards the pool, which had finally reopened after Heath's little "incident", and threw her towel on the edge. She ran her fingers through her blue and blonde locks before closing her eyes and clapping her hands together. She bent her knees a little bit, just to get ready, before diving into the pool, the slightly warm water feeling good against her skin.

She opened her eyes and saw the rough edges of the pool around her on all sides as she kicked her legs and swam about, glad to be in the water again. True, she did have the capability to walk around on land, but the water was her true element; she was unmatched in her domain as she dove to the bottom of the pool and began to walk along the bottom, her movements more fluid and quicker than others if they tried to do the same thing. The pool itself was pretty standard and boring compared to the one that was back at Monster High before it was destroyed, and Lagoona had been meaning to talk to Twyla about this. But with the current condition of her leader, she was in position to try and suggest something.

Pushing the thought aside, she resumed swimming, taking a few laps around the pool and urging her poorly used muscles to go faster and faster. It was only on her fourth lap around the pool did she notice something beneath her, floating near the very bottom of the pool. She kicked her legs and pushed the water back with her webbed hands, diving deeper towards the bottom of the pool for a closer inspection of the mysterious object. It was white and round, but flat like a disk. On the front, it had black and red markings that made it similar to a kabuki mask, but not quite. Curious, she swam up behind it and was surprised to find it was moving through the water by itself, somehow pushing against the water and moving at a brisk pace. Her curiosity peaked, Lagoona kicked her legs again and reached out with her hands, grabbing the disk in her fingers.

She was quite surprised when the disk jerked out of her grasp and turned around to face her.

"Whoa, dude! I'd like ta keep my face, thank you!" the mask said in a voice similar to that of a surfer's. Lagoona yelped, a trail of bubbles escaping her lips as she quickly made her way back up to the surface, gasping for breath as her head broke the liquid barrier between the two worlds. Moments later, the water to her right began to suddenly bulge down and up, as if unable to make up its mind, before the mask appeared again attached to a rather long and thick neck that transition smoothly into the water of the pool.

"Ben? Is that you?" Lagoona asked, bewildered.

"Totally! Overflow is awesome to the max!" the Aguadite answered, forming a tentacle of water and making the 'hang loose' sigh with two newly formed fingers.

Lagoona smiled and climbed out of the pool, sitting on the edge with her toes in the water as Overflow followed suit and splashed up and over the side, twisting and turning a bit before forming what seemed to be a sitting position just as the Omnitrix timed out and changed him back into Ben wearing a pair of black and green swim trunks; Lagoona turned pink and turned her head to hide it as Ben leaned back on his hands.

"So, uh, what brings you down here?" Ben asked after a few awkward moments of silence.

"Swimming. Trying to get used to being alive again," Lagoona replied. "You?"

"Just relaxing. Don't really have a lot to do." Ben answered. Another awkward pause followed before any of them even spoke.

"Do you, uh, wanna spare?" Ben asked.

Lagoona nodded her head climbed to her feet, grabbing her towel and throwing it around her neck as she walked to the locker rooms to change, unknowingly putting a little swagger in her step and showing off her ass to Ben as he followed her, going to the boys locker room as she went to the ghouls.

"You ready?" Ben asked, his hand hovering over the Omnitrix.

"Whenever you are, mate." Lagoona grinned wickedly.

After a short quarter of an hour, the two had met up in the gym for a friendly sparing match, since there seemed to an unusual absence of anything to do within the base. Lagoona, now redressed in her leather outfit and wielding a black trident in her hands in exchange for her Orishan gauntlets, circled Ben warily, unsure of how to attack him when she didn't know what alien he would turn into.

Ben himself, also circled Lagoona rather nervously. While he had a slight edge in battle, with her just getting used to having a body once more, he knew that she was deadly with the pointed weapon in her hands. Hoping for something good, he slapped the waiting activation button and felt the changes begin as the Omnitrix worked its magic. The first change was incredibly major; Ben could feel himself being literally cut into strips through some unseen force, as if being cut by a giant pair of invisible scissors. He could feel his bones and organs disappear altogether, and for a brief moment Ben wondered if he was going to die within seconds. Except he didn't. He could feel each strip of body vibrate with health, as if each were alive in its own way. Like magic, they twisted themselves make together into a crude, muscled figure with exaggerated fingers and toes made of thin strips. He could feel his face harden and become flat, turning pointed and green and black in color. The face plate sat itself on top of the bandaged shoulders as a green and black headdress appeared on his head, a wide collar appearing on his neck as two tendrils sprouted from his back. Black and green braces appeared on his arms and ankles, a green belt with the Omnitrix on it appeared around his thin waist, finishing the transformation.

"Take this!" Snare-oh cried, stretching out his fingers to an unimaginable length, all aimed at Lagoona. The sea monster grinned and ducked and twisted her body to avoid the bandages before slashing through them with her trident. The fingers retreated back to Snare-oh before he charged forward, his fists growing larger as he got closer.

Once again, Lagoona was too quick for him and dodged every swipe as she stepped backwards before suddenly doing a quick hand stand and smacking her feet across the Thep Khufan's face. While he was stunned, she sliced her trident through his left arm, severing the limb as she danced out of range.

"That could have hurt you know." Snare-oh frowned as he reformed the limb.

"But it didn't, now did it?" Lagoona smiled.

Snare-oh frowned again and sent his bandages at her a second time, swiping high and low and managing to catch Lagoona's legs and trip her. The Thep Khufan then proceeded to tie up her legs like a spider's meal before stepping in closer to finish her off.

Big mistake.

With a sudden yell, Lagoona swiped her trident across his chest, effectively slicing Snare-oh in two before she cut through her bonds with the weapon; Snare-oh quickly began to rebuild himself, ducking a thrust of the trident. He quickly pointed a hand upwards and stretched his arm all the way up to the rafters of the ceiling, pulling him out of harm's way as Lagoona charged, waving the trident madly.

"Time for a change of face." Snare-oh quipped, slapping the Omnitrix on his belt with a bandaged hand. He felt new alien DNA being injected into his bloodstream as he was briefly returned to his human form; the changes soon began after that. Thick, shaggy fur started to sprout all over his body as he gradually grew taller. His jaw jutted out into an ape like fashion. His lower teeth grew larger, curving up over his lip. Muscles piled on top of each other as his arms and legs swelled. Small bumps on his wrists formed, growing harder and more metallic like. His fingers grew thicker and less delicate looking, better designed for smashing things together and ripping things apart. His feet changed drastically as his big toe moved away from his others until it was at a 45 degree angle. The final change was when a metallic three horned prong suddenly appeared right above his eyes, giving him an angered look, even when he wasn't. The Omnitrix appeared on a thick, green belt around his waist, completing the transformation.

"Shocksquatch? All right, eh!" the Gimlinopithecus said happily. With a grunt, he jumped down from the rafters and slammed his fist into the floor, sending out a shock wave that not only knocked Lagoona off her feet, but unfortunately managed to send a jolt of electricity coursing through her body, making her blonde and blue locks stand on end as she thrashed about on the floor, the metallic trident in her hand only amplifying the magnitude of the shock.

"Aw, crud, eh!" Shocksquatch panicked as he cut the electric flow and rushed over to Lagoona, prying the trident out of her fingers and effectively stopping the attack in its tracks.

"You okay?" he asked, catching Lagoona as she lost her balance and nearly fell to the floor.

"I'm fine," she coughed, her light blue skin now an ugly gray and her hair now scorched as her fingers twitched in voluntarily. "I've been shocked before, so no biggie."

"We should still get you looked at, eh." Shocksquatch grunted as he picked her up in his hands and walked out of the gym and down the hallway towards the med bay. It seemed he visited that place a lot, as of late, whether because he was seeing a loved one get better, or carrying someone else to get treated; Lagoona didn't argue and simply relaxed into the large ape's fur, marveling at how something so scratchy and uncomfortable looking could be so warm and cozy. Within moments, she had drifted off to sleep, letting her body heal itself as Shocksquatch made his way into the med bay and set Lagoona down on one of the beds.

"Eeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!" Ghoulia gripped, pinching her brow as she skittered over to Shocksquatch.

"I know, I know, eh," he grumbled. "In my defense, she packs a wallop."

"Aiiiieeeee-yaahhhh! Aaaahhh." Ghoulia added, pointing her hand out towards Shocksquatch and watching with satisfaction when Skurd oozed across her arm and back onto the Omnitrix, the sharp hourglass symbol reappearing on his head as he reattached himself to the device.

"I know, eh. Sometimes I wonder how I can stand being around him too." Shocksquatch chuckled.

"Ahem! I am right here, you know." Skurd huffed, folding his little tentacles across his chest and pouting, as if his tiny, little feelings were hurt; both Ghoulia and Shocksuatch ignored him as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted the gigantic ape back into Ben.

"Was he really that bad?" Ben smirked.

"Aiieyh!" Ghoulia exclaimed, throwing her arms over her head, having new sympathy for him; having to put up with someone that annoying and egotistic was bound to drive anyone insane. "Eeeeeeeeiiiiiha?"

"Hmm? Is she available?" Ben asked with a slight edge of fear in his voice.

"Aiiiiiieee." Ghoulia nodded, turning around and slowly walking towards the back of the med bay where a large curtain was wrapped around a hospital bed. Ben could see a few IV's sticking into a slim figure that was lying still on the bed, unmoving as Ghoulia grabbed the edge of the curtain in her pale fingers.

"Uh, hey, that reminds me!" Ben said a little too quickly. "Gigi! Whisp!"

Two clouds of magenta and navy blue smoke burst out of nothingness on either side of him as the two Grant sisters appeared in the med bay, each folding their arms over their chests and bowing to Ben. Whisp then stopped the tradition there and planted a kiss on Ben's cheek, causing him to turn red; Gigi watched wistfully. Why couldn't she work up the nerve?

"Are you ready to make another wish, Ben?" Gigi asked.

Ben nodded his head. "I wish Ghoulia had her legs back!"

"As you wish." both Grant sisters said in unison, clasping their hands together and bobbing their heads down as a bright, white light filled the room with a dull roar. The light died down seconds after that and Ben uncovered his eyes to look at Ghoulia, who looking down towards the floor in stunned silence. Or rather, at her feet.

Just like Ben had wished, she now had a new set of legs completely identical to hers, everything from the pale gray skin, to the baggy, red jeans and tall black boots with red laces that covered; Ben thanked his lucky stars the sisters had been kind enough to provide clothing for her.

"You know have 5 wishes left," Whisp reminded him sweetly. "And I can always grant you one for free, if you catch my drift." she added seductively.

"Love to but I, uh, promised Draculaura I would, uh, help her, um, train! Yeah, that's it!" Ben said rather quickly and with a hint of uncertainty and rush in his voice. Before any of the ghouls could object otherwise, Ben accessed the Omnitrix and randomly selected an alien at will, hoping for the best as the green light washed over him and began to change his DNA. His fingers hardened into sharpened blades as a long, whip-like tail sprouted from the base of his spine and stretched out a couple feet. His toes ripped out of his shoes and melted into four claws, two in front, two in back. The ball of his heel crunched forward, moving under his foot bones and becoming perfectly round and smooth, suddenly separating itself from his foot and held there by his curved toes. Ben felt his skull stretch back into a sharp point and his legs bent backwards. A pointy, black helmet with a slide down mask materialized on his head and a tight, black and green body suit appeared on himself, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest, completing his transformation.

"Gotta run!" XLR8 quipped.

"Your originality never ceases to amaze me." Skurd groaned as the Kinceleran zipped out of the med bay and down the hall before anyone could have any hope of stopping him.


"Are you sure about this?" Draculaura asked rather skeptically.

"Trust me. You'll need it." Ben reassured her.

After a rather quick explanation that he had to repeat twice in order for Clawd to even grasp what he was saying, the werewolf agreed his ghoulfriend would some training if she ever hoped to survive in the newly apocalyptic wasteland. And while Draculaura protested and attempted to argue, she knew deep down that Clawd and Ben would not always be able to save her from everything, no matter how much she wanted to believe it. Plus, even she couldn't argue with her last gym grade, which for some reason was stored in the base's archives.

"Now, we'll start with the basics, since you're so new to this." Ben began, turning on the Omnitrix and cycling through his aliens before coming across the desired transformation. He raised his hand above his head and slapped the activation button, letting the green light wash over him and change his DNA for the countless time. His body structure stayed similar to his human form, shooting up about a foot and a half as the Omnitrix worked its magic. His skin turned a pale gray and looked as if it would split and break with the slightest touch. His fingers became long, razor sharp claws as his eyes widened and turned entirely green. His flat human teeth grew into sharpened fangs, some of them not entirely fitting into his mouth and then curving over his lips. Muscles piled themselves onto his arms and chest as he felt his lungs grow very large and heart start to slow. He felt slightly empty and sort of drowsy, drained of the ability to eat normal foods and forced to eat . . . . other things. His feet became sharp claws, hidden beneath a pair of green boots. A tight, black and green costume that showed off his muscles covered him, a green mask with bat-wing horns appearing on his face. The Omnitrix symbol appeared on his chest as a thick membrane grew between his arms and his hips, forming wings and completing the transformation.

"Whampire? I was going for Kickin' Hawk, but I think I can work with this," the Vladat sighed and turned to look down at Draculaura, who was trying to hide her deep blush. "Are you ready to begin?" he asked.

"Y-yes." Draculaura stammered, trying to tear her eyes from his muscled build.

Whampire nodded. "Good. We shall begin with the basics. Now, repeat after me." he ordered, curling his claws into tight fists and assuming a boxer's stance. Draculaura attempted to copy his movements, but her stance and position were horribly off, making her look like she had tried, and failed, to do the splits and the Funky Chicken at the same time.

"No, no, no. Like this." Whampire instructed, walking over to her and gently grabbing her and directing them into a more suitable posture. He then directed her feet to match his before returning to face her. "Again."

Once more, he went into the boxing stance and Draculaura copied him, her position a bit closer to his. With a mental sigh and calming of his jittery nerves, Whampire stepped over and behind her, setting his large arms under hers and his legs behind hers, instructing her to put her feet on his. Confused, she did so and immediately latched onto his wrists when she felt herself lose her balance on her heels; Whampire didn't move an inch and instead moved his body into the directed stance, Draculaura's body forced to move with his as she began to finally understand what he was trying to teach her.

"Perhaps you should lose the boots, yes?" Whampire suggested after a few repeats of the technique.

She was reluctant, but after a quick explanation from her teacher, Draculaura finally took off her boots and set them down near one of the bench press's, exposing her white socks and little toes to the world. I never realized how cute they were, Whampire thought to himself before realizing what he had just said. Wait a minute. Where did that come from? he wondered before pushing the thought aside. He then directed her through the boxing stance three more times before he was confident she had learned it.

"Now on to step two: actually hitting something," he said, walking closer and bending over so that his face was near level with Draculaura's as he held up his large hands in front of it. "Hit my hands as hard as you can whenever they open up. Try to strike quick and fast before my hands close on yours. If can hit me ten times in a row without me catching you, we will move on." the Vladat instructed.

Draculaura nodded and assumed the boxing stance she had been taught, a determined look in her eye as Whampire opened up his right hand. Biting her lip with a fang, she thrust a clenched fist out and hit him directly in the center of his palm, albeit rather weakly. Whampire nodded as she withdrew her fist and bobbed and breathed a little before striking his open left fist and hitting him halfway between the palm and fingers; unfortunately for her, Whampire closed his hand around hers before she could withdraw it. With a sudden movement of his arms, he shot straight up into the air towards the ceiling, pulling a terrified Draculaura with him before alighting on one of the rafters overhead and setting her down nice and easy above the ground.

With pale knuckles, she gripped the beam as she tried to catch her breath, Whampire holding her steady as he hung upside down from one of the rafters just a little higher than the one Draculaura was sitting on.

"I will do this every time you get caught. Did I forget to mention that?" the Vladat asked with a hint of amusement; he was answered with a newspaper to the face.

"Where did you even get that?" he asked, rubbing his nose-less face.

"Lets just say Clawd needs some training every now and then." Draculaura smiled. Without another word, she suddenly threw herself off the rafter, much to Whampire's alarm, and tumbled through the air, pulling herself into a tight ball and spinning around in midair with perfect form as she landed on her hands on the floor and bounced of them, landing on her feet and giving a slight bow as Whampire descended from the ceiling a little ways away.

"Where did you learn that?" the Vladat wondered as Draculaura walked back over to him with a triumphant smirk on her face, his green eyes tracing over her as she moved her hips back and forth, shaking her miniskirt in a manner that drove him crazy. She looks stunning, he sighed mentally. What the heck is wrong with me!?

"Fearleading." was her reply; her voice was sweet like honey and as warm as the sun's rays, and Whampire felt him heat up. What was happening to him? This had never happened before, so what the heck was wrong with him. Slowly, every tiny bit by bit, Ben felt himself ebbing away into the dark recesses away, fading away like a dream. Only he wasn't quite realizing what was happening. All he could piece together was that it seemed to happen faster whenever he was closer to his pupil.

"So, uh, shall we move onto the next lesson then?" Whampire asked.

"But . . . aren't supposed to finish lesson 2?" Draculaura asked, confused.

"Yes, but I'd like to work with your strengths before working on your weaknesses, so to speak," Whampire explained, walking over to her and completely dwarfing her with his height; Draculaura found her eyes wandering over his alluring muscles and pointed chin, sometimes drifting to his sharp, pointed fangs as he spoke. But she found most distracting were his deep, green eyes that seemed to bore into her very soul and mind, reading every thought that passed through her brain. It made her a tad uncomfortable, but she found she couldn't tear her gaze away from them.

" . . . which is why we'll be focusing on gymnastics," Whampire explained; Draculaura hadn't heard a word he had said, but she tried to look like she had. "So, to recap, we'll try to fit you with a weapon of some sort, something that will fit with your set of skills. Okay?"

Draculaura nodded her head, her black and bright pink pig tails waving around wildly. Whampire found himself staring at them before catching himself and forcing himself to look away. Stop that! he mentally scolded himself. She's already with Clawd! Stop imagining yourself with her!

Without another word, the Vladat turned on his heel and walked towards the back of the gymnasium to pull out three of the practice dummies before walking over to his left and towards a wall that contained dozens of different types of training weapons, everything from spears and rifles to knives and axes. Knowing Draculaura's slight issue with even the mere mention of blood, he bypassed the weapons with sharp blades and went towards the ones that were more likely to stun. He then picked up the selected weapons and walked back over to Draculaura, dumping the weapons on the floor and flinching when one of them bounced back up to come painfully back down on his foot.

"For the love of all Vladats that hurts!" he whimpered, holding his foot in his claws and hopping up and down on the other as Draculaura smiled and tried to hide her giggles. Once the pain had been reduced to a dull throb, Whampire reached into the pile of weapons and pulled out a large war hammer. He then sized it up with Draculaura, but doubted the small vampire would even be able to pick it up; the weapon was twice as big as she was.

He was proven right when he handed her the blunt instrument and she immediately crumbled to the ground under the sheer weight of the hammer head. Whampire quickly picked it off her and cast it aside, the heavy end of the weapon clattering loudly on the floor. "Definitely not that one," he muttered under his breath as he went back to digging around in the pile.

"You think?" Draculaura gasped sarcastically, rubbing her sore arms, glad that the weapon hadn't crushed her toes. She was then handed a large metal base ball bat and she took the weapon in her hands. She lasted a bit longer with the smaller instrument, but quickly set it down after her arms got sore; Whampire wasn't even able to tell her which parts of the body she wanted to hit before he had to go back to digging.

For the next half hour they went through weapons, everything between chains with wrecking balls tied to the ends to boomerangs and blunt maces; nothing seemed to work. The closest they ever got was with a bo staff and even then Draculaura lasted only ten minutes before she had give up on it (the staff had finally broke every accidentally hitting Whampire in almost every available part of his body).

"Oh, Ben, it's hopeless!" Draculaura pouted, falling to her knees to rest. "I can;t find a wepaon that works! I'll just always be a liability!"

How does she even know that word? Whampire thought. I didn't learn it until my host was 15. Then again, she's over a 1,000 years old. And yet, she looks ageless. STOP THAT! he mentally yelled at himself, almost blurting it out right then and there. Something was seriously wrong. Pushing the thought aside for later, Whampire turned to only weapon that hadn't been discarded yet: a pair of beat up nunchaku. The Vladat winced at the blunt ends but picked them up in his claws and handed them to Draculaura, who quickly rejected them.

"C'mon, Ben. Give it a rest," Draculaura sighed. "We both know I'm pointless."

"Don't say that," said Whampire, crouching down to her level and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If I honestly thought you were hopeless, do you really think I would have subjected myself to this much torture?" he joked, drawing a weak smile from his pupil.

"O-okay," she finally gave in, taking one end of the nunchaku in her hand and standing up. It surprisingly felt good in her hand, not too heavy yet not too light. Perhaps she had finally found something that worked for her? "So, uh, how do I use it?"

"I thought that was obvious," Whampire sighed. "Originally, the nunchaku were used as farming tools to separate grain and wheat before they were modified to become weapons. Essentially, they are used to lock up limbs and block weapons, but they are also devastating when in wild swings and such."

"When did you become such a weapons expert?" Draculaura asked. "For long as I knew you, you were absolutely hopeless at Clawculus."

"I'm an expert in things that interest me," was all Whampire would say. "Now then, shall we begin?"

For the next hour or so, Whampire directed his student through the basics of the nunchaku, taking great care to make sure she had learned the moves correctly before actually trying them. Thankfully, this resulted in less injuries on Whampire's part and Draculaura somehow always managed to make it out completely unscathed, which drove him crazy, both in the way it was usually met to be used and the other way that had been bugging him for so long now. Why was he so drawn to Draculaura all of a sudden? Sure, he had admitted to himself that she was incredibly cute and beautiful and would have asked her out on a date had she been single. But she hadn't been single, and he respected that. He was not a thief by nature and this applied to both precious items and girls.

"Once more and we'll call it a night." Whampire said asfter the latest demonstration. While tired, Draculaura was eager to please, now that she had something that she could be useful with. Of course, she couldn't take the nunchaku with her, but she could perhaps ask Jinafire to make her a pair? It of course have to go with whatever outfit was wearing at the time, which was decidedly limited considering one didn't want to wear anything that would hinder their movements in a fight.

With a nod, Draculaura assumed the stance she had been taught and put one foot in front of the other, raising both hands behind her head and wildly swinging the nunchaku in her right hand, gripping the blunt end of the weapon tightly in fingers as she moved her wrist.

"Begin."

With a sudden yell, Draculaura lunged forward as Whampire raised his forearms defend himself as she she attacked wildly, moving her arm as fast as she could , increasing the speed as she stepped forward with each attack, forcing her teacher back as he blocked her attacks. She then quickly let her grip on the nunchaku loosen as she dropped to her hands and attacked her feet, jabbing them forward like fists in quick strikes similar to that of a viper's before bouncing back onto her feet and catching the rogue pair of nunchaku in her left hand, swinging it in a wide arch and delivering the final blow, sending Whampire skidding back a couple feet. The vampire was breathing heavily now, still spinning her nunchaku as she waited for further instructions from her teacher .

"Well done, my love." Whampire grinned. WHAT AM I SAYING!? he practically screamed in his head.

Draculaura blinked and gave the Vladat an odd look. "Um, thanks?"

Unfortunately for both of them, the universe was about play one of its cruel jokes on them. Due to its master having lost focus for a split second, Draculaura's grip on her nunchaku began loosen, her swings becoming more wild and uncontrolled, until her grip was gone altogether and the weapon went flying into the air, twisting and twirling about before coming back down and whacking them both on the head. Hard.

"My love!" Whampire cried, swooping in to catch the small vampire and scooping her up in his arms before she fell to the floor. His vision was blurry, but he could the unconscious, yet still heavenly face of his secret love in his arms, a nasty welt forming on her forehead. Whampire frowned and pushed a lock of black and strawberry colored hair over bruise, once again making her perfect.

"My love," he spoke as his mind began to dim and his vision began to fade. "I know you most likely can not hear me right now, but I let you know. Know that I, Whampire Transyl, Heir of Lord Transyl's throne of Anur Transyl, love you with all my heart. I would literally travel into the brightest of places and burn into the finest ashes to prove my love for you. And it so, my pequeño murciélago vampiro, I must bid you farewell. For now." he sighed, caressing her cheek lightly and affection entry with his claws before doing something he knew his host would pay dearly for later; but he didn't care. He had his true love, and did care for the consequences his human host would have to suffer from his actions. This was why he planted a light, sweet kiss on her pink lips before finally succumbing to the darkness, wrapping his tightly and protectively around his one love, sighing with happiness as he felt their otherwise cold bodies share warmth.

And there we go!

I know quite a few of you will probably hate me for what I have done, but I felt it necessary. As things draw to a close, I wanted to get in at least one last lemon before all hell breaks lose (pardon the language). This will be the last (if not THE last) lemon for a while as things start to get interesting. I know I suck at keeping most promised, but bear with me on this one.

In the mean time, I have some sad news. This will be the last chapter for a little bit. Things are starting to get crazy where I am , and I won't have enough time to work on this story, mostly because my grades are dropping and my parents have taken away my computer (I am currently typing this from my iphone, which refuse to cooperate for some reason, so please pardon the mistakes). Ugh, my life is terrible.

Then again, if it were terrible I wouldn't have any need to write this story and hear words of encouragement from you guys! As always, comment, review , suggest, and request and will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! And don't forget to vote!

Hasta Luego!