(A/n: I'm glad you're enjoying my story ric4agosto, Twyle is close to being official. Please enjoy)


Chapter 33: A Long Night Ahead

"Haven't you ever heard of the famous saying, 'never judge a book by it's cover'?"

"Haven't you ever heard of shuttin' the hell up?"

"C'mon guys, relax."

Sapphire glares into teal. "Relax? How the-"

Stan silences himself with a vexed huff, using one hand to lightly squeeze the bridge of his nose as he taps his foot. Just where did he go wrong? Not only is Ike missing, but Pip is as well. How could simply asking a seemingly kindhearted vampire two small favors backfire like this? Just how and why?

Gregory crosses his arms leaning his back against the wall behind him. "Well isn't this just splendid?" His lips curl into a derisive small smile. "Everything is going swimmingly isn't it Stanley? Have you always trusted strangers so carelessly?"

Stan clenches both his eyes and teeth tightly, applying hurtful pressure onto the bridge of his nose, but he is far too upset right now notice. "Gregory I swear to God-"

"Seriously you two, cut it out," Gary intervenes again, scowling at the both of them. "We aren't gonna get anywhere by trying to fight each other."

"We aren't getting anywhere right now, are we?" Gregory retorts, losing his smile. Gary doesn't respond to his question. Gregory breathes out a short sigh as he shakes his head. "What a headache this has developed into."

After no one else says anything for a couple of minutes, hasty footsteps suddenly make constant sound from the north hall, whomever they are gradually about to reveal themself. With how fast they're running, it's not going to be long until they do. The teenagers' ears perk up at the hurried footfalls, staring straight down the hallway wondering what the rush is. The individual couldn't be the vampire hunter, could they?

Darting out of the left side corner is no vampire hunter, running towards the trio is a familiar young teen with his head held down. Upon nearing them, Ike raises his head, and slows down, eyes evidently gleaming from the overhead lights as if he's ready to shed some tears. He stops until he's in front of the group to catch his breath.

Gregory knits his eyebrows together, going into thinking mode. Brendon hasn't been sitting well with him at all after meeting him. He appeared to be the deceiving type, and a pretty cunning one too; who knows how many times he's gotten away with showing off his 'charisma' to others to get his way. But what confuses Gregory are his intentions behind his actions, like this situation for example: He was under the suspicion that the long haired blonde had lied about notifying Ike of their new location, but here the boy is. Cancelling out that thought completely.

"What's his reasoning for excluding Pip?" Gregory wonders, drowning out Stan's demanding voice asking Ike about his whereabouts as he deepens his concentrated expression. Only one, perhaps, logical solution comes to mind - Brendon harbors ill-natured feelings towards Pip. How that came to be will remain a nagging mystery.

"Where's Pip?" Ike perceives with a concerning frown, bringing Gregory out of his ruminating.

There is a moments eerie silence, the quartet accustomed to the faint voices within the classrooms and other parts of halls being background noise. "He was left behind," Stan sighs, annoyance lethargic in his tone.

His answer aguments Ike's frown. "Well then what are we gonna do now?"

Stan really doesn't want to say what's on his mind, but they've made it this far and there is no way he's going to turn back now. "I hate to say this, but-"

"No," Gary cuts in with his glare returning, greatly aware of Stan's next set of words. "We are not gonna leave Pip here either."

"We don't have any other choice," Stan insists, calmly yet sternly. "Leaving him is the only way and we all know it." He looks to Ike and Gregory when he said his last statement.

"No it isn't," Gregory rebuts, pushing himself away from the wall as he unfolds his arms. "Didn't consider the possibly of retrieving him, did you? Or rather you did, but just didn't want to?"

Hearing the platinum haired blonde's British accented voice aggravates Stan to the point of sighing irritably once again, the urge to punch him stronger than before and it's taking large restraints not to go through with his desire. "Look man, we don't have time to go get him from the gym, and in case you've forgotten it's gonna be guarded by the staff. How're we even gonna get him out past them?"

Gregory looks at him with a silent, blank stare for some seconds. "I'll think up something," he walks forward. "We've wasted enough valuable time as is."

"I'll come with you," Gary offers only to be shut down by a "No need" from the teen.

"Well you aren't gonna get there any faster by walking idiot," Stan calls out to which Gregory ignores.

"Is this..a good idea?" With the way things are going right now, Ike has huge doubts about them escaping successfully. And deep down he feels..mildly hopeful.

"I don't even know," Stan sighs again, rubbing the back of his neck. Gregory leaves from their view by rounding the corner on the right. "But we can't stand here forever, we need to find some other place wait at."

"But where else can we go? All of the doors here are most likely locked," Ike says. Stan mutters a swear word under his breath, acknowledging that the young noirette is correct. Seconds tick by until Gary opens his mouth to speak.

"We can go up to the rooftop," he says, pointing upward at the ceiling.

Sapphire and cinnamon brown gives him their attention. "Do you know the way to get up there?" Stan asks, experiencing the slightest pinch of elation.

Gary blinks twice, slowly dropping his hand back to his side. "Yeah, but...the door is probably locked though..." Stan face palms whilst shaking his head whereas Ike gives him a small frown. Gary forces out a sheepish laugh as he scratches the back of his head. "My bad, didn't think about it until after I said it."

"Ah screw it," Stan shrugs. "Let's go check an' see anyway, it beats standin' here."

"What about Gregory and Pip?" Ike asks. They begin to walk the path leading to the rooftop, Gary taking them there.

Stan frowns at the boy's query. "If the door is locked then we'll just come back."

"But what if it isn't?" Ike doesn't get an answer to that.

...

"Fingers crossed? Cuz mine are," Stan raises his hand to prove it.

The trio stop before a hollow, iron colored metal door. Sliding his eyes close, Gary outstretches an arm, keeping his body from flinching when his palm comes in contact with the cool steel of the push bar handle. Stan and Ike stare at him silently, wondering why he hasn't opened the door yet.

The taller noirette quirks an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Silence.

More seconds speed by until Gary finally exerts slow yet strong enough force onto the door. The handle emits seemingly loud clicking noises amidst the silence as he pushes it forward with steady strength, his eyes still closed. The two behind him eye the door, unsure if it's being opened or audibly giving them the indication that it was not going to budge.

"Why's he opening it like we're in some horror film?" Stan thinks, equally confused and amused. Ike is thinking the exact same thing, however he's solely on the confused side.

A sharp squeak causes them jerk in fright, Stan swearing in protest at the abrupt shrill. "It's unlocked," Gary announces happily as he moves pushing the door open all of way. Praying, no matter how concise or lengthy it was, never ceases to let him down. He suddenly comes to a quick halt in the entryway.

"Yeah we can see that now," Stan remarks with a shiver, hugging his arms and clenching his eyes shut as the late evening's brisk air enters the building. It's freezing enough as it is in here, and he wishes he'd wore his blazer before leaving his shared room. Ike shoves his hands underneath his armpits. Stan takes one step forward only to stop, lifting an eyebrow a second time at Gary's motionless form. "What is it?" He peeks past the blonde's shoulder to see a vampire he least expected to be up on the roof, widened hazel eyes gaping at them that return to normal upon noticing them.

"Oh, it's you guys," Kenny says apathetically, golden locks swaying like drifting feathers in the light breeze.

"What are you doing up here?" Stan asks, walking past Gary. He nudges him aside not-so gently with his bent arm. Gary gives him a glare, but doesn't complain. He is well aware that he was in the way, Stan didn't have to be rude.

"Nothing." Kenny goes back to the spot he was at previously, which happens to be a few inches away from the door. He plants his butt down on the hard stone, and presses his back against the wall pulling his knees up to his chest, appearing to be unfazed by the icy temperature seeping into his thin clothes. "What about you three?" He inquires, folding his arms atop of his kneecaps, and leaning his head down on the side of his cheek to look at the three males.

Stan's body is racking with tremors, he can't stop himself even if he tried to. He didn't think it was going to be this cold out! Gregory seriously needs to hurry up and get Pip so they can- waaait...

Stan turns to look at Kenny, mustering up a small smile from his quivering lips. Kenny furrows his eyebrows at this.

"H-hey, you don't mind d-doin' somethin' for us, d-do you?"


"I cannot believe I am about to do this."

Gregory reduces the pace of his walking once he's out underneath the breezeway, standing and facing the large gymnasium not a long distance away. Minutes prior till now, he was racking his brain for a plan to recover Pip. Even though he came up with three, his cutlass was required for at least two of them and he sadly doesn't have it on his person. The reason being he was rejected from taking it with him the instant the weapon was spotted by the keen eyes of the administrators, 'reassuring' him that he wouldn't need the thing to protect himself and his friends.

As much as he wants to go back home to England, his precious blade is far too important for him to abandon in this school and he will be damned to leave it here.

Inhaling the nippy air into his lungs then exhaling, Gregory marches out onto the flat smooth grass ruffling his attire; still a bit hesitant to go along with this. Feeling nervous executing a tactic of his isn't a first for him, almost every time amidst an assassination task his heart would feel as though it's ready to burst out of his chest and he could hardly keep his figure from trembling with adrenaline. How he overcame the sensation has been unknown to him for years now, but it doesn't matter. In the end he always completed his mission alive and uncaught, and those were what counted to him the most.

So, with another deep breath, the lingering tension nulls out entirely as Gregory takes a few steps back then barrels into one of the doors, tumbling to the floor catching the attention of thousands of eyes inside of the detached building, his startling presence silencing the voices. Disregarding the pain in the shoulder he'd used as he sits up, Gregory breathlessly informs the approaching staff (Christophe watching them from his sitting position near the wall in between the two sets of double doors) about the vampire hunter. Lying that he's searching for the rest of them within the school.

His tousled and desperate appearance aided his lie to a certain degree, inducing the adults into a puzzled state of mind. Was he telling the truth or was he not?

The matter is then pushed aside when Henrietta speaks, immediately voicing their own course of action. As she does so, which doesn't draw-out for too long, Dr. Kero asks the teen if he is hurt anywhere and he shakes his head no. Henrietta then questions him about his friends.

Gregory looks away biting his bottom lip. "I-I don't know where they went off to...we split up so the hunter wouldn't follow us going to the same place."

The woman slants her topaz eyes. "What a deceptive brat. "Don't tell me those idiots took him too lightly," she grumbles, clearly irritated at this development plus her inability to read the human.

Pip, who is sat on the last row of the bleachers, quietly observes the commotion attentively at the front with a profound longing to get up and be by Gregory's side. Voices in the form of low chattering, one by one, fills the gym. Was what he said the truth? Did he, Stan, and Gary really come across the hunter? But what about persuading the man to help them? Did they not get a chance to or something? Oh right, Ike is-

The next bout of questions come to a halt when he finds his light blue eyes meeting an apricot colored pair, the owner now standing and discreetly beckoning him forward with a very vague nudge of the head.

It takes a second nudge for Pip to comprehend the gesture, timidly standing on his feet and moving towards the gradually dispersing crowd, most rushing out of the doors. Without a word to the other blonde, Gregory turns to exit the gym, Pip quickening his pace to catch up. Before he can utter even one syllable, both are forced into a standstill after taking two steps out of the doorway, the adults glancing their way as they sprint past them.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Demands Henrietta. "Go back inside."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Pip looks to Gregory, but is unable to see his expression due to standing behind him. "Please let us come with you. We can't just sit idly in safety while the others are somewhere in the school still, they could be having trouble getting here."

Henrietta considers his proposition for a moment then sighs softly. "Fine, go catch up with Luther's group. They're going to find your friends while me and another group are gonna go look for the vampire hunting bastard."

Gregory shows his gratitude by nodding his head then takes off after Luther's squad, a second delay from Pip who nervously thanks the noirette verbally before following after the other British teenager. Henrietta watches them go with a slight frown, hoping she wasn't going to regret her decision. "Keep a close eye on them Luther" She signals for her crew to get going, instead of running they teleport to the foyer.

Once Gregory and Pip are back inside the school, upfront they see the group consisting presumably of ten or fifteen vampires dashing down the hallway. Gregory slows down upon reaching an intersection, inspecting both ends before going down the left hall, keeping his pacing moderate. Pip furrows his eyebrows as he glances back and forth between the crowd up ahead and Gregory's back, once again trailing after his friend.

"Gregory-"

"If they manage to find Stanley, Ike, and, Gary, then we won't be able to continue with the escape plan. I know where they are anyway."

Seems Ike was able to rejoin the rest of them, however Pip is more concerned about the reminder of Stan's plan and can't prevent his face from scrunching up in distaste. He cannot fathom the idea of leaving Tweek here to die. He doesn't deserve death. Just like him being a vampire, he doesn't deserve to be that either. What's the point of saving someone if you're just going to turn them into a monster?

Pip shakes his head to rid away the dismal thoughts, what's done is done and there is nothing he can do about it. "Did you guys really meet the vampire hunter?" He asks practically quietly.

"No, I made all of that up," a frown of it's own morphs on Gregory's face. "I'm thankful that it worked, I had to lie in order for us to regroup." They round another left corner, not too far down a small part of a stone grey metallic door is peeking out behind it.

"I see..." Pip mutters shortly, feeling himself growing out of breath. He's honestly surprised that he's kept up with Gregory for this long, perhaps he's been preserving his speed to be on par with his own. It seems highly palpable since Pip has been never fond of physical activities, thus was his downfall for always failing gym back in South Park.

"You knew about Brendon, didn't you?"

Pip almost loses his footing after hearing that question, greatly taken aback. "I-I did..." And now he feels guilty. Perhaps if he hadn't of been vague with response yesterday, Gregory as well as Stan, Ike, and Gary would already be aware of Brendon and his treacherous ways. Which leads Pip to asking, "But how did you know?"

The duo slow to a stop along the cafeteria hall, seeing the absence of three boys not only confuses Gregory, but also worries him. "Where the hell did they wander off to?" If they were going to go some place else, they could've at least told him about it before he left. Talk about tactless.

Having caught his breath, Pip approaches the double doors. "Maybe they're in here." He places a hand on one of the silver door levers, pushes it down, and pulls it back. However it doesn't move.

"Every door is locked," Gregory says. Pip moves away from the doors to stand beside him. "Meaning Stanley and the other two are most likely walking the halls."

"Oh," Pip mumbles. Then a thought occurs to him a split second after. "But wait, the teachers-"

"Right," Gregory nods, face going grim as he stares down the hallway. "If they're found, then we can forget about escaping."

A small bubble of joy swells up within Pip's chest. He tries not to let it show, but doesn't do too well, the best he can suppress the feeling is by smiling somewhat faintly. Thankfully for him, Gregory isn't looking at him. "What do we do now?" Good thing his tone of voice didn't give away his opposite attitude towards their situation.

Gregory goes quiet for a moment, tightening his lips and knitting his eyebrows closer together as he thinks of a solution. "I would say we should find them first, but I haven't the slightest idea where they could've gone to. It wouldn't do us any good searching the halls aimlessly, otherwise we'd run into-"

"Oi." With a startled flinch from Pip, both he and Gregory face towards the direction they heard the voice in. Coming up to them from Pip's end is Mr. Ashton and his group. How did they end up on the other side of the corridors so quickly? "What are you boys doing just standing there?"

Bad luck struck before Gregory could even jinx it. "Tch, seems standing in one spot wasn't any better," Pip hears Gregory gripe. "Ms. Biggle gave us permission to come and help you all find our friends," Gregory says as Luther ushers the men and a few women behind him forward, lessening the gap between the two British teenagers.

"I see," Luther stops as does the others, he gives the pair a small smile. "This might just get a bit easier then."

Time to cook up some more convincing lies to feed them Gregory thinks, returning the smile though his has a mysterious appeal. Pip suddenly acquires an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach, this may or may not smooth over so well for them.


"Worried about them?"

Tweek leaves Kyle's question hanging in the frigid air of the gymnasium, looking away from the doors Pip and Gregory just left out of. Why should he concern himself with his former friends' affairs? He wants nothing to do with them anymore. In fact he wants them to accomplish their goal, so he wouldn't have to see them ever again..If he and the other vampires survive against the vampire hunter that is.

Tweek stifles a yawn then shudders, clenching his watering eyes shut as he hugs his arms. Somehow, even though he's fully acclimated to the cold in general, he can't really describe this chilly feeling. Perhaps it's because he longs to be in his bed right now, he would definitely rather be in his shared room than here sitting on these butt-numbing benches. Just how long do they have to stay in here for? Hopefully not until morning, that's hours away from now!

All of a sudden, two things occur concurrently, and when Tweek flinches snapping his eyes open, it's partially because of a fresh twinge mixed with warm and cold gently nestling itself across his shoulders. He directs his enlarged blue-green eyes at the redhead sitting beside him, his red dress shirt bare and a not-so faint blush coloring his pale cheeks as soon as they make eye contact.

"N-not used to the cold yet, are you?" Kyle asks, blush darkening thanks to his single stutter and lame question. Something Luke points out humorously.

Slowly, the blonde's eyes lower back to their original size. He looks away and down at his lap as he latches his fingers onto the blazer to pull it closer to his frame.

Which turns out to be a big mistake.

Travelling into his nostrils is a scent Tweek can only identify as savory, this smell can be ascribed to the crisp air of a luscious meadow in Spring. He can virtually imagine himself standing in the middle of a rich and healthy field: the sky a bright blue, the scarce puff of clouds a fluffy white, and the sun a dazzling yellow. Now that he thinks about it (subconsciously), he recalls breathing in this similar fragrance after Kyle had suddenly kissed him in their room, however at that time Tweek's mind was only preoccupied with questions as to why the teen did something like that to begin with.

"I...like you. I have for...quite some time." Tweek squeezes the jacket, and tugs it to a point where it's embracing him almost securely, his body hunching over slightly in the process. Kyle told him that he didn't have to think his confession over..but how could he not do that? Kyle not only stole his first kiss, but he's also the first person to confess his feelings towards him.

"Should I...give him an answer?" Tweek muses, knowing damn well he doesn't even have an answer. A perspicuous one at least. But maybe..dating Kyle wouldn't be so bad...Especially if he's..-

"Whoa, you haven't came down with a fever, have you?" A familiar voice asks, sounding fairly shocked.

Tweek blinks his eyes back open repressing a shriek, remembering that he heard Brendon's telepathic voice questioning him about his well-being at the same time Kyle decided to be nice. But why did Brendon ask him that? He doesn't feel ill, rather-

"Your face is red," states Kyle, looking at Tweek with a solicitous frown.

Tweek does feel heat tingling in his face, but he responds to Brendon first, reassuring him that he's fine then Kyle, repeating what he said to Brendon but out loud from him to hear. Kyle hums, but keeps his lime-green eyes focused on the crazy haired blonde whereas Brendon says, "If you say so."

The brief communication between Tweek and Kyle dies into silence, lasting one minute when Kyle speaks. "I don't think we'll be in here for much longer," he assumes, looking away from the teen. "Maybe another hour or so until the vampire hunter is deemed not a serious threat, and we're able to go back to our rooms."

Tweek frowns at that, eagerly wanting to get out of here now. "I hope so, I'm tired and my ass hurts," he complains, squirming in his seat with a small pout.

Kyle smiles finding Tweek's moue cute, his cheeks a rosy pink. "Let him sit on your lap."

"Shut up Luke." Kyle tries to occupy their time with small talk, conversations that slowly but surely pacify Tweek's annoyance.

Watching the interaction with a displeased glare is Brendon, sitting on the second bottom row of bleachers opposite of Tweek and Kyle.

(A/n: Finally starting on some Grip development for those they have been waiting for it, it's not much but it's a start yeah? Also keep in mind that not all pairings will happen, the main/only one is Pete x Gary. They haven't even been seen interacting with each other so they're not gonna happen unfortunately. I hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be up soon)