Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter! And to new followers/favourites. :)

Elle: Thank you for your review, hun. ^^

On Friday, Bridget and Bernice waited on the grass outside their school building, ready and prepared to spot Bonnie and pounce on her for a birthday hug. They hadn't brought presents, being told to wait until tomorrow for part two of her birthday celebrations and Alan's secret surprise party. Bonnie wanted a few presents to open so Alan didn't have to suffer all the attention on him They had, however, brought a silver helium balloon that had the number eighteen on it in pink and a badge.

"Just in case she forgets her age?" Leon joked, coming up to the sisters and nodded to the balloon and badge. Bernice jumped at his voice, not expecting someone to be sneaking behind her. For a second, she felt herself tense as if she was on a vampire hunt but she quickly relaxed when she recognised Leon's voice. She fully turned and flashed him a wide smile. Bridget cringed a little at her sister's smile. Poor Bernice probably thought she was looking friendly but to Bridget it looked slightly awkward. A forced smile she had been showing Leon a lot at the moment. Next came the silence between them as they continued to smile like old friends who didn't really know what to say to each other anymore.

Bridget honestly thought for a bunch of teenagers they had been doing well in their hunts. Maybe being honest with Leon wouldn't be so bad. They'd have another hunter and numbers were always a good thing. Looking at their gang, none of them really looked like they would be capable. Bridget especially glanced at her sister who always wore dresses or skirts to school, even when they were in the middle of winter. And despite being eighteen years old, Bernice still liked to accessorise with bows in her hair. She didn't look like she stalked the night, staking vampire after vampire. Then there was Bonnie who was the tiniest out of them all, only reaching five foot one before she stopped growing indefinitely. And with her relapses, she couldn't train or hunt as much as them. But she managed. She hunted when she could.

They all managed. And maybe Leon could.

But Bernice insisted. She couldn't be able to focus without worrying about his safety all the time. That was one of the first things she spoke up about when they began to hunt together. Leon wasn't to be involved at all.

But now here they both were, standing and smiling forcefully at each other with their relationship on the brink of breaking up.

And still not talking to each other.

"To help advertise her birthday," Bridget said, putting an end to the silence. "C'mon, Lee, you were her dance partner for five years. She still thinks her birthday should be an official holiday."

"True. Now that I think about it, I don't think this will be enough," he said, grinning,

"Told you we should have bought three of these," Bernice said, nodding to the balloon. She giggled and glanced at Leon who smiled back. Part of their tension thankfully seemed to disappear.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked and nodded to the benches. Bernice glanced at Bridget who smiled and held her hand out for the balloon.

"I'll take it," she said, reaching for it. Bernice smiled gratefully at her younger sister and handed it over. Her heart was racing as she turned back to Leon and followed him to talk privately. She noticed he wasn't offering her his hand or his arm like he usually did and she felt her stomach churn. It was hard not to rack her brain, trying to analyse his actions and thinking about what he wanted to say. There was a sick realisation that Leon was about to break up with her. Maybe he was finally sick of hardly getting to see her anymore.

Leon had sat down and she stayed standing, looking at him wide eyed and expectantly. She wasn't quite sure what to do until he patted the seat next to him and she did.

"Hi," he said, smiling.

Oh good, she thought. He's smiling. That's a good sign. It has to be a good sign.

"Hi," she replied.

"Feels like I haven't seen you much this week. Actually, kinda feels like I haven't seen you a lot. Not for a while."

She nodded. January and February had been the same routine. School… hunt… school… hunt. Since last month there had been more disappearances than usual. After last summer defeating that pack of vampires, Santa Carla had been quiet. There was still the odd disappearance but not as bad as it had been in the past. But after Christmas, the number of missing people increased again. And when the disappearances increased, so did their hunts.

But it meant having to juggle work, school, and hunting. In doing so, she found herself never being able to fit Leon into her life.

"Things got a bit hectic," she said.

"So it's not me? I was worried you felt differently after your birthday."

"No!" She straightened and took his hands. "Honestly, it's not you. And definitely not after my birthday. I had the best time." Her cheeks reddened and she smiled. She hoped he see could how much she truly meant that. She loved spending her eighteenth with her friends and sister but the following night, when it had just been the two of them at his house, had been the most perfect thing about her celebrations.

Leon was looking flushed as well. Both of them looked like twin tomatoes. "Was worried you'd regretted it. You did get distant after your birthday."

"I'm sorry," she said. "Things are getting on top of me at the moment and I'm struggling to balance it all. I swear, that's all it is. I think I'm just panicking over college. Need to get the grades to go to Washington."

He suddenly grinned, a cocky, toothy grin that was typical Leon and she realised how much she had missed seeing that. He nudged her playfully.

"Things are getting on top of you, huh?"

She gawped, suddenly feeling heat on her cheeks and she slapped him teasingly on the arm. "Oh, stop!" She laughed and buried her head in her hands. When she felt him shuffle over and put an arm around her waist, she smiled and glanced back up at him.

"I'm not being a very good girlfriend at the moment," she admitted. "But I love you. Please know that."

"You sure?" he asked.

She nodded. A sharp, determined nod. "One hundred and ten per cent. I love you and tonight we're going to spend time together. You're still coming to the dance, right?"

"If you still want to go with me."

Her fingers reached up to brush at his cheek, sweeping away strands of shaggy brown hair.

"Of course," she said.

With a bright smile, she made the first move to lean in and catch his lips with her own. But despite kissing him and smiling genuinely now, her stomach still churned. She wasn't quite sure how much longer she could keep him assured of her feelings.

By the time the bell rang and announced the much anticipated weekend, the amateur vampire hunters had gathered wearily outside school, excited for the next two days off but also shattered by the juggling of school life and vampire hunting. Bonnie had spent most of the morning bouncing around school, grinning at the polite acknowledgements to her birthday and rambling on about the forthcoming evening. But now she was slouched in her posture, straight faced and yawning. She was sitting on a bench, rubbing at her legs and hardly talking.

Bernice nodded to her. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

Bernice nudged her. "How are you feeling?"

Bonnie gave her a slight smile and sighed. "In pain. I started with another relapse around lunch."

Bernice beckoned her friend over, stretching out her arm and Bonnie accepted it, leaning into her best friend. Bernice never said anything else about it, going for comforting gestures instead.

"Sorry," she said to Bonnie.

"It's fine. Part of my life now, I guess." She waved a hand. "I'm still going tonight, even if I have to hobble around on my crutches. Nothing is keeping me from celebrating my birthday and that especially includes vampires and MS." She used Bernice as a support while she stood to greet Sam, Bridget, and the Frog brothers.

"So, the plan," she began, ignoring the groans from Bridget, Edgar, and Alan. "Bernie and Brid at mine, and Sam at Edgar and Alan's. Mom said I can have you all over for dinner first before we get ready if you wanted but two conditions. I have to cook and also clear up all the mess." She pulled a face at the thought of spending her birthday evening cooking and clearing up.

"So take out then?" Bridget asked, grinning.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

Her friend rubbed her hands together. "Awesome. I've been craving a Papa Mario's garlic pizza."

Edgar snorted next to her. "Garlic breath for vampires?"

"And for any dude who tries to annoy me by asking me to dance." She sighed, preparing herself for the forthcoming dance and nodded to Bernice's car. "Alright, let's start these preparations for hell."

"Oh, thanks," Bonnie said and scoffed. "That 'hell' is part of my birthday celebration."

Bridget laughed, swinging her arm around Bonnie's shoulders. "I'm kidding. I guess it won't be that bad."

"I take it back," Bridget said. "This is hell."

She stood in front of Bonnie's full length mirror. At the mall, she had finally giving in to buying a dress after Bonnie had ranted over her intention to go wearing jeans as a form of protest. She searched high and low for a Bridget dress and finally found one that she liked and not only suited her body but also her personality. It had taken a nightmarish two hours but if she was being forced to go in a stupid dress then at least she had one that would make her look cool and hopefully save her reputation.

But as she stood in Bonnie's room, gazing at herself in the mirror she suddenly felt awkward in her new dress. Her arms, all the way up to her shoulders, were bare and so was most of her chest.

I've changed my mind. This dress is horrible! I'm practically naked!

It really wasn't a horrible dress. It was strapless, the top part that covered her upper body was bodice style and plain black. She liked the simplicity of it when she saw it in the shop. No fuss whatsoever. The bodice was sewed onto a rara skirt, four layers and polka dot. Again, nice and plain enough for her. It was short but not short enough she was worried about anyone seeing her underwear by accident. Still, she had thought it would be best to put some thick black tights on. It was also a way of hiding her legs which were paler than the rest of her body for lack of sun exposure.

But it was not enough. She hated her attire.

"You look fine," Bernice said, adjusting the ruffles on her dress. She had chosen an off the shoulder one, long so it almost hid her feet with large ruffles on the strap. Bridget thought it was hideous when she first saw it but it suited her sister who turned left and right to admire her outfit. In fact, her sister looked amazing, especially with her blonde hair styled smooth and flicking out to the sides in a Farrah Fawcett style.

Bridget glanced at Bonnie who was busy choosing her jewellery. She had gone for a short dress too, not wanting to look like her tiny figure was drowning in a full length one. It was pink, of course, and spaghetti strapped, tight and fitting around her chest and waist and then loose over her legs, reaching just above her knees and swishing every time she moved. There was a black net underlay peeking out. The thick layers and bangs of her copper hair were crimped, adding volume.

Why did they have to look amazing and she didn't?

Bridget tugged at her hair. It was more tousled than usual and Bernice had styled it, sweeping it all over to the left side of her head and keeping it there with ridiculous amounts of hairspray. As for make-up Bridget had stuck with her trusty eyeliner and dark eye shadow. But then Bonnie had ruined it by putting heavy pink blush on her cheeks.

"Stop pouting. You look amazing," Bernice said.

Bridget shrugged and slipped on few gold bracelets and her leather jacket. At least she got to wear her jacket and her favourite boots. She was counting the hours she could get out of this awful clothing and throw on her trusty jeans and band t-shirts. She followed her sister and Bonnie out when they were ready where Mrs Casey had a huge beam on her face as she came down the stairs to see the girls off.

"You all look fantastic!" she said with a beam. "Stand closer together girls. I want a photo of this."

Bonnie moved into the middle, throwing her arms around Bridget and Bernice. The girls leaned in, cheeks almost touching, and flashed their best smiles as Mrs Casey took a picture and waited for it to come out. She waved a hand at them when the doorbell rang.

"If that's the boys, I want another photo of you all," she said as Bonnie went to open the door.

Her smile fell at the sight of Edgar, Alan, and Sam.

"Khaki? Really?" Bonnie put her hands on her hips and scowled at the Frog brothers. "This is supposed to be a dance and you two still look like you're dressed for war."

Edgar gestured to his long sleeved khaki shirt, a lighter one compared to his brother's darker shade. "It's a smart shirt. You didn't tell us what to wear."

"We put ties on," Alan said.

She sighed and shook her head, gesturing them in. Her eyebrows raised as Sam followed, stopping to beam at her and gesture to his clothes.

"I dressed up," he said. "What d'ya think?"

She looked him up and down, especially taking in the leopard print sweater vest he wore.

"I think you've been watching Ferris Bueller too much," she answered.

"Nothing wrong with that. Ferris Bueller has style."

"I beg to differ," she muttered as Sam walked in and smiled at Leon's traditional black and white tuxedo. "Finally, someone who looks like they're going to a dance!"

Leon grinned, taking a dramatic bow. "By golly, I never miss an opportunity to dress up for a night on the town," he said, putting on a posh English accent. "Even though it's really just a school hall we're off too, but… eh." he added with a shrug, resuming his normal American accent.

"Can we get going?" Edgar asked, pulling at his tie with a frown on his face.

"Let me get a photo of you all," Mrs Casey said and gestured with her hands for them to stand closer to one another. Bernice moved so she was next to Leon and, although hesitant as first, she snaked her arms around him as he held her waist. Bridget kept her arms folded, giving a small huff but forced a smile on her face. Alan stood next to her. When he faced the camera, he didn't smile. Instead he looked slightly red in his cheeks and hunched up. He hated how those cameras seemed to stare back at him, putting pressure on him to look cheerful and smile. Not that he was a complete grump. He was simply never a smiley person. But when he glanced at Bridget, flashing her own forced and faltering smile he grinned.

"You look happy," he teased.

She huffed and elbowed his side gently. "Would you be happy if you were forced to wear this atrocity?"

"I think you look great," he said and smiled to show her he meant it.

Her cheeks reddened. "Really?"

"Really."

She smiled back, properly now, and edged closer to him as Mrs Casey took the picture.

"Perfect," Mrs Casey smiled when she took the picture. "Have fun, kids. Bonnie, take your crutches. Don't limp around like that." She didn't let her daughter go without a hug and a kiss on the cheek to which Bonnie gave a cry of protest over but her mother simply laughed.

"Have fun and be safe!" she said, waving them out.

They separated into the two cars. Leon, Bridget and Bonnie took Bernice's car while Sam had offered to give the Frog brothers a ride. Bernice had already taken off with her tyres making a frightening screech but the three boys stayed put to double check the provisions they had brought with them. Edgar took the lead, getting out a list.

"Okay, weapons check. Stakes?"

"Yep," Alan said.

"Holy Water?"

Sam nodded. "Lots of it."

"Crosses?"

"Check," Alan said.

"Crossbow."

Sam grinned, stroking his beloved crossbow. "Wouldn't go anywhere without it."

Edgar put away the list. "Good. We'll have to keep them in the car but at least they're nearby." He slammed the boot down and fiddled with his tie again. He scowled as the god-awful thing felt like it was choking him. His shirt was awkwardly tucked into his trousers and his long sleeves felt stiff. The whole outfit was uncomfortable and made him feel like he couldn't move around easily.

"Right." Edgar sighed as the boys jumped into the car. "Let's see what hell looks like."