Author's Note: I'm surprised but grateful people are still reading this story! Here's the next chapter, as promised it has much more excitement than the last ;)

Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I Choose You

Misty woke to someone tapping on her window. She'd only gotten a few hours sleep and felt like a truck had rolled over her, but she roused herself groggily and stumbled over to the window.

The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet, it was still dark outside. Realising this soured Misty's mood even more—until she saw who was waiting for her.

She rushed to open the window, and then immediately regretted not grabbing a jumper as the chilly night air rushed in.

"Ash?" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned with pearly white teeth, his brown eyes sparkling with effervescent charm. "Good morning, Misty!"

"Is it?" She peered pointedly up at the moon. "Looks like night to me."

"I can't come in the actual morning," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as if he really felt bad for waking her.

"It's fine," she said, covering a yawn. "What brings you to my window? And how do you know which window is mine?"

"…Drew told me. I didn't stalk you, I promise!"

Misty chuckled. "So Drew stalked me?"

"No… well, maybe… I don't ask him how he knows what he knows. Anyway… Can you come and talk somewhere?"

Misty hesitated. It was freezing outside, and her bed was calling her back. But looking into Ash's eyes, her resolve melted. "Fine," she sighed. "Let me get dressed, I'll meet you at the fountain in town?"

"Race ya there!"

She blinked, and Ash was gone.

"Not fair!" She leaned out of the window to yell after him. "You had a head start!"

Of course, there was no response.

When Misty arrived at the empty town square, Ash was standing with his back to her, facing the fountain. Moonlight made his black hair shimmer almost silvery, and she took a moment to sift through her thoughts.

Ash had been right at the Ball: no humans had been harmed. She was starting to trust that not all vampires were evil, and more than that, she was starting to believe she and Ash might truly be friends. But once she went down that road, there would be no coming back. She couldn't throw all caution to the wind and believe him just because he had a pretty face. Every time they met, he proved himself to her a little more, but the lesson that vampires were the enemy was so deeply rooted in her that with every step she took towards Ash's back, her feet were itching to turn around and walk away.

She reached the raven-haired vampire and swallowed as a thought pierced her mind: while his back was turned, she could easily put a stake through his heart.

Kill him, and you'll be one vampire closer to wiping out their species and protecting the human race forever.

She screwed her eyes tightly shut for a second, just long enough to bury that thought deep, deep below the new information she had about vampires—under the proof right in front of her that Ash was not the enemy.

"Ash," she said, before her brain could try to convince her otherwise. "What did you want to talk about?"

He didn't turn to face her. His head was angled towards the gentle ripples in the softly gushing fountain, still pumping water even in the middle of winter.

"Everything sucks, Misty."

The unexpected declaration almost brought a chuckle to Misty's lips. She held her tongue, waiting for further explanation.

"Mars and Saturn are ridiculous, trying to tighten the control they have over us but only bringing themselves more failure. We can't live like we used to, we're not…" he hesitated before saying with a small growl of frustration, "We're not free anymore. Not that we ever were, we've always served the higher vampires, but the things they're telling us to do… I can't do them Misty, I don't want to do them."

Misty regarded Ash with wariness. After the closeness they'd shared at the Ball, she felt vulnerable around him—like she'd over-exposed herself, and now she wanted to draw a cloak of secrets around her to stop him from getting closer.

But he was sincere, she could hear it in his voice. He meant every word he said, and her shields were falling slowly one-by-one.

"At the Ball you said you wouldn't be able to leave the castle again without a chaperone. How'd you get away this time?" she asked. A hint of suspicion coloured her tone, but he didn't seem to hear it.

"Yeah… about that…" He finally looked at her, biting his lip as if he was nervous to continue. "I can't go back."

"What do you mean, you can't go back?"

Ash ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. Misty's hand twitched by her side as if wanting to smooth down some of his flyaway strands, but she held herself still.

"I walked out. If I try to return, they'll kill me."

Misty's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Yeah… I showed them I made my choice. I want nothing to do with them anymore. I want to make my own choices in this world. I choose you, Misty. Or at least, I choose the slayers. The side of not killing humans. Or vampires, preferably, but… well, I still gotta figure out all the details." He was talking fast, almost rambling, as he splurged his thoughts.

Misty stared at the vampire before her. He couldn't blush, as his skin had been frozen since death, but he looked young, just like any regular seventeen year old boy, as he stood in front of her so anxious and uncertain.

This time, when the urge to touch him moved her hand, she didn't try to stop it.

Her hand reached for his, and once her warm, human palm met his ice-cold vampire palm, he smiled and linked their fingers.

His hand was so cold she should have shivered, but she found it strangely calming to be physically connected to him—just like at the Ball, when they had danced together and his hands had glided over her hips in a way that lit a fire in her belly. She swallowed and tried not to think about that. There were much more important things to discuss.

"So… you can't go back," she confirmed weakly.

He nodded, his brown eyes serious.

"What will you do?"

"Well… I was hoping you'd help me."

He gazed at her with warm hope, making her forget about her toes feeling numb with cold inside her boots.

"You can't stay in our base," she said, steeling herself against the weakness his earnest expression was causing in her.

"Of course not, that would be silly," he agreed quickly—earning a sideways glance from her.

Misty took a moment to think. "You need to find somewhere to hide during the day, and then at night, we can meet up and help each other. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yep!" His face lit with excitement. "Man, I can't wait for tonight. We're gonna save so many humans together!"

Misty gaped at him. "That's not… exactly… what I was thinking you would help with," she muttered.

But she had to admit, his enthusiasm was endearing. He grinned at her with pure happiness, and it started to infect her until she was smiling too.

"Look, if you're going to help us, then there are some things I should tell you. But I need to speak to my girls first, and then I'll explain everything later tonight, okay?"

"No problem." He agreed easily, not even seeming curious about the things she couldn't tell him yet. She was flabbergasted by his willingness to trust her and the ease with which he asked for help when he needed it—he was the complete opposite of her, and yet she found herself longing to spend more time in his company.

"I don't suppose you know anything about Leaf, do you?" The question was a last-minute thought that occurred just as she was about to tell him she needed to get back to base.

Ash frowned slightly; the first negative emotion that had appeared. "No, I'm sorry."

"May said…" Misty hesitated. She pulled her hand back, wanting a clear head—but she instantly felt the space between them. "Gary went to find her."

Ash shrugged. "Gary doesn't usually tell me his plans. Or anyone, really. I'd tell you if I knew, I promise."

Misty sighed. She could tell he was telling the truth, but she'd been hoping he could give her at least some idea.

"All right. I'll see you tonight, then." She turned around to walk away.

"Wait! Wanna…"

She glanced back at him. He held up a flat pebble, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"It'll be dawn soon," she reminded him, glancing up at the lightening navy sky.

"We've got a few minutes. Unless you don't think you stand a chance against me," he boasted.

"That does it. You're going down, Ketchum."

Ash grinned and flicked his pebble.

Misty joined him, and tried not to think about his arm brushing hers as they began skimming stones side by side.

When Misty got back to base and hung up her coat, she checked her phone for the first time since leaving to meet Ash.

Ten texts, all about a meeting Grace had called—ten minutes ago.

"Drat," she muttered and broke into a jog to the briefing room.

She paused outside the door to gather her breath and push all thoughts of Ash far from her mind; she couldn't afford to be distracted in front of Grace. Then she pushed open the door and walked in with her head held high.

Grace had been in the middle of talking, but stopped as Misty entered.

"I'm sorry. I went for a jog and forgot to bring my phone." The lie slipped off her tongue like water from a duck's back.

Grace frowned. "Without your partner?" Her voice was sharp.

Misty scowled. She'd forgotten about the rule that they weren't supposed to leave base alone.

"I couldn't find him," she said tightly.

Grace looked at Rudy. All the TWAS slayers were seated at the table, opposite the three girls who'd gotten to the meeting on time—including May, Misty realised with a touch of embarrassment.

"Don't leave base without him again," was surprisingly all Grace said.

Misty took her seat, but not before she caught a glimpse of May in her peripheral vision. The brunette sent her a wink, tapping her watch.

Misty smiled ruefully and ducked her head. She resolved to apologise to May later—no-one could be on time every single time.

Grace cleared her throat and shuffled the papers in her hands. "As I was saying… I have received a tip from Slayer High Command. They have been keeping tabs on a group of vampires close to them, and realised their group was heading our way. They believe their group will attack our town tonight, and thus we must be ready. It is our duty to protect our humans."

Misty's eyes narrowed in deep thought. She had immediate questions: how were SHC keeping tabs on vampires; how did they know said vampires were going to attack the town here, tonight, and not keep moving, and why hadn't they caught the group themselves if they came from their city?

But Grace offered none of this information, and Misty wasn't sure she trusted Grace to answer honestly if she asked.

"The plan is this: we will hide ourselves, in pairs, around the town center before nightfall, and wait for the vampires to show themselves. I trust in each and every one of you to ensure no humans are harmed tonight."

Grace's blue eyes looked at each person in turn, lingering a little longer on the girls she had practically raised. When she looked at Misty, it stabbed deep into Misty's heart that she couldn't trust Grace anymore—knowing that Grace was lying, had maybe always been lying to them, made each word from her mouth feel like Misty was walking on knives—each word caused a fresh wound.

But Misty hid her feelings and offered Grace a professional nod, silently promising to do her duty and follow the plan.

"Do you believe this?" Dawn muttered in Misty's ear as they walked towards the town center under the dying light of the afternoon sun. "It's a bit convenient that SHC gave Grace a tip about a vampire attack, isn't it?"

"It is," Misty murmured, keeping her eyes on Grace as their commander led the procession from a few metres down the path. "But there's nothing we can do other than follow the plan. If there is a vampire attack, then it's a solid plan."

"What would she have to gain from lying about a vampire attack?" White whispered in Misty's other ear.

Misty sighed. They were supposed to be walking in a line, each pair a few feet behind the next, but all the girls had fallen back to gather with Misty at the back of the line. At least their male partners remained in their places, not trying to eavesdrop. She had sent Rudy on ahead as soon as Dawn dropped back to join her.

"I wish Leaf was here," May added from next to White's shoulder. "She'd have a theory about what Grace is up to."

Misty swallowed. She probably would. But with their mission to stake out the town center, none of them had managed to sneak away and go looking for Leaf. It had now been several days since Leaf had left them to investigate SHC, and Misty knew something had to have gone seriously wrong, otherwise Leaf would have been back by now.

"Concentrate on the next few hours," Misty said, her throat dry. "Once we get to the bottom of this 'attack' or whatever happens tonight, we're going to search for Leaf. Regardless of what Grace might say. Okay?"

The girls nodded in agreement.

Once they reached the town square, the girls dutifully found their partners and they all split in different directions, finding inconspicuous spots to either hide or pretend to be human. Dawn and Lucas pretended to be couple; Lucas held a fashionable umbrella and kept it low to conceal their faces. May and Brendan hid in a thick bush. White, Black, and Red pretended to be a group of friends browsing window fronts—it would be another couple hours before the shops closed and they'd have to find a different disguise if nothing had happened by then. Rudy tried to lead Misty to the fountain, as if to pretend to be a couple throwing pennies in, but her memory of skimming stones with Ash that morning was too fresh in her mind. She steered him away to hide in a dark alley off the town square. Grace had disappeared somewhere that Misty hadn't noticed, which left an unsettled feeling in Misty's gut, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now.

They were all within earshot of each other, all with different vantage points of the town center. Humans milled around them, doing late-afternoon shopping or just taking strolls through the square. It was busier than Misty would have liked. Rudy tried at first to comment on the humans around them, but she ignored all his attempts to start a conversation.

She kept her ears and eyes focused on the humans around them, looking past the carefree shoppers and the light gossip, searching for any signs of vampires as dark fell like a tense, heavy blanket around them.

It was maybe around five O' clock when it happened—the sound that would change everything they had ever known, forever.

A terrified scream filled the square, chilling Misty to the bone.

Humans panicked, not seeming to know what the danger was. There was a mass scramble to get away, which hindered Misty's ability to pinpoint where the scream came from. All she could tell was that it wasn't close to her.

She and Rudy pushed past the fleeing humans, fighting against the current of the crowd.

The screaming stopped before they reached the source, by a dark store window on the other side of the fountain.

Misty stopped dead in her tracks.

The area had cleared out.

It was only the slayers encircling the source of the scream.

A vampire with a human in its grasp, blood dripping from its fangs…

Misty choked on a sob.

The vampire had thick brown hair and red eyes that used to be green.

Next to Misty, her friends seemed to freeze as if time had stopped. None of them could process it.

Then Dawn screamed the vampire's name.

"LEAF!"

And all hell broke loose.

Author's Note: I've bee WAITING for Leaf to come back to the girls as a vampire! The next chapter is going to be so much fun to write :D If I keep going the way I have this last week, it'll be up soon (by Friday), but I can't make any promises.

Please leave a review to keep my inspiration for this story fresh!

Thank you for reading!

~Jay