(Chapter 10- Crystal)

"So let me get this straight. You want me and Chase to go with you to get Crystal and bring her here and try to convince her that you two belong together?" I asked Josh.

"I know it's a lot to ask but I just don't want it to go wrong. Like...you know." He hinted looking between me and Chase.

"You mean like us?" Chase answered.

"Well...yeah." Josh Replied.

"Hey man as long as you are not after Ashlyn, We will help you with anything." Chase smirked.

"Whoa, you don't speak for me." I said to Chase then turned my attention back to Josh. "I'm not going to help kidnap my best friend. She will never forgive me."

"Hey I thought I was your best friend." Chase interrupted.

"You were...until you kidnapped me, threatened me and tried to have sex with me." I said with fake sweetness.

"Ouch" Chase replied.

"Please Ashlyn. You know I would help you, if fact I did help you." He reminded me bringing up the thing I was trying to forget. Whether I wanted to admit it or not he was right.

"Fine" I groaned. "But we do this my way got it?"

"Got it." He replied.

"Good. Now when do we leave?" I asked.

"Now." He answered.

"In a hurry are we?" I smiled.

"Didn't Chase explain to you the part of finding your first love? You can't think about anything else until you have them." He explained.

"Yes unfortunately I know all about it." I admitted.

"Hey now we are working on it." Chase interrupted.

"I know, I just still have some pent up anger to let out, so just deal with it." I rolled my eyes.

Chase laughed at me, but I ignored him. I was too concerned on how I'm going to get Crystal here. She is going to think I'm insane. I can picture it now. 'Yeah hey Crystal, you know they guy I was in love with all last year well he loved you first and now you two are suppose to be together. Oh and guess what? I’m with Chase now and we need to take you to a vampire castle in Italy so you can get married and be one to.' Yeah that's sure to send her running for the hills. I need to think hard on this one.

"Pack and be ready in an hour ok?" Josh requested.

"Sure." I said in return.

"Thanks Ashlyn." He said happily and walked out the door.

"Don't think me yet, I don't know how well this is all going to play out." I called after him but I don't think he heard me.

I turned back to Chase and he was smirking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just the irony in this situation is just so funny. I mean I practically had to drag you here now you have to do the same thing to someone else." He laughed.

"Shut up." I mumbled walking over to my closet. I started pulling clothes out and throwing them on the bed.

"I'll go pack and be back in a little while." Chase said and left.

**********************************

"How much longer till we get there again?" I whined and I had every right. We have been on this plane for like 6 hrs now.

"You know asking every five minutes isn't going to get us there any faster." Chase stated.

"Really, because I thought it did." I said sarcastically

"I'm glad to see you still have your quick wit about you." He smirked and bumped my arm with his playfully.

"You know it." I smiled.

The way we were right now is the exact way me and chase used to be all the time; Constant jokes and friendly banter. I missed it. I missed my best friend.

"Always the impatient one." He mumbled.

"Hey I'm not impatient." I argued.

"Yeah right, remember the time we went on that class trip to that museum in the 6th grade?" He asked

"Yeah so?"

"You complained the whole way there and back that the ride was too long." He laughed.

"It was." I complained.

"It was a 30 minute ride." He replied.

"Well it wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't been making inappropriate joke's the whole way." I reminded.

"Yeah, yeah" He said.

I rolled me eyes and laid my head on his shoulder. "Wake me up when we get there." And with that I was out.

****************************************

"Ashlyn get up" Chase said shaking me.

"Five more minutes" I mumbled.

"No, now get up lazy." He complained.

I groaned in annoyance but woke up. I rubbed my eyes, yawn and stretched. Chase and Josh were both already unbuckled and grabbing there things ready to get off the plane. Chase noticed me still sitting down and grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's go." He said grabbing my hand in his and intertwining our fingers. To be honest it felt nice. His hand was so big and masculine and mine was so small and weak. I loved the way he held my hand in his.

Chase pulled me off the plane with him. A car was waiting for us when we got off. Our luggage was carried to the car as we got in. After the stuff was packed the driver asked where we wanted to go.

"What do you think guys?" Josh asked.

I looked at my watched and noticed it was 2:45pm, School would be out in 15 minutes.

"To the high school." I told the driver then turned to Josh and Chase. "We have 15 minutes until school lets out." They nodded in understanding.

We arrived at the school just as it was letting out. All the students were pouring out of the school and we were standing in the parking lot waiting on Crystal. Five minutes passed, ten minutes passed, fifteen minutes passed and she still wasn't there. I was starting to worry. She has never missed a day of school in her life. I was just about to go look for her when I seen Amy walking out to her car. I walked over to her hoping she might know where crystal was. When she seen me she screamed.

"Oh my god, I have missed you so much. I thought you wouldn't be back for a long time." She said hugging me.

"Yeah me to." I mumbled. "Where is Crystal today?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been to school in two days." She stated.

"What?" I said in shock. "She never misses."

"I know, I have been worried about her. Ever since she got her new boyfriend she has been acting different. She misses school, she keeps to herself, and she never goes out anymore. I don't know what's wrong."

Ok I was officially worried about her. I have to go to her house and see what is going on. I hope she is alright.

"Well thanks for telling me. I'm going to go her house and check on her." She nodded and hugged me.

"Well it was nice to see you. How long are you in town for? We can hang out before you leave." She asked.

"I don't know I'll have to get back to you." I released her. "I've got to go but I'll talk to you later ok."

She agreed and I walked away back to the car where Josh and Chase were standing. I got in and they followed. When we got in I was bombarded with questions.

"What's going on? Where is she? Is she ok?" Josh said worried.

"She wasn't at school today; we need to go to her house." I ordered and gave the address to the driver. "And one more thing."

"What?" Josh asked.

"She has a boyfriend" I said nervously. I have seen a vampire flip out before and I don't care to see it again. I just hope he is in more control of his emotions than Chase.

"What?" He growled. "We have to take care of it."

"Apparently he has been a bad influence on Crystal." I stated.

"Let's hurry." Josh growled. "She could be with him right now."

We pulled up outside of her house ten minutes later. I opened the door and got out followed by Josh and Chase. I got no further than ten steps when Chase jerked me back and stood in front of me in a protective manner.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"There's another vampire here." He said in a serious tone.

We all stood back looking around at our surroundings keeping watch for anything that moves. I seen a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to it. It was Crystal with a scary looking buff guy who had her by the hair pulling her along. She was crying out in pain but he didn't care. Chase and Josh instantly got into an attack stance. The guy walked until he was about thirty feet in front of us and stopped.

"Let her go." Josh yelled at the man.

"Nah, not until I make some demands of my own." He smiled evilly.

"Or we could just kill you and take her anyway." Chase said.

"You could try but I bet I can snap her neck before you even get over to her." The man smiled.

Oh this guy was really getting on my nerves. How I wish I could just tear him apart piece by piece. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it.

"I doubt that." Josh said venomously.

"Do you want to risk it?" The man smirked.

"What do you want?" Chase asked.

"It's not what I want it's what he wants." He smiled.

"Who?" Josh asked.

"Donatello, He says to tell your Grandfather hello."

All of a sudden Josh and Chase both tensed up and just looked at each other with angry expression. I was still a little bit confused. Who is Donatello? Why was he so important and how did he know Chase and Josh's Grandfather.

"What does he want?" Josh said through his teeth.

"What he has been after for centuries now. The throne." The man said.

Then it hit me. He was Augusto's brother, the one who has been trying to steal the throne from him. He was the gift snatcher. Both Chase and Josh looked at each other like they were communicating with their eyes. Then with in an instant their eyes were back on the man.

"So what's it going to be?" The man asked.

"I have a better idea." Josh said. "We're going to kill you instead."

Within a millisecond both Josh and Chase had the Crystal out of his grasp and him pinned to the ground. Crystal ran over to me and I grabbed her and held her. She was so scared she was shaking and so was I.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to mess with the organization?" Josh said then grabbed a branch from the tree above him and drove it though the man's heart. His whole body twitched and then turned to ash..

Crystal was still shaking when Josh walked over to us and pulled her from me and to him. Chase followed and pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the head. Crystal gave me a weird look.

"Could someone tell me what is going on?" She demanded.