It's like I'm undead, isn't it? This is LONG overdue. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to give your ideas and ask me any questions. I love your feedback, and I REALLY miss having it for this story. Sorry for the super long wait, my lovely readers.

This chapter is dedicated to tisha b.

I do not own My Babysitter's a Vampire.

"Imagine Ry at this age?" Noah said as he helped the rest of the adults clean up after the party. (The children had set up, so they wanted to give them a break.)

"I'm not so sure that I want to." Grace replied. That would mean a big change in their lives. Not exactly Empty Nest Syndrome, since Grace and Noah's families were known for their longevity, but something that would leave them feeling less like themselves.

Simon didn't want thoughts like that weighing his family down. Especially so soon after a celebration. He wanted to keep the positive energy around for as long as possible. "Ryellie's shy, and she's still having trouble adjusting," Everyone had noticed her changes in mood. "but she's one of us. She can handle this."

Victoria gave her opinion then. "Do you mean she'll be willing to handle this or that the counsel says she has to be?" She wasn't trying to be judgemental, just trying to figure it all out.

For a moment, the group exchanged glances. They already knew the answer.

Lydia spoke next. "After this move, we were all hoping there wouldn't be any more big changes. She made connections, that's a good thing, but…"

When she trailed off, Lucas took that as his cue to talk. He tried to speak her thoughts. Even though they disheartened everyone in the room. "If this is going to work, Ryellie needs to know." He turned to his sister in that moment. "You saw the way they look at each other."

Grace nodded solemnly.

"Look at it this way," Miles began after a pause. He was trying to find the upside to their current situation. Though he could already feel his beacon of hope burning out. "When she found out what you are, it only took days for her to forgive you. The sooner we tell her, the longer we have for it to blow over."

He figured she would need a few years to get over it.

Walter traced the star-shaped cutouts on Ethan's bedroom door. The two were standing outside of it, on either side, talking.

"Thanks again for inviting me."

Ethan shrugged in reply. "I had a feeling you were trying to get here anyway."

"Yeah," The older boy agreed. "I don't know why it took me so long." He did know, actually. He just didn't want to admit he couldn't take on a single shapeshifter. Grayson left him-and the small town he lived in-in pretty bad shape. Though not even Ethan would know that to look at him.

The younger boy brushed that off. He'd made it. That was the most important part. "Do you like anything besides the party so far?"

Walter hadn't seen much else. He could hear his girlfriend, her sister and their friends talking in the living room. He knew Ryellie was in on the conversation as well, she just spoke in a softer tone. Every once in awhile, someone would laugh. "The afterparty." He answered. Then, seriously, he said: "It's pretty quiet here."

"I think that's because we caught a break." Ethan told him. "It's normally non-stop craziness." He said this so calmly, because that was the norm for him.

"That must be exciting." Walter thought aloud.

"And scary." Ethan added earnestly.

Downstairs, Erica made the futile effort of looking for blood in the Morgan's fridge. No matter how vividly she imagined it, it didn't show up.

Benny seemed to know what she was looking for and tossed her a vial as he walked in.

She caught it without even looking-the way Rory had done with Benny's other spellbook-and asked: "Whose is this?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when have you cared?"

"I've always cared. It's like when you go to a restaurant and they let you pick your own lobster."

He didn't really understand the analogy. "That's never happened to me. Not that I could afford lobster. Or would even want it." He said the last part after a scoff.

"I bet Ryellie can afford lobster." Erica answered under her breath. Not that that mattered. Benny picked up on it.

His automatic reaction was to get defensive. Then he thought about that further, and laughed. "Not without a job." She gave him an odd look in response. "Ya know," His tone quieted. "I thought of something that might make you stop being mad at her for being what she is." She wanted to know where he got that idea, but waited for him to elaborate on his own. "She carries the shapeshifter gene." His eyebrows scrunched together. "At least I think that's how it works. So… when the venom hit, it changed things."

"She's the shape-shifted version of a vampire," Erica said. "that's your theory?"

"Sorta makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Doesn't make a difference." Erica countered flatly. She crossed her arms. The look in her eyes was less like anger and more like envy. "She…" Erica trailed off. She never expected to finish her thought, even if Benny probed for it. He didn't, but she continued anyway. In an icy whisper. "She can see herself."

Benny nodded. "The way she always has." He was talking about how her vision hadn't improved, because everyone was looking at things in a new light lately.

"You think her weaknesses… matter?" Erica asked, downing the contents of the vial before she spoke the last word of her question. The action made what she said have more of an impact.

Despite this, he simply shrugged. That was all relative. "She's a mortal vampire. You ever heard of that?"

That was a heavy subject. One Erica didn't want to tackle. And she said so. "I don't wanna get into that conversation." So she walked out of it. She turned around when she got to the doorway, remembering something. "Thanks." She said, tossing the empty vial back to Benny.

"Didn't you just go shopping the other day?"

"Yeah," Ryellie confirmed as she and Erica rounded a corner on the way to the store where the twins worked. "but I was thinking about how you put off shopping to help with party planning."

Erica began to wonder if the younger girl had found a rebellious streak of her own, blowing off homework on a Monday afternoon to go shopping. "So this is payback?"

"The good kind of payback."

"I'll get that." Erica said, reaching for the door before Ryellie got the chance. This gesture earned her an odd look. "What? You're probably too weak to open it anyway." She reasoned.

With an eyebrow raise and a light laugh, the younger girl walked through the door. "Covering your tracks?"

Erica didn't understand the question. "What does that mean?"

"You wouldn't wanna get caught being nice, would you?"

The only answer given was a scoff. Until Erica thought of something. "Why'd you wanna do this, anyway? Did you think I wanted your company?"

"You might," Ryellie reasoned. Her words rolled into mumbles when she finished her sentence. "but I'm here for a job." She said that like she had already been hired, hoping that confidence would increase her chances.

"Huh, nice." There was relief in Zander's voice. He stood behind the counter, holding the twins' place.

The girls looked each other, wondering how he had such good hearing. He reached his hand out over the counter, to pass Ryellie an application. She didn't hesitate to take it. Her reasoning wasn't just about how much she wanted a job. (Or, rather, a distraction.) As she'd told Benny, she trusted Zander. Though she still didn't know why.

"Your cousins told me that you make all your dresses. Is that what you wanna do for us?" Zander asked. Erica had begun to make her way around the store, but she kept her eye on the two others.

Ryellie nodded. "But it doesn't just have to be dresses."

"Cool. Are you gonna be here to tell customers about your stuff, or are you looking for a more of a behind-the-scenes kinda job?" There was something odd about the way he phrased that, but she couldn't place what.

There wasn't much confidence left in her tone by that point. That's why she was pushing herself to do this. She lived in a town where the action swept her up whether she wanted it to or not. She hadn't jumped at the call when she found out the truth about the people she loved, but this was the start of her catching up. "I could stay here."

"Our boss'll be happy about that." He said, trying to picture the scene. Ryellie, surrounded by loyal customers, first-time visitors and everything in between. Talking to each one of them. He could tell it was going to be a challenge, so he offered some reassurance. "And our regulars are pretty nice. They won't make things tough for ya." He was trying his best to alleviate the pressure, but it was tough to focus on his words when he was facing toward the door. Wondering where Reegan and Rae were.

"We were supposed to be at work fifteen minutes ago!" The older twin exclaimed. She was rushing around a practically empty house, gathering everything she needed for work.

Rae had everything she needed. A pleasant surprise was keeping her away from her usual routine. And he realized it.

"You should get going." Walter urged, as Reegan raced past him on her way out the door.

"Alright." Rae said in a sigh.

He smiled, and the two leaned in for a goodbye kiss. Which was cut short when the front door opened again. "I almost left without you." Reegan informed. Ironically, she was laughing at her own mistake.

Rae laughed back and followed her sister out the door.

Walter wondered what to do with himself, being the only one left in the house.

He ended up channel surfing for an hour or so. Though this was normally something done out of boredom, he found it entertaining since he was in a different country.

Soon enough, the door leading to the garage opened up and the adults filed in. Looking up, he got the impression that they all had just returned from the dry cleaners. Each had at least one garment bag draped over their shoulder. The bags weren't clear, and he wondered what was in them.

The adults were so wrapped up in the conversation they were having, the didn't notice Walter sitting right there. He'd turned off the TV, trying to be respectful. He forgot about that as he grew suspicious of what they were saying.

"I don't see why we have to do any planning for this." Miles complained. "It should all be up to them."

"They aren't family." Grace reasoned. "They can't make it comfortable."

Such a big house echoed, so they could be heard even as they went to put the clothes away. Miles scoffed. "When has this ever been comfortable?"

"Sometimes it turns out that way." Simon insisted, in a distant-sounding voice.

"Ryellie's gonna hate it." He argued. In that moment, his hope had run out. "Ryellie's gonna hate us."

"Dad, stop it." Noah pleaded. He sounded tired rather than sad. "Nobody likes this at first, but we wouldn't have the life we do if-"

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore." Charlotte interrupted. This made Walter tense up because the others silently agreed. Which meant he didn't have much to go on. He wasn't sure why, but instinct had him headed toward Ethan's house.

"Maybe I was only led here because it's the last place I left." Walter admitted. He and Ethan were the only two in the living room. If it wasn't for work and school, he'd wonder if the rest of Ethan's family was in on whatever was going on. "I just went with my gut. Stupid, right?"

"No." Ethan answered, as he shook his head to reinforce how he felt. "So, what happened?"

"They walked right past me." Even that detail was telling. It meant the adults were too focused on whatever they had to do, they didn't realize they had an audience. This worked to the kids' advantage. "I don't know much, but they're keeping secrets from Ryellie again."

"Again?" Ethan echoed questioningly. Walter was in on the shapeshifter secret long before she was. The second the younger boy spoke, he realized this had to be the case. How could Rae keep something like that from someone she was dating? Then again, she kept it from someone she was related to. At this point, he could only hope Walter knew. It would make the conversation so much easier.

"The shapeshifting?" Walter clarified. "I know about it. I know about you, too." Another surprise that simplified things. Ethan didn't have to waste time explaining that.

Still, he had to ask. "When'd they tell you?"

Walter countered the assumption with a shake of his head. "At the party. I overheard."

"Benny." Ethan mumbled, almost like he was sitting in the room.

"It's okay I… I don't think anybody else would make the connection." The older boy assured. It was an odd way of saying he could be trusted. As far as Ethan was concerned, that went without saying. "I know it's not completely up to you, but I was hoping for… some insight?"

For the first time since the two sat down to talk, Ethan was smiling. "Was that a seer pun?" Ethan asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

In affirmation, Walter asked: "Rae told you I'm a dork, right?" This made them chuckle, but they remembered to stay on topic. "All I know is, whatever this is… involves fancy clothes."

Ethan's eyes moved to his own hands before he fixed his focus back on Walter. He remembered how well refraining from talking about a vision had worked out last time, so he asked: "Like a dinner?"

There was a pause before Walter said what Ethan was thinking. "It can't be that harmless."

He nodded. "Not from what I saw."

"What else was there?"

Not much, apart from what Walter said. "The girls looked terrified."

It was the only other detail he had, but it was disillusioning. "They sprung this on the twins, too?"

"They will." Ethan answered. As far as he knew, it was unavoidable.

Walter couldn't stand that. He couldn't let himself stand for it, either. "Unless we uncover something."

Suddenly the quiet conversation turned into an argument. "What if we're out of time? What if the dinner's tonight?"

"Can't be tonight." Walter dismissed. "I would be at the table."

It was a good theory. But there was a hole in it. "Unless you're the one who answers the door."

"Maybe nobody has to answer the door. The adults are anticipating this." Walter reminded Ethan. "We're just lucky they don't know we are."

"Why not just confront them?" That seemed easier than the roundabout way of getting answers that they didn't even have a plan for. "They're still at the house, right?"

Walter answered this question with a question. "Do your parents know about you?"

He had a feeling he knew where this was going. So, instead of a simple, no, Ethan answered: "They don't know about me, or Benny, or Sarah…" The next part of his sentence was said under a sigh. "Rory, Erica, Ryellie-" He was about to add Grandma to this list that already seemed pretty long. Walter stopped him before he could.

"What's there to know about Ryellie?"

Ethan figured Rae and Walter had been so busy catching up with each other that they didn't get the chance to talk about anyone else. He hated to be the bearer of this news, no matter how the older boy would take it. "Ryellie's sort of a vampire now."

"How can anybody be sort of a vampire?" Walter sounded frustrated rather than confused, and he blamed that on the anger he felt toward the adults. He hoped Ethan sensed that. The younger boy had flinched when Walter's voice rose.

"Her abilities." Ethan explained. The example he gave summed up that whole situation pretty well. "She's no good at flitting, but she can fly."

Walter nodded. "And you wouldn't tell your parents because you think you're protecting them? Protecting your friends? Protecting yourself?"

Ethan wasn't sure of the reason. He supposed all three made sense. What he said was: "That's just how it is." Then he saw the other boy's logic, before it was put into words.

"All we'd get is another cover story."

Ethan got quiet for a moment. Then he asked: "How long until you leave?"

"Two days."

At this point, the younger boy took his phone from his pocket. Ready to call for backup, then head over to Benny's for a better vantage point. "Let's pretend we don't have two days."

When Sarah walked in to the store where Reegan and Rae were making their apologies to Zander, Erica instinctually looked behind her.

In response, Sarah looked over her own shoulder, to see whatever had caught Erica's attention. There was nothing there. That was the point, but she failed to see it. "What?"

"Where's your boyfriend?" Erica asked with crossed arms.

"He's at home, last time I checked."

"When was the last time you checked?"

"When I dropped him off there after school today." Sarah replied.

Erica chuckled, but she found what she said next sad instead of funny. "I'm surprised you can still stand without him next to you."

Sarah's eyebrows lowered, and she swallowed an annoyed sigh. "I came here to hang out with you, but if you don't want me around then-"

"Wait," Erica cut in. Her apology was in her eyes when she said: "it's just weird seeing you without him. Good," She made sure to emphasize. "but weird. That's all."

"It used to be weird seeing me with him," Sarah reasoned. "I think it's time we accept that everything about our lives is weird."

"You're telling me." Reegan cut in, taking no attention away from the small smile that formed on Erica's face in that moment. "Ryellie took my side with this whole job thing."

Sarah looked at Ryellie with pride, but said nothing. Probably because it wouldn't be heard over Rae's groaning.

"I just wanna say that this wasn't a bet, so I don't owe you anything."

"I know you don't." Reegan answered. A little too guiltily to go unnoticed.

"We're not even gonna tell the girls?" Rory asked. He was easily confused, but he he understood this. It just didn't seem right to him.

"It'd probably just make things worse." Benny said, his eyes set on the house behind his. He was watching the lights. When they all went out, that would mean the adults had left again. That would mean the boys had their chance.

"Ryellie's... fragile." Ethan reasoned.

"That's why we shouldn't lie!" Rory argued. It was strange hearing him get loud when it wasn't out of excitement.

Instead of countering that, Ethan made it about crowd control. "We have one person for each floor of the house. That's enough."

Rory looked to Walter for his opinion.

"Ethan's basically your leader, right? You should listen to him."

"This is the best way to go about it." Benny added.

"We don't even know what we're going about." Rory pointed out. His focus was completely on Benny then. "I get it. You wanna be the hero. Hiding stuff from her isn't gonna get you there. It's not gonna make her happy. You can't… shut her out." The other boys were slightly stunned by the words, but the speaker felt like he had found a balance. Finally.

Before anyone could answer-whether to argue more or agree-Rory took his phone from his pocket and dialed Erica. And this time, that had nothing to do with her. It was done simply because his contacts were listed in alphabetical order.

The call went straight to voicemail.

Minutes prior, the girls stuck a deal. They would spend the rest of the day together, as well as the next afternoon. And they would do this without any interruptions. Sarah was the first to turn off her phone, as a way to say that she was still indeed a separate entity from Ethan, no matter how close they'd grown.

The twins followed suit, as a way to show support. Erica was last to do the same, although it had been her idea. Her thumb glided over to the power button. Had she gone to press it a moment later, her phone's screen would have lit up. Displaying one of the last pictures of Rory Keaner in existence.

But speed was on her side, not his.

He didn't bother to say his reason for calling. He didn't bother to say anything. He just hung up, sending the other boys a look of defeat while hoping they would reach some sort of victory...

THANKS FOR READING, please review! Let me know if there are any spelling/grammar/phrasing mistakes. This is at the back of the rotation now, but I'll update ASAP! Just lemme know what you wanna see next. =]