Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 22:51:54 -0700 From: "Nancy A. Taylor" Subject: Halloween: Things That Go Bump in the Night [01/01] To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU This was going to be offered as a Halloween challenge, but I've been beaten to the punch on that. Consider this my contribution. This is a part of my "Laurene Chronicles" series, which can be found on my fiction webpage. DISCLAIMER: The Forever Knight characters in this story do not belong to me. They were created by J. Parriott and B. Cohen and are owned by Sony/TriStar. No copyright infringement was intended by the author. This alternate universe and the characters Laurene, Krissy, Kayla and Jeremy are my creations. Please ask permission before playing with them. My apologies to any Montreal fans who may be reading this. My description of your sewer system is strictly for entertainment purposes and in no way is meant to represent their actual condition. Many thanks go to my editor, Jeri Friedman, who is constantly teaching me new ways to improve my writing and who contributed many of the ideas used in this story, and to Heather-Anne Gillis who loves punctuation and keeps my ego inflated with all her lovely comments. Now, on with the show. . . . PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE given to Mel for www.fkfanfic.com and to the FTP site. THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT by Nancy Taylor nat1228@home.com (c) October, 1999 "Oh Daddy!" Laurene looked at her father in exasperation. "I'm old enough to go trick-or-treating alone!" Nick grinned as he evaluated his daughter. At four feet nine-and-a-half inches, with a maturity beyond her years, his daughter appeared older than ten. "I can watch Jeremy. We'll be okay. Puh-leeze, Daddy?" "Let's see what your mum has to say, okay?" "See what I have to say about what?" Natalie walked across the room, Kayla cuddled in her arms. "I'm old enough to take Jeremy trick-or-treating without Daddy tagging along. Aren't I?" Laurene's blue eyes were wide. Natalie gazed at Nick, who gave her his most innocent look and a shrug. Looking back at her daughter, she said, "Why don't you give your daddy and me a chance to discuss this? You and Jeremy can put on your costumes." Eager to be going, the children agreed and ran upstairs to their rooms. "You're not really planning on letting them go out alone, are you?" Disbelief filled Natalie's eyes. "Well, I. . . ." "Don't you think ten is a little young?" "Absolutely! But you try telling our daughter she can't go now that she's made up her mind." "So how do you want to handle this?" "How about I follow at a discreet distance?" "Just so long as you don't lose sight of them. There are going to be a lot of children out there." "Tell me about it." Nick's rueful grin was a reminder of past Halloween fiascoes. "They'll be fine. Don't worry." With a red rubber nose and greasepaint freckles, Laurene bounded down the stairs dressed in baggy old clothes borrowed from her father and Uncle Don. A long stick with a stuffed bandanna completed her hobo costume. "How do I look?" She was breathless with excitement. "Disreputable." Her father's statement brought a wide smile. "Great! Jeremy will be down in a sec. He's gonna need help with his make-up." Right on cue, the younger Chevalier came running, black cape billowing, his face glowing with excitement. He smiled, revealing cheap plastic fangs. "Hurry up, Mum! It's dark enough to be going." "This won't take long." Natalie handed the baby to Nick and steered Jeremy toward the bathroom. Within minutes, the youngster emerged white-faced, black circles painted around his eyes and blood-red lips grinning impishly. "Just one more thing. . . ." Slipping into the kitchen, she collected the final piece of their son's costume--a blood bag filled with diluted Ribena. "Cool! Real blood! Now I'll look just like Daddy!" A muffled chuckle erupted from Nick who tried to hide his amusement. "You make a fine vampire, Jer." "Can we go now?" Laurene asked. "I'd really like it if you ate a little something first." "Aw, Mum, do we have to?" "I've got sandwiches and milk ready. It'll only take a few minutes." Jeremy's eyes lit up at the mention of food. "I'm hungry!" Running into the kitchen, he began to gobble a chicken salad sandwich and gulp down some milk. "Wait for me, Jer!" Laurene rushed up behind him, grabbing a sandwich of her own. The phone rang. Reaching for the receiver, Nick handed Kayla to Natalie. The exhausted mother marched off to the nursery to deposit her charge in the crib. When she returned, the look on Nick's face stopped her cold. "What's wrong?" "A water pipe burst at the shelter and the common room is flooding. I've got to get down there right away." "Can't they just call a plumber?" "At this time of night? On a Sunday? I'll get back as quickly as I can." "What about the kids? Who's going to watch them while they're out?" "I'll call Lacroix from the shelter." With that, Nick flew off. Natalie shook her head. "Lacroix?" "What now, Nicholas? Don't you realize this is my busiest night of the year?" "Well, ah . . . I need your help." "What is it this time?" "I need you to come to Montreal and watch Laurene and Jeremy. They're going out trick-or-treating alone, and . . ." "Not MY granddaughter! Nicholas, what kind of father are you? She's much too young to be out on her own." "I *know* that, Lacroix. I was supposed to follow her, but got an emergency call from the shelter. Nat has to watch the babies. Can you help?" "I'll do it for Laurene. . . ." "I owe you one. . . ." Nick interrupted. "Okay, more than one. Gotta go." He hung up and waded through the common room in search of the water cut-off valve. Meanwhile at the Raven, Lacroix slipped out the back and took to the air. Montreal was a long flight, and he needed to be there as soon as inhumanly possible. "Thanks, Mum!" Laurene tipped back her glass of milk, draining the remaining drops. "Can we go now?" Natalie sighed with relief when first one twin, then the other, set up a squall. "Could you give me a hand with Krissy and Kayla first? Then you can go. I promise." With an impatient look, Laurene followed her to the nursery. After twenty minutes, they managed to get the babies diapered and settled down once more. "Now?" she asked. Realizing that she had used up all her delaying tactics, Natalie nodded. "Just stay in our neighborhood, and be careful." "Yes, Mum. See ya!" "Just a minute." "Aw, Mum. . . !" "Here. Take this." She handed her daughter a key. "In case I'm busy with the twins when you get home." "Okay. Thanks. Bye, Mum!" Laurene tucked the key into her pocket and grabbed her brother's hand, disappearing through the front door. "Trick or treat!" "My, don't you two look scary," the old woman commented to the hobo and vampire as she deposited popcorn balls into their bags. "Thank you!" From behind a tree, sharp eyes watched as the unaccompanied children turned and made their way down the steps, heading to the next house. The perfect targets. . . . "This is fun!" Jeremy chirped, his red-painted lips curved into an ear-to-ear grin. Already his bag was half-filled with sweets, a tempting treasure to the youngster. Suddenly, a shadowy figure pulled his cape, grabbed the bag and ran. "Hey! Stop!" Jeremy spun about and began to follow. Outraged, Laurene passed him in her determination to catch the thief. "Give that back!" As she ran, the house key bounced out of her pocket unnoticed, falling through the sewer grate into the muck below. Her preternatural speed was not enough to catch the older boy as he rounded a corner and disappeared. Turning back, she wrapped her arms around her weeping brother. "It's okay, Jeremy. We're not done trick-or-treating yet. I'll divide what I have with you." He looked up. "Okay, Laur." He sniffed back tears that threatened to smear his make-up. The thief was so engrossed in examining his haul, he didn't notice the light "whoosh" of air behind him. He jumped as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, pinning him in place. "You would do well to return what you stole," a cold voice intoned. "No way, man! This is mine, fair and square!" "I think not," Lacroix growled. "You will return the candy . . . now." "No wa. . . ." The boy's bravado was quickly silenced as he was spun around to confront glowing yellow eyes and sharp fangs. One hand lifted him off the ground. The last of his courage deserted him, and he wet his pants. "Oh my," Lacroix mused with a slight smile. "Tsk, tsk. What a shame." He gave the boy a shake. "You will do as I say . . . or suffer the consequences." "O-o-okay, mister. Just let me down. Please!" Lacroix set him on his feet and watched as he ran toward the two children. "Here!" He shoved the bag into Jeremy's hands then ran as if the devil were after him. "What the . . . ?" She looked down at her brother. His eyes were shining with delight at the return of his treasure. "Look Laur! He gave it back!" "Uh, yeah." She stared in the direction the young thief had gone and shook her head. "Hey," she said, getting back to the matter at hand, "there's a likely-looking house." She pointed to a large porch festooned with pumpkins and bedsheet ghosts. "Let's go!" Lacroix allowed a smile to crease his face. Ice-blue eyes glittered in the light of the streetlamps. He watched the children advance on yet another house before he slipped out to the street and lowered himself through the manhole. His acute hearing had caught the sound of something metallic as it fell from his granddaughter's pocket. Knowing her parents would likely have given the girl a key to the house, Lacroix thought it prudent to recover the lost object. As he stepped off the ladder, his foot slipped on something unmentionable, landing the staid vampire on his posterior. Rising to his feet, he slipped again, landing on his face. Montreal's sewers were *nothing* like Toronto's. A group of children passing the house with the decorated porch heard strange noises emanating from beneath the street. "Ghosts!!" one of the children yelled, running in terror from the medieval French curses floating through the night. The screaming horde knocked Laurene and Jeremy into the grass in their hurry to escape. "W-w-what's that?" Jeremy asked, looking around for the source of the mysterious sounds. Helping her brother to stand, she brushed him off and pulled him close. "I don't know, but don't worry. I'll protect you." She looked around. "Let's keep going. There're a few more houses on this street." "Is it okay?" The little boy clutched his sister's hand. Laurene felt a tingle along her spine, a sensation she occasionally experienced when her father was near. Strangely, she felt safe and protected, even though they were alone. She shook off the peculiar feeling and turned to her brother. "Sure it's okay. We're nearly back home, anyway." "You owe me. . . ." Startled, Nick whirled to face his master. Lacroix stood before him, covered with muck and smelling like he'd taken a nap in the sewer. A smile slowly spread across the younger vampire's features as he looked at the undignified smudges of filth on the elder's face. "What happened to you?" He couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up from his chest. "You don't want to know." Lacroix growled. "Oh, I think I do." Nick's laughter was threatening to consume him. "I will deal with you later," his master hissed. "Take this." Slapping a key into his son's palm, he was gone, leaving a slimy puddle where he'd stood and a track of muddy footprints on the newly-cleaned common room floor. Digging in her pocket for the key, Laurene frowned when she couldn't find it. Knocking on the door, she waited for her mother. "Hi, Mum. We're home!" "Hi yourselves!" Natalie greeted the pair. "How'd you do?" "Terrific!" Her son held up his bag as proof. "No problems?" Jeremy opened his mouth, but his sister quickly stifled him with an elbow to his side. "Nope. No problems at all. We're just fine." She paused, glancing down. "I lost my key, though. I'm sorry, Mum." "Don't worry, Sweetie. It wasn't marked. We'll just get another one made. Why don't you two go change into your pajamas then check out your loot?" "Okay!" Within minutes, they were back downstairs sorting through their candy. After allowing each child one piece, Natalie sent them off to bed. Smiling, she dropped onto the couch, happy that another Halloween was safely past. A half-hour later, the sound of a key in the door woke her. Rising, she met her husband as he walked in, wrapping her arms around him. "How was *your* evening?" "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He smiled. "Try me." Natalie kissed him lightly before letting go. Nick set the lost key on the table near the door and placed a hand on his wife's back, guiding her toward their bedroom. "Just remember . . . you asked for it," he chuckled. "Lacroix came to the shelter tonight . . ." The End Comments are always welcome at: Nancy A. Taylor -- nat1228@home.com http://members.home.net/nat1228/fkfanfic.htm "Brevity is the soul of wit." -- Shakespeare