DISCLAIMER: Sadly I do not own Cirque du Freak or any of the cirque characters though I would love to have my very own Larten Crepsley. Sadly I also don't own 'Cluedo'. I do however own Roxxi Clarke.
SUMMARY: After some not-so-gentle persuading, Crepsley finally agrees to take his assistants and Evra on holiday but he is going to need back up which comes in the form of a very irritable Vampire General, Gavner Purl and an ancient quartermaster on a break, Seba Nile. Will Crepsley be driven insane or will he learn a valuable lesson from his students and just why is Crepsley so hostile towards Seba?
A/N: This is not based after any specific book but set before the death of Gavner. It also has references to the movie and completely avoids any friendship between Crepsley and Seba and is my take on the vampires' relationship as mentor and assistant.
This is not part of the 'A Change in Destiny' series.
Inspired slightly by MrsOldGregg's story, 'Vampires Need Holidays Too'.
TITLE: Teaching the Teacher
~Cirque~du~Freak~
Ch1 - Asking
"Hey Roxxi?" Darren looked over at the older girl and waited for a response.
"Hmm?" He rolled his eyes…that was all he was going to get out of her. She was too busy lying in the soft, green grass with her eyes closed; letting the gentle breeze brush over her. It was a warm, summery day at the Cirque and Darren, Roxxi, Rebecca and Evra had gotten up earlier so that they could get their chores done in the morning. This meant that they had all afternoon to themselves so Rebecca and Roxxi had packed a picnic whilst Evra and Darren had gone in search of some games.
Now the two girls were lying sunbathing as Evra and Darren played a dusty version of 'Cluedo' which Mr Tall had found for them. "Do you reckon that Mr Crepsley would let us go on holiday if we asked really nicely?" He rolled the dice in front of him but sighed when together they only added up to four. "You see, I reckon that if we're really nice to him then he can't say no." Picking up his game piece, he moved the four spaces then picked up the dice and handed them to Evra. "Your turn dude."
"Thanks." Blowing on the dice, he muttered to himself. "Come on, twelve…twelve." He threw the dice and a large grin broke out across his face…he had thrown two sixes. "Yes!" He looked at Darren and chuckled as Darren shook his head in disbelief but Evra's smile faded when he realised that he needed thirteen moves to get to the room of his choice. "On the plus side I only need one next time."
Both boys chuckled and Darren picked up the dice, trying to copy Evra's trick. "Come on, nine…nine." He muttered under his breath then blew on the dice and let go but groaned when he saw what he had thrown. Evra smirked so Darren pretended to be happy with the result. "Yes, two…come on!"
The snake boy chuckled and looked down at the board. "Ooh, snake eyes." Darren simply smiled and moved his game piece.
"So what d'you think Rox?" Looking back over at the two girls, he smiled as Roxxi leant up on her elbows and pulled her oversized sunglasses down over eyes.
"I think you're crazy." Despite her words, she smiled back. "It would take a lot more than being nice to Crepsley to make him agree."
"Shame…a holiday would sure be nice, especially seein as summer's here." Looking up at the sky, Darren smiled as a bird flew by, tweeting happily.
"Yeah, a holiday would be pretty cool." She smiled wistfully. "I haven't had a holiday since the last time I went with my parents."
"When was that then?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow but didn't move from her comfortable position on the grass, well except for pressing the 'next' button on her iPod.
"Umm about two years ago I think." Crawling over to Darren and Evra, she rested her chin on Evra's shoulder and looked over it at the game board. "Who's winning?"
"Me." Both boys spoke simultaneously and Roxxi chuckled.
"Dude you totally aren't." Evra looked at his piece of paper which had most of the murder weapons crossed out and almost all of the suspects eliminated. "I am so gonna guess right before you do."
Darren smirked and shook his head, looking down at his own piece of paper which had half of the suspects and murder weapons crossed out, and chuckled. He had already worked out which room it was. "I don't think you are."
Wrapping her arms around Evra's waist, Roxxi smiled to herself. It was on sunny days like this that she was glad she had been blooded and taken to the Cirque. "I can't believe how nice it is today."
Both boys nodded and Evra leant back, his yellow-green hair tickling Roxxi's shoulder. "I know…just think if you could somehow persuade Crepsley to take us on holiday then we could have a whole week or two of this."
"I know and I want to but I just can't see Crepsley agreeing." Roxxi tilted her head sideways to rest against Evra's as Darren rolled the dice and groaned because, once again, he had rolled a two. "I suppose it's worth a try though." The more she thought about it, the more she thought it could be a good idea and maybe if she annoyed Crepsley enough then he would give in. Looking over at Darren she smiled. "Darren, maybe if we both annoy the hell outta Crepsley then we could get him to agree."
"You really think it'll work?" Raising an eyebrow, he offered her a sceptical look.
"It's gotta be worth a try." She thought for a moment before chuckling. "He doesn't even have to go. We're old enough to go on our own, all we need is for him to say 'yes'." Raising an eyebrow, she shot him a challenging look. "So, what d'you say?"
Darren thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright then."
"Perfect…tonight we'll go and ask him." Smiling, she started to plan their holiday…one way or another she would get Crepsley to say yes.
"Mind if a snake-boy tags along?" Evra's words came out shy and nervous.
"Is it okay if Rebecca comes?" Darren looked over to where his girlfriend lay listening to music and sighed. A week or two alone, well alone-ish, in the sun was just what he and Rebecca needed.
"Of course and Evra, I would love for a snake-boy to tag along." Twisting, she placed a quick kiss to his cheek and giggled. "Besides you'll have to rescue me from the two lovebirds." She gestured to Darren and then over at Rebecca who had missed the entire conversation due to the music which was now blaring from her iPod earphones.
"We can rescue each other." Chuckling, Evra sat up properly and Roxxi moved to sit beside him, dropping her head to rest on his shoulder as she watched the two boys finish their game. Twenty minutes passed and Evra threw his arms up in the air, whooping with delight. "Told you I'd win!" Smiling widely, he wrapped an arm around Roxxi's shoulders and chuckled.
"Alright, alright you were right. Well done dude." Darren smiled at his friend before smirking. "Winner gets to put the board away."
"Totally unfair, you should because you lost."
"Tell you what; I'll play a game with you." Looking up at Evra, Roxxi shot him a challenging glance. "I should warn you that I'm amazing at this game but if you think you can take me on then…" Trailing off, she offered him an innocent smile.
"Alright, you're on."
~Cirque~du~Freak~
An hour later, Roxxi had won the game and Evra had been forced to tidy away all the pieces back into the box. Turning to tell Darren about her victory, she squealed and dramatically covered her eyes before saying, "Eww, get a room." Evra twisted to see what she was giggling about and laughed as Darren guiltily pulled away from Rebecca and blushed. "Jeez, warning before PDAs."
"PDAs?" Darren raised an eyebrow and waited.
"Public displays of affection." Roxxi rolled her eyes but smiled.
Evra chuckled quietly to himself and put the board back in the box before crawling over to Roxxi, Rebecca and Darren. "He can't help himself…he's a hormonal teenage boy."
"He's seventeen…almost eighteen." Roxxi happily pointed this out as Evra and Darren traded knowing glances.
"Hey, he's a half-vampire…he's only just hitting vampire puberty." Evra smirked as Roxxi pushed him backwards and laughed when he landed on his back; arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish.
"I can see that." She looked from Darren to Rebecca as they both blushed. "I shudder to think what will happen if we do go on holiday together."
"I reckon our little Darren could lose his…" Evra didn't have chance to finish because Roxxi poked him in the stomach and caused him to yelp. "I was going to say…paleness." Evra finished lamely and Rebecca giggled, trying to hide a blush as Darren looked away. "Though now you come to mention it Roxxi…"
"I didn't mention anything." Her eyes grew wide; she knew what Evra was referring to and although she was happy that Darren and Rebecca were so happy together, the thought of that keeping her awake at night made her feel quite ill. Looking down at the snake-boy, she glared. "Stop putting ideas in their heads."
"You're the one who started it." He chuckled as she groaned and flopped onto her back beside him. "Besides, we could always lock them in a cupboard together somewhere far, far away." Looking up at the clear sky, he sent up a silent prayer that Roxxi could get Crepsley to agree. He had never been on a proper holiday, especially not one with friends because he had never had that many. Darren, Rebecca and Roxxi were his best friends and he hadn't known them for that long. He had only joined the Cirque after Mr Tall had rescued him at the age of eleven and Darren had only joined three and a half years ago. Roxxi had been the last to join the Cirque and had been horrified when she had found out that he had been bullied and abused, going as far as to say that had Hibernius not killed the man who had tortured Evra then she would have done. Evra and Roxxi had become exceedingly close friends since she had joined the Cirque because she too had been bullied as a child and although she trusted Evra to fight his own battles, she always defended him if he needed her to. He was broken from his thoughts as he felt something tickle his chest and when he looked down he saw that a ladybird was crawling across his scales.
Roxxi followed Evra's gaze and smiled before placing her hand on Evra's chest and allowing the ladybird to walk across her skin. Pulling her hand back, she held it closer to Evra's face and chuckled. "What shall we call him?"
"How do you know it's a 'him'?" Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the ladybird and smiled. "They are after all called ladybirds."
Nodding, she changed her question. "Okay, what shall we call her?"
"Dotty." Roxxi slowly nodded and they both watched as the ladybird flew away.
Whilst Evra and Roxxi discussed their holiday, getting excited over the prospect, Darren and Rebecca watched with amusement. "Do you think they realise how much like a couple they look?" Darren raised an eyebrow and turned to face his girlfriend who shook her head. "You know, in a weird way…maybe they would make a good couple."
"You think?" Rebecca continued to watch the pair as Darren wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Look at them, they do look cute together." Darren actually wanted Evra to get a girlfriend and who better than Roxxi. She was funny and smart and she clearly cared a great deal for Evra even if it wasn't love. His reasoning for wanting Evra to have a girlfriend was so that he could do all the things he had planned to do with Steve.
When the two had been younger, they would hang around in the park and Steve would joke that when they were older and had their own girlfriends then they could double date and go on days out at the fair. They would go on the Ferris Wheel and hold their date's hand because naturally, the girl would be scared. They would go to the cinema and purposefully pick scary movies so that their dates would cuddle into their sides. They would have cliché dates and even more cliché relationships but no matter what happened…their friendship would always come first. The thought made Darren sad, he still missed his friend and hadn't seen him since the fateful night he betrayed him and died to become a half-vampire.
"You okay?" Wrapping her arms around his waist, Rebecca looked up at his wistful expression.
"Yeah, just thinking." Leaning down, he placed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'm fine…never better." Smiling softly, he looked back at his two friends. "I hope Crepsley says 'yes'."
"Hmm, me too and Roxxi and Evra would make a cute couple but you do know that they totally don't have feelings for each other…right?" Snuggling into Darren's side, she rested her head on his chest.
"Maybe." Smiling secretively to himself, he vowed that he would make this holiday happen and then maybe he could make them have feelings for each other.
~Cirque~du~Freak~
Night finally fell and whilst Rebecca was helping Gertha and Truska to cook dinner, Evra, Darren and Roxxi returned to their tent. Darren wanted to write his diary entry for the day and Evra had decided that he needed to feed Bippo before getting his own dinner. Roxxi meanwhile, changed into a t-shirt and got ready for her lessons. "Look, I'm gonna head over to Crepsley's tent and see if I can get him to agree to our holiday."
"Hmm?" Darren looked up from his diary, pen in hand and poised above the paper.
"I said I'm gonna go and talk to Crepsley." Straightening her t-shirt, she smiled.
"Okay, see you later." Looking back down at his page, he reread his last sentence before continuing.
"Thanks for the back up." Darren clearly hadn't been listening as he nodded and mumbled something about Crepsley's cape, continually writing across his page. "Forget it, see you later Evra."
Evra looked up from where he was knelt down, watching his snake, and smiled. "Yeah, see you later."
Walking out of the tent, she quickly crossed the camp grounds and stopped in front of the one belonging to her mentor. "Mr Crepsley, can I come in?" Calling out, she waited for a reply.
"Just give me one moment." Inside Crepsley finished getting dressed before calling out, "Okay you may come in now." Walking in, she smiled at Crepsley and sat on top of his closed coffin. He looked at her expectantly as he asked, "Is there something wrong?"
She shook her head and when his brows furrowed in confusion, she chuckled. "No, I just wanted to ask you something."
Crossing the tent, he sat beside her and nodded. "Very well, go ahead."
"Well, me and Darren have been thinking and we were sort of wondering if…maybe…you would consider…" She was trying to drag this out as long as possible, part of her clinging to a shred of hope that Darren would burst in and help her out. It had after all been partly his idea.
Crepsley however, was starting to grow impatient. "Just say what it is you want to say Roxxi. I have a very busy evening planned." Finally snapping, he glared at her but regretted his actions when she jumped back slightly, shuffling away from him. Softening his voice, he followed her and placed a hand on her arm. "I am sorry, I should not have snapped…please tell me what is worrying you."
"Well, me and Darren were kinda hoping we could go on holiday." Crepsley shook his head but before he could speak, she opened her mouth again. "You don't have to come because we wanna go somewhere warm and sunny but we thought we'd better ask your permission and…well…I haven't had a holiday in a couple of years and it's been even longer for Darren." She smiled the most charming, sweetest smile she could manage in a bid to win over the older vampire.
When she finished talking, Crepsley sighed. "No, I do not think a holiday is a good idea. Your place is here at the Cirque and you both still have a lot to learn." Her smile faded before disappearing altogether. "Was that all?"
Ignoring his last question, she tried again. "But Mr Crepsley, we don't expect you to come…we can take care of ourselves." He remained silent but shook his head as she yanked her arm away from his hand and stood up. "Look, you have been a vampire for a hell of a lot longer than us so I understand that you've forgotten how to have fun but we haven't and it's only for a week or two." Putting her hands on her hips she waited for a reply but grew angry when she didn't receive one. "Mr Crepsley?" He was staring straight past her, looking at a spot on the wall, clearly lost in thought. "Mr Crepsley!"
He broke from his trance and looked at her. "Sorry, I was thinking about other matters…umm…no you cannot go on holiday. Now if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to." Standing up, he headed for the entrance to the tent before turning to look at her. "Tell Darren that lessons tonight are cancelled." With that he left the tent and a very confused and frustrated Roxxi behind. Sighing to herself, she sat down on his coffin lid…something was wrong with him and she was going to see what that something was. Maybe if she could fix it then they could have their vacation after all.
~Cirque~du~Freak~
A/N: Pretty please review and let me know what you thought and I'll update soon :)
XxxoxxX
