Hey lovely readers,

I know I should be updating a regular story, but I thought I'd give you all a little Halloween treat with a mini Halloween story. Hope you all enjoy it!

Leeese

Tuesday, October 29th 2013

Tree Hill, North Carolina

Julian Baker Durham made his way towards his parents' house. He had just finished work at the precinct and had decided to check on his mother, Sylvia, after her busy shift at the hospital. He had stopped by the candy store on his way to get Halloween candy so that his parents' didn't have to worry. He always made sure to check on his parents to make sure they were okay; even more so around Halloween.

He remembered when he was a child he hadn't celebrated Halloween like normal kids. It had been a time of great tension and distress in his household. At first, he had hated his parent's for making him the odd one out to the other kids. But when he was in his teens, he understood why his parents didn't want to celebrate that particular holiday.

His father, Brian "Whitey" Durham, had confided in him and told him all about an event that had occurred almost twenty five years ago. Julian himself had been almost 1 year old at the time. A patient of his father's named Dan Scott; who he had been treating for ten years, had stopped taking his meds. He had then gone on a killing spree where his target had been his family; and even his then girlfriend. His father hadn't gone into details about what had happened. Julian had only found out when he had reviewed the police files when he had become a detective.

He had learned, from the police file, that Dan had killed his parents, brother, sister in law and girlfriend. However, he had discovered a file that had been in his father's office that had revealed that everything in the police file wasn't exactly true. Julian had been shocked that his father had helped cover things up and broke the law in the process. After he had thought about it for a while he knew that it was for the best that his father had done what he had.

He made his way up the steps of his parents' porch and arrived at the front door. He stopped in his tracks as he saw that the door was slightly ajar. His hand instinctively went to his gun as he became more alert. His parents never left the door like that so he knew that there had to be something wrong.

He carefully nudged the door open and cautiously went inside. He deposited the brown paper shopping bag of candy in the hallway table as he appraised the area. Nothing seemed out of place. He then made his way towards the lounge. Again nothing seemed out of place there. He went back out the lounge and made his way down the hallway.

The next door that he reached led into his father's office. It was ajar and he immediately saw that the room had been trashed. From what he could see papers had been strewn around and things had been smashed. He carefully nudged the door open further and the color left his face at the sight that greeted him.

Amid the trashed office, his mother lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. He saw the pool of blood on the wooden floor beneath her. It seemed to grow even bigger as he rushed towards her. He knelt down beside her in a patch that was clear of blood and checked her pulse. He was relieved to find that it was still beating. As his fingertips pressed against her pulse point, she let out a gasp. Julian jumped slightly as she grasped his wrist.

"Mom what happened?" he asked in a worried tone as she opened her eyes.

"You need to check on your father." she told him in a weak voice.

"Where is he?" Julian asked with a frown. As far as he was aware, his father was still at work.

"It was Dan Scott," Sylvia managed. "He must have escaped. Find your father."

"I will mom," Julian replied as he pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed 911. "Let me get you an ambulance first."

~X~X~X~X~

Seattle, Washington

"Just how many decorations are you going to put up Brooke?" Rachel Gatina asked her boss as her customer left the hair salon.

"I'm almost done," Brooke Davis replied as she made her way down the ladder. "You should know by now that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays; besides Christmas and Valentines Day."

"Can you count Valentine's as a holiday?" Rachel asked as she frowned thoughtfully. "I mean we have to work on that day, so I wouldn't class it as a holiday."

"Well I do." Brooke told her as she studied the decorations she had just put up.

"Isn't every day Valentine's Day in your house?" Rachel asked in a teasing tone.

"It sure is," Brooke replied as she smiled widely. "Valentine's Day just makes Lucas even-"

"Hornier?" Rachel asked cutting her off.

"More romantic actually," Brooke replied with a laugh. "You know it's a good thing there are no customers in here right now. The way you talk I'm surprised you need curlers to help curl people's hair."

"Why do you think I'm the curling expert in here?" Rachel asked unfazed. "I'm surprised that the two of you only have Sienna. The way you two go at it you should have an entire football team by now."

"I don't know if you've heard about this or not, but there's this new invention called contraception," Brooke told her in a playful tone. "That's why Sienna is an only child. And she will be for several years to come."

"When are you planning on giving her a sibling?"

"I honestly don't know," Brooke replied. She got a thoughtful look on her face as she added. "Is it better to have them closer together or years apart? I mean both Lucas and I don't have any siblings so we don't have any clue on that one."

"Well my parents had my eldest three brothers in quick succession and then had me and my sister over a decade later," Rachel told her. "My brothers got on and as you know me and my sister didn't. So to answer your question I don't think it matters."

"I should know never to ask you things like this because you always tell me a long story and I never get an answer." Brooke replied with a fond smile.

"Yeah but you love my little tales of Rachel wisdom right?" Rachel asked as she laughed.

"I wouldn't say love," Brooke teased. "But then again you certainly keep the customers entertained with your tales."

"Why do you think my tips are so good?" Rachel asked with a grin.

"Speaking of tips, Tara Richards actually tipped me earlier," Brooke told her. "And it wasn't her usual dose of sarcastic comments either. It was cold hard cash."

"Maybe Halloween is her favorite holiday too," Rachel suggested. "Maybe it's the one time of year she has better luck in contacting her fellow demons."

"Rachel!" Brooke said as she giggled.

"Come on you know it's true," Rachel told her as she too laughed. Once the laughter died down, Rachel decided to change the subject. "So did Sienna decide what costume she wanted?"

"She decided that she wanted to be a clown," Brooke replied. "So now me and Lucas are taking the kids trick or treating instead of Nathan and Haley."

"I don't get Haley's fear of clowns," Rachel replied as she shook her head. "Or your in-laws hate of Halloween."

"They're not my in-laws yet Rach. Me and Luke aren't even engaged yet," Brooke reminded her. "I'm not exactly sure why they're not fans of Halloween. I don't think Lucas knows either. Nathan's parents are the same."

"Maybe they had a traumatic childhood where they weren't allowed to eat candy," Rachel replied. "Or had issues when it came to costumes; like Haley."

"If they did then that's none of your business," Brooke told her as she arched an eyebrow in disapproval. It was the look that told Rachel she had gone too far with her comments. Brooke then changed the subject. "Are you sure you don't mind closing up tonight?"

"Not at all," Rachel told her. "There's not really much left to do. I just have to clean and cash up. You just concentrate on getting Sienna's clown costume done."

"Thanks Rach," Brooke said as she gave her a grateful smile. "I think I will leave now actually. I can stop by the fabric store before I pick her up from preschool instead of after. It'll save doubling back."

"Have fun in the traffic." Rachel told her as Brooke pulled her jacket on.

"Hopefully Lucas will be free to keep me entertained." Brooke replied as she picked up her purse and began to head to the door.

"Be careful you don't get too involved in your booty call. I don't want to be hearing about no car accidents now." Rachel said playfully as Brooke headed out of the door.

~X~X~X~X~

Los Angeles, California

"I don't care about your excuses; just get it done!" Alex Dupree yelled before she slammed her phone down in a fit of anger. She then let out a sigh of frustration as she massaged her temples.

"Are you okay?" Miranda Stone asked her boss as she poked her head into her office. She had heard her yelling from her desk.

"Ask me that after the deadline," Alex replied. "I finally got Owen Morello to agree to do the shirtless photo shoot for us and then Alexander messes it all up. I don't need this right now. I have other more pressing issues on my mind."

"What didn't he do this time?" Miranda asked in a sympathetic tone.

"He slept in and didn't turn up for the photo shoot," Alex told her. "Owen was left waiting and nobody turned up. Now I'm going to have to grovel and make it up to him so that he doesn't go to any of my rivals."

"Do you want me to clear your schedule for the rest of the day?" Miranda asked. Alex nodded as she stood and began to gather her things together. "Oh your mom called again. She wants you to call her back."

"That woman is not my mother," Alex told her in an icy tone. "If she calls again; tell her to stop calling or I'll take legal action."

"Okay; got it," Miranda replied. "Just out of curiosity; how are you going to make it up to Mr. Morello?"

"By doing whatever is necessary." Alex said as she made her way out of her office. Miranda breathed a sigh of relief before she headed back to her desk to clear Alex's appointments.

~X~X~X~X~

Seattle, Washington

"Are you okay?" Marvin McFadden asked his assistant as she came back behind the counter at the library they worked at. "You look a little peaky."

"I'm fine Mouth," Haley James-Hargrove replied as she gave him a tight smile. "At least I should be seeing as though I finally threw up."

"Nice," Mouth replied with a grimace. "Do you want me to get you some water?"

"I thought it was my job to bring the boss things; not the other way around." Haley said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah well you're not feeling so good, so any decent boss would held their staff," Mouth replied as he made her sit down in a chair. "Now do you want room temperature or cold?"

"Cold would be great." She told him as she gave him a grateful smile.

"I'll be right back." Mouth told her before he headed to get her some water. He returned moments later and handed the plastic cup to her.

"Thanks." She said before she took a sip.

"So should I be saying congratulations?" Mouth asked after a few moments silence. Haley gave him a quizzical look. "You've been off every morning for the past week that I've noticed. You're pregnant aren't you?"

"I don't know. I haven't done a test," Haley admitted. "But I think I am. This is how I was at the start of my pregnancy when I carried Jamie."

"Does Nathan know?"

"No I haven't mentioned anything to him yet. I want to be sure before I talk to him about it."

"Well when you're feeling a little better head out to the pharmacy and get your self a test," Mouth told her. He grinned as he added. "And no lifting anything heavy. Nathan will kill me."

"Yes boss," Haley replied with a slight giggle. "Can you not say anything to anybody until I know for sure and told Nathan?"

"Of course I won't," Mouth promised her. "You have my word."

~X~X~X~X~

Tree Hill, North Carolina

"Dad, what the hell happened?" Julian asked in concern as he went into the private room at the hospital that his father was in.

"What I've been dreading for the past 25 years," Whitey replied as he lifted the oxygen mask away from his face. Julian closed the door and hastily sat beside his bed. "He escaped. I don't know how but he did. Your mother? Is she okay?"

"No," Julian replied in a quiet voice. His eyes moved to look at the floor before he spoke again. "Someone broke into the house and trashed your office. I found mom in there. I called an ambulance but it was too late. She died before they got there."

"Oh my God!" Whitey said as he closed his eyes and placed the oxygen mask back on his face. Julian looked at his father and saw tears slipping down his face. It was the first time that he had seen his father cry. "I should have destroyed the files."

"The one that you had on the Scott family?" Julian asked. Whitey looked at him quizzically. "I found it when I was looking for another file for a case I was working on. I couldn't help myself. I read the whole thing."

"Can you remember what was in it?"

"I sure can." Julian confirmed.

"Then you need to go and warn them," Whitey told him. "Warn them before he finds them."

""How did he know about that file?" Julian asked.

"There's no way that he could have known," Whitey replied. He paused before he continued. "There was another file that he would have known about. He would have gone looking for that and found the second file as well."

"What other file?" Julian asked with a frown. His expression turned to one of shock as his father told him. "Oh my God!"

"You have to go and warn them; all of them," Whitey told him. "I'd do it myself but as you know the only place I'm going it where your mother is."

"I can't leave you here to die alone." Julian said as his own eyes filled with tears.

"Please do this for me Julian," Whitey begged. "For most of my life I've kept them safe. Please don't let a stupid mistake on my part end their existence. I promised them that they would be safe from him. Please Julian."

"Alright. I'll do it," Julian promised. He couldn't deny his dying father his last wish. "Can you try and hold on until I get back? I want to say goodbye to you properly."

"I can't guarantee that son," Whitey told him sadly. "Your old dad is proud of you, you know that?"

"Dad," Julian replied as his tears escaped his eyes. "I can't lose you and mom in the same day."

"There's no choice in that son," Whitey told him. "Come give me a hug while you still can."

Julian moved and hugged his father. It was a strange experience for him as he wasn't used to his father showing emotion like how he was right then. His mind then moved back to Dan Scott. He was determined to hunt him down and making him pay for destroying his family. Even if it meant that he wouldn't be there for when his father passed.

"I'll get him dad. I promise," Julian said as he and his father ended their hug. "For you and for mom. I'll make sure that he won't ever get to destroy another family ever again."

~X~X~X~X~

Seattle, Washington

"I think we did a great job on that," Nathan Hargrove said to his cousin Lucas Thorne as they stood back and admired the work they had just done. They had just finished landscaping the gardens of a rich customer who had wanted an elaborate display in front of their house, ready for their annual Halloween party.

"I think we did even better than last year," Lucas replied. He laughed slightly as he added. "I have no idea how we're going to top this next year."

"Me neither. But I'm not going to let that spoil the moment," Nathan told him. "I'm just taking in the feeling of satisfaction I'm getting; knowing that the long hours in slaving in shitty weather has paid off; again."

"I heard that there are more influential people on the guest list this year," Lucas said. "So on the back of this we might get more clients wanting our horticultural expertise."

"Luke man, stop talking like you swallowed a dictionary," Nathan told him in a teasing tone. "It's bad enough when Jamie comes back from your house and talks like that."

"Hey you should be pleased that I'm teaching your son proper words." Lucas retorted as they began to put their gardening equipment away.

"Are you going to be teaching Sienna how to be all proper too?"

"Of course," Lucas replied. "She's going to be brought up to be a proper young lady with proper manners."

"Yeah good luck with that one," Nathan told him as he laughed. "Do you not remember how teenage girls behave? If you're not careful you'll have a rebel on your hands."

"I never thought of that," Lucas admitted. "But then again if she's used to abiding by the rules Brooke and I set her, then she shouldn't rebel."

"You wish."

"Look I'm not talking about my daughter being a rebellious teenager anymore," Lucas told him. "She's four. I'm going to enjoy her childhood before I start having those nightmares."

"Speaking of nightmares, what made Sienna choose to be a clown?" Nathan asked. "And a pink one at that. She knows Hales is petrified of the things."

"Her pre-school had a clown visit them a couple days ago," Lucas began to explain. "Sienna was one of the few kids who weren't freaked out. Brooke picked her up and she couldn't stop talking about wanting to be a clown for Halloween."

"She should have just stuck with her idea to be a teddy bear. Then we could have stuck to the arrangement of me and Hales taking Sienna and Jamie trick or treating."

"Well you two are going to be doing it for the next two years." Lucas replied.

"Just as long as there are no clowns there shouldn't be any problems." Nathan told him.

"It's times like these where I wish my parents were so anti-Halloween." Lucas said with a sigh as he and Nathan closed up the back of their truck.

"Likewise," Nathan agreed as they headed to sit in the truck to head home for the day. Once they were sat in the truck Nathan asked. "Did your parents ever say why they hated the holiday so much?"

"Nope," Lucas replied as he started the truck. "What about your folks?"

"The same," Nathan answered. "I'm not sure I want to know why they hate the holiday so much. I thought my dad would love it seeing as though it'll keep him in business when he's filling all the cavities in the sugar caused."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed as he laughed. "I think my dad loves Christmas because of all the work he gets sorting people's electrics out when they fuck them up with all the lights."

"I hope you don't speak like that in front of your daughter."

"Oh come on! You know I don't," Lucas replied. "And I think Jamie is more impressionable at picking up the things you say."

"You're right with that one." Nathan admitted.

"Is Jamie still dressing up as Harry Potter?" Lucas asked as he kept his attention on the road.

"Yep," Nathan replied with a grin. "After all he's not a girl. So there's no chance of him changing his mind about what he's wearing."

"So what are you and Hales going to be doing while me and Brooke take the kids trick or treating?"

"I suggested we have some alone time," Nathan replied. "But Hales says we're going to spend it with my folks and yours."

"That'll work out well," Lucas said as an idea came into his head. "Brooke and I can drop Sienna and Jamie off wherever you're all hanging out and then have the romantic evening in that we had planned."

"Just make sure Sienna is out of her clown outfit if you do end up doing that." Nathan told him. Lucas just chuckled in response as he continued to drive.

~X~X~X~X~

Los Angeles, California

"Can I help you?" Miranda asked the man as he approached her desk. She hoped that she sounded cheery and not annoyed at him showing up just as she was about to leave.

"I was hoping to speak to Alex Dupree." The man replied as he gave her a friendly smile.

"I'm afraid she's left for the day," Miranda replied. "She'll be back tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp. You'll have to come back then."

"I really need to see her today," the man replied. "It's a matter of life and death. Do you have a contact number for her?"

"Who are you?" Miranda asked as she narrowed her eyes and studied the man. She watched him reach into the inside pocket on his suit jacket and produce a black leather wallet. He flipped it open and showed her a police ID.

"I'm Detective Durham from North Carolina," Julian informed her. "I need to speak to her about a case I'm working on."

"Is she in trouble?" Miranda asked in surprise. She now understood what Alex meant about not needing added stress right then.

"No she's not in trouble," Julian assured her. "I just need to make sure that she's okay."

"How do I know that you're a real cop?" Miranda challenged.

"You can call my precinct in Tree Hill and they'll verify it for you. You'll need my badge number." Julian told her as he held his badge out to her.

Miranda studied him for a moment before she made her decision. She ignored the police ID that he held and pulled out a post it note pad from her desk drawer. She then quickly wrote Alex's address and telephone numbers down on it, before lifting the top sheet and handing it to him.

"Thank you so much," Julian replied in a relieved tone. "You could have just saved her life."

"If she's not there, she might be at a client's apartment," Miranda told him. She was intrigued as to what was going on. "She had damage control to do because of an incompetent photographer."

"Do you have that address too?" Julian asked hopefully.

"I'm not supposed to give out personal details," Miranda told him. "I could lose my job for giving you that post it note."

"I know and I appreciate your help," Julian told her. "I just need that other address. Alex could be in danger. And if I have to go through official channels to get that address then it could be too late for both her and the client she's visiting."

"Okay I'll look for it." Miranda told him as she began to look through the contacts in her rolodex. She could tell that Julian was being honest with her by the look in his eye. She just hoped that whatever was going on, he wasn't too late to save her from it.

~X~X~X~X~

Seattle, Washington

"How are you holding up?" Karl Thorne asked his wife as he returned home from finishing work. She looked over at him from her spot at the stove as she stirred a pan.

"How do you think?" Katherine Thorne replied with a sigh. "I could barely concentrate at work today. I'm just glad that I didn't have to do any surgery on some poor little animal. I don't think I would have managed it."

"I have to admit that I couldn't concentrate today either," Karl admitted. "It's going to be worse by Thursday. I'm glad that I'm self employed and can refuse to work that day."

"I'm glad the surgery lets me have a vacation at Halloween," Katherine replied. "I'm tempted to get a last minute vacation somewhere."

"That sounds like a good idea." Karl agreed.

"The only thing that is stopping me is that Lucas, Brooke and Sienna will be left here."

"Have you spoken to Dina today?" Karl asked. "Maybe if we all banded together the kids would agree to a last minute vacation too."

"It doesn't hurt to try right?" Katherine asked.

"Exactly."

"I'll call her after dinner," Katherine told him. "She and Andy have that business dinner for the new investor for Andy's practice remember?"

"I forgot about that," Karl admitted. "Do you need help with anything?"

"You can pour me another glass of wine if you want."

"Red or white?"

"Red."

"Coming right up." Karl said as he set about getting them both a drink.

~X~X~X~X~

On a quiet, dark road, Dan Scott drove his latest stolen car well above the speed limit. He had a long drive ahead of him to get to his first target. He looked at the files on the passenger seat briefly and smirked. He was looking forward to catching up with the remains of his family.