It was Halloween Night and the circus was in town.
"Looks good!" Jack grinned as the four Lyell members of the team took their ringside seats.
"You should have invited Max." Thomas commented, turning to Clarissa.
"I did, but clowns scare him!" She chuckled, waving her hands at the ring. "I did offer to hold his hand."
"Clarissa, you do realize that you've just spilt popcorn in Jack's lap, don't you?" Nikki pointed out with a giggle. The other woman had left her tub unattended whilst gesturing and consequently, it had fallen over spilling the contents.
Looking disgusted, Jack shot to his feet, scattering the popcorn all over the ground.
"Jack!" Thomas exclaimed. "Will you behave! Honestly, it's like having a naughty child sometimes."
Jack sat back down. "She threw popcorn at me." He complained, pointing at Clarissa. "I don't hear you telling her off!"
"She?!" Clarissa retorted indignantly as the lights dimmed.
Nikki – who up to now had been silenced by her giggles, patted Jack's arm fondly. "Clarissa was just sharing her popcorn with you, love. Settle down now, the circus is starting."
The circus was great to begin with – until during the opening act, the clown chose to blow some glitter directly at the four and then-
"ACHOOOOOOO!" They sneezed in perfect unison.
The Lyell team all held onto each other as the chanting from the cast began and the place started spinning.
"Double, double,
Toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caudron bubble
The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun,
The light has been broken – the tricks have begun."
The atmosphere finally settled and Clarissa, Nikki, Jack and Thomas were back in the Lyell centre – the latter three perched on lab stools in a circle with Clarissa's chair.
"What?" Thomas muttered, staring around. "We were at the circus."
Jack sounded equally confused. "Maybe we were dreaming about being at the circus." He suggested.
"We were all having the same dream?!" Clarissa retorted, waving her arms about wildly.
"Stop that – that's how you knocked your popcorn over!" Jack complained, pushing her arms away from him.
"Shush, Jack." Clarissa turned to Thomas. "Was that really a dream?"
"Or we could be dreaming now." Nikki interjected brightly.
"Who dreams about about being at work?" Jack spluttered.
Nikki looked back at the three faces staring at her, unconcerned. "I do. Anyway," She continued. "Look at what we're doing. Do we ever sit in a little circle like this in the lab? No – and another thing. Why would we be sat in the dark?"
"Ok Nikki." Thomas agreed. "You've got a point, but like Clarissa said, how can we be having the exact same dream?"
"I don't know Thomas, I'm a Pathologist – not a psychologist!" Nikki pointed out.
"It had something to do with that clown." Clarissa remarked. "He blew glitter at us and we all sneezed at the same time. Then the place started spinning – or was that just me?"
"No it wasn't just you." Nikki reassured her. "Where are you going?" She added, as Jack got to his feet and pulled her up to, before letting go of her hand and heading for the door.
"Do you think the doors are real?" He commented. "I want to see what's on the other side." He poked his head back in. "It seems normal. Stay there – I'm just going to explore a bit further."
"Be careful," Thomas sighed. "You've got no idea what might happen."
"Argh!" They heard Jack yell suddenly.
"Jack?" Nikki called from the lab.
"I'm fine." He came back in presently – covered in purple gunge.
Thomas raised his eyebrows at Jack's disgusted expression. "Now we know that this is a dream! What happened?"
"There was a piece of string hanging from the ceiling." Jack muttered.
Nikki giggled. "And you pulled it?"
Clarissa shook her head at him. "Jack, it's Halloween. That was clearly going to be a trick!"
"Clearly!" Thomas chuckled. "Are the changing rooms still in the same place, Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Then go and have a shower!" Thomas suggested. "You've got some spare clothes in your locker, haven't you?"
"If my locker opens – and the shower works!" Jack grumbled as he left the room once more.
"And if you see any more strings – don't pull them!" Nikki called after him with a giggle.
Jack managed to have a shower without any further incidents, however, he was in the changing room, in the process of putting a clean shirt on when there was the sudden sound of excited squealing. He turned around and to his surprise, there was a tangle of bodies and broomsticks at his feet.
"What the hell?" he exclaimed at the heap of giggling teenagers, staring up at him in awe. He bolted out the door with them chasing him.
"N-Nikki!" He stammered, tripping over his feet in his hurry to get away. He arrived backwards – and almost horizontally back in the lab.
Nikki and and Clarissa burst out laughing as Jack proceeded to try and hide behind Nikki.
"Seriously Jack - " The older woman chuckled. "I thought I'd told you not to bring your personal life into work!"
"Hello!" Grace grinned sheepishly at the cowering Jack. "You're even fitter than we thought! Been working out much?!"
Jack's face was quickly going scarlet. "I-I-I...but...what...they-they came through the window...I don't understand." He mumbled, holding onto Nikki. "Where did they come from?"
"We made it!" April squealed, getting to her feet. The girls had also had also tripped over on their way into the lab – excited and trying to catch Jack.
"Are you ok, Charlotte?" Grace asked pulling one of the other girls to her feet.
"He's got huge M-muscles!" was all she could answer.
"Yeah I know – they're great, aren't they!" Grace giggled.
Nikki rolled her eyes at Clarissa.
"You two are bloody lucky that you get to work with him!" April gushed.
"Yeah, I know, its great isn't it!" Nikki giggled.
Jack looked suddenly delighted and forgot his terror at the shock arrival. "You're impressed?"
"I've seen your muscles before Jack!" She reminded him with a snigger.
"Did you really come through the window?" Clarissa asked, remembering Jack's mumblings. She looked amused.
"Yes, on broomsticks!" Charlotte replied proudly.
"Why?" Jack scratched his head nervously.
"The door was locked and we didn't know the code." Grace explained, the others nodding enthusiastically.
"They lock it for a reason." Nikki chuckled.
"B-but broomsticks..." Jack stammered. "Why...?"
"Because it's Halloween...WHOOOO!" Charlotte giggled, waving her arms in the air like a ghost.
"I'd keep your hands down, sweetie – Jack doesn't like flailing limbs!" Clarissa snorted.
"Well, I'd give you top marks for creativity, girls!" Nikki remarked, "Jack, you kind of need to do your shirt up!" She added as he tried to leave the room.
"How would you girlies like a tour of the Lyell?" Clarissa offered.
"Ooh yes!" the girls chorused in excitement. "Can we see the cutting room?"
"The cutting room?" Jack retorted indignantly.
"Can we meet Thomas too?" Charlotte squealed.
"Yes, I'm sure he will be very amused to hear how you girls arrived!" Clarissa answered with a chuckle. "He's in his office – actually I'm surprised he hasn't come in to see what the commotion was...What kind of 'gentleman' are you?" She added pointedly to Jack. Nikki giggled.
Jack sighed and offered his arms to Charlotte and April, who took them with squeals of delight. Then seeing Grace's face, he sighed again and let go of the girls before crouching down to give Grace a piggy back and give the other two girls his arms back.
"You don't mind, do you, Nikki?" Grace asked, feeling a bit guilty, that the three of them had literally flown in and 'stolen' Jack.
Nikki waved her hand at Jack "No, he's all yours"
"Oh, thanks!" Jack retorted.
At that point, Thomas' door opened and he almost fell out of his office – much like Jack's entry into the lab, though slightly more dignified. Following Thomas, was another very excited teenager. She was also carrying a broom.
"Ah, Lizzie! We wondered where you'd got too!" April chuckled.
"I miscounted the windows!" Lizzie giggled. "Thomas got the shock of his life!"
"I wasn't expecting it!" Thomas remarked, still trying to recover from the shock.
"So what did I miss?" Lizzie asked bouncing up and down.
"Jack's face when we landed!" Grace giggled. "He ran!"
"And his muscles." sighed Charlotte. "He's done his shirt up now!"
"Ooh" gushed Lizzie. "I can't believe I missed that!"
Jack rolled his eyes.
"And Grace's getting a piggyback!" April told Lizzie – just in case she hadn't noticed.
"Yes, I can see that! I'm very jealous!" Lizzie replied looking up at Grace.
Jack sighed. "I'll give you all a piggyback." He promised. "Not at the same time!" He added to giggles from Clarissa and Nikki.
"Does no one want a piggyback from me?" Thomas inquired, ruefully.
Lizzie sighed and propped up broomstick up against the wall. "Well seeing as Jack doesn't appear to have any arms free, I suppose you'll do for now!"
Thomas crouched down and Lizzie climbed on his back. As he stood up, Lizzie turned her head to look at Jack. "I still want that piggyback later, mind." She told him.
Clarissa chuckled. "Don't worry sweetie - Nikki and I will make sure he gives you all piggybacks as promised!".
Jack cleared his throat. "What I want to know is...why?! I mean you've told us how you got in and why you came through the windows. You've even explained the broomsticks – but why are you here? - and why me?!" He turned to Nikki, Clarissa and Thomas. "Seriously, is no one else wondering that?"
Nikki thought about it and then shook her head. "No – actually no."
"We're your fan group." Grace gushed. "I mean come on – a cage-fighting Scientist!"
"Yeah" Charlotte agreed. "We've been to every single one of your cage-fights! You're brilliant!"
Nikki sniggered. "Look out – his head's growing!"
Jack was beaming from ear to ear. He momentarily dropped April's hand in order to lean on the lab table in a sort of 'cool' stance.
The lab table immediately appeared to buckle under his weight – and then, as the room swirled once more and settled again, the table suddenly had wheels and shot across the room, causing Jack, Grace and Charlotte to land in a heap on the floor. The lab table crashed into the wall, where it hit a bookcase which fell over with an almighty crash as the contents toppled out.
"Jack!" Everyone yelled at him.
"It wasn't my fault." He protested hurriedly clamouring to his feet. He helped the two teenagers up off the floor and they resumed their earlier positions.
"Another thing – where are we actually going?" Clarissa commented as they walked down the corridor. "Because I don't remember this corridor being this long!"
"It wasn't!" Nikki remarked. "But apparently it is now!"
"Ooh, what's this?" Grace giggled from her position on Jack's back.
"Don't pull that!" The four adults shouted – but it was to late.
Grace had pulled the string.