Stranger in the Dark

By Mara Jenkins

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Big Guy and Rusty Characters, just occ Characters (Mara, Emily, ect)

Summery (I suck at them) Mara was ready for Christmas and to finally be with her family. To her this Christmas was going to be perfect, or so she though. What happens when someone from her past threatens her and her family?

P.S. Take it easy on me, this is my first story that I've allowed other people to see (Other than myself)

Chapter 1

Dwayne Hunter pulled up in front of the old farm house that he use to call home and honked his horn, ready for a good Christmas dinner. He saw the screen door open to reveal his mom, decked out in an apron covered with flour. Darlene, his sister, was hot on her heels.

"Hey Mom, hey Dar," he called. "Glad to see you."

His mom smiled. "Hey sweetie. How are you?"

Darlene smiled as she gave her older brother a hug.

"Doin' fine mom," he said smiling, hugging his mom and sister.

"Were is…" Before he could finish asking, Jeffy came bursting out the door full speed.

"Uncle Dwayne!" He said, jumping up and hugging Dwayne.

"Easy there Jeff," He chuckled, "Uncle Dwayne is pretty tired."

"Were's the rest of the family at?" asked Darlene looking at the empty car.

"They'll be along soon. Mara should be finishing up some volunteer work at the senior center with a friend of hers. Erika was trying to finish a program for Rusty and change his power pack before they came," he answering.

"Why don't we all go inside instead of standing out here in this freezing snow," suggested Miss. Hunter.

Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

"Uncle Dwayne come and see my new plane that mom got me," said Jeffy tugging a Dwayne's sleeve.

"Sure Jeffy, but let's first go inside and get warmed up."

"Ok," said Jeffy, running inside to get his plane.

"Ok everyone, who's ready for the best part of the party?" Mara asked everyone who was attending the senior Christmas party.

Everyone gathered around the Christmas tree ready to give and receive gifts.

"Wow, this is the first time that I've seen everyone here so happy. Even my grandmother is happier this year," said her best friend, Emily, looking over at her grandmother Anna.

"I'm glad for you Emily. Oh look," she said pointing under the tree, "There's two more gifts left."

Quietly, they looked at the two gifts that were left.

"Look Mara. They're for you and me," said Emily in awe and wonder.

"Well of coarse," said one of the residential seniors, Mary-Ann, "We couldn't forget all the help that you two do for us around here. Now go ahead, open them."

Quickly they opened the gifts. They both received red matching hand knitted gloves, hats, scarves, and, of coarse, sweaters.

"Thank you Mary-Ann," Emily and Mara said in unison.

"Don't just thank me. Thank all the ladies here at the center. They came up with the idea to make those for you girls," Mary-Ann said smiling.

Mara looked at the clock, and to my surprise, it was half past three in the afternoon.

"Oh dear," quickly she turned to Emily, "I have to go. I promised mom that I would meet her at work so we could ride together to my grandma's house. Do you think you can handle things around here?" she asked Emily, pulling my coat up onto her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can. Have a merry Christmas," she answered.

Quickly she waved goodbye to everyone and walked to Quark to meet up with my mom.

"Rusty, hold still," Said Erika Slate as she put in Rusty's recharged power pack.

"Sorry Dr. Slate," giggled Rusty.

"Done, now let's get ready to go. Dad's expecting us to be at your grandmother's house in a half an hour," Erika said, taking off her lab coat.

Quickly she looked at the clock, and then shook her head. Rusty looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Your sister was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," She said shaking her head. Quietly she sighed and said "Oh well. We'll just have to wait for her."

"Ok. I'll be back in a sec," said Rusty, quickly running to his room to get a few of his toys.

"Where could she be?" Erika thought to herself, shaking her head.

Chapter 2

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful…" Quietly Mara sung in her head.

She was thankful that she had decided to put on the Christmas gifts that Mary-Ann had given her. As the weather man had predicted earlier this morning, windy and very cold. It was thirty degrees, but with the gusty wind it felt like ten degrees, witch she was not use to.

As she walked slowly towards Quark tower, she saw an old abandon building, or what use to be the Sunny and Bright orphanage. A memory sparked back into her mind from a few years ago.

Flashback to three years ago at the Sunny and Bright orphanage

With sleep still in her eyes, she crept down from the second story floor that housed her bed room, ready for a good breakfast.

"Mara look at the presents," her friends Emily and Lindsay, jumping up and down in front of the Christmas tree in the make-shift living room," Santa really did come last night."

Quietly she just sat there and stared at the tree. It was her first real Christmas since she was two years old .She was now seven and not sure how to feel about Christmas.

"Mara, what's wrong?" asked Emily, with a look of confusion on her face.

"…I don't know," she told her, not knowing how to find the right words to tell her.

For a moment she stared at the tree and the presents under it. Then tears started to form in her eyes.

"Mara, what's wrong?" asked Emily hugging her.

"I'll go get Lilly," Lindsay said, getting ready to go and get the administrator.

"No Lindsay, I'm fine," she said wiping away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "It's just that… this is my first REAL Christmas since I was little."

Quietly under the Christmas tree, she continued to tell Emily and Lindsay about her past.

Then suddenly a familiar voice was calling to her.

"Mara…Mara…" …

"Mara, are you in there?" someone asked, and then suddenly thumped the side of her head.

"Huh? What?" she said, shaking her head, returning back to the present.

"Your mom was about to send a search party for you," said Jo, trying to hold back a smile.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled quietly, and then looked back at the old building.

Quietly she looked at the old orphanage one last time, and then turned to head to Quark.

"Wait up Mara," Jo called, running to catch up with her. "What was that all about?"

"It was just a distant memory from my past, that's all," she answered looking down at the ground and kicking the snow as they turned the corner onto another street.

Suddenly, curiosity got the best of her.

"I know this might sound stupid, one how did you find me? And two, what are you doing out here? I would have thought that you would have been hanging out with G.T. and the gang."

"General Thornton is being his usual self, Mack is lord knows where, and Garth went home to see some family down in Georgia. Me, I'm just getting off that old air craft carrier for a while. It can get a little stuffy on there sometimes. That's how I found you. "

Quietly she nodded her head. She knew that was true because sometimes when it her dads turn to watch her it got stuffy on there. Her parents say she can easily be compared to Rusty, her little brother. They both easily find trouble and a kid at heart, so they couldn't trust her alone for very long.

She let out a soft sigh as she looked up at Quark tower.

"Well, I probably should get up to moms lab before she has a panic attack," she said giggling at the thought of her mom worried.

"Yeah, you probably should," said Jo. "I'll see you later and have a merry Christmas."

"You too," she said as she headed inside to meet up with her mom.