Fang's A Lot
OR
Excuse Me While I Bite Your Neck
An Original Halloween Story
Author's Note: This story was originally written as a companion piece to my "Heartache and Recovery" series, which was originally posted on the Two Chickies website. Therefore, this story does not follow the plotline of my story, Walking A Long, Hard Road. I considered revising this story to follow that plotline, but, in the end, decided it to leave it as is. I hope you enjoy it!
October 15
Louisa Martin Lopez breezed into Station 51, a wide smile on her face. She slowly crept up behind Mike Stoker, the station's capable engineer, who was calmly polishing Big Red. Some sixth sense alerted Stoker to the young woman's presence, because just as she reached up to place her hands over his eyes, he whirled around.
"And just what do you think you're doing, young lady?" he teased.
Louisa jumped back, uttering a startled cry. "Geez, Mike!" she yelped. "How did you know I was behind you?"
Stoker grinned wickedly. "I heard your car when you pulled in, that's how. Aren't you a little old to be sneaking up behind people?"
Louisa mirrored the engineer's grin. "Did anyone ever tell you that you have the reflexes of a cat? As for being too old, no one is ever too old for Halloween, Mikey!"
"So that's what this is all about, huh? Cap said you were making plans for the holiday."
"You better believe it!" said Louisa. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone in the bay. "How would you like to help me out-phantom the Phantom?" she asked softly.
"What did you have in mind?" asked Mike. "It better be good, considering how much Chet gets into Halloween. He won't be easy to fool, you know."
"Trust me, Mike, this will be one Halloween Chester B. Kelly will never forget, even if he lives to be 100."
"Did I hear someone mention my name?" said Chet, walking into the bay. "Well, hello there, Louisa! What brings you to our lovely station?"
"I guess I can't resist slightly cracked Irish firemen, Chet," answered Louisa, a tinge of sarcasm coloring her voice. "Where's Hank?"
"In the office, doing paperwork, as always," replied Kelly. "Hey, are you doing anything for Halloween? I'm thinking about throwing a party."
"Sounds like fun, Chet; I'll let you know," answered Louisa, throwing Mike a conspiratorial look. "See you later, guys."
Hank looked up when his girlfriend entered his office. "Hi, gorgeous. What's up?" said the Captain with a smile.
"Nothing much. I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop in and make sure you were behaving."
"Me?" questioned the Captain, pretending to be shocked. "I'll have you know, I'm being a perfect angel today."
"Uh huh. That means only one thing, hose jockey. Chet and Johnny haven't started their argument of the day yet," chuckled the young woman.
Hank laughed. "They haven't. Kelly is too busy planning his Halloween party. Did he ask you about it yet?"
"Yeah, he did. I'm planning something myself, my dear. Something that will make Chester B. Kelly think twice before playing another prank on meas long as he lives."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," said Hank. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. What are you going to do?"
"You'll find out soon enough, Captain. I want to get the other guys in on it, too. That way, no one will give me away, since you'll all know the plan."
Hank started to reply, but was interrupted by the klaxon. "Gotta go, honey. I'll call you in the morning when I get home."
"All right, Hank," Louisa called after him. The young woman's lips turned up in a wicked smile as she contemplated the prank she had planned for Chet Kelly. "Chet, you are in for one Hell of a surprise, my friend," she said to herself.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The Next Morning
The crew of Station 51's A-shift was seated around a table at their favorite diner, Billy's, waiting for Louisa to show up.
"Come on, Cap," said John Gage, " you have to know why Louisa wanted us to meet her here."
"She didn't tell me a thing, Gage. All I know is that it has something to do with Halloween," answered the Captain.
"Then why isn't Kelly here?" questioned Roy Desoto.
"I can answer that," said Louisa as she dropped into a chair beside her brother, Marco Lopez. "I'm planning on playing the mother of all pranks on our friend Mr. Kelly. I owe him for putting that dead rat in my glove compartment last week. It took a lot of cleaning to get rid of the smell."
Gage raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you've got my attention. What's the plan?"
Louisa grinned wickedly. "Before I go into detail, I have to warn you that secrecy is a must. Anyone who can't keep this to themselves, speak up now." When no one spoke up, she continued. "Okay, then. Here's the plan." The men leaned forward as the young woman outlined what she was going to do. When she finished, Johnny burst out laughing.
"Oh, man!" he chuckled. "Chet won't know what hit him! Count me in, Lou!"
"How are you going to pull this off?" asked Mike. "Seems kinda complicated."
"I have a friend who works in the make-up and special effects department of Mammoth Studios," answered Louisa. "She promised to help me look the part, right down to the last detail. She's worked on several horror movies, so she can set us up with whatever we need."
"Shouldn't we let Brackett and Dixie in on this, too?" asked Roy. "You know, just to heighten the effect a bit?"
"Desoto, you're a genius!" cried Louisa. "I know for a fact that Dr. Brackett wasn't very pleased with Chet when he got caught in the middle of that last fiasco Kelly pulled. I'm sure he'd be willing to help!"
Marco flung an arm around his sister's shoulders and grinned. "I'm just glad you're not gunning for me, little sister! Your plan is absolutely evil!"
The group sat and talked for another hour, outlining the details of Louisa's plan and planning their roles in the elaborate prank. Before they departed, the young woman cautioned them to kept Chet in the dark. "If Chet finds out about this before the party, all will be ruined, so keep your mouths shut!" she emphasized.
"Man, I can't wait to see the look on Kelly's face when he figures out he's been had!" grinned Johnny.
"Bring your camera, Johnny, because I want to preserve that moment," said Louisa.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Rampart, Later That Morning
"You're going to do what?!" asked Kelly Brackett. "How exactly do Dixie and I fit into all of this?"
"You'll be there to confirm a few things, Doc," answered Louisa. "If it comes from you, Chet will have to believe it. Come on, what do you say?"
"Count me in, Louisa," put in Dixie McCall, Rampart's head nurse. "It sounds like a lot of fun."
"No one is really going to be hurt, right?" questioned the doctor.
"The only person feeling any pain will be me, when you draw some blood out of my arm. Chet will get a little freaked out, but I won't inflict any physical damage on him."
Brackett chuckled. "All right. Count me in, too. Just tell me what I have to do."
For the second time that day, Louisa outlined her plan. Kel and Dixie grinned in anticipation at the thought of Chet Kelly being given a taste of his own medicine.
