LANCE

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Warner Brothers and Joel Schumacher. I only own the plots.

Michael blew out a breath and messed up his hair. He couldn't believe he had told David about his dad. Had he gone crazy? Michael supposed it didn't matter. He couldn't hurt him anymore. A car whizzed by, causing a glare from the windshield. Michael groaned and shielded his eyes.

"Dang nuisance. Almost wish I was a vampire," he muttered. Almost, but not quite. After all, if he was a vampire, he wouldn't even be able to enjoy the sun. Suddenly, the boy heard a car engine approaching. He frowned. Who'd be coming here? A gray station wagon came into view and Michael tensed. That was Dad's car. The boy hurried into the house.

"Michael? Are you all right?" his mother, Lucy, queried.

"Yeah," Michael replied. Then, they heard knocking. Lucy walked up and opened the door.

"Lance," she said in surprise.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Michael asked tightly.

"I wanted to visit my family," Lance replied.

"Family?" Michael repeated with a scornful laugh. "We stopped being a family the day you started cheating on Mom," he continued.

"Michael, watch your mouth," Lance growled warningly.

"Sorry," Michael muttered. "Uh, Mom, I'm gonna go see if Widow Johnson can use some help," he continued.

"Of course. That'd be fine, honey," Lucy agreed. The boy began to walk away, but his father grabbed his arm.

"You gonna be long, boy?" he queried. The teen yanked free.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. I enjoy her company," he sneered. Then, he continued.

"Lucy, you're letting him walk all over you," Lance chided.

"I can honestly say I've never seen him like this, Lace," Lucy responded. Once he was on his Honda 250, it only took Michael minutes to reach Widow Johnson's house. He walked up to the porch, and then knocked on the door. It opened to reveal his girlfriend, Star.

"Michael," she said in surprise.

"Hey. Could I hang here?" he questioned.

"Uh, sure," Star replied. She opened the door and he stepped over the threshold.

"Thanks," Michael said. Then, "Could you guys use some help?"

"The answer is yes," Widow Johnson said from the kitchen. Michael looked to his girlfriend.

"How does she do that?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. They went into the kitchen, where the woman immediately put them to work. Despite their numerous tasks, Michael found his mind wandering. What was he going to do about his father? What could he do? Man! Everything's messed up again! he thought. Presently, Star noticed her boyfriend's pensive mood.

"Hey. You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. She stared, unsure of what to say. She could tell that he had lied to her, but wasn't sure why. Finally, they were done. Michael began to walk out of the house.

"Where are you going?" Star asked, catching his hand.

"I'm going to go talk to David," Michael replied.

"Be careful," Star warned.

"Always am," Michael assured her. He mounted his bike and drove off. David was lounging around in the cave when he heard the footsteps. He straightened up and sat at attention. He relaxed when he saw the newcomer. Then, he noticed the disturbed look on the human's face.

"What's wrong, Michael?" David questioned.

"He's here," Michael replied. David looked to the mortal sharply.

"Your father?" he checked. His answer was a nod. The vampire growled.

"I have no idea what to do! If Mom ever found out---" the boy's sentence fell to the ground.

"I think you should tell her," David said softly.

"Are you crazy?" Michael queried. "You know what he'll do if I tell."

"You have a choice, Michael. Make the right one." Michael blew out a breath. He didn't know what to do. It was his father. He couldn't stop him. He never could. He wished he knew what to do. David was right though. He had to make a decision. But what? They would never believe him. Never.

"You know, if you were a vampire, I'd tell ya to just eat the guy," David stated.

"David," Michael protested with a small laugh.

"I'm serious," David responded. "However, since you're human, I'm going to urge you again to tell your mother," he continued. Michael threw back his head and sighed.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he grumbled.

"No I'm not," was the answer. "I wish I had told someone about what my old man had done to me before I became a vampire. You though, you have a chance. Take it."

"Okay, okay. I'll tell her," Michael sighed. He walked away. His eyes became pensive. David was right. He had to tell Mom. What if Dad decided to go after Sam? He couldn't let it happen. The boy got onto his motorcycle, started the engine, and began the drive back to his house. I can't believe I'm dong this, Michael thought. When she heard the door open, Lucy stood up.

"Michael?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you, Mom. Now," her oldest son stated insistently.

"Michael," Lance said in a warning tone.

"Forget it. I'm not keeping quiet anymore," Michael responded. "Mom, you know how sometimes you commented on a bruise that I had and I'd brush it off, saying I had gotten it in gym?" he questioned.

"Yes," Lucy nodded. She frowned in confusion. Where was Michael going with this?

"I, um---I lied. It wasn't from gym. It was Dad. He'd---he'd hit me," Michael admitted.

"What?" Lucy gasped.

"I wanted to tell you. I did. But he said it would just hurt you. And the one time I actually made a complaint, he took apart my bike," Michael continued.

"Lucy, you can't---" Lance began to say.

"Get out of here, Lance!" Lucy interrupted. "Cheating on me, that's one thing! But laying a hand on your own son! I didn't think that you were that low!" she exclaimed. Lance saw the fire in his ex-wife's eyes and decided he didn't want to stick around. The woman turned to her son.

"Oh, Michael," she breathed.

"Mom...I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Michael. Honey. This wasn't your fault. I'm so sorry I didn't see. I'm just so sorry," she apologized.

"Mom. It's okay," he answered. The woman pulled her son into a hug and they just stood there.

THE END