AN: Happy Halloween to all my readers. Hope your Halloween goes a lot better than mine. I live in a town where Halloween might as well not exist at all. No one does anything for the holiday anymore, and this year, I'm feeling particularly gypped. We didn't even carve pumpkins this year! So, my Halloween will mainly consist of me working until six at night, and then spending the rest of the day in my room watching Halloween-themed movies and eating the candy corn I bought. (I love candy corn. It never seems like Halloween until I have some.)
Anyway, consider this your Halloween treat. (I realize that this isn't really Halloween related like my previous story, The Other Virus, but I really don't have any ideas for another spooky RENT story at the moment.)
"No, Penny," Mark spoke into the police station's payphone. "Stay at the Condo with Rodolfo, Zack and Lucia. I'm just about to start heading back home myself."
At the moment, Sergeant Kurtz was still in the middle of the police briefing, preparing the rest of his squadron to storm Kingpin's hideout and save Emily. Before heading into the briefing, however, Sergeant Kurtz had instructed Mark to return home, refusing to allow him to accompany the police during their raid. At first, Mark had tried to argue, but Sergeant Kurtz had put his foot down, reminding the filmmaker that, unlike last time, he now had children and a 'nephew' to think about, and that if something went wrong, they could loose both parents in the same night. As much as he hated to admit it, Mark was able to understand Sergeant Kurtz's concern and had relented, but had also made the cop promise to notify them as soon as Emily was safe. So, while Sergeant Kurtz continued with the briefing, Mark took the time to call ahead to fill his family in on what had happened, also making sure that they would all stay there until he arrived home.
As Mark hung up the phone after speaking to Penny, a sudden commotion caught his attention.
"Mrs. Kurtz!" a sudden voice called out down the hall. "Hang on, he's still in the briefing room!" Looking up, Mark blinked in surprise at the sight of a tall black-haired woman heading in his direction, instantly recognizing her as Sergeant Kurtz's wife, Beverly. Even though he only saw Beverly in person around the holidays, when she and Sergeant Kurtz would invite him and the family over for dinner, Mark always found her to be a very likable woman with a strong and warm maternal nature. Right now, however, her face was filled with worry and torment
"Beverly!" Mark spoke as he stepped forward to meet her. "What are you…?"
"I heard that they found where Emily's being kept," Beverly explained, her voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah, they did," Mark confirmed. "Sergeant Kurtz is getting ready to head out there now." Immediately, Beverly's eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Does that mean…Kevin's going to go down there, too?"
"Well…yeah, I think so. Why…"
"Beverly?" It was at that moment that the briefing came to an end and the police squadron begin filing out, with Sergeant Kurtz in the lead. The moment he noticed his wife standing there, he had crossed the hall to her side. "Beverly, it's late. You should be home."
"Kevin," Beverly gripped her husband's hand tightly. "Are you…you're going to go after Kingpin, aren't you?"
"Of course, I am," Sergeant Kurtz replied softly. "It's my job, Bev. More than that, this is Emily's life on the line. How can I not do what I can?"
"I know," Beverly nodded, not meeting Sergeant Kurtz's eyes. "Believe me; I know why you're going out there tonight. And I know I shouldn't be acting like this. I've been a police officer's wife for a long time now, I should be used to you going out and risking your life every day. But I…."
"Beverly," Sergeant Kurtz stooped down so his face would be level with hers. "If there's something wrong, just come out and say it, all right?" Holding back a sudden sob, Beverly finally met Sergeant Kurtz's gaze.
"I feel so stupid for acting like this, Kevin, I really do," she apologized. "But…the moment I heard you found where Emily was, I knew you'd be going out tonight. And…I just got a terrible feeling about you heading out there. I know it's stupid. After all, I worry about you every time you have to work, knowing that it might be the night when I get that call. But tonight…that old fear seems much stronger. I don't know if it's because it's Emily you're going after or not, but I had to…at least see you… before you left."
"Oh, Beverly," Sergeant Kurtz sighed softly before kissing her tenderly. "I know you worry about me. But while you might be tired of hearing this, I've been trained to handle situations like this."
"Okay," Beverly nodded, keeping her eyes directed at the floor, clearly holding back the tears. "Just…promise me that you'll be careful."
"Of course, I promise," Sergeant Kurtz agreed. "I'll see you in a few hours." With one final kiss, Sergeant Kurtz turned and headed off after the rest of his police squadron, with Beverly refusing to look away until he was out of sight.
"Beverly?" Mark cautiously chose that moment to step forward. "I…I know how you feel, so…" Before Mark could finish, Beverly turned and threw her arms around him, breaking down.
"Oh, Mark," Beverly sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I know I should be more worried about you right now. Kevin's right; he is trained to handle people like Kingpin, but Emily isn't, and she…."
"No, Beverly," Mark mumbled, trying to calm her down while feeling his own torment once again. "Of course you're worried about Sergeant Kurtz. Just because he's a trained police officer, it doesn't mean he's not in danger, too. Like I said, we have the same problem tonight."
"Yeah, I suppose we do," Beverly choked back her sobs. "Both our hearts are hanging in the balance tonight."
"Yeah," Mark agreed, nodding stiffly. "So…I think you should come back with me to the Condo. At least until this thing is done."
"No, I don't want to put you out," Beverly sniffed, pulling away.
"Beverly," Mark placed an empathetic hand on her shoulder. "We just agreed we both have the same problem tonight. Your husband and my wife are out there right now. If I can't bear the thought of standing by in an empty apartment, just waiting for news, I doubt you can. Come back to the Condo. At least you won't be alone tonight."
"Mark," Beverly looked back at him, her eyes shining with gratitude as well as tears. "Thank you. I'm so glad you're the one who Emily ended up marrying. She couldn't have found anyone better."
Back at the Condo, Penny slowly put the phone down after speaking with Mark, but even after she'd hung up, she remained standing by the wall, staring aimlessly off into space without really seeing anything.
"Penny?" Upon hearing her name being spoken, Penny turned to face James, who was just coming down from the upstairs bedroom, where he'd been checking on Sammy and Lucia. In light of the recent turn of events, James had found himself unable to leave Penny, and had promised he'd stay at the Condo until after the police had saved Emily. Maureen and Joanne had both left to drop Kris, Zoey and Alvin back home, but they had also promised that they'd come right back afterwards.
The moment James had reached the bottom stair, Penny dashed across the Condo and threw her arms around him.
"I can't stand this!" Penny cried, burying her face into James' chest. "Oh, James! What if something goes wrong tonight? What if Sergeant Kurtz is too late, and Mom's already… I couldn't bear it if I lost Mom, especially if it's to Kingpin."
"Penny," James spoke comfortingly, pulling her closer and gently stroking her hair. "Your mom's going to be fine. She's a strong woman, and she loves you and the rest of your family. She wouldn't just give up and leave you behind."
"But she's never dealt with anything this bad before!" Penny argued, tears running down her face. "You saw that video he sent us, James. You've seen what they're doing to her. It's the same thing that destroyed my birth mother. If the same thing happens to Mom…. I can't loose both my mothers, James! I just can't!" James was unable to think of a good response to that, and simply held her tighter.
"I'm here for you, Penny Girl," he whispered. "I realize that's probably not very helpful, considering the danger your mother's in right now, but I'm here just the same." Moving very carefully, James ushered Penny to the old couch and sat her down, where he simply held her as she continued to cry.
After a good five minutes, Penny's tears had finally run dry and she was able to console herself.
"Thank you, James," Penny forced a smile, wiping away the tearstains on her cheeks. "I…I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't here."
"I'll always be here for you, Pen," James promised, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Just sit tight here for a bit; I'll go make you some tea."
"Thank you," Penny nodded, her voice still rough from crying.
As James got up from the couch, however, Penny noticed something fall out of his pants pocket, landing on the floor in front of her
"What's that?" Penny asked, reaching out to pick it up.
"Oh!" James blinked in shock, his eyes widening. "That...it's nothing you need to worry about now, Penny, really. Here." James nervously reached out to take the object back, but it was too late. Penny had already recognized the object as a black ring box.
"J…James?" Penny whispered, slowly looking up at him in amazement. "Is…is this what…I think it is?" James sighed heavily, glancing at the floor as he nodded.
"I…I was planning on…asking you… a couple nights ago," he admitted. "Remember the night when we all had dinner at the Life, and I asked your father to help me get the drinks? Well…I was actually trying to get him alone to ask for his permission. But then…then your mother was…. Well, all things considered, asking you after that seemed, for want of a better term, insensitive."
For a few minutes, James and Penny were completely silent, staring at the ring box in Penny's hand. The silence was broken when James nervously cleared his throat.
"I wish you didn't find out about it like this," he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I…I'll understand if you don't…"
"James?" Penny interrupted him, meeting his eyes. "Do you…are you absolutely sure Mom's going to be fine?"
"Of course, I'm sure," James replied with conviction. "She'll be back home again in just a few more hours, Penny. I'm sure of it." Penny slowly nodded, deep in thought.
"In that case," Penny spoke quietly, "once my mother's home again, would you…ask me then?" Instantly, James felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Pe…Penny?" James whispered. "Do…do you mean you….?"
"James," Penny smiled warmly, getting to her feet to hug him tightly. "I love you, and I love Sammy. There's no one I'd rather spend my life with than the two of you."
"Penny," James breathed, his voice full of emotion. Moving forward, he tenderly kissed her in joy and passion.