"Abby? Where's Archie?" Hope asked.
"He's in the toy aisle, he wanted to find a friend for Davey the dragon." Abby explained, picking up a pair of boots from the shelf she was looking at. No sooner had she picked them up than they heard a cry from the direction Archie had disappeared in. Dropping the boots, she ran towards the toy aisle, with Hope right behind her. As they rounded the corner they could see Archie sprawled on the floor with one hand to his eye and another over his mouth. Abby could see there was blood between his fingers. His mouth was obviously bleeding. An elderly couple were stood over the small boy, the man was shaking his hand out and she could see blood on his knuckles (whether Archie's or his own she couldn't be sure) and the woman was brushing herself down.
"What happened!?" Abby felt Hope's hand on her arm as she began to see red. She didn't know who these people were but they'd hurt Archie and needed to pay.
"Where did you get that!?" The woman spat back. Her eyes were just below Abby's collar where her unicursal hexagram pendant sat.
"None of your business." Abby snapped. "Where do you get off on hitting kids!?"
"He ran into my wife." The man growled in a way that seemed scarily familiar to Abby.
"Well now you're under arrest for Bodily harm and assault of a minor." Before he had a chance to react, Hope had his hands cuffed behind his back. Abby cuffed the wife, she hadn't necessarily done anything but she had stood there and let it happen. Whilst Hope took the couple out to the car, Abby knelt in front of the boy.
"How are you doing Archie?" Abby gently moved his hand away from his mouth and could see a tooth in his hand amidst the blood. "That's alright, it's only a baby tooth. Come on let's get you to the station and give your dad a call." She helped Archie to his feet and they were on their way out of the shop when a sales assistant ran up to them holding something.
"Excuse me, I saw what happened and I wanted you to take this." She held out what was in her hands to Archie. It was a small fox cub cuddly toy. "Your son was going to bring you this when the incident happened." Abby thanked her and the girl promised to come by the station later to give a statement.
"What are you going to name your new fox Archie?" Abby asked, climbing into the front of the police car and pulling Archie onto her lap. There wasn't really room and it wasn't exactly legal but there was no way she was letting him sit in the back with those psychopaths.
"Adam. His name's Adam." Archie muttered into Adam's red fur as he held the cub close.
"That's a great name for a fox." Abby told him, holding Archie both to keep him safe on the car ride and to reassure herself that the boy was alright.
Abby reached around Archie to call in the incident to the station using the car radio before pulling out her own mobile phone. She knew her boyfriend would be at work doing some marking so she tried his office first, getting put quite quickly through to Andrew. "Hi Andrew, is Arthur there please? It's really important." Once she was put through she explained what had happened and explained that they were headed to the station, getting cut off mid-word as Ketch hung up to grab his coat and meet them there.
With Kendricks being closer to the station than the shopping centre, both Ketch and Mick were there when the girls arrived. "Daddy!" Archie ran over to his dad who pulled him into his arms straight away, relieved that he seemed to be alright. Archie was still holding his tooth and had blood down his chin where Abby hadn't quite been able to get it all off with the wipes from her bag.
"I'm really sorry Arthur." Abby approached the pair but kept her distance, feeling as if it was her fault for not looking after Archie and keeping her eye on him at all times.
"It's not your fault." He told her, pulling her into a hug with him, Archie and Adam the fox.
Hope came into the room just as Abby broke away. Before joining them, Hope had been putting the couple into a cell to be processed later. "Want me to take that tooth Archie? So the tooth fairy can come and get it later?" Archie nodded and gave Hope the tooth. She went over to her desk and used some tape to stick it to a post-it note for Archie to put in his pocket so it could go under his pillow later. At least it had only been a baby tooth, that in itself was a real blessing.
"I suppose we should deal with the prisoners now." Abby had calmed down alot since they were brought in and now just seemed resigned to dealing with them. "Did you get the prints Hope?"
"Yeah they're here." She held up the two cards with 10 inky blobs on each. "Want to run them through the system first?"
"Yeah, they might have some sort of record already which would make our jobs a lot easier."
Hope started on running their prints whilst Abby started filling in the paperwork about the incident. "Abby, you may want to look at this." Abby glanced at the computer screen over her friend's shoulder and all the colour drained from her face. She felt like she wanted to be sick as she read the list of crimes the couple in the cells had been arrested for over the years, all of which they'd gotten out of. Murder, grave desecration, and assault were just the tips of the iceberg. "Are you going to tell him or would you like me to?" The last entries on their files discussed a court case where their maid was attempting to sue them for custody of their 6-year-old son who had received a lifetime of Abuse and Neglect at his parents' hands. Their 6-year-old son named Arthur. It mentioned there were two other children involved in the case but didn't give any further details. Much to Abby's annoyance.
"I'll tell him. He should hear from me. Just… can you take Archie home? And send Arthur through?"
Hope nodded and left the room and before long, Ketch walked in looking more than a little confused. "What's going on?"
"Sit down, we need to talk and I need you to stay incredibly calm." Abby sat down opposite him, taking both his hands in hers.
"Abby, what's going on?" He used his Headteacher tone this time. The one he usually reserved for naughty school kids who wouldn't do as they were told first time of asking.
"We ran the prints of that couple we brought in… and… and your name came up in their files… Artie… it's your parents." Before Abby could even react, he'd pulled his hands from hers and was headed in the direction of the cells. Abby's chair clattered to the floor in her rush to follow but by the time she arrived at the cells, Ketch already had hold of his father's shirt. Pulling him forward so he was pressed against the bars that separated them.
"Don't you dare touch my son again." Ketch growled and in that moment Abby was reminded of back in the shop. She shook that thought off though, knowing it wouldn't be helping matters.
"Your son too is he? That why this thieving bastard gave you his mother's necklace?" Ketch's father was surprisingly calm for someone in his position. "Who would have thought, a legacy and a commoner?"
"Don't you dare speak to her like that." Ketch jerked his father forward, causing him to bang his head on the bars. Abby knew she should really be doing something but she also knew the only way for Ketch to move past his lifetime of grievances was to get them out there. Better here in a controlled environment than out on the streets where he could get himself killed.
"It's hardly a surprise he ended up like his no-good father, if he's got some common slag as a mother." Ketch broke his nose in one clean blow.
"Artie, that's enough." Abby stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ketch visibly relaxed but that was his big mistake. His father not only managed to break out of his grip but catch Abby by the chain of her necklace. It dug into her neck and began to cut off her oxygen supply. Ketch moved to help but as he took a step closer his father jerked Abby in much the same way he'd done earlier, causing her to bang her head and drops of blood began to form where the chain dug into her neck. After what seemed like an eternity, the chain snapped and the one thing holding Abby upright being gone, she crumpled to the floor. Torn between helping his girlfriend and hitting his father, Ketch elected to go for the former. He helped Abby up and ignored the profanities thrown his way as he helped her out of the room and back to her desk chair. If that encounter had taught him anything it was that Abby was far more important to him than any personal vendetta against his parents and they could certainly wait.
Abby and Hope were first in the next morning. They needed to feed the prisoners. Abby was putting toast in the toaster as she heard her friend scream.
Rushing through to the cells Abby saw the cause. The smell of blood was penetrating and it covered every possible surface. There were pieces of clothes and flesh littering the room. It looked like a dog had somehow broken in and torn the prisoners to shreds. It was that sudden realisation that broke Abby out of her overwhelming wave of nausea. Dogs. It was Hell Hounds.
"Come on, we need to phone the boys." Abby told Hope, leading her away from the grisly sight and towards her desk phone. Picking up the phone, she dialled Ketch's mobile from memory.
"What?" He grumbled sleepily, making Abby feel bad straight away. She had forgotten how early it was and although she knew it was important she wished she hadn't had to wake him.
"Sorry Artie. But this is important. Hope and I came into work this morning to process your parents and… and they're dead. It looks like Hell Hounds."
Ketch had no idea what to say. He'd hated them all his life, certainly never loved them. So why did he feel sad that they were gone? Granted they were his parents but they'd never done anything but serve themselves. He realised it was probably related to the fact that he always thought they'd outlive God. Never thought he'd be the last person to hold his family name. Whilst he obviously had his son, he hardly counted because he was a Bevell in every way that mattered. He'd been raised a Bevell and Ketch would never ask him to give up his mother's name for anything. But that realisation was harder hitting than he's expected.
"Arthur? You alright?"
"Yes. Sorry. I'll come down to the station now."
"Could you pick up Mick on the way please? Hope's pretty shaken." Abby placed a hand on her friend's shoulder who offered a weak smile in return.
Not 10 minutes later, Mick and Ketch burst into the station. Mick making a beeline for Hope and enveloping her in a big hug. Ketch wrapped his arm around Abby's waist and she led him through to the cells. She knew he needed to see it in order to fully believe it and whilst she didn't want to see that again she also knew he'd need her support.
She was right, of course. It was nothing compared to some of the horrors he'd seen in the field but it was the way it hit so close to home that made him feel sick all of a sudden. He felt Abby's hand in his, her fingers threading between his own. "Come on Artie. I need to call the coroner." Ketch nodded and followed her out.
A couple of days later, Abby was round his place. She was sat on the rug, playing with Archie, Adam the Fox and Davey Dragon when the phone rang. Ketch went to answer it and after a few minutes hung up again.
"Who was that?" Abby asked from her place on the floor.
"My parents' lawyer. He wanted to inform me that I was the sole beneficiary to their will. He wants me to check out the house and inform the staff." He explained.
"Would you like us to come with you?" Abby already knew the answer before she asked but felt the need to anyway. The nod was all the confirmation she needed and between them, they bundled Archie into the car for the drive to the estate.
"I really don't want to have to do this." Ketch muttered more to himself than Abby as they sat in the car outside the… house wasn't the right word. It was a mansion. An old fashioned, gothic mansion complete with gargoyles and grotesques.
"I know, but if we're going to do anything with all of this stuff then we need to at least have a look around." Archie had already run off to have a look around the grounds whilst he waited for Abby to talk his dad into going inside. Ketch finally agreed and they both got out, Abby proceeding to knock on the door.
The door was opened by a little old lady wearing a maid's uniform. "Can I help you?" She asked, looking at the couple suspiciously.
"Greta?" Ketch spoke before Abby had a chance to explain why they were there.
"Young Master Arthur!" Before either of them had a chance to react, she'd enveloped him in a big hug that he couldn't help but return rather awkwardly. Abby started laughing at how uncomfortable he looked as Archie ran over, holding something in his hands.
"Daddy! Abby! Look what I found!" Archie had a little frog in his hand that he'd obviously found in the pond on the edge of the grounds.
"That's lovely Archie." Abby knelt down to have a proper look, "Though he doesn't look very happy. How about we take him back?" Archie nodded and took Abby to where he'd got the frog.
"He's a lovely boy. What's his name?" Greta asked Ketch when the two of them were left alone.
"Archibald Bevell, though we all call him Archie so you're welcome to as well."
"And the girl? Is she the Lady Bevell I've heard from your parents about?"
"No, that's my girlfriend Abby. Toni died a little over a year ago. That's how Archie ended up living with me." He explained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. And that poor boy, how awful it must have been for him to lose his mother. But I'm glad you found Abby. She seems to make you both happy." Greta hugged him again and they both watched as Abby played tag with Archie. "You know, you could always live here with them. The staff have all missed you since you went to that awful place and never came back. It would be nice to have the laughter of a young boy around here again." Ketch didn't ask how she already seemed to know that his parents weren't coming back. All the staff would have known that the only reason he ever would was because they were in the ground.
"I'll think about it. There's so many bad memories in this place, I don't know if I could."
"But the best way to get rid of the bad memories is to write over them with good ones."
About 5 minutes later, Archie ran over. "I love it here. Can we move here Daddy?"
"We can…" Ketch paused to make sure Abby was in earshot for the next part. "If Abby moves in with us."
"Yay!" Archie cheered, running off again, dodging Abby as she walked over to her boyfriend.
"Was that an invitation?" She asked coyly.
"Only if you want it to be." She could tell he was really nervous about asking and closed the distance between them, pulling him into a kiss.
"I would love to move in with you Arthur." She told him with a smile. The grin on his face was enough to erase any possible doubts she had that she'd made the right decision.
They were taken for a brief tour by Greta and went straight to Mick's to tell him and Hope the good news. When they arrived, they let themselves in, only to find Mick sat at the table. Head in his hands. Hope was stood behind him, gazing wistfully out of the bay windows over the cemetery.
"What happened?" Abby asked, sensing immediately that something was wrong.
"Mick just told me that he's going to lose the flat. His landlord is selling." Hope explained, not looking away from the window. As if the graveyard held all the answers she needed.
"I thought you said it was sorted and you had somewhere to live." Ketch folded his arms, giving his friend his sternest head teacher gaze.
"I did. It fell through. From tomorrow I have to be gone."
"You should have said something." Ketch berated him, sitting down next to him at the table. "We could have helped."
"We still could. The house is more than big enough for all of us." Abby interrupted their conversation. Abby and Hope both knew there was no way Hope could afford a central London flat by herself. And they also both knew that their own landlord was in delicate health meaning they may have not been able to keep the place anyway. They'd discussed it enough times when they started dating the boys. "They could move in with us until they find a place of their own."
Hope looked over at Mick who looked like he was about to disagree so she chose to speak up. "That sounds like a brilliant idea. Temporarily of course." She moved closer to Mick and to punctuate her point, she placed her hands on his shoulders. As much to reassure herself as him.
Once they finished sorting out the logistics, they had time to celebrate the next step in all of their relationships. Archie had vanished to the study to play on Mick's computer the moment they arrived and didn't appear again until it was time to leave, allowing the adults to drink without feeling bad for doing so in front of the impressionable young boy.