Disclaimer : I still don't own Zoey101 or PCA.

" I can't believe you screamed like a little girl , dude ," laughed Chase, slapping Michael's back as they trekked inside the cabin from their all day hike in the park ," Just admit that you were scared by a mule deer '

Michael jabbed him in the ribs ." It wasn't a dang deer, it was a huge lizard ! You would have freaked too, man, if it nearly bit you on the leg '

" It didn't bite you ' Chase tossed his backpack on the living room floor and settled down on the overstuffed chair ," it was just a normal sized lizard '

Michael fell onto the couch ." Girls, tell him it wasn't just any regular lizard ,it was like a big one with ugly , jagged teeth .'

Lisa and Zoey shared an amused giggle as they joined their boyfriends . Lisa held open the guidebook as if to hold the proof to solve this argument of gigantor the lizard .

' It was an alligator lizard '

Michael raised his hands up as if he had won a big raise .' See ! I told you, Chase , it's a freaking cousin of a alligator ! '

" Enough bickering , you two ," Zoey settled on Chase's lap ,' It was a good day and we really did see a lot of the wildlife in the forest . Quinn will hate that she missed out when we tell her all that we saw today …hmm, wonder where everyone is .'

They all grew quiet as if listening for sounds coming from upstairs to give them the answer but nothing . Chase pointed at the door to Logan's bedroom as if to suggest that might be where one couple could be and there didn't seem to be any noise coming from the backyard either . Strange .

" Quinn ! Logan ! Lola ! Vince ! You guys here ? '

Just then Vince and Logan appeared from around the corner , arms full of weapons , which they dropped carefully on the coffee table then glanced up at the group with a smile . They had spent the better part of an hour in Malcolm's weapons collection room deliberating on what would work better to protect their friends from , well, a demon .

If they were actually going to have to fight , they had to be prepared to do damage .

" Hey guys '

" Good hike ? How many miles you cover ? ' asked Vince , moving into the kitchen for the Blix out of the fridge ,' Quinn and Lola are upstairs , they'll be down soon.'

Lisa dropped the book and picked up a knife with a silver encrusted hilt , brow lifting .It was wicked looking with a sharp blade to it and something recoiled in her , leery .

" Logan, just curious , but why are there knives on the coffee table ? You and Vince gonna practice throwing them at each other ? '

Logan considered for a moment then shook his head . ' Naw, Lisa , nothing that fun ," informed Logan, taking the knife from her ," I don't think that knife suits you . Maybe you will want to go with something lighter …. Be easier for you to handle .

'

" Whoa , what is going on ? Lisa doesn't need a knife to suit her ' cut through Zoey, apprehension crawling up her spine," neither do I , for that matter . '

" You gonna enlighten us as to why you guys dumped a pile of weapons out here ? '

" Yeah . Where'd you get them anyhow ? '

" Dad collects weapons ,' replied Logan , pulling out a bag of sour cream potato chips from the pantry to snack on ,' He keeps some of them up here if he wants to impress his business partners or whatever . These swords and knives are the only ones that aren't really dull and like useable ….'

Vince helped himself to an apple .' You aren't exactly being subtle explaining things to them , Logan . I thought that we were going to have a meeting about it after supper '

" We still can ," said a blithe Logan , freaked but accepting of the fact this thing was going to go down ,' It's not my fault they have bad timing . You wanna take a shot

at explaining it dude, go for it .'

Zoey stood up, hands on her hip, indignation written across her face .' Would you two care to join us in the living room and explain what the heck is goin on now ? '

Vince and Logan considered , deliberated , and shrugged in unison . Neither of them were gung ho about having to snot on their friends vacation ( well, it was their vacation too ) but they would rather prepare and be ready then wait around and not be .Brooks had that snotty stick up her butt attitude on and neither of them wanted to deal with her mood .

Safer to let the women break it down for them .They would get less crap if the girls spelled the whole deal out for the rest of them .

" Who's turn is it to cook supper ? I had a bunch of food delivered a few hours ago '

" How can you talk about food when you and Vince just calmly dumped some knives on the table as if we're going to war or something insane !' said a shrill Zoey, rubbing her arms as if suddenly chilly . Alarm bells were clanging in her head and telling her that she should have gone back home to Louisiana for her semester break but nope, she had to come to Yosemite with her friends .This was so not the fun, carefree vacation she had been looking forward to . Grrr !

Chase placed his arms around her and gave the guys a warning look . He figured if he took a gigantic leap using the worse possible scenarios he could freak out about then adding into the mix the scary incidents that had been happening to them at PCA, it wasn't over . It was probably haunting and ruining their vacation .

Yup , there was the leap !

They couldn't get a stupid friggin break !

' I agree, Zo, the display of sharp knifes and pointy objects on the table has weirded me out ," muttered Chase , aiming for levity ,' However, Logan and Vince are pretty weird guys . How about you and I fix supper ? I'd much rather hear any kind of explanation from either Quinn or Lola than these two idiots '

Vince and Logan flashed crooked smiles .' We should be insulted …'

" Yeah but we're not , Quinn is much better at explaining this stuff than us .'

" Quinn ! Lola ! Get down here now ! "

Chase sighed ." Zo, calm down , this isn't going to turn into some run of the mill horror movie involving us . We shouldn't panic until we have something to panic over .'

Zoey slid him a disapproving eye .' It's our second day of vacation '

' Which is why we shouldn't overreact until Quinn tells us why we should ' said Chase, proud that he remained calm . He felt anything but that but all of them panicking wouldn't do none of them any good in the long run .They survived a ghost before , this would be a walk in the park in comparison .

Zoey seared the guys with a vile look that would have sent lesser men running for the hills but they chose to ignore the blonde instead .

" Fine ," muttered a reluctant Zoey, nudging Logan out of the way of the pantry so she could scour for ingredients to make a simple pasta salad ,' but it had better be good or I am going back to PCA! '

Lisa rested her head against Michael's shoulder and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck , taking his quiet as her boyfriend working through his own sort of resolve rather than joining Zoey in vehemently protesting and all around freaking out .

" Well at least I'm not completely defenseless ," sighed Lisa , thinking of her self defense classes she was currently taking at school ,' I'm going to help Zoey make supper .'

" Lola and Quinn better work their wacky mojo and crazy inventions to get rid of it and soon ! ' bemoaned Michael, eyes gliding over a samurai sword with mild interest . The secret ninja spy in him wondered how the weight of the sword would feel in his hands and the other sane part of him was running back to PCA with Zoey .

*****************************PCA**********************************

Quinn was busy hooking up sensors and a camera , glancing every few minutes at her computer to take in readings of the inside of the cabin while Lola sat on the floor , stacks of books and crystals scattered around her as she spoke with her sister on the phone . She and Quinn had gone over all they knew right down to Vince's time traveling details to Kathleen's visit with Quinn , love and trust still might be the key but it wasn't very helpful .No stone unturned was their new mantra .

Quinn was still on the shaky side from the shower incident and keeping pre-occupied was helping to keep her grounded into the reality of the now . She still wasn't on board with the whole reincarnation thing though she didn't disbelief it either, it had to be all about connections . In a sense , she could understand and relate to Kathleen .

It was their link to Cass /Mark that felt like the definitive connection to her .

Meanwhile , Lola unfolded her legs, stretched, and listened to her younger sister rattle on possible theories in demon lore that could pertain to what they were dealing with now .

Lola almost wished Mom had answered the phone, it might have been easier .However Mom wasn't available so they had to put their trust in her younger sister and hope Talia didn t steer them wrong . Too much was on the line here for mistakes .

' Grandma might have been in the Malibu vicinity back in the fifties ,' Talia regaled her older sister with what she considered pertinent information ,' Mom is trying to track her and Grandpa Giles down . We're not sure if they are in L.A. or Romania this month .'

Lola let it pass .' Well, unless they passed by Malibu High to stop a demon rising and a couple murders of a teenage couple , that isn't what I called you about , Talia .'

' Fine ," snapped her younger sister ,' your connection theory makes perfect sense .'

There was still animosity between the sisters because they were so very different and could never quite see eye to eye with each other .

' We got the connections thing by now bada bada bada ," snapped Lola , irritation slipping into her tone ,' Love and trust is the big answer . Quinn and Logan have that and other than this dank dark feeling we all have , no signs of Mark as of yet .'

' Well if the Big Bad isn't using his power to shape shift into things to scare you, maybe he is saving up for later ,' suggested Talia , matter of fact ,' Mom and I talked to the rest of the coven and it seems probable that whatever went down in the past must have trapped Cass and the demon together until Mark opened it up for them now . '

Lola chipped at her nail polish, nervously .' Not rocket scientist , Talia, but what does it want ? Terrorizing Quinn in the shower so she could relive the rape Kathleen went through ? Vince saw some of us dead in his visions ! What does Mark and his demon want from us exactly ? How can we end this hell and not die ? '

Quinn sent her a soft look .' Lola '

She didn't need a bald faced reminder , Quinn was quite pragmatic of her importance in this thing for lack of a more fitting word .

Lola made a face and stuck her tongue out at the phone. ' A little help would be awesome since you're the perfect witch in the family '

Talia was as calm as her sister was overly dramatic .' Revenge of some sort since whatever he wanted got stopped in the fifties ,' went on Talia ,' That would be the most common thread . If we followed the links , your all in some sense connected whether by bloodlines or familial links all the same . '

Lola counted to ten .' Not helping us . Quinn saw Cass attacking Kathleen in the past so does that mean Mark is gonna go after Quinn ? Why ? What's in it for him … ..shit ..I didn't mean .." She sent her best friend an apologetic look ," I didn't mean it like that, Quinn . I'm really , really an idiot and I'm sorry I said that '

Quinn heaved a sigh as she fiddled with a loose wire on another sensor .' It's alright , Lola, I've already thought about it . We cant not think about it , it would be naïve of us .'

Lola nodded, grimly and put her sister on speaker phone . Quinn had a point .

' Actually it isn't as unheard of , unfortunately as one might think ," Talia was brisk and all business ,' Cass was the host for the demon until both got trapped in the between and since Mark is a blood relative , hello host . Once the host has a body it would be capable of doing anything including producing …I feel like it's a lower class demon . Incubus and succubus , that is their territory usually but they wouldn't be any of these scary demon games , it 'd invade, pregnant and be done with whoever it targeted . This is more specific with your whole group and thought out even .'

Quinn gulped down a lump in her throat .' That makes me feel so much more relieved '

' Sorry, Quinn, 'apologized Talia ," Bac Dul was a demon that was big on possession and followers doing his bidding back in his hey day so he is a possibility . . Making you his mate and impregnating you , that would be right up his alley . He might consider the child a new wave of evil to have and control or it could be any number of lesser demons who thought the same thing , really . Viable copy cat demon '

It really would aid them if they knew what demon they were dealing with this time .

" I really don't like the sound of that any better ' sighed Quinn,' Logan will like it even less than I do so wont that be fun to tell him .'

' Hmm, I think its important that when this goes down, you and Logan have to stand together . You have to fight side to side together as one ,' declared Talia , feeling very strongly in her advice ,' Ben and Katy obviously didn't until they couldn't . '

" Should we try to call out Mark rather than wait for him to come to us ? ' asked an impatient Lola ,' There are more of us than him . Magic in the numbers .'

' That will help but you've got a pissed off dormant demon , probably the pissed off spirit of Cass all rolled up in Mark so it wont be easy to fight . They wont make it easy on all of you,' stated Talia, tersely ," Protection spells will help but your gonna have to exorcise the bastard out of Mark and kill him to put an end to all of this .'

Quinn paled , stopped in her tracks and shared a fretful look with Lola .' Kill ..Mark ? '

Quinn felt the shakiness return and placed a hand on her upset stomach . Mark hadn't been the boyfriend of the year but she had cared very much for him at one point and she couldn't fathom having to hurt him , let alone , kill him .It made her queasy .

' No , not if you can kill the demon ,' told Talia ,' once the demon dies , his hold on Mark should be released and this whole nightmare should end once and for all .'

' How sure are you and Mom on this ? '

There was a pause on the line then a quiet .' Maybe 92 % sure this is the way '

' Those are good enough odds for me ' said Lola , tersely,' If I do this thing right , Quinn, you can all thank me by giving me a Best Gypsy Witch award '

She prayed to the God, the Goddess, Vince's Buddha, and any higher power that would listen that she do what she must to protect those she loved in her life .

Quinn flashed her an encouraging smile .' You got it , Lola '

**************************PCA***********************************

Zoey and Lisa were putting the finishing touches on a nice pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and asparagus and because they had gotten conned into kitchen duty again , Lisa had found the makings of a Cesar salad with the intent to make the guys eat healthy as punishment for the chore . Chase was content to grill chicken outside as Logan, Vince, and Michael admired the weapons stash on the table . Tension permeated the kitchen making the room thick with it and sucking the lightness out of the good mood they had started out in the morning .The quiet in the kitchen was what the girls discovered when they joined their friends downstairs finally after their phone call had ended .

.

' Oh thank goodness you guys are back ," greeted Quinn, as she and Lola found Lisa and Zoey reading the latest Buzz magazine together in the kitchen ,' How was the trail ? Is the park really crowded today ? '

Idly , she couldn't help but wonder if Mark could blend in the crowd if he tried hiding in plain sight among the other visitors or if he was somewhere close where he would be able to watch her . No matter it still unnerved her on both accounts .

Lola went to the fridge and pulled out an open bottle of wine ignoring the patented disapproval on Zoey's face and the questioning on Lisa's . ' I'm having one glass of wine ," informed Lola , daring Zoey to argue with her ,' Don't judge me . Quinn , wine ? '

Quinn normally wasn't much of a drinker either but one glass would relax her . Might help calm the nerves and the studies showed a glass of wine was good for the heart

.

Oh the hell with it , she needed a drink !

' Just a little glass for my nerves ' Quinn popped a cherry tomato from the pasta salad in her mouth . She hadn't eaten a thing since her scary shower this morning .

Lisa fixed her with a worried face ." What is wrong with your nerves , Quinn ? You have nerves of steel, Quinn Pensky , so you want to tell us what we missed '

Quinn bit her lip and played with her zap watch , nervously .' Well…'

Logan heard the question , left the men, and flanked to his woman's side , placing a warm hand on her shoulder .' You missed a lot, Lisa, but why don't we do this after we eat , eh ? Its been a hell of a rough afternoon here and eating is like the normal thing to do '

Quinn sent Logan a loving smile .' I am hungry . I think my appetite is returning '

' Me too ' chimed in Lola, handing Quinn a glass of wine ,' We'll think better with food in our belly and clear heads .'

Zoey opened her mouth to retort then caught herself .' Fine but the male pigs are on clean up crew this time .'

They decided to eat informally in the living room, transferring the weaponry onto the floor to place the food on platters on the coffee table as the group settled around the couches and the floor , relaxing and listening while Michael filled the others in on their hike of the day to break the tension that settled around them . He wasn't the funny man of their little group for nothing and Michael figured he had his job cut out for him .

' We probably hiked five or ten miles from the trail behind the cabin ,' explained Michael as Lisa speared another bite of chicken from his plate ,' We could hear people around but they must have been on different trails than us . '

' Yeah, this part of the park is really kind of secluded from most of the really populated areas ,' explained Logan, helping himself to a gulp of his girlfriends wine ,' That was one of the big reasons Dad had to get this cabin , the privacy .'

Zoey dropped her fork and it clattered on her plate ." Are we just going to sit around and make idle chit chat all damn night ? Or are you four going to let us in on everything ? '

Michael lifted a hand settled it behind Lisa 's shoulder ." I'm cool with chitchatting '

Vince gave Lola's hand a squeeze then stood to click off the television before facing the others . They needed to keep their heads in this or they would be screwed completely .

' We didn't want to ruin everyone's vacation until we were sure about things ,' explained Vince , noticing a shadow across the window . Lola had seen it as well and closed the curtains ,' Lola and I've had very strong feelings that we've been followed since we left PCA. It knows that we're here and he is simply waiting for the right time .'

Zoey groaned .' Cant we just go someplace else ? '

" It would more than likely just follow us , Zoey,' answered Lola , matter of fact ," I've put a protection spell around the cabin so that should prevent Mark from getting in to us .'

Lisa chose to be hopeful .' If he can 't get in, he cant hurt us . Right ? '

Lola tucked her tongue in her cheek ." In theory , yes , but a demon is controlling Mark so big , ugly is capable of doing a lot of bad ," replied Lola , finishing up the last drop of her wine ,' Quinn and I have done the research and I've spoken to my sister who was able to give us more information that could ..should help us fight .'

Chase's voice grew high with panic .' We are fighting it now ? '

' Dude , if what Vince saw is true then its us against ole demon ass Del Figgalo ," Logan contributed , thickly ,' We have to fight . it's the only way to get rid of the demon .'

Michael was unusually quiet as he focused on an even quieter Quinn. " Hey Quinn, you gonna give us the scoop on what we missed ? What happened to you while we were hiking ? '

Quinn folded her legs underneath and leaned against Logan for support . She had accepted that she was an integral part of this thing whether she liked it or not .

" I was taking a shower when I got a rather first hand experience of Cass attacking Kathleen in the past ," Quinn's voice trembled ,' If my bloodline is somehow connected to Kathleen in a distant sense then its safe to assume Cass aka Mark will try to finish what he started with her ..with me .'

" OH my God ! '

Logan brought Quinn's fingers up and kissed her knuckles .' We're not going to let that happen , baby . I promise .'

Lola picked up before they all got started at once .' Basically Cass is using Mark to bring back the demon and the power he wanted but didn't finish back in the 1950's to break it down for you. We have to stop it from happening '

' So leaving is not an option,' gulped Michael, accepting that this was their lot ,' and I really hate to bring these up but are we just supposed to hang out and wait until Mark decides to go after Quinn ? '

" We should practice with the weapons ' volunteered Lisa , sagely .

' Practicing so we can not die is also a must '

Chase slid a serious gaze towards Vince .' What else is there ? '

' Lola is working on a locator spell so we can get a bead on where Mark is hiding ," went on Vince , sending his new love an encouraging smile ," Our resident gypsy has some kick ass skills when it comes to spells so she's got this for us .'

' Thanks for the support, Vince '

' You know I've been thinking a lot about this whole bag of crap that has it out for us ," Logan was all serious ,' I'm pretty much freaked but that aside , I don't think we should let it take our vacation away from us . I mean we worked hard for this time away from PCA and we deserve it so I say we practice fighting a few hours a day, we prepare for this thing, and in between we have our fun that way we're still sticking it to Mark .'

" When did you become so damn smart, Reese ? '

Logan smirked .' I've always been good looking and smart .'

Chase grinned , widely .' Modest too .'

The curly haired young man opened his palms as if weighing the decision .' Hot tub anyone ? Vacation partying and preparing to take down one demon possessed Mark Del Figgalo works for me '

Zoey sighed . ' It's a plan then . One for all and all for one '

She placed her hand in and one by one her friends joined suit , united in their solidarity , joined by the bonds of friendship and love that held them strong together .

Outside , a stealthily Mark crept towards the cabin windows to peer inside and felt the jolt blocking him from it . A low growl that was almost feral whispered through his lips along with a sweeping rage for the gypsy witch inside who kept him from his woman .

He backed away from the cabin , lips curving almost maniacal , and knew what he must do .

The blood would be on the moon in two days time and this time he would succeed , the dark would rise , and the power would be all his for the taking .

.