Hi everyone! I'm sorry once again that this chapter has taken me so long to post. I've been very busy making masks for the family members that need them as well as looking for other creative outlets when i needed a break from writing and the very annoying entity known as writer's block.

I've written this chapter three different ways and the one you're reading today is the only one that works out for me.

This chapter is supposed to be fun and light hearted chapter that explores just a little bit of the Skullovitch family from Connor and Kira's POV.

Anyhow, I hope this chapter brighten's someone's day. During these dark times, I want to encourage all of you to seek out moments of happiness to drown out these dark and intense times.

To quote 'The Crow' : "It can't rain all the time!"

There's no real warnings for this chapter, so feel free to read on and see me at the bottom!

The Day of The Trip

Early Morning

The air rushed through his hair as his beautiful steed, a young paint horse carried him across the field. Connor moved with the beast, with only a red and yellow woven blanket between him and the bare back. His strong hands gently grasped the long white mane.

The connection he felt with the animal was strong and steady as he saw the fence ahead of him. He flattened himself against the horses neck as she made the jump and cleared the threshold. It was a smooth landing and they slowed down as the scenery changed. Gone was the wide green field…in front of him was a the edge of the woods and before him was a peaceful gentle brook tumbling over colorful rocks.

He was happy and content in this place. Just him and his horse.

He bent down to the water's edge as his horse drank and scooped up some water with cupped hands. Just as he drank the cool water he stopped cold.

He wasn't sure what he was seeing, but his spirit was alert and searching outward for trouble. Then his horse started whinnying and even started frothing from his mouth.

Then he felt the darkness coming for him. It's presence was heavy and cloying and he intuitively knew it was evil.

"Save me, Shaman! The evil is coming!"

Connor woke with a loud gasp. He looked around the room as his heart pounded in his chest. The room was quiet and Kira was staring up at him. "Jock, is everything okay?"

Connor closed his eyes in an effort to calm his heart. He felt the bed shift just a little and when he opened his eyes, Kira was sitting cross legged in front of him.

"I dunno…I had this dream and it was so vivid…the darkness is coming…it was suffocating, and I couldn't breathe."

Kira nodded. "What kind of darkness is it? Is it ranger related? Should we go get Adam or Rocky?"

Connor shook his head. "No, I think this is a shaman thing. Whatever darkness is coming it's not alien and there was a horse involved. But it's odd, since I don't have a physical horse. I think I need to go to the dojo and do some meditation."

Kira nodded and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. "Whatever darkness is coming, I'll be your backup."

Connor returned the kiss and smiled at his wife. "Then I'll be formidable."

After quickly going through his morning routine, he slipped on his sandals and headed out to the Dojo. Thankfully, it was quiet and peaceful. He knelt down on the mats in the meditative pose he'd learned from his father and began his breathing exercises.

He let his senses flow outward and recalled the dream he had and tried to figure out what it meant. Another hour passed and still nothing came to him, though he felt very calm and relaxed.

He looked up as his father walked in an knelt in front of him.

"Good morning, Son. I'm finding you out here more and more. Is something troubling you?"

Connor nodded. "I had a strange dream and it felt real and even though I'm calm, my senses tell me that we're going to encounter some kind of darkness today, and I don't think this is a ranger thing."

David nodded seriously. "Tell me your dream and I might be able to help you understand it."

Connor closed his eyes and focused. David leaned forward a little as his son recalled the dream. When he was finished, David sat back.

"You're right, I think this is shaman related. Your spirit guide is a horse so it would make sense that you would be drawn to other equines. The darkness you speak of is much more worrisome. Being that it's so close to Samhain, I wouldn't be surprised that there would be a lot of witches working magic, both light and dark. Not to mention that we're going to a farm today, and a lot of dark practitioners would indulge in cattle mutilation for spell work."

Connor nodded. "What should we do?"

David looked around him, suddenly hearing the kids running their way. He smiled. "Enjoy our day at the farm and drink lots of apple cider. Have fun with the kids, but keep your senses open for trouble. Most likely, it'll find us."

Just as he finished speaking, Kayla walked into the dojo with a happy expression on her face. Right behind her, was Belle who greeted them with happy tail wags and a loud "Barooo!"

Connor laughed and looked at Kayla. "You know we don't allow the dogs into the dojo."

Before Kayla could respond, the cute little beagle was sitting in Connor's lap looking up at him and licking his chin.

That made Connor laugh even more. "Like owner, like dog, she thinks she can get away with anything by looking cute and giving butterfly kisses."

David laughed heartily. "It's better you learn that now rather than later. Cute little girls always get their way. it doesn't matter if that girl is human, canine or feline."

Connor shook his head in amusement as bella made herself at home in his lap. "So, what brings you out here this early? Are you all packed and ready to go?"

Kayla nodded. "I'm just excited about the farm. I'm going to meet a fairy kitten today!"

Connor looked at his father and then at Kayla. "A real fairy cat? What makes you think so?"

"I dreamed about her today. She was a pretty black kitty with green eyes and two sets of ears. She's special!"

Connor nodded and looked at his father again. When he looked back at Kayla, he added, "I need you to promise me that if you run into this fairy kitten and she needs help, you'll come and get me. I don't want you to try and take down any big adults by yourself. Okay?"

Kayla nodded. "I promise. I hated being grounded and I don't wanna be in trouble again."

"Good. Now you should go back up to the manor; I'm sure that Jude will be here soon."

Kayla gave him a big hug and then led Bella back to the house.

David shook his head. "That was adorable."

Connor nodded wryly. "I'm starting to think that my dreams were visions and they were giving me a heads up about what's waiting for us on the farm."

David nodded. "I think you're right. In case we end the day with another mouth to feed, we should pick up a small kennel and a blanket to take with us."

"The Miscreants have a small kennel in their mobile response unit. I'm sure they won't mind us borrowing it."

By the time father and son walked back up to the manor, they found a flurry of activity going on around them. Kayla was talking excitedly with Raine while Eric helped his son slip into his new Monster Lights tennis shoes. The shopping trip the day before had been a whirlwind, and by they time they made it to Applebees, they were exhausted and almost every clothing item they'd bought for Kailen had a 'glow in the dark' element. They'd found a specialty store in the mall, which was called Luminaries that sold that kind of stuff exclusively and the little boy had acted like the excited four year old that he was supposed to be and the store had made a killing off of them and they were eagerly invited to come back to see them in the future.

Eric had also made some purchases on their brother's day out and now he had a brand new stroller for Kailin to use while at SeaWorld and he had also bought a lot 'dad' items in manly looking Camo that he now showed off.

The minute he walked in the kitchen, Raine got an excited look on her face and she ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Connor grinned as he picked up his little sister in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you again! You all ready for the trip?"

"Yep, Momma helped me pack and we even got my Halloween dress from the cleaners this morning!"

"That's awesome! Have you seen Kira up here yet?"

"Nope, and I'm not about to go wake her up, I remember how Mama was when she was gonna have River. She got cranky if I woke her up before eight."

Connor chuckled and hugged his little sister again. "Right, I'll go check on her then."

Just as he set her on her feet again, He heard the sound of twin motorbikes in the driveway and a second later, Kayla jumped up from her seat. "Jude's here!"

Raine watched them go and her smile fell. "She's twitterpated."

Connor grinned and hugged Raine again. "Being Twitterpated isn't so bad. I'm crazy for Kira and one day, you'll be feeling those intense emotions too and it's one of the best feelings in the world!"

He fought the urge to laugh when she gave him a skeptical look. "Okay, if you say so."

"I do. Now why don't you go check and make sure you have everything ready for the trip. We'll be leaving soon."

"Alright, this is the route we're going to take to the farm." Rocky said as he showed the digital map to Skull and Ariel. The Rustic Ridge lodge is just a few miles from there."

"I've heard of that place." Ariel said thoughtfully. "It's got nice reviews."

Rocky nodded. "It came highly recommended by Alma; she's got one heck of a network. She knows the people who own it and they gave us a virtual tour and a discount since we've got a large group."

Rocky paused to tap an icon on the map. "This is where Spooky Acres is. Everything is set up for the trip. All that's left to do is to get the kids settled into the RV and get going."

Spooky Acres

Several hours later

Jude stood in front of the booth and lined up his shot. He stuck his tongue out between his teeth and tossed the ring. It landed perfectly around the bony arm sticking up from the ground of the spooky foggy graveyard.

"You did it!" Kayla cheered pumping her fist in the air. He grinned widely at her and then looked back the teenager working the booth that was asking him what prize he wanted.

"I'd like the Halloween bear, please!"

"Sure, kid. It's all yours!"

The bear was the biggest one on the rack and about half his size. It was not what was normally given after only one win, but the teenager shot him a knowing grin as he handed the big orange and black bear to Jude who then gave it to Kayla who grinned widely at him.

Everyone awed at the ridiculously cute little couple as they walked away hand in hand. While the two little soul mates were oblivious to the attention they attracted, everyone at the orchard had noticed. Kira chuckled as she sent the video to Kimberly.

She'd been doing this periodically as they walked around Spooky Acres and acting as the chaperones for this incredibly special first date. This festival was a happy place and she'd noticed that unlike the carnivals she'd been to before, most of the games were actually winnable and they were geared towards kids.

Soon after arriving at this orchard, the kids had been fully immersed in the atmosphere. It was about an hour or so before dusk and that was what everyone was waiting for. The haunted hayride.

Kayla and Jude had done exactly as they'd promised and they along with Raine had helped little Kailen carve his first Jack O lantern. It was pretty much the standard design and the little boy had been having the time of his life. Once the pumpkin had been carved, Isabelle, the kindly co owner of the orchard had taken it to a mobile cooler that had been set up that would help slow down the inevitable decay; the pumpkins would last much longer this way.

After that activity had been done, Kailen's eyes had landed on a few other booths dedicated to merch; one of these involved T-shirts and airbrushes. Another featured student artists and caricature drawings. They'd be occupied for a while.

Jude and Kayla had wanted to play some games, and that was where they were now.

Axel shadowed the two cuties as they walked around the orchard and grinned with pride as his little brother won the ring around the skeleton hand game. Skull and Ariel had spoken privately with their son and had told him that they wanted to take a couple hours for themselves and asked him to keep an eye on his little brother. Mavis, his younger sister had gone off on her own wanting to spend some time alone.

Axel was the oldest, and so he graciously took on the job of shadowing his little brother on this incredibly special date.

Up ahead, the festival scenery changed. While most of the festival centered around grave yard ambience, this section of the orchard had been transformed into a spooky pirate cave. The entrance of the game had it's own facade and the fog hugged the ground and the water effects were adding to the whole experience.

The moment they walked up the ramp to the platform of a sunken pirate ship, they were welcomed by an odd-looking mermaid. She was plus sized with dark skin beauty. She had a welcoming face framed by blue dreads and she wore a sparkling purple corset and her tale was that of a shark with it's wicked looking fins. Around her waist, where scale met flesh, she wore a pitch black sash with a light purple rose and in the middle of the flower was a metallic skull.

"Welcome to the treasure cove." She said with a grin. "This is a fishing game. Once you've been given a rod, cast the line and when you feel a tug on the line, reel it in and see what you can drag up from the depths!"

As she said this, another teenager dressed in a badass pirate costume walked up to them and greeted the kids. While they played the game, Connor noticed the long look Axel was giving the strange mermaid. "You were a friend of my sister, Jessie, weren't you? I recognize that costume from her sketch book."

The mermaid gave him a small smile and then nodded. "We were both theater nerds and I loved Mermaids but could never find a costume for girls my size. She designed it for me a few months before the cancer took her; It was already being fabricated when she passed away. I was hesitant to wear it, but when my team and I were tasked with creating this fishing game, I decided that it should be shown off." Jessie paused a moment and bit her lip. "I hope you don't mind."

Axel shook his head and then realized that Connor and Kira were looking on in curiosity.

My sister was all about inclusion and she loved the idea of there being mermaids that weren't stick figures…she said that mermaids should come in all sizes." He grinned and looked back at Jessie. My parents would love to see one of her designs come to life. They'll be here shortly if you're still around."

"I'll be here all night."

Just then the moment was broken as everyone heard Jude whooping with joy as he pulled out a hard-plastic capsule with a shiny black card inside.

Axel excused himself from the mermaid and walked over to his brother who was grinning at him.

"What did the sea goddess give you?"

"It looks like you hit the jackpot, young scallywag." The pirate answered. "It's a fifty-dollar reloadable visa. You've got plenty of spending money!"

Connor raised an eyebrow at that but grinned when Jude thanked the worker and then waited for Kayla to have her turn.

She handled it with confidence and gave the worker a puzzled look when she pulled up a small capsule with a tag on it.

He gave her a big smile. "That means you've won a prize that's too big for a capsule." He led her over to a wall with a bunch of posters on it.

"Alright milady, you get the poster of your choice; nothing's off limits."

Kayla looked over the wall and cocked her head when she saw Spyro the Dragon. She'd never played the game, but she liked the look of the main character. "I like the purple dragon!"

He nodded and then pulled out the right rolled up poster and handed it over to her. "Here you go, young maiden! Best leave it with yer guardians. It'd be a shame if it got messed up!"

When they walked back out into the farm area, Kayla spied a young boy with messy blonde hair sitting sadly at a picnic table near the petting zoo. Almost as if they were in sync Jude and Kayla walked over to him.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked kindly.

The little boy looked up at them and tried to smile…it didn't reach his vibrant blue eyes.

Connor quietly scanned him and saw that his colors were there, but they were dim; much like the way Kayla's had been back in Angel Grove.

"I'm fine…"

Kayla looked up at him and he subtly shook his head.

You sure about that? You look pretty sad to me."

"Not sad…scared."

Kayla let go of Jude's hand and sat next to the little boy. "What're you scared of? Can we help you?"

Just as he was about to answer, he gasped and shook violently. Kayla shuddered almost at the same time and looked all around her. A black Jeep Cherokee with a bloody red skull drove up to the barn and revved it's engine aggressively.

Connor gently pushed the children behind him and stood protectively in front of Kira. When the scary looking teenager emerged from the car followed by what he could only describe as a coven of witches and a couple warlocks emerged from the car, he scanned them and immediately felt sick to his stomach. Their auras were pitch black and he could sense evil vibes coming off of them.

"The darkness." Kira cried softly. "It's here!"

"Yeah, I know." Connor replied softly. He looked over at Kira. I know you want to help, but I can sense really dark vibes flowing from them. I don't want you or our baby anywhere near them."

Kira felt nauseated, but she only nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get David and Diesel."

"Take the kids with you and get to safety."

Kira nodded and offered her hand to the little boy. "Come with me, it's not safe for you here."

Connor squared his shoulders and walked towards the barn. Unbeknownst to him, Kayla and Jude were behind him.

By the time he got to the barn, the witches were already surrounding the young woman, who had to be the young boy's mother as she was feeding the two young fillies that were in her care. One of them looked exactly like the horse in his dreams…

A moment later, he looked down feeling Kayla slip her hand into his.

"What're you doing?" He demanded in a whisper. "I told you to go with Kira."

"It's the darkness!' She whispered. When he looked at his young cousin, her eyes were glowing a bright green and a few tears were streaming from her eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

Sorry about the cliffhanger. I had the confrontation written down, but the chapter was already at ten pages and I felt that the fight needed its own chapter.

I can promise that the wait will be worth it. I have a really cool showdown in mind!