:: Here it is the second to the last chapter of Earth Bound Hero. Hope you
enjoyed the story and will continue to read, review and write JM::
8. From Dusk, To Dawn
Jean stopped the vette in an empty parking lot. She turned the engine off and got out. She looked down on the ground and seen her shadow. She looked up at the sky and seen the half moon. She felt the power of the moon and for a few seconds all of her worries disappeared. But when Vash popped in her head, she felt weak and helpless without him. Jean broke her eyes way from the moon as a train past by her. She forgot that her favorite thinking spot was so close to the train tracks. When the sound of the train disappeared from her ears, she started for the small woods in front of her, but then stopped when she heard footsteps other then her own.
"Who's there?" Jean asked turning around.
"I thought that was you." A woman's voice said to her out of the shadows and slowly was tall sandy blonde woman stepped into the moonlight.
"Who, who are you?" Jean asked she couldn't tell who it was.
"Oh come on Jean, don't you recognize your own friend?" She asked still walking towards Jean.
Jean looked at her, she could hardly see her face, and finally it hit Jean to whom she could be.
"Katie?" Jean questioned
"Duh, bout damn time Jean." She yelled.
"Yep that's Katie. What are you doing here?" Jean asked as her old friend Katie stopped right next to her.
"I saw you peal out of the festival." Katie replied. "So I followed you here. Plus I went to check on the vette at your grandma's, but she told me that you came back and took it to the festival." Katie said. "So what are you doing back home?" Katie asked.
"Oh a few friends and I are in town for a while." Jean answered. "Xena and I finally took your advice and quit." Jean added.
"You quit, how?" Katie replied.
"Oh the boss went a litter to far." Jean answered and started for the small woods and disappeared into the shadows.
Katie knew better then to follow her, so she just started back for her mustang, but stop when Jean yelled to her.
"In the morning, go to my grandma's and tell my friends where I'm at. I'll be here all night." Jean's voice said over the hill out of the shadows.
Xena. Vash and Wolfwood woke up to the sound of the doorbell dinging about five times. Jean's grandma answered the door to see Katie giving her a weak smile.
"Oh good morning June." She said. "Are Jean's friends still here?" Katie asked and June nodded her head yes and let Katie in the trailer.
"Yes they are, I believe they're still asleep." June said as she closed they front door." Katie did you see Jean?" She asked as Katie walked into the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Yes I did." Katie answered. She looked away from June to the living room couch. There simi-asleep was a tall blonde in a long red trench coat. Across from him in the chair was another guy in a black, blue suit also asleep. "So I take it that they're Jean's friends?" Katie asked looking back at the blonde. 'Damn he's fine.' Katie thought.
"Yes they are." June replied. "There's one more, she's in the little room." She added, "Would you like some coffee and donuts?" June asked, before June was done saying the word donuts the tall blonde shot up fully awake and yelled.
"DONUTS WHERE?" He yelled looking around for the donuts.
The second guy woke up with a start at all of the fuss the first one was making.
"Vash is that all you think about?" He asked.
"Shut up." Vash snapped.
"Make me."
"Let's go church man."
"Gladly needle noggin."
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?" A woman's voice yelled out of the little room. "SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL TRYING TO SLEEP." She finished.
Vash and the other guy looked away from each other and finally noticed Katie.
"Well good morning miss." The second guy said giving Katie a stupid smile.
"Mornin'." Katie replied. "Who are you?" Katie asked.
"Oh sorry I'm Nicholas D. Wolfwood." Wolfwood said standing up out of the chair.
Vash stood up, walked pasted Katie and sat down next to her. He reached across the table and grabbed the box of donuts. He opened the lid, gave a very stupid ear-to-ear grin and started to shove donuts into his mouth, while Wolfwood shook his heads.
"Sorry about him, he likes donuts a little to much." Wolfwood said. "Oh if you're, wondering, that's Vash the Stampede." He finished sitting across from Katie.
About five minutes later, Vash was done with the donuts and the woman from earlier finally joined them. She walked into the kitchen, seen that there were no more chairs, so she sat on Wolfwood's lap.
"Hi, I'm Xena, Xena McNeice." Xena said reaching over to Vash and grabbed the now empty box of donuts away from him. "Ah damn it Vash you ate them all." Xena snapped. "There are more people here then just you." Xena shook her head and dropped the box back on the table. "And you are?"
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Katie. I've been a friend of Jean's for a while." Katie answered.
Vash looked, shot his eyes away from the table and over to Katie.
"You know Jean?" Vash asked surprised.
"Yeah I do." Katie smiled.
"Have you seen her?" Vash asked again.
Katie looked down at the table, but didn't answer.
Xena looked away from the empty box and at Katie.
"Did you even talk to her?"
"Yeah she told me to tell you not to worry." Katie finished.
Wolfwood shot his head past Xena and looked at Katie.
"Where is she?"
"Um about that, she doesn't want you to know, well at least I think she doesn't." Katie replied, "But I could take you to her." Katie questioned, "Even though, she'll probably kill me after words." Katie added, stood up and headed for the front door, "You comin?" Katie asked.
Xena, Vash and Wolfwood nodded their heads and followed after Katie.
They all piled into Katie's mustang and pealed out of Toad Hop, and headed towards Terre Haute. About five minutes later they pulled into the empty parking lot and stopped next to Jean's Corvette.
"Stay here, she might have walked off." Katie said and disappeared into the small woods.
Jean stared out into the flowing water of the Wabash River, wondering or not if she should jump in. Her gaze was broken as she heard rushing of leaves above her. Jean turned around to see Katie walking towards her.
"What is it Kate?" Jean yelled up at her.
"Um don't be mad, but I brought your friends here." Katie answered as she stepped down on the ledge.
Jean looked away from Katie and back at the river.
"Why?" Jean asked finally.
"Why what?"
"Why did you bring them here?"
"They wanted to know where you were, the cutie blonde was really worried about you!" Katie answered.
Jean shot away from the river and up at Katie.
"What? What do you mean? Vash is still alive?" Jean questioned as she shot to her feet almost falling off the ledge.
"Whoa easy there Jean, don't fall off." Katie answered as she grabbed Jean's arm, before she did fall into the river. "Come on, I'll take you up there." Katie finished as she helped Jean up the stone stairs.
"So how do you know my friends?" Jean asked, but Katie didn't answer. "Katie, are you ok?" Jean replied as she turned her head and looked at Katie.
Suddenly Katie pulled out her gun and knocked Jean out cold.
Katie dragged Jean's lifeless body over to her car and laid her up against an unconsions Vash, Wolfwood and Xena.
A man about Vash's height, with baby blue eyes, short white blonde hair with a demonic look on his face, walked out of the shadows and stopped next to Katie.
"Very good, Kathline, very good. You made me proud." He replied as she swirled Katie around and put his lips to hers.
::Ok, ok so this wasn't the last chapter, but the next one it JM::
8. From Dusk, To Dawn
Jean stopped the vette in an empty parking lot. She turned the engine off and got out. She looked down on the ground and seen her shadow. She looked up at the sky and seen the half moon. She felt the power of the moon and for a few seconds all of her worries disappeared. But when Vash popped in her head, she felt weak and helpless without him. Jean broke her eyes way from the moon as a train past by her. She forgot that her favorite thinking spot was so close to the train tracks. When the sound of the train disappeared from her ears, she started for the small woods in front of her, but then stopped when she heard footsteps other then her own.
"Who's there?" Jean asked turning around.
"I thought that was you." A woman's voice said to her out of the shadows and slowly was tall sandy blonde woman stepped into the moonlight.
"Who, who are you?" Jean asked she couldn't tell who it was.
"Oh come on Jean, don't you recognize your own friend?" She asked still walking towards Jean.
Jean looked at her, she could hardly see her face, and finally it hit Jean to whom she could be.
"Katie?" Jean questioned
"Duh, bout damn time Jean." She yelled.
"Yep that's Katie. What are you doing here?" Jean asked as her old friend Katie stopped right next to her.
"I saw you peal out of the festival." Katie replied. "So I followed you here. Plus I went to check on the vette at your grandma's, but she told me that you came back and took it to the festival." Katie said. "So what are you doing back home?" Katie asked.
"Oh a few friends and I are in town for a while." Jean answered. "Xena and I finally took your advice and quit." Jean added.
"You quit, how?" Katie replied.
"Oh the boss went a litter to far." Jean answered and started for the small woods and disappeared into the shadows.
Katie knew better then to follow her, so she just started back for her mustang, but stop when Jean yelled to her.
"In the morning, go to my grandma's and tell my friends where I'm at. I'll be here all night." Jean's voice said over the hill out of the shadows.
Xena. Vash and Wolfwood woke up to the sound of the doorbell dinging about five times. Jean's grandma answered the door to see Katie giving her a weak smile.
"Oh good morning June." She said. "Are Jean's friends still here?" Katie asked and June nodded her head yes and let Katie in the trailer.
"Yes they are, I believe they're still asleep." June said as she closed they front door." Katie did you see Jean?" She asked as Katie walked into the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Yes I did." Katie answered. She looked away from June to the living room couch. There simi-asleep was a tall blonde in a long red trench coat. Across from him in the chair was another guy in a black, blue suit also asleep. "So I take it that they're Jean's friends?" Katie asked looking back at the blonde. 'Damn he's fine.' Katie thought.
"Yes they are." June replied. "There's one more, she's in the little room." She added, "Would you like some coffee and donuts?" June asked, before June was done saying the word donuts the tall blonde shot up fully awake and yelled.
"DONUTS WHERE?" He yelled looking around for the donuts.
The second guy woke up with a start at all of the fuss the first one was making.
"Vash is that all you think about?" He asked.
"Shut up." Vash snapped.
"Make me."
"Let's go church man."
"Gladly needle noggin."
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?" A woman's voice yelled out of the little room. "SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL TRYING TO SLEEP." She finished.
Vash and the other guy looked away from each other and finally noticed Katie.
"Well good morning miss." The second guy said giving Katie a stupid smile.
"Mornin'." Katie replied. "Who are you?" Katie asked.
"Oh sorry I'm Nicholas D. Wolfwood." Wolfwood said standing up out of the chair.
Vash stood up, walked pasted Katie and sat down next to her. He reached across the table and grabbed the box of donuts. He opened the lid, gave a very stupid ear-to-ear grin and started to shove donuts into his mouth, while Wolfwood shook his heads.
"Sorry about him, he likes donuts a little to much." Wolfwood said. "Oh if you're, wondering, that's Vash the Stampede." He finished sitting across from Katie.
About five minutes later, Vash was done with the donuts and the woman from earlier finally joined them. She walked into the kitchen, seen that there were no more chairs, so she sat on Wolfwood's lap.
"Hi, I'm Xena, Xena McNeice." Xena said reaching over to Vash and grabbed the now empty box of donuts away from him. "Ah damn it Vash you ate them all." Xena snapped. "There are more people here then just you." Xena shook her head and dropped the box back on the table. "And you are?"
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Katie. I've been a friend of Jean's for a while." Katie answered.
Vash looked, shot his eyes away from the table and over to Katie.
"You know Jean?" Vash asked surprised.
"Yeah I do." Katie smiled.
"Have you seen her?" Vash asked again.
Katie looked down at the table, but didn't answer.
Xena looked away from the empty box and at Katie.
"Did you even talk to her?"
"Yeah she told me to tell you not to worry." Katie finished.
Wolfwood shot his head past Xena and looked at Katie.
"Where is she?"
"Um about that, she doesn't want you to know, well at least I think she doesn't." Katie replied, "But I could take you to her." Katie questioned, "Even though, she'll probably kill me after words." Katie added, stood up and headed for the front door, "You comin?" Katie asked.
Xena, Vash and Wolfwood nodded their heads and followed after Katie.
They all piled into Katie's mustang and pealed out of Toad Hop, and headed towards Terre Haute. About five minutes later they pulled into the empty parking lot and stopped next to Jean's Corvette.
"Stay here, she might have walked off." Katie said and disappeared into the small woods.
Jean stared out into the flowing water of the Wabash River, wondering or not if she should jump in. Her gaze was broken as she heard rushing of leaves above her. Jean turned around to see Katie walking towards her.
"What is it Kate?" Jean yelled up at her.
"Um don't be mad, but I brought your friends here." Katie answered as she stepped down on the ledge.
Jean looked away from Katie and back at the river.
"Why?" Jean asked finally.
"Why what?"
"Why did you bring them here?"
"They wanted to know where you were, the cutie blonde was really worried about you!" Katie answered.
Jean shot away from the river and up at Katie.
"What? What do you mean? Vash is still alive?" Jean questioned as she shot to her feet almost falling off the ledge.
"Whoa easy there Jean, don't fall off." Katie answered as she grabbed Jean's arm, before she did fall into the river. "Come on, I'll take you up there." Katie finished as she helped Jean up the stone stairs.
"So how do you know my friends?" Jean asked, but Katie didn't answer. "Katie, are you ok?" Jean replied as she turned her head and looked at Katie.
Suddenly Katie pulled out her gun and knocked Jean out cold.
Katie dragged Jean's lifeless body over to her car and laid her up against an unconsions Vash, Wolfwood and Xena.
A man about Vash's height, with baby blue eyes, short white blonde hair with a demonic look on his face, walked out of the shadows and stopped next to Katie.
"Very good, Kathline, very good. You made me proud." He replied as she swirled Katie around and put his lips to hers.
::Ok, ok so this wasn't the last chapter, but the next one it JM::