A/N: Here is a story idea, not my typical type of story. At least I don't think so...Been working on this a few months now and it's taken on a life of its own. Figured it might be a good story leading up to Halloween. I'm not typically one for celebrating holidays of any kind, so honestly it surprises me that I'd write this, but I couldn't get rid of the thought. I'll admit that I had intended it to be just one long story, not broken up by chapter installments but it felt a little long for one solo story. Especially after I fleshed the story out a little more and soon it was surpassing 20K words. I'm still making little edits to follow up chapters, so hopefully I can keep with my deadlines of weekly uploads.
Also, lord help me I just started writing another story that is way, way way non-canon and it's supposed to be a touch of cringe worthy humor and I don't even know where the idea came from. I think it was born out of exhaustion after working a seventy-three-hour work week as well as trying to get my parents to medical appointments two hours away. I must be as mad as a march hare to have come up with this other story that i hope to have done just in time for Halloween. Just a hint as to the title of this other story "My Best Friend is a Ghoul".
Reviews are greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy.
Thanks!
Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Jeff drove, humming quietly to himself, sparing the briefest of glances at his son. His fourteen-year-old wasn't impressed. It was the start of summer break and Alan wanted to go stay with a friend from boarding school for two weeks at a lake house. Jeff however didn't know the parents well and with the regularity of threats coming via voicemail, email, and snail mail to both high profile families – Jeff hadn't felt safe in allowing Alan to go. He'd said no and Alan had begged and pleaded his case. His friend wasn't a bad guy, his father who also was a prominent figure head of an equally large corporation had a private security detail that followed the family everywhere regardless of location. But Jeff stood his ground.
That had been a week prior to the end of school and while Jeff hadn't picked Alan up from school, he had left that duty to their close friend of the family. Lady Penelope Creighton Ward, otherwise, a high society aristocrat that moonlighted alongside the family as an agent of International Rescue. She'd unofficially adopted the family as hers, being a motherly figure to Alan at times. He was certainly young enough at the time that Jeff and Penelope met that she could assume the role of mom to a child so young. She despite her many protestations loved having Alan run to her as he grew up over the years and hug her, smiling as wide as the moon and stars that covered the whole expanse of the night sky.
Jeff glanced across the center console at Alan and grinned before he took his right hand off the steering wheel and squeezed Alan's left shoulder. "Oh, come on. This isn't so bad. It may not be the lake house you wanted to stay at, but what's a weekend out with your old man?"
"Dad, I don't mean to mope…it's just Blake had a couple tickets to a concert that his mother purchased for this band we both love and…I've never been to a concert before. You know that. This was supposed to be an amazing two-week visit." Alan explained. "I know I've told you that his mother is a music producer, and she gets the best deals on concert tickets. She had several shows lined up that we could have front row, VIP tickets with backstage passes to all the hottest bands."
"Alan, I know his mother and father's names. But I don't know them. And while you told me they have a security detail that follows them, they aren't hired to protect you. If his family came under attack at any time that you were with them, you would be in terrible danger and I'm not willing to put your safety at risk. You know the threats I get daily from greenies as well as people that not only wish to do harm to my image but want to harm you and your brothers. Can you blame me for wanting you to be safe? I'm your father and I love you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"I know that dad, but…it's just…really? Camping? I don't camp, I've never been camping, nor do I know anything about it." Alan said as he cut a look at his dad. Jeff looked back across at his son, smiling at the pout that Alan perfected. His brothers called it the puppy pout, and for good reason. And if Jeff had to admit it out loud, it indeed looked puppy like.
"Yes son, camping. I've done this with each of your brothers' multitudes of times, but we've never had the occasion. It'll be fun. I promise." Jeff said as he put on his blinker, taking a turn that took them off the highway. He was going up an access road that led to an old camping spot an associate told him about. It wasn't too far of a hike from the SUV when they'd park. The camping spot was probably twelve miles from where he planned to park. When Jeff found a decent parking spot, he pulled up and shut off the car. "Okay, let's get a move on. We should make it to camp with enough time to explore the area."
Alan gave the landscape a cursory albeit dubious look. All he saw were trees and tall grass. When he exited the vehicle, he wrinkled his nose. His father went around to the back of the SUV and opened the hatch, removing the backpacks Scott had prepared in anticipation of their camping excursion. He glanced up when Alan walked around to the back of the vehicle. "So, what do you think kiddo?"
"Um, it's very…um…foresty." Alan said, trying to find a shred of enthusiasm but it had fled the moment his dad said they would spend a long three-day weekend out here, camping. "Dad, where's the bathroom in this area? You don't really expect me to…um?" Alan trailed off, gesturing at himself then the wilderness surrounding them while wearing a grimace.
"Yes Alan, pick a tree for cover or a rock…there's lots to choose from." Jeff said as he spread his hands wide. "And just take in a deep breath of that fresh air. No smog for as far as the eye can see and skies as clear as they are back home."
"It smells like an outhouse." Alan remarked as he took a sniff of his surroundings.
"No, it doesn't. Have an open mind." Jeff said as he made a show of sucking in a deep breath through his nose and exhaling loudly out of his mouth. "Now come on, grab your pack and let's get to hiking. We're not going to get there by sitting around on our laurels."
Alan begrudgingly grabbed his pack, and he shrugged it on, following his father's instructions of fastening the waist and chest straps. His father excitedly propped his phone on the hood of the vehicle, setting a timer and stepping back and wrapping an arm around Alan's shoulder. They didn't have but minimal cell phone coverage, so he saved the photo to be sent later. Alan presented the barest hint of a grin, truly not excited at the prospect of hiking or camping. He was a city boy, had grown up on the family farm in his early years then to New York until only in recent years. Three years at most and even then, Alan would mostly stay in a boarding school around stuffy, snobby rich kids that got what they wanted at a snap of a finger.
Jeff led he and Alan up an already established trail, following a paper map that he removed from his pocket of his cargo jeans. Alan reluctantly followed his father, weaving around trees, fallen and freestanding they started up some switchbacks and Alan quickly tired. He stood behind his father who appeared unaffected by their assent these past few hours. Alan meanwhile was doubled over, hands on his knees and gasping in breaths. Jeff glanced back at Alan, shaking his head in bemusement.
"Geez son, one would think you've never heard of physical activity before." Jeff said as he handed Alan a bottle of water.
Alan took a big drink from the bottle and swiped a hand over his forehead, wiping away the sweat that'd gathered.
"Trust me, there is only one thing I can think of that is guaranteed to be more fun than killing myself during a hike and it includes laying in a bed." Alan said as he took another gulp off the water bottle before he capped it and handed it back to his father. His dad tucked it back in the bottle pocket.
"I really hope you're talking about just sleeping and not the alternative. You're just a kid and shouldn't be entertaining those thoughts." Jeff said exasperatedly.
"Yeah, I was talking about sleeping dad. Get your mind out of the gutter. Besides, who would I do that with? I attend a school for boys and there are no girls that come on campus. Like ever." Alan replied, receiving an eyeroll from his father. He and his father stood around for a few more minutes until Alan's eyes widened marginally. "Whew, that water just hit me like a ton of bricks."
"There's a tree right behind you son." Jeff said to which Alan grimaced.
"I…I'm not that desperate." Alan said, shaking his head as he shifted from foot to foot. "Whew."
"Okay." Jeff said softly, shaking his head at his son's stubbornness. "Let's keep hiking then."
Jeff led Alan up the trail, listening to his son's soft complaints of his feet being tired and his legs hurting as well as his complaints that this wasn't fun at all. Jeff ignored Alan's griping and he continued leading Alan through the hike.
"Um, dad? I can't wait anymore." Alan said, making his father stop and turn to face him. "Where did you say was an okay place, again?"
Jeff shook his head with a breathy chuckle as he spread his hands once more. "That's why they call it, the call of nature…kiddo. You're in amongst nature…pick a place, just so long as it's not near a body of water."
Alan crossed his legs and bit his lip, his eyebrows furrowing before he turned away with a disgruntled groan. "You better not tell anyone about this."
Jeff turned around, granting his son privacy as Alan faced into the forest, heaving a relieved sigh loudly. "Ah, that's better."
"Why don't you announce it to the whole world Alan?" Jeff said, chuckling aloud. He couldn't believe his son sometimes. Sure, there were times he acted like a spoiled brat and then there were times like this where he was a goofy teenager that had a habit of oversharing. Jeff heard a zip of a zipper and then he turned back around, seeing Alan come walking back over. "Better?"
"Much." Alan replied before his dad nodded for them to continue onwards. They carried on hiking and only stopped when both father and son got hungry. Jeff had dug into his pack, pulling out some non-perishable foodstuffs and fixed he and Alan a small lunch jam packed with protein. Alan was chewing a bite of summer sausage, not being used to the flavor of the meat and he bobbed his head from side to side. Jeff cut a slice of the sausage, continuing eating it as Alan opened a pack of trail mix. They sat for a little while longer until they'd eaten their fill then Jeff determined they'd best get a move on.
Jeff and Alan packed their Pyrex storage containers before they stood. Jeff consulted the map, pointing out to Alan where they were in relation to the primary camp site. They hiked another hour and a half until they made it to the crest of the hillside. When they finally stopped, Jeff heard a gasp of awe come from Alan and Jeff couldn't stop the smile. Clearly his son was enjoying the view as perceived.
"What do you think?" Jeff asked with a grin as he shared the same view with his youngest.
"It's stunning." Alan said, voice soft as he looked out over the trees that stretched for miles around.
"So, what do you think we should do? Set up camp here or go a bit further up?" Jeff asked.
"I like it here, but if you think we should keep going then…" Alan gestured with a hand that he'd go with whatever his father decided.
"Let's stay here. It'll be a nice view to wake up to. Then we can hike further up tomorrow morning and explore." Jeff said as he turned in a close circle to look for a good place to set up their tent. With Alan never having been camping before, Jeff figured Alan wouldn't sleep well if he was in a solo tent. Fear of the unknown and strange wilderness noises notwithstanding. "Come on, I'll show you how to set up the tent."
Alan raised an eyebrow at that, but he knelt beside his father as the older Tracy dug into his backpack and removed the tent and poles. Alan fumbled with the tent poles, not quite grasping the concept of looping them through the eyelets until his dad helped him.
Alan's ears burned in embarrassment as his dad took the poles from him, but the shame didn't last long. Soon his dad let him try again and with his gentle tutelage Alan assembled much of the tent the second time. He smiled with a blush as his dad praised him for his decent second attempt.
"Okay son, let's go for a little walk and see if we can't find some wood that's dry enough to build us a little fire."
Alan nodded amiably and stood with his father. He stood a head and a half shorter than his father, so he had to look up to meet his father's gaze.
"Let's keep hiking up trail a little, I'm sure we'll find some dry wood up there." Jeff said before he crouched by his pack and pilfered around. Finding his object of his search, Jeff turned with a grin. "Don't want to forget our bear spray, we don't know what else is out here with us."
Alan stuck close to his father as they carried on up trail. Alan, by the time they determined they had enough wood couldn't carry one more iota. The father and son duo hiked up around a bend in the trail and both stopped, their mouths hanging open.
"Son, come away." Jeff felt a chill race up his spine. A couple meters ahead was a handwritten sign, the supposed red paint writing the words "Keep Out! Enter At Your Own Risk". The thing that chilled Jeff however was the shade of the 'red paint', it had aged to a sickly brown and a little voice in the back of Jeff's mind whispered that it wasn't paint but blood. "Come on, let's go."
Alan started at the little nervous quiver he thought he heard in his father's voice, ordinarily he'd have begged to explore regardless of the keep out signage. But this was a side he couldn't recall ever hearing from his father and he wasn't about to ignore it.
Doing as his father said, Alan tightened his hold on the armload of kindling and followed his father's quickened pace back towards their camp. He glanced back over his shoulder and sucked in a startled gasp, and he shook his head. He could have sworn he just…no. It was broad daylight and monsters didn't exist.
His father didn't think to ask Alan what made him gasp, assuming his son had simply tripped over his own two feet. It'd happened often enough that Jeff rarely noticed Alan's stumbling unless he was unable to catch himself and hit the dust. But he continued leading Alan back the way they came and soon they'd arrived.
By the time the duo had made it back to camp, they'd breathlessly looked back at one another, both a little spooked. Jeff and Alan both chuckled with near identical shakes of their heads, feeling a little ridiculous for their hurried flight from the area up trail.
"Come on kiddo, that fire isn't going to build itself." Jeff urged kindly, doing the same as before and carefully instructing Alan how to build a fire properly so that it wouldn't smother itself nor go astray. Once the fire was going, Jeff heated up some dehydrated 'just add water' camp meals for he and Alan and they both quietly ate.
The silence that surrounded the father and son was easygoing. There wasn't the noise pollution like in the heart of the city nor was there the honking of cars or angry shouts as was sometimes common among city dwellings. It was one of the reasons Jeff valued the solitude of the island. No noise unless it was created by a member of their household or a distant ship cruising to join trade routes. Crickets chirped merrily and off in the distance was the hoot of an owl.
Alan finished his meal and hiccuped, quickly covering his mouth in surprise. It made Jeff chortle.
"How was your meal son?" Jeff asked as he too finished his dinner and he carefully set the empty container in the bag intended to become their bear bag. Pack it in, pack it out. Jeff knew the law of camping that was the mantra to all campers young and old. Nobody wanted to deal with someone else's trash, so if they brought it along, they took it home with them when they left.
"It was good, nowhere near as good as Onaha's though." Alan said as he handed his trash to his father to store away in the bear bag. "What are you doing?"
"Making a bear bag, it's what we can store our left-over food and trash in to tie up off the ground, so bears don't wander into our camp and make a mess or steal our leftovers." Jeff said as he tied the bag off and stood, picking out a good, strong branch and hefting the bag over the outstretched limb and tying it off. "There, now that should be safe from tampering, and we can stargaze a little bit until we're too tired to stay up."
Alan stood to follow his dad out to the ridge where he and his dad had looked out over the landscape earlier. He lay beside his father, folding his arms behind his head and turning his gaze skyward. Jeff lay beside him, mimicking his son's posture and smiling to himself.
"Can you point out your favorite constellation again? I forget which is yours and which is John's, course John has multiple favorites." Alan asked in a whisper.
"Alan, you wound me." Jeff joked, chuckling softly at his son. "Sure, it's the andromeda constellation. Reminds me of your mom."
Alan went quiet briefly as he thought about what his dad said. He missed his mom, even though he never got the opportunity to know her. He was a baby when she passed away, two years old as a matter of fact. He tried to picture his mom, but the memory he had of her was fuzzy. He could picture her golden blonde hair; it was like his if he were to follow what his brothers and dad said when they told stories about her.
"Wasn't Andromeda a Greek princess?" Alan asked, keeping his voice soft.
"Yeah, though your mom…she was a goddess. She raised you boys with such grace and never let any of the hiccups of parenthood hold her back. I wish you'd been able to spend more time with her." Jeff said, his voice taking on a nostalgic tone.
"I miss her." Alan admitted, feeling like he got the raw end of the deal. It was nobody's fault that his mother had died, unless you counted the intoxicated wrong way driver that had collided headlong into the car his mother was driving at seven in the morning. His mother was taking him to a pediatrician's appointment two hours away from their home in Galena and she had topped a hill, only to crash and roll off the road. Unfortunately, it wasn't alcohol the other driver was intoxicated with. The twenty-something man had been flying high on meth, having taken a hit for the first time in several weeks and thought he was safe enough to get behind the wheel. But that decision changed the lives of their whole family forever. They'd had to lay the beloved mother and wife to rest, and Alan had spent months in the hospital while he recovered from injuries sustained in the accident. That wasn't to mention the fact that Alan gave up talking for up to about a year after his mother's tragic death. At two years old, Alan had finally begun to understand the art on nonstop babbling and never ending questions, though not always intelligible. If you asked Alan, he'd say he was glad the guy that took his mom from their family got what he deserved. A life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. His father and brothers though always preached forgiveness.
Alan however couldn't summon up any forgiveness, it wouldn't bring his mother back nor would it replace the multiple occasions that Alan genuinely needed his mom. Not a replacement mom, like Lady Penelope assumed the role of.
"She knows kiddo, she knows." Jeff whispered, feeling tears sting the corners of his eyes. He missed his wife as well. She'd been his whole world; they'd met when they were teens and had fallen out of touch after they went off to college. It'd only been by chance they'd crossed paths again and the rest was history. They'd eloped after a month of dating and had spent five wonderful years waking in each other's arms, tangled together after a wild night in bed and then they'd been surprised to discover that Scott became more than a twinkle in their eye. From then on, they'd steadily added to their family until they'd deemed their family complete with Gordon's birth. Fast forward four and a half years and another wild night spent on a couple's cruise ended with too much alcohol and a broken condom, then it was too late to ignore Alan's conception. Lucy hadn't known she was pregnant, believing her pregnancy with Alan had been a mutant strain of a stomach bug that only she seemed to recontract again and again for several weeks. She never developed the baby bump, carrying Alan more towards her back than in the front of her abdomen.
Scott and John had gotten a crash course in childbearing when they helped their mom deliver the baby in their home while Jeff was at work. Virgil and Gordon had been at home, it being a weekend and John ordered them to ride their bikes to the neighbor's house. John had thought fast and got his younger brothers away from the house. Alan's birth had been quick. Lucy had kept quiet regarding her labor, unaware that the cramping in her back she'd been experiencing were contractions occurring. That was at least until she couldn't ignore it and then Alan came into the world, all five pounds three ounces of screaming newborn. Doctors in the ER had informed Jeff that Lucy had what was known as a cryptic pregnancy.
Alan had been there, but his presence hadn't caused the typical symptoms and when Jeff thought about it, Lucy truly hadn't known. Any time Jeff encountered her rushing for the bathroom, he'd ask her if she thought she was pregnant, and she'd deny it. But with Alan's surprise arrival, their family truly felt more complete. Neither Jeff nor Lucy had realized Alan had been the missing piece in their family until he'd cemented himself in amongst his brothers and filled the void left after his mother's tragic death.
Alan was his mother made over. The one true difference was Alan's eyes. He carried his father's blue eyes; the rest was entirely his mother's genetics. He had her smile, her spirit, her tenacity. Jeff could go on for hours pointing out every single trait Alan had inherited from his mother. While each of Alan's brothers took traits from each parent, Alan primarily took after his mother.
"Wow, a shooting star! Hurry kiddo, better make a wish." Jeff urged, closing his eyes as was custom to wish upon the star.
Alan glanced across at his father, exhaling a very soft 'pfft' before he indulged his father. Closing his eyes, Alan wished that this weekend would be one he wouldn't soon forget. "I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."
Despite all of Alan's earlier protests, Alan was beginning to have fun. If he were being honest, this would be the most fun he'd had with his father since he was…he couldn't remember when. "And make my wish come true."
"What'd you wish for kiddo?" Jeff asked, knowing he'd likely not get the answer to his question.
"My wish won't come true if I tell you." Alan argued, smiling at his father.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Jeff tried again to which Alan shook his head with a disbelieving chuckle.
"No!" Alan repeated before his dad gave in.
"Fine." Jeff whispered with a shake of his own head. "It's getting late. We should probably think about getting some sleep."
At that, a yawn snuck up on Alan and his best attempts to stifle it failed miserably.
"Come on kiddo. Let's get some shuteye." Jeff said as he stood up and reached out a hand to help his youngest up. Alan walked beside his father and he climbed into the tent. Thankfully Alan and his dad had gotten their sleeping bags unrolled, so once they zipped their tent shut, they could immediately retire.
Alan was surprised he fell asleep so quickly. So, it came as a surprise when he woke up while his dad snored lightly beside him. Rubbing at his eyes, Alan rolled onto his side, facing his dad, and trying to get back to sleep. When that didn't immediately work, Alan wondered what it was keeping him awake. Shifting his legs again, it became clear, and Alan sighed. It was all that water. Gingerly sitting up, Alan shimmied out of his sleeping bag and climbed to his feet. He wasn't going to go far, simply right outside the tent.
Opening the zippered flap, Alan exited the tent and gave a shiver. It was kind of spooky out here when you were the only one awake. Making up his mind, Alan went around the side of the tent and stepped just inside the tree line. He focused, did what he needed to and just as he was zipping back up, he gave a frightened jump. He could hear laughter and it was echoing all around him. It wasn't the pleasant laughter either, but like some villain from those horribly scripted films laughed like maniacs. Turning, Alan practically jumped into the tent and swiftly zipped the flap shut once inside and then all was quiet. It officially creeped the boy out.
The next morning Alan awoke, not even realizing that he'd fallen asleep again after the scare he had the night previous. His dad wasn't in the tent, and Alan climbed out to see his father heating up some water with their camp percolator. Alan hesitantly accepted the coffee his dad gave him. Sure, he was a kid. But his dad allowed him to have coffee on occasion despite Virgil saying it would stunt Alan's growth.
"Hey son, how did you sleep?" Jeff asked, smiling in greeting as he took a drink of his own coffee.
"Okay, I guess. Had a weird dream." Alan said as he accepted the cup of oatmeal his dad prepared. It came in handy having cups of instant oatmeal and other 'just add water' styles of food because everything was already flavored and just needed rehydration.
"Oh? What about?" Jeff asked, watching Alan as he ate his breakfast.
"Laughing, not me though. At least I think it was a dream. I might have been sleep walking again when I got up to go and heard laughing all around us."
"Human laughter?" Jeff questioned, wondering if Alan truly heard what he claimed. "You sure it wasn't a fox or other wild animal? You know foxes can chatter and make sounds like human laughter?"
"I've never heard a fox chatter, but it sounded an awful lot like Gordon imitating Agent Smith's laughter from that one movie." Alan said as he took a bite of his oatmeal. He watched his father nod slowly. "Did you hear it by chance?"
"Sorry, I was out like a light. That hike took it all out of me." Jeff said as he scrubbed a hand over his hair. Alan didn't respond, but he glanced over his shoulder where he'd been standing the night previously when the laughter started and terrified him to a point of fleeing into the tent beside his father.
"Hmm." Alan hummed before he scraped what was left of his oatmeal from the bowl and he glanced up where he remembered his dad hanging the bear bag. "Hey dad?"
"Yes son?" Jeff asked not noticing Alan's gaze directed upwards.
"Did you get our bear bag down by chance?" Alan asked, curious as to where the bag had gone to. He didn't see it nearby.
"Not yet why? Did you need it?" Jeff asked as he took another drink of his coffee.
"Kinda, I was going to store my trash in it, but it's gone." Alan said, keeping his gaze turned skyward.
"What? But that…can't be." Jeff said as he went to where he'd tied it off to find the rope and bag completely MIA. "Huh, I know I didn't tie that loose enough for a bear to take off with." Jeff said with hesitation.
Alan looked across at his father, eyebrows knit together in concern.
"Do you think we ought to move to a new location? I mean if there's a bear in the area, couldn't it come back?" Alan questioned, worried that the threat may return.
"No son, I think it got what it wanted. I think we're safe and for that matter, I don't see any scat in the area, so I doubt we strayed into the bear's territory." Jeff said as he finished his mug of coffee off. "Besides, I didn't see any other suitable locations for us to set up a new spot so that would mean packing everything up and hiking down to the car. What say we take an easy day and just hang out? I'm sure you're still a little sore. We can hike around tomorrow and spend the night and then hike back the morning after."
Alan nodded at that plan, feeling like his limbs were weighed down with the heaviest lead available.