Hey everyone.
Well, here it is. The last official chapter of the story. Now you know how the Lost Boys ends, well Fay's version anyways. Man I didn't expect that writing this thing would be so hard, I guess I just didn't want it to end ya know? Well there's still the Epilogue where I will explain all the questions that this chapter leaves unanswered but it's not the same. Ah well, I better finish this sooner or later if I ever want to get the sequel up and you can't have a sequel to an unfinished story now can you? Truth be told some of the stuff that goes on in this chapter was completely unexpected...seriously. I had not idea that it would turn out the way it did. I'm iffy about a few things but if I ever change anything, I'll let you all know.
Also, you can check out what the cats look like as well as Fay herself if you visit my webpage. The link is up in my profile but I will warn you, there are a few spolier pictures in there. (Wink)
Happy Reading
Well, while Henry and I were taking care of Max's hellhound, David and the others were sent to hell in a hand basket to put it bluntly. Paul went out with a bang, remodeling the Emerson's bathroom as well as their kitchen after having been knocked into a bathtub full of holy water. Dwayne was taken out with an arrow to the chest…before he stumbled back into the stereo system and ended up being blown to crispy bits by a surging electrical current. And David, stupid idiot that he is, was impaled upon a pair of Oryx horns by none other than Michael himself. Honestly, out of the four of them I think that only Marko managed to die somewhat decently. Four guys, four different causes of death, and yet none of them could die properly. I swear I think that those four were put onto this earth just to make my life difficult. Don't believe me? See for yourself and then we'll see whose right.
"What the hell is going on here?" A deep voice asked as Max and Lucy hurry into the house and stopping just short of tripping over pieces of what was once a side table and a coat rack. Sam and the two Frog brothers hurried over in hopes of drawing the adults' attention away from the wreckage but despite their best efforts it took Lucy a matter of seconds to take everything in and start a barrage of questions that no one seemed to want to answer right away.
"What happened? Sam? Where's Michael?" Lucy asked as she stared down at the three teenaged boys, two of who were covered in some sort of reddish gook while Sam bodily tried to usher her into the dinning room, as far away from Michael and the bodies as he could possibly get her.
"Mom I think we have to have a heavy talk about something. Do you remember the time last year when Michael and I got into that food-fight?" He stammered as he looked over his shoulder for a split second to see Max cross the living room and walk into Grandpa's taxidermy shop. He couldn't do anything about that right now. Right now he had to come up with some sort of explanation to keep his mother off of Michael's back and despite his best effort, he was failing miserably. A food fight? Come on!
"This isn't about any food-fight. I'm the head Frog here, I should do the explaining." Edgar growled as he waved his arms to catch Sam's mother's attention in an attempt to save the situation. The fact that his brother was talking at the same time as he was wasn't helping the cause and neither was Sam's really lame on-the-spot excuse. When in doubt call in the cavalry and right now he was that cavalry. After having caught her attention, more of which he figured was geared towards Paul's remains and his camo face paint, Edgar quickly assessed the situation and dived right into his own version of what had happened.
"You see Mrs. Emerson, what happened in this house was nothing. You are lucky that my brother and I took the pervasive actions that we did because if we hadn't, your entire family would have ended up as vamp food and that is something that I, I mean we, could not let happen." Edgar said before he was cut off by his brother who went on a five second speed-speech about how a trashed house was nothing to get alarmed about when it came to saving the world from the forces of evil and before he could finish, Lucy narrowed her eyes and glared at the three boys, instantly shutting them up without saying a word.
"Mom listen…" Sam began before his mother turned away from the three of them and headed back into the living room.
"No. Not another word until I talk with Michael." Lucy ordered as she stormed into the wrecked room. Enough was enough. Forces of evil, demolished homes and chaos was not her idea of a plausible explanation. Oh wait until she got her hands on Michael! That boy had a lot of explaining to do…a lot. However, what she hadn't expected was for Max to suddenly apologize for all of this and when he did she just stopped where she was and stared at him, not quite getting at what he was saying. His fault? His boys? What was going on? Before Lucy could get a straight answer out of Max, Sam appeared by her side and claimed that Max was some sort of head vampire thing while the Frog brothers crowded around the two of them, scowling darkly at the video store owner as they tried to figure out how Max could possibly be said head vampire. Lucy started to chastise her son but the sudden and unprecedented appearance of a strange girl quickly changed her mind. Before she could even find out the girl's name Sam and his friends went on accusing Max of being a vampire and passing some sort of test and at that point Lucy had had all that she could take and her patience snapped like a dry twig.
"What? Has everyone gone crazy? What's the matter with all of you?" She demanded as she looked at them all, trying to figure out if this was some sort of twisted joke that they were all in on and they would suddenly turn around and laugh now that it was up. But sadly no one was laughing. Lucy looked up at Max with a confused, questioning look as she waited for him to try to sort all of this out.
"It was you who I was after all along Lucy. I knew that if I could get Sam and Michael into the family, there would be no way you could say no." Well that was helpful. Max had a family? Either he was divorced and didn't tell her or else he was still married and that was a thought that started to make Lucy Emerson's blood boil. Her family had gone through enough with the divorce and now this? If this was some sort of sick way of getting her to marry Max, she would have none of it. Max had another thing coming if he thought he could manipulate her like that. Despite all these thoughts that ran through her head, Lucy's expression was still one of guarded puzzlement and suspicion, one that Max ignored as he continued to reveal his master plan.
"It was all going to be so perfect Lucy. Like one big happy family. Your boys…and mine." Max said as he slowly turned his head to the side, looking away from Lucy and Sam and coming to rest his gaze on the impaled figure of David, who lay like a dark shadow among the bleached white bones of Grandpa's workshop. "But I still want you Lucy. I haven't changed my mind about that."
Lucy, Sam, Edgar and Allan all screamed in unison when Max turns back to face them. His hideous face split into a huge grin, jagged fangs flashing in the faint firelight looking like something that came out of the darkest regions of Edgar Allan Poe's deranged mind. The Frog brothers took a step back, putting Sam's mother between themselves and the terrifying head vampire as they clutched their water guns like dying men hanging onto a broken spar in a storm swept ocean, too scared to move and couldn't for the life of them look away from the face of ancient evil. David and his cronies had been ghoulish enough, but this…the comic books never said anything about this!
"I didn't invite you in this time Max." Michael growled as he stepped out of the dim red light of the workroom, standing in plain sight of everyone as he narrowed his feral eyes into dangerous slits. Lucy was rendered momentarily speechless when she saw her son…or what had been her son and if it hadn't been for Sam's reassuring squeeze, she might have just fainted dead way. But Lucy Emerson was made of tougher stuff.
"Michael?" She whispered, looking from her son's morphed face and up to Max's own, seeing the similarity. My god…this couldn't be happening. Max turned and sneered at Michael, provoking the half vampire to attack him which he thwarted off with a mere flick of his wrist. Grabbing Michael by his arms, he easily pitched him over his head and tossed the boy up and over him while listening with great satisfaction as he heard the splintering of wooden poles and Star's surprised gasp. He was ready for Star when she charged at him with a broken curtain pole; and it was almost pitiful how easy she was to dispatch. Honestly, a mere slip of a girl was no match for his ancient strength and powers and for the life of him he could not figure out why David had been so infatuated with her. A dull cry sounded behind him and he quickly spun on his heels like greased lightning, catching Edgar and Allan across their chests with the broken pole before he shoved them backwards, sending them crashing to the ground amidst all of the debris scattered on the floor as they attempted to rush him with their sad excuses of anti-vampire weaponry. Sam was the next to have a go at him but Max didn't even bother with the twerp. He caught the boy in a headlock and clamped him to his side and no matter how hard Sam struggled Max's grip didn't ease an inch.
"Don't fight Lucy. It's so much better if you don't fight." Max said as he held out his hand to her, giving her a knowing look. They both knew that Lucy could not refuse and at that moment, Maxim Ilion Von Ruben could not have been happier. It had all gone according to plan and he had accomplished what he had set out to do…well almost.
"That's rich, coming from you." Said a voice that caused Lucy to pause, Sam to stop struggling and Max to turn around all at once. Standing by the open doorway was the last person that any of them would have ever expected to see, and that person was Fay.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to see a man about a dog." Fay said calmly as she walked into the house as if the climactic situation didn't bother her in the least bit. Edgar and Allan exchanged a wide-eyed look before they stared back at Fay from where they laid on the floor, watching her dumbstruck as she just casually leaned against her cane with her free hand in the pocket of her sweater, watching them all without batting an eyelash. "Speaking of which, I believe this belongs to you." Fay said as she took her hand out of her pocket and tossed a circle of leather in Max's direction. Six pair of eyes zeroed in on the scuffed leather dog collar that landed in front of Max, inches away from his expensive Italian leather shoes. It took a moment for the meaning to sink in and when it did, Max didn't know what to say. It seemed that Fay had gotten even with what had once been his hellhound Thorn and the meaning behind it rang out loud and clear. You kill her cats she'll kill your dog, end of story. You kill her boys, well…Max looked up to see Fay smiling coldly as she stared right back at him without a speck of fear in those hard honey-brown eyes.
"That's the price you pay for pissing off a Prima." Fay said with a small nod of her head. As she did so, she caught sight of David lying as dead as a doornail on a pile of animal bones, causing her expression hardened like ice as her grip tightened on the silver jaguar handle of the cane. The look she shot Max when she turned her head forward to face him was every bit as frightening and blood-curdling as the one that he had given only moments before and for the first time in a very long while, Max actually felt afraid.
"You never should have come to Santa Carla Von Reuben and you never should have tried to beat us down. You know the funny thing about lions is Max… they never hunt alone." She said, David's icy smirk appearing on her lips for a moment as she stared Max down, not taking her eyes off of him until the last possible moment when she raised her gaze to eye something behind the vampire.
"HOLY…" Edgar shouted, which was instantly followed by Allan's, "SHIT!" The two looked up in awe and fear as Michael came to and peered down from the second floor, ready to spring at Max. But instead of pouncing on the head vampire, he just froze where he was with his mouth hanging open, not quite believing what he was seeing. Behind Max the stuffed rearing male lion that looked like it was about to rip someone's head off shook its head slowly as it started to move and just as Max began to turn around to see what danger loomed behind him, the once dead king of beasts struck, planting its huge clawed paws on Max's broad shoulders and bit down as hard as it could on the base of his neck all without uttering a single sound. Sam yelped as he wormed his way free from Max and stumbled back a couple of feet, staring wide-eyed as Grandpa's stuffed lion took Max down and it began to tear the head vampire to pieces. Lucy was pulled away by Michael and mother and son watched in utter astonishment as Max tried to fend off the man eating brute that tore his suit to shreds with a single swipe of its massive paw. Throughout the entire time, Fay stood off to the side with a cold scowl on her face as she quietly muttered something over and over again under her breath as the lion did what she herself could not. Henry had been right. A bunch of cats were no match for a head vampire, but one really big one was. Within moments it was all over. With a squelching "crunch" Max's head rolled away from his body and it was soon followed by an arm as the lion locked its jaws, bit to the bone and ripped away pieces of what had once been the greatest tyrant to ever cross Santa Carla's borders.
"Do you mind if I do the honours?" Grandpa gleefully said as he walked calmly into the living room carrying a pointed wooden pole over his shoulder that measured a meter in length. Fay nodded her head and she snapped her fingers to get the ravaging lion's attention. Without a thought, the lion slowly moved off of Max and walked stiffly towards Fay, its glass eyes staring in her direction but not seeing her. After all the lion was dead and had been so for a number of years.
"Good job Samson." Fay congratulated the lion as she carefully lowered herself to her knees and when the lion reached her it rested its chin against her left shoulder, the sides of their faces pressed up against one another in a feline form of thanks. Fay stroked the big cat's mane and kissed it on its bloodied muzzle as it slowly sank to the floor, spreading its limbs out to take up its leaping position once more. Peeling its lips back in a silent snarl, the lion stiffened and whatever it was that had given it life for those few minutes vanished, leaving the lion as stiff and lifeless as it had been only moments ago.
"Thanks nonna." Fay whispered quietly as she looked up at nothing, smiling softly to herself as she felt a familiar presence leave the room. With the Prima's, family always comes through for one another, no matter what. Alive or dead, the Prima's were always there to lend a helping hand when needed. Sometimes more…it's an Italian thing.
"Try to hurt my daughter and grandkids while I'm still alive eh? That's just damn well disrespectful." Grandpa snorted as he plunged the wooden pole into Max's torso, finishing off the head vampire once and for all. With that, the old man dusted his hands off and stepped over Max's disintegrating body and headed towards the kitchen while he ignored everyone. He nor Fay said a single word while the others checked each other over, making sure that they were all in one piece and alive. While Grandpa slipped into the kitchen, Fay carefully rose to her feet and gave the room a once over, searching for something.
"Over here." Mewled a small voice that quickly caught her attention. Quickly looking over to where the Emersons and the Frogs were rejoicing at Max's defeat, Fay slipped quietly over to where Figaro stood cautiously sniffing at the charred remains of what had once been Dwayne. The gray tabby looked up at Fay with what could only be recognized as a look of sorrow on his furry face as he nudged Dwayne's severed hand with his paw. Fay's face remained unreadable as she knelt down and carefully removed the silver ring that was practically fused to his left ring finger while Figaro placed both of his paws on her arm in order to press his nose against her chin. Fay scratched him on the back of his striped head and let him lick away the tears that spilled from the corners of her eyes as she stared down at the charred remains of her now deceased lover and good friend. When Nanook came running down the stairs followed by Laddie, Fay looked up but not at the smiling figures of Star and Michael. Quietly slinking down the wooden steps like a professional cat burglar was the ragamuffin Tomfoolery carrying a spiked metal circlet in his mouth. The one-eyed cat went unnoticed as he prowled over to Fay and dropped Paul's bracelet at her feet. The spiked bracelet was the only thing of Paul's that had not been reduced to a liquid state when Nanook had pushed the vampire into the bathtub full of holy water. Tom rubbed his face against Fay's knee before he looked over his shoulder and hissed viciously at the malamute as the dog eyed the two cats in curiosity. Nanook whimpered and backed away and quickly followed Sam and his family into the kitchen, knowing that it was not safe to stay in a room as the alley cat at the moment.
"The one thing about livin' in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires." Grandpa snorted before he took a swing of his root beer and looked around the trashed kitchen with an amused expression on his face. Lucy, Michael and Sam simply stared at him with the same stunned look on their faces as the refrigerator door closed, so that when Grandpa saw them he couldn't help but laugh.
"You knew about the vampires?" Edgar asked as he carefully stepped into the kitchen, trying his best not to brush up against any of Paul's gooey remnants that were oozing off the walls. Grandpa simply looked at him and took another swing out of the chilled bottle, taking his time before he answered.
"Yep." He burped, scratching the side of his face with his free hand as he stepped away from refrigerator and headed back into the living room with everyone following him, watching his every move.
"Then why didn't you do anything Grandpa?" Sam asked, looking at Michael who was just as confused as he was. Star and Laddie moved out of Grandpa's way as the old man righted a wooden chair that was lying on its side and sat down, loosening the collar of his shirt as he did so.
"Do anythin'? Hell, I'm retired. It's no longer my job to do anythin'. Eh, you boys did alright." The old man said, looking about his destroyed home and couldn't help but sigh. This was going to be one hell of a cleaning job.
"Alright? Mr. Emerson, we kicked some serious vampire ass!" Allan said as he and his brother exchanged a high five, feeling at least ten feet tall due to their victorious battle with Paul. Grandpa snorted and managed to cover his laugh by downing half of the root beer in one go.
"No you didn't." Grandpa said as he smacked his lips. He turned slightly in his chair and nodded over at Fay who had moved away from what was left of Dwayne and was now sitting beside Samson the lion while petting Figaro with one hand and Tomfoolery with the other as she ignored everyone and everyone that wasn't feline. "She did."
"What?" Michael said, looking at the woman who seemed to be completely unaware of their existence before he exchanged a disbelieving look with his brother. Lucy stood there, wringing her hands together as she tried to make sense of everything that she had just seen and heard. She looked down at her father and could do no more than shake her head. This was just too confusing.
"No she didn't. We did…didn't we?" Sam said, looking over at the two Frog brothers who were giving Fay the evil eye. How dare someone else take credit for their work! And after all their planning, hard work and effort…it was unthinkable.
"This was all her idea." Grandpa said, finishing off the root beer before he tossed the bottle over his shoulder and listened with some satisfaction as it shattered on the floor.
"What!" Edgar, Allan, Sam and Michael cried in unison, taken completely by surprise.
"Her idea? Her idea! What the hell does that mean!" Edgar and Michael said at the same time, Michael looking over at his grandfather while Edgar raised his water pistol, aiming it at Fay. If this was her idea, then it only meant one thing. The freaky cat lady was a vampire!
"Put that away boy. I'm not a vampire." Fay muttered darkly when she finally raised her head and calmly looked at them all. Allan raised his water gun as well, both brothers ready to drench her if she so much as moved while Sam yanked a wooden stake from Edgar's vest and held it ready. It was Lucy who quickly stepped in before the three boys could do something stupid and it was a good thing she did too because right now Fay wasn't in the mood to play Glinda the Good Witch of the North with the boys who had finished off what was left of her adoptive family.
"Now everyone hang on just for one minute!" Lucy said sternly, taking charge of the situation. "Sam, put that thing down. Dad, I want you to tell me what exactly you mean by this. I think I deserve at least that much in the ways of an explanation." She said, giving everyone the "do as I say right this minute" look, the look that all mothers have the ability to give and get instant results. And this time was no different. "Now, can you tell me who she is? I'm sure she has a name dad." Lucy said, not letting her father off the hook just yet.
"Her name's Fay. She's part of the Lost Boys." Star said quietly, watching Fay as she stood beside Michael with her arms wrapped protectively around Laddie. Their last encounter was still fresh in her mind and Star knew that if given the chance Fay would dump all the blame on her for what happened to David and the others and by doing so would probably end up killing her.
"I don't think I asked you for an introduction." Fay snapped, not bothering to keep the sharp sarcastic edge out of her voice. The corner of her lip twitched when she saw Star flinch slightly. "And yes I am part of the "Lost Boys", but I'm more like the one who cleans up after them." She said with a hollow laugh, hugging Figaro a little tighter as she glowered at them all.
"Then you are a vampire." Edgar growled, raising his water pistol once more and aimed at her despite the fact that she was sitting across the room from them. He was ready for anything but sadly Edgar had not been expecting to have the pistol yanked out of his hands and smacked over the head with it by some unseen force and despite his gruff bearing, he couldn't help but yelp in surprise. "What the hell? What are you?" He asked, bringing his arms up to shield his head from the possessed object that was trying to give him a sound beating. Allan had to jump in and wrestle the water gun away from his brother before it took out an eye and when he succeeded in doing so, it stopped moving.
"What did I just say? No I am not a vampire. Are you hard of hearing?" Fay growled as she kept her eyes on the water gun that attacked Edgar. When it stopped moving, Fay plucked a stray hair off of Figaro's immaculate coat before continuing. "Am I going to have to explain everything?" She asked out loud, her question directed to Grandpa Emerson who was sitting there eyeing the water gun with amusement.
"Yep." Was all Grandpa said as he sat back, relaxed and waited for the fun to begin.
"Thank you Henry. You're so thoughtful." Fay muttered as she used her cane to help hoist herself to her feet. Figaro joined Tom on the floor and sat beside the grizzled alley cat as he began to groom himself, completely unconcerned with what was going on around him. "Well if you must know. I'm a witch. Yes Edgar, witches do exist. No Allan, I do not wear a pointy black hat and fly around on a broomstick. And no Sam, I do not dance naked on a full moon. Honestly, you three should try reading actual books for a change. You know, not everything can be found in a comic book." Fay said before anyone could say anything. She didn't bother to explain to them how she had managed to read their thoughts. Instead, she walked over to Henry Emerson's workshop and looked down at David who had somehow managed to make himself look ten years younger. He certainly was a crafty son-of-a-bitch when he wanted to be.
"Humph!" Fay snorted before she raised her cane and brought it down as hard as she could, slamming the polished ebony shaft across David's knees which got an instant reaction out of him, one that caused everyone in the room to jump a mile, with the exception of Grandpa and Fay of course.
"He's alive? He's alive! Oh my god he's alive! Holy shit! Edgar do something! He's supposed to be dead! Mike why isn't he dead? Holy shit! Allan shut up! What's going on? HOLY SHIT!" Everyone yelled at once, no one making any sense as Grandpa Emerson just sat there, watching his family and their friends literally freak out. It was really quite funny to see in all honesty.
"ARRGH! What was that for!" David cursed as his eyes flew open and he raised his head, glaring up at Fay who stood over him glaring right back. Fay's response was whipping him another blow with her cane that cracked a few ribs, making sure that he groaned in pain. But she didn't stop there. A few more hearty blows followed and each one was accented with a colourful curse as Fay gave the troublesome vampire a sound beating and one that he wasn't going to forget any time soon.
"What do you think? Bastardo! " Fay snarled at him as she slammed his head back with the tip of her cane so that he was staring right at the back wall instead of at her. Right now the last thing she wanted was to look at those cold leering eyes of his. Fay peered at the two Oryx horns that were protruding from his chest with a sour look and shook her head. How in hells name did Rambo and Rocky over there ever believe that a vampire could be killed with a pair of gazelle horns? Gazelle horns! Come on people wake up and smell the decaying bodies here!
"Does it hurt?" She asked David; more out of convenience then sympathy because the expression on her face was anything but sympathetic. It was practically murderous.
"What do you think? I'm impaled here." David muttered between clenched teeth as he laid there, absolutely still. He was in no position to do anything and with Fay hovering over him like a guillotine blade ready to drop; he didn't dare move a single muscle. Boy, things had really gotten out of hand and he had a pretty good idea of just what Fay wanted to do to him right about now.
"Is that so?" Fay said, running a finger along one of the bloodied horns before she "accidentally" knocked her hand against it. David clenched his teeth together and tried to bite back a hiss of pain that was a borderline whimper when the horns shifted slightly under the sudden pressure. He felt like a moth pinned to the wall and about just as powerless. All he could do was lay there and hope for a quick death. That would be the most merciful thing anyone could do to him at this point in time because once Fay got her claws on him, he was going to wish that Max had killed him all those months ago.
"What the hell are we waiting for then? He's helpless. Let's finish him off!" Edgar growled but he didn't take more than a few steps before he was speared under Fay's dangerous glare as she let out an honest-to-god snarl that made the amateur vampire hunter's hair stand on end.
"Oh no you don't. He's not getting off that easily." Fay spat as she scowled at the teen which was the signal for Edgar to back the hell off, which he did without further argument. If the woman could snarl like a friggen tiger, he wanted nothing to do with her. Figaro and Tomfoolery were both glaring up at the small group, daring them to try to get past them. "And you, you can stay there for all I care." Fay said to David as she turned her back to him and walked back into the trashed living room, ignoring David's growl of protest.
"Alright Mrs. Emerson. You want an explanation? Fine, I'll explain. I'm a witch, David's a vampire and sadly we're friends, if that's what you can even call it. And that pile of ash over there that's soiling this floor is none other than the extremely hated Maxim Ilion Von Rueben, alias your boyfriend Max. He came here over a year ago and turned Santa Carla upside down. He's the one we were after the entire time. Why? Because when he decided to set up shop here he had to make sure that David and the others, the others being those charred remains to your left and all that gunk that's decorating your kitchen, wouldn't cause any problems. So in order to make Santa Carla his cozy new estate, he broke my back, beat the shit out of David and became the Head Vampire. Don't ask me what a head vampire is, your son and his tactless friends can fill you in on that later. So, after being holed up in a hospital for two months, I figured out a plan to get rid of Max and before I say more, it involved you. All of you." Fay said as she speared each and everyone one of the Emersons and Frogs with a meaningful look before she continued on with her explanation.
"Like I said before, I'm a witch. Ok? Everyone get that? Good. So as I witch I have powers and one of my "powers" is that I am able to foresee certain future events. Like the death of the vampires here. So one night I get this vision and I see everything as it is now and I freak, knowing that I had to do something to stop the vision from coming true. Now you are all probably asking yourselves why in hells name would I want to risk my neck for a bunch of devil-eyed, bloodsucking vampires and to tell you the honest to god truth, I don't know. I thought I knew it at the time but now I am not so sure. David shut the fuck up." Fay snarled without bothering to look over her shoulder as David raised his head and was about to say something in protest. The Frog brothers looked at one another for a moment and shrugged before they went back to watching Fay pace up and down in front of them, talking a mile a minute.
"So anyways, I knew that Star was going to be the cause of it all so I used that knowledge and waited and waited and waited. For what? For you three to come to Santa Carla. That's right Michael, I knew you were coming just as I knew that somehow your brother was going to meet up with Frick and Frack over here and go off on some sort of glory goose chase for the greater good of man kind, "truth, justice and the American way" and all that crap. Pardon my French. You see people, you played a key role in helping us…me get rid of Max. Max was a power point and the last thing that he would ever expect to be a threat to him was a bunch of naive teenaged kids, which you are. You guys following me?" She asked them as she paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath to steady herself before she flew completely off the handle.
"Let me get this straight for all of us. So you're saying that you knew that the only way that you could beat Max was through us? And that all of this happened in order for us to kill Max?" Sam asked as Michael frowned darkly as he looked past Fay to where David was lying, listening to every word that they were saying.
"Dude, that's the same question." Edgar growled under his breath as he nudged Sam in the ribs. If Fay noticed Sam's grammatical blunder, she didn't say anything.
"Technically yes." Fay said to Sam as she watched Michael out of the corner of her eye.
"Then why didn't you just ask us for help?" Allan asked as he gave her a suspicious look. Wouldn't it have just been easier for her to ask them for help, after all they were vampire hunters.
"Would you have believed me? Or better yet, would you have wanted to help me because by helping me you would have been helping him." Fay said as she motioned over her shoulder to where David was.
"You're right, we wouldn't." Edgar growled with a small nod of his head.
"So you see where I am coming from." Fay said simply with a small shrug of her shoulders as Elvis came sauntering into the living room through the front entrance. He padded his way between Sam and Edgar and when he did so, he stopped for a moment to sniff Edgar's blood covered pant leg and before Edgar could stop him, the black cat began to lick him.
"Get away from me!" Edgar growled as he kicked the large black cat. A second later he was holding the right side of his face as Fay sprang up in front of him and slapped him good. "What the fuck!" He swore as he backed away quickly, freaked out at how fast the cat lady was.
"Do that again and see what happens pal. I am in no mood for your antics right now." Fay growled before she gave Elvis a look and the black cat quickly scooted to stand beside Tomfoolery, looking very cowed and sheepish at the moment. Fay and Edgar glared at one another for an intense moment before Fay turned and went back to where her cats were, turning her cane over and over in her hands in agitation.
"Wait. So making Mike a half-vampire was a part of the plan as well?" Sam asked as he picked up on something that Fay had left out from her brief explanation. At the question Fay gave a tired sigh and nodded.
"Yes it was. But that didn't work out as it was supposed to." Fay muttered under her breath as she shot David a scathing look, one that he was careful to ignore as he stared up at the ceiling, clearly aware that there were mental death threats being thrown his way.
"Oh yeah? You got that right lady." Allan snorted as he rolled his eyes. Not working out was the biggest understatement ever as far as he was concerned.
"So letting David turn me into a vampire was all right with you?" Michael asked sarcastically as his shoulders tensed in anger. He looked over at Star who couldn't meet his gaze and instead of looking at him lowered her eyes to look at the floor.
"No it wasn't. You were never supposed to become a "vampire" Michael. Half-vampire for a day or two, Max dies, everything goes back to normal, end of story. That was why I had your grandfather keep a close eye on you as well as your mother and her boyfriend. I couldn't be everywhere at once and if Max got even the faintest hint that I was anywhere near you guys, he would have known that something was up and then we all would have ended up deader than doornails. Hence the reason why your grandfather kept having dates with the "Widow Johnson." I had to know what was going on on this side of the fence somehow and Henry was gracious enough to come visit me to keep me updated." Fay said as she nodded to Grandpa Emerson who just rolled his eyes. Great, now she was bringing him into this.
"Grandpa, you were in on this the entire time? And you didn't tell us?" Sam said as he looked at his grandfather in surprise and confusion. His grandfather had known of what was going on and didn't offer to even drive them anywhere? Well it did explain a lot though because Sam was sure that his grandfather would have questioned some of his behavior during the past few days if he hadn't known that they were dealing with vampires.
"Well, you know what they say. Once a vampire hunter, always a vampire hunter even for an old broken down fart like me." Grandpa Emerson chuckled dryly as he ran a hand over his tied back hair as everyone turned to watch him, waiting for answers.
"Sam's right Grandpa. You should have told us." Michael said with a shake of his head.
"What? Tell you? And have you two shooting your mouths off? Ha, I don't think so. The last thing we wanted was for him to find out what was really going on." Grandpa Emerson snorted as he leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin, unruffled by the intense stares that were coming his way.
"Dad, you were a…a vampire hunter?" Lucy spoke up, finally making sense of it all. She was having a hard time trying to believe it all but the evidence was right there in front of her and there was no way that she could deny it. But her father being a vampire hunter? That was kind of hard to believe.
"Yep, back in the early days when I was young and sprightly. It was me, Fay's grandmother and a good friend of mine. We were around your age Sam. Things changed though when I met your mother." Grandpa Emerson said with a small sigh as the memory of his wife popped back into his mind. Everything had changed when he had fallen for Lucy's mother. He gave up his monster hunting ways and settled down, as did Frank Grisham and Eleanor Prima but that was too long ago to bring up now.
"So you can see that we knew exactly what we were doing. Everything was going according to plan, it was foolproof. But then someone got jealous." Fay interjected, drawing their attention back to her as she casually looked over her shoulder at David, who just closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. You could have heard a pin drop in that living room because it had become so silent.
"Oh, so now this is all my fault right?" David growled, not bothering to open his eyes as the evil glares of pure hate tried to reduce him to a pile of ash. What else could he do? He was impaled on a pair of horns and wasn't going anywhere unless someone decided to help him free himself, which no one wanted to do.
"I don't believe this." Michael snorted in distaste as he looked at everyone. The shit that he had gone through was nearly indescribable and suddenly it was simply alright for this woman to get away with everything? After all she had planned all of this hadn't she? Michael was having a hard time believing that what she was saying was the truth because who was to stay that she didn't "plan" for him to succumb to the temptation of blood while in his half-vampire state?
"Well you better start believing it boy because it's the truth, whether you like it or not. David was supposed to do everything within his power to keep you from making your first kill and had I known what he was up to, I would have put an end to it. But as you can see I am not God, I don't know everything and yes David this is all your fault you moronic, self-centered asino! Sonno idiota e pazzo a mandonne mio!" Fay barked as if reading Michael's mind before she whirled onto David's case, having left him alone for long enough. She knew that she was walking a fine line here because she had openly admitted to being responsible for all of this, but what they didn't know was that that little evening event at the tree was not her idea. The last thing that she wanted was for another vampire to be included into the fold so under no circumstances whatsoever was Michael allowed to make his first kill. God knows how many times she had drilled that into David's head. She had had no clue as to what David had been planning due to the fact she had been unable to meet up with the boys for the past couple of days. She had trusted that the boys would have learned from their past mistakes and follow the plan to the letter. Sometimes those that you put your faith in can greatly disappoint you.
"Are you finished yet? Argh!" David yelped as the silver handle of Fay's cane came crashing down collar bone with enough force behind it to bruise him. It would seem that Fay was only getting warmed up.
"NO I AM NOT FINISHED YOU NAUSEANTE, DISONORE PORCO! I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED!" Fay screamed, wailing on David like never before. No one made a move to stop her as she flailed at the vampire with her cane, probably because no one was stupid enough to get within five feet of her. Whether it was the fact that the impact of what had happened that night had finally caught up with her or that she could no longer maintain her forced calmness over the deaths of the Boys, Fay finally snapped. On a scale from one to ten, Fay hit a Mount Vesuvius of a ten in a matter of five seconds and David got the full impact of the eruption and was completely helpless to do anything about it, even when Fay reached down and literally pulled him off of the horns.
"Dwayne's dead David. HE'S DEAD! SO ARE PAUL AND MARKO! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK AND THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN PETTY JELAOUSY YOU STUPID SON-OF-A-BITCH! I WARNED YOU! I WARNED YOU THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN! YOU NEVER LISTEN! THEY WOULDN'T HAVE DIED IF YOU HAD DONE WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF THEM! BUT THEY'RE DEAD AND GOD-DAMN IT IF I DON'T SEND YOU TO HELL MYSELF TO JOIN THEM!" Fay screamed like a lunatic as she unsheathed her cane as David leapt backwards, breaking her hold on his jacket as he kept a safe distance between himself and Fay. David snarled a warning as Fay hissed at him, the two of them facing off in the middle of the Emerson's living room, completely forgetting that the Emersons' and Frogs were watching as the long-awaited dispute for authority unfolded in front of their very eyes. Sam couldn't stop himself from staring slack-jawed when Fay's face took on a more feline appearance while Allan yanked out a comic that was safely tucked in the waistband of his jeans as he and Edgar quickly scanned the pages to see if there was anything in the comic that dealt with stopping crazy cat women. Star grabbed Laddie and pulled him behind her while Michael stepped off to the side, carefully making his way over to where the broken coat rack was laying on the floor.
"Dad you have to stop this!" Lucy said to her father just as Fay lunged at David, the sword jabbing for a direct hit to his chest while the vampire ducked and stepped away before he snagged the busted curtain pole that Star had used to rush Max with and kicked it up into his hands. The impact of steel on wood sounded as David blocked Fay's lung and pushed her back, using the curtain pole as a make-shift quarterstaff.
"Stop this? Are you crazy! There is no stoppin' this. This has to happen if we're ever gonna get a moments peace in this town. The only thing we can do is sit and watch and hope that the vampire doesn't win." Grandpa said sagely as he watched David and Fay come together once more, standing a hairsbreadth apart as they strained against their locked weapons, each one trying to shove the other backwards. Despite his monotone tone, the serious look on his face told Lucy that it was more than likely that the troublesome vampire was going to end up being the victor of this one-on-one free-for-all if someone didn't step in to do anything to put an end to it. Lucy bit her lower lip as she looked around to see if there was anything she could use to separate the two but unless she wanted to get within spearing rang of them, there was nothing. Unless…
"Nanook." She said when she laid eyes on the dog. The malamute looked up at Lucy with his ears pressed back in fear, while he backed away with his tail tucked between his legs. The cause of his uneasiness was the hissing and spitting forms of Tomfoolery and Elvis, who were eyeing him as they waited for the dog to make one wrong move.
"Mike, what are you doing?" Sam whispered when he saw Michael slowly pick up a broken hat rack, his eyes never leaving David. The eldest of the Emerson brothers ground his teeth together as he got a better grip on the wooden shaft, getting a feel for it before he began to edge his way cautiously towards the two combatants. He had thought he had killed David when he threw him onto the pile of animal horns but this time he wasn't going to make the same mistake. If wood was the only way to kill a vampire then he was going to use it without thinking twice.
"Michael no. Michael get away from them." Star hissed under her breath, unwilling to get any closer to David and Fay as she watched Michael creep closer and closer, the jagged end of the rack held ready like a spear.
"It ends now." Michael said between clenched teeth as he waited for the moment to strike. Fay and David were completely unaware that Michael was close to them as they backed away from one another and circled each other warily, sizing one another up in order to figure out where each other's vulnerable spots were. David was stronger than Fay, but after that battle with Michael he wasn't in peak fighting form, but like they say, a wounded animal is a dangerous animal. What Fay lacked in physical strength she made up in sheer willpower and anger, matching David blow for blow but it was only a matter of time before the adrenaline wore off and when that happened, things were going to get a lot more difficult. Orange eyes met yellow eyes as Fay and David snarled simultaneously at one another, egging each other on to make the next move and as they did so Michael lifted his right arm and raised the spear over his shoulder, aiming it at David's chest as he tensed his arm and put his whole body into the throw.
"REEEEEEAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!" Howled a high-pitched voice as Figaro galloped towards Michael and threw himself at the teenager, claws out as the gray tabby leapt up and attacked Michael's face just as Michael launched his make-shift spear. Thinking that Michael was trying to kill Fay the gray cat went berserk as he mauled the guy with everything he had and didn't stop even when Michael fell backwards under the onslaught. Luckily for David, Figaro's sudden attack caused Michael's aim to be off and instead of spearing the vampire where he stood the coat rack missed him by a few inches and embedded itself harmlessly into the far wall.
"MIKE!" Sam shouted as he rushed to his brother's aid, his cry catching the attention of the two Frogs and all it took was one look before Edgar and Allan went into action. Allan shoved Sam out of the way as Edgar ran at Michael and lashed out with his foot, his boot making contact with the tabby's side and with a grunt he sent the cat flying into the fireplace. Touchdown Frogs!
"FIG!" Fay screeched, her cat's sudden yowl of pain catching her attention and for a split second she took her eyes off of David to see what peril had befallen her faithful companion. Seeing his moment David leapt at Fay, sweeping his left arm to the side in order to knock the sword cane from her hand as he lashed out with his right, nailing a blow to the chest that sent Fay crashing to the ground. With a harsh bellow David was on Fay as he fought to keep her pinned to the floor. Fay thrashed about yowling and shrieking as she tried to fend off David with one arm while trying to reach her cane with the other but despite her best efforts the cane was too far for her to reach.
"Oh my god." Lucy gasped as David's teeth flashed in the dim red light of her father's shop, knowing what was about to come. Grandpa Emerson grit his teeth together, his hands balled at his side as he willed Fay to knock David off of her before the vampire struck. It was a split second but to David and Fay it felt like an hour. Eyes locked together, teeth bared, both knowing what was coming next, the two opponents paused for a moment as they both wondered why this had to happen but a heartbeat later that moment was gone. Tom and Elvis ran towards David but even with eight legs between them they would never make it on time as David's grip on Fay's shoulders tightened and he lowered his face so that they were practically touching.
"It's over." David growled as he pulled back his lips in order for Fay to get a good look at what over meant. Fay had challenged him for the right to lead the Boys and now he was going to finish what they had started all those months ago. That was the way of the vampire, kill or be killed. Fay's eyes never left David's as she plunged her hand onto the pocket of her sweater, frantically searching for something and when her hand enclosed over the sharp spikes of Paul's bracelet, she gritted her teeth as she grabbed it for all she was worth, forcing the spikes into the palm of her hand. Her family was dead because of David, but David was family. Squeezing her eyes shut Fay wrenched her hand out of her pocket just as David went for her throat. In her minds eye she could see them all standing there behind David, Dwayne, Paul and Marko, but behind them was a serious faced figure of an old woman who just shook her head. It was her grandmother. Fay felt David's teeth on her throat and as his fangs pricked the side of her neck, a heart-wrenching cry was heard and for a second, Fay actually thought that it was her grandmother. But it couldn't be, her grandmother was dead…they were all dead. And that's when Fay realized the truth behind the death of the boys.
"Murderer." Fay rasped as David sunk his teeth into her neck. Before his fangs pierced the main artery, David stopped himself. It could have been out of surprise at Fay's accusation or maybe it was the fact that the claws of her right hand were embedded in his own throat, gripping him with everything she had.
"Murderer." Fay gasped once more as she squeezed, drawing blood from the wounds that she was inflicting as she pushed him back with all her strength, wincing in pain as she pried David's teeth out of her neck. But she didn't stop there. The truth of the boys death stoked the embers of the raging fire that had kept her fighting moments ago and unknowing how she did it, Fay was suddenly standing upright while she held David by his neck, squeezing harder and harder.
"You murderer!" Fay growled as David brought his hands up to snap her arm and break her hold. He struck but Fay's hand never released the hold on his neck, instead she just squeezed even harder.
"You have no idea." David gasped harshly as he glared at her, the hatred he held for her coming off him in waves. Tomfoolery and Elvis prowled back and forth, their ears pressed back in agitation as they watched Fay and David but didn't know what to do. Sprawled on his side in the sooty fireplace, Figaro mewled pitifully as he tried to drag himself out of the smoldering remains of what had once been a crackling fire and if it hadn't been for Lucy's swift actions, the faithful tabby would have been covered in third degree burns.
"Why?" Fay demanded through clenched teeth as she shook him slightly while planting her left hand on the back of his head and forced him to come closer. Her face was normal once again but the look in her eyes was anything but human.
"You." David spat, his eyes narrowed into slits as he stopped struggling against Fay's death grip. It would seem Fay was smarter than he thought. It took her a while and the point of death before she figured it out, but she figured it out. What she had mistaken for petty jealousy was David's own scheming cleverness. Mess up the plan just enough to cause a ripple effect without alerting anyone and you kill two birds with one stone.
"HOW COULD YOU!" Fay screamed as she bodily threw David away from her as if she had scorched herself by touching him. She looked down at her injured hand that was covered in both their blood before she looked back at him, confusion and disgust etched into her features. She knew he hated her…but to do this?
"Oh don't act so surprised Fay, it was easy. We work together to kill Max and everyone thinks we're on the same side. No questions asked. Michael falls for Star just like you had said and everyone thinks I'm jealous. I play the part of the pissed off pack leader and do something stupid in order to get at Michael. All I had to do then as just prod them in the right direction and watch it all play out. Marko dies, Dwayne and Paul go for vengeance and I bide my time. The boys die, Max dies, everyone lives happily ever after because there is no one here to stop me from killing you. All's fair in love and war Fay." David said with a harsh laugh as he rose to his feet, one hand clutching his injured throat as he glared at Fay who just stood there, staring at him.
"That night that Max attacked you, the others showed where their true allegiance lay and as you can see, it wasn't with me. I may have created them but I sure as hell wasn't leading them. Max was right, women are nothing but unwanted complications. So I took the cautionary measures to make sure that when the time came, there would be no loose ends or unwanted interruptions." David said as he took his gaze off of Fay and looked over at Michael and Star, his cruel smirk emphasizing the coldness in his blue eyes. Star stepped back in fear as Michael glared right back, the disgust he felt for David was clear as day on his face.
"So you let them to die just so that you could have a clear shot at killing me? David, how stupid are you? Max couldn't kill me so what makes you think that you could?" Fay asked as she looked over to where Max's ashy remains were before looking back at David. "He never told you what really happened that night he tried to kill me did he? You'll never beat me David."
"Oh really? And what makes you so sure about that?" The vampire asked as he stepped towards Fay, eyeing her warily when she didn't take a step back. Fay just watched him, shaking her head slightly from side to side as she did so, not wanting to believe that David could be so conniving and deceitful as he claimed to be. But the proof was right in front of her. David was a vampire through and through and Max was right when he thought that David was like the son he never had. They both had the same cruel streak of genius in them that left you shaking where you stood.
"On your knees." Fay spoke up as she carefully lowered herself in order to pick up the sword cane and the hollow shaft, turning her back to David as she did so. Tomfoolery approached David just incase the vampire had any ideas of attacking Fay from behind with Elvis leapt upon the couch deciding that he'd much rather watch what was about to happen from a safe distance.
"What?" David snorted, not sure that he had heard her correctly.
"I said, on your knees." Fay repeated herself, this time her voice carrying a hard edge that had not been there before. She sheathed the blade and locked the shaft into place before she used her cane to hoist herself back up to her feet and as she did so, she spun around on the balls of her feet, whipping the cane around so fast that it was nothing but a blur before she froze where she stood, the silver jaguar handle coming to a stop an inch from David's left temple. David blinked in surprise but didn't make any other moments as he regarded Fay for a moment while the expression on his face hardened. No one in the room moved as they all waited for David's response and when he went on bended knee before Fay, no one was more surprised than he was.
"What the?" Allan muttered as he and his brother exchanged a thoroughly confused look before Allan flipped open the comic book once again to quickly read something near the end of the comic. Sam peered over his shoulder as he quietly mouthed the words that were printed on the page and when he had finished reading one part, his frown of confusion was replaced with a look of bewilderment.
"No friggin' way." He said as he looked from the comic and then over at Fay and David and then back at the comic again. The exact same scene that was printed in the comic was standing right before them, the only difference was that the standing character in the comic was the male vampire and the kneeling figure was the subservient female.
"You forget something David, I also have a plan." Fay said her voice dead even as she raised her right hand and turned it palm up, in the universal gesture of peace but it wasn't the gesture that caught everyone's attention. A line of small deep holes seeped small trails of blood from where the spikes of Paul's bracelet had broken through the skin and when Fay had grabbed David by the neck, she had made sure to use her right hand so that David's blood would seep into the wounds. Seeing this David growled harshly as his eyes narrowed into slits, the full meaning of Fay's bloodied hand making itself obvious and explained why he had automatically done what Fay had told him to do without realizing it. It would seem that he had met his match when it came to cunning because while he had taken a leaf out of Max's book, so had Fay. Fay had preformed a coup de grâce and won through a slight of hand that David had not been expecting…just like Max had done back in the waiting area of St. Michael's hospital over a year ago.
"It looks like we have a new Head Vampire in town. Someone wanna get the bottle of champagne that's in the fridge?" Grandpa said as he took Figaro from his daughter and scratched the cat behind his ears as he nodded to Fay. "S'pect that we won't be havin' a missing persons problem anymore eh Fay?" He asked her as he gave her a coy smile and a knowing look. She was as crafty as her grandmother was and it was no secret either. Eleanor Prima was a woman who had a pet lion back in the day, the now stuffed Samson to be exact, and Fay got all her feline attributes from the one and only Lion Lady herself. The Prima's were a strange and unusual bunch but that's what Henry Emerson loved about them. They had him feel normal.
"So now you're a vampire?" Michael asked Fay as Star carefully dabbed away at the scratches on his face with a piece of her skirt that she had ripped off. Star gave Fay a wide-eyed look before she looked away and went back to cleaning Michael up, least she accidentally set Fay off once more because god knows what kind of temper that girl had. Sam, Edgar and Allan eyed each other out of the corner of their eyes as they slowly went for their weapons once more, trying to keep their actions as subtle as possible.
"Actually I'm not." Fay said, giving David one final look before she turned to face the others. The only reason that prevented Fay from killing David right then and there was the fact that if she did she would be utterly alone and despite the hatred that David had for her and the anger she felt towards him, Fay feared loneliness more than anything right now.
"But you have David's blood in you so doesn't that make you half-vampire?" Sam said as he kept the wooden stake hidden behind his back while Edgar and Allen adjusted their grips on their water guns. Fay picked up on their movements but instead of knocking some sense into them, she just rolled her eyes.
"It would if I were human." Fay said as she stepped to the side when David quickly rose to his feet and walked to where Elvis was sitting on the couch, keeping a good chunk of distance between herself and the vampire.
"You're not human?" Lucy blurted out before she could stop herself and smiled sheepishly when her two sons looked at her. "Well you look human enough to me for a witch that is." Lucy said with a small shrug of her shoulders.
"Yeah, if turning into a cat is something that people do every day mom." Sam snorted as he shook his head and handed his wooden stake back to Edgar.
"Last time I checked witches can't turn themselves into animals or even half animal." Allan said as he holstered his water pistol with a frustrated sigh. Great, they went through all this and still he wasn't going to get the chance to bag a head vampire.
"Which would mean that Cat Woman here isn't your typical witch. What we got here is the classic example of a cat-anthro, half cat, half woman." Edgar summarized briefly as he eyed Fay with renewed interest. Hmmmm…having a genuine Cat Lady in Santa Carla may just not be such a bad thing after all. "Cat Woman can't become a vampire because you can't turn an anthro. It's like this. If a werewolf bit a vampire, the vampire wouldn't suddenly grow fur and howl at the moon because werewolf venom has no effect on a vampire's molecular structure. Just like if a zombie were to…" Edgar stated before Michael cut him off just as he was about to get into the specifics about the differences between zombies and ghouls.
"I think we get it Edgar." Michael said as he gently brushed Star's hand away from his face. "What I want to know is how can you be a head vampire if you're not a vampire yourself? And what does that mean for the rest of us?" He asked as he turned his head slightly to the side, eyeing David with caution.
"What it means is that Fay here now has control over what's left of the Santa Carla vampires even if she isn't sportin' a pair of razor toothed chompers like that guy there because she won the right to lead them and it's a damn good thing for us 'cause now she can finally get these parasites out of our hair for good without causin' a genocide and we can get back to livin' in peace and quiet. It's what your grandma would have wanted and if I remember correctly, wasn't it a great-great aunt of yours that also did the same thing?" Grandpa Emerson said to Fay as he dropped Figaro onto the floor and rose to his feet, stretching as he did so.
"It was my great-great-great-great aunt Rosealia back in the seventeen hundreds to be exact. But eighteenth century Italy is a lot different than twentieth century America. The vampires had more manners back then." Fay muttered as she shooed Elvis off of the couch and motioned to Tom to head for the front door. The one-eyed cat nodded in acknowledgment before he sauntered past everyone and slipped out of the open doorway with Elvis close behind.
"So does this mean that you're leaving Santa Carla for good and never coming back?" Allan asked as he looked from Fay and then to David, wondering if it was possible to dust the vampire without pissing the cat lady off. With the vampires gone, Santa Carla was going to become pretty boring and it looked like he and his brother were going to have to find a new line of work.
"So it would seem. Frankly I'm sick of ocean and if I never laid eyes on it again, I would die a happy woman. Give me a few days and you'll never see us again. Isn't that right David?" Fay asked as she turned her head to the side and gave David an inquiring look, one that he responded to with a dark snarl before he stalked across the living room and went out the front door while everyone moved to the side to get out of his way.
"Serves you right. Loser." Edgar muttered in his wake as David left the room but the elder Frog misjudged the acuteness of vampire hearing because as the words left his mouth, David stopped for a moment and turned around to give him a look that he would never forget for the rest of his days.
"I'll see you around." David growled softly as he flashed Edgar a toothy smile that was anything but friendly before he swore something under his breath and stepped out onto the porch, melting instantly with the shadows. Moments later he was gone with a gust of wind that sent dead leaves whirling into the already trashed living room. Edgar swallowed hard as he tried his best to keep his macho marine exterior in place but despite his best efforts it was plain to see that David's little good-bye had unnerved him quite a bit.
"Good one Edgar. What a way to piss him off even more." Sam said as he clasped his friend on his shoulder, really glad that it was Edgar that David was going to hold a grudge against and not him. Edgar just looked at Sam before he shrugged off his friend's hand, not really wanting to be reminded of what he had just done.
"Shut up." He growled sourly as he moved away from Sam and Allan and headed to where Dwayne's fried remains lay. Eyeing what was left of the long haired vampire for a moment he couldn't help but think I'm fucked over and over again. Well, that's the price you pay for fighting evil.
"Well I best be going. We've all been through hell and back and I still have a few things to do before the sun rises. Henry if you could…you know." Fay said as she nodded towards where Edgar was standing as she picked Figaro up off the floor and held him tightly against her. Grandpa Emerson looked over his shoulder and nodded when he saw what Fay was talking about.
"Don't you worry about it Fay, I got it covered. You take care of yourself now. We're sure gonna miss you 'round here." Grandpa Emerson said as he carefully wrapped one arm around Fay's shoulders and gave her a half hug without squashing Figaro in the process. Fay gave him a small, sad smile as she quickly looked around at everyone and then over to where the still form of Samson lay.
"You keep yourself out of trouble and don't worry about me. This cat lady still has a few lives spare." Fay said before she nodded her head and slipped out of Grandpa's embrace, holding Figaro in one arm and the cane in the other. "Did I ever tell you that I really like your work?" Fay said as she eyed the stuffed animal heads that hung on the walls before she turned and picked her way over to the front door with her head down to avoid looking anyone in the eye.
"Just like your grandmother. Stubborn as always." Grandpa Emerson snorted as he shook his head and smiled slightly. Fay couldn't help but smirk softly at his words.
"You wouldn't believe how many people have told me that." Fay said over her shoulder as she raised her cane in mock salute before stepping out the front door and closed it behind her, leaving the Emersons and the Frogs to deal with the huge mess that lay scattered around them. Everyone just looked at each other for a few minutes, no one knowing what to do next while they stood in an awkward silence, waiting.
"Right then. You six get cleanin'." Grandpa said loudly as he clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. He looked over at Sam, Allan and Edgar and then at Michael, Star and Laddie. "You trash the house, you fix the house. As for me, I'm gonna get some shut eye. What a night." He said as he took off his jacket and hung it up on one of the nearby mounted antlers before he motioned Lucy to come with him as he headed for the stairs.
"Aw c'mon Grandpa do we have to do it tonight?" Sam groaned as he watched his grandfather shuffle past him, knowing that they'd be up all night just to get this place remotely normal looking. Grandpa Emerson paused for a moment as he looked over at his grandson and snorted in mock surprise.
"Don't you know anythin' about bein' a vampire hunter? Always get rid of the evidence, it's the golden rule. You don't want those guys comin' back for you, do you?" He asked casually as he enjoyed the look of panic that crossed both of his grandsons' faces as they looked at the Frog brothers who just stared at one another, not knowing if Grandpa Emerson was kidding or not.
"They can come back?" Allan asked quickly as Edgar reached for the comic book to double check if there was anything in there about vampires being able to resurrect themselves from the dead.
"I wouldn't know. I always made sure that I'd never have to find out. The mops are in the broom closet. Have fun and try not to make too much noise." Grandpa Emerson chuckled before he went upstairs, leaving the teens to tackle the wreckage of the post-battle. He paused at the top of the stairs and listened as Sam and Allan started to argue about who was going to sweep and who was going to mop while Michael and Edgar got into a heated debate about who was going to dispose of the charred remains of the vampire by the stereo.
"You know Lucy I'm glad that you're home. There's nothin' like a little vampire chaos to make things interestin'." Henry Emerson chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder and hugged her. "After all what's the point of livin' in Santa Carla if you can't enjoy the strange and unusual once in a while? In this town people are definitely strange." He mused out loud while Lucy returned his hug and the two walked down the hallway arm in arm while a massive argument broke out in the living room. It looked like things were finally back to normal and you know what they say; there's no place like home.