Seven Hallows' Eve Part 1
Little Britches ATF
Author: Princess Nat

Disclaimers: The boys don't belong to me, more's the pity. sigh

Notes: Written for the "Spooky Weekend"on the Vinfeedback mailing list.

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"Go now, my pet. Find the one which I seek," the voice commanded. And the beast with glowing eyes turned obediently to do his mistress' bidding.

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Josiah Sanchez hummed softly under his breath as he walked across the grounds of the small Catholic church. He couldn't say exactly why he had decided on this little detour on his way to work, but the beauty and the peace of the place had called to him and he responded. As he approached the entrance to the sanctuary, he noted an elderly nun sitting on a bench next to the pathway. "Good morning, Sister," he intoned. The woman's head raised and milky white eyes seemed to peer directly into his soul. Before he could say another word, a surprisingly strong hand had gripped his wrist.

"You must guard the one with eyes that See. Evil walks this night and those that shine brightest are as beacons to the ones that walk in Darkness."

Shocked, Josiah could only stare at the nun as she released her grip and returned her sightless gaze to the ground. When she said nothing more, he hesitantly continued on to the church, glancing back occasionally and rubbing his wrist. The earlier peace he had felt was shattered, replaced by a strange feeling of dread. Unsettled, he approached the priest who looked to be rearranging the announcements on a bulletin board in the vestibule. "Excuse me, Father," Josiah began.

The priest turned and smiled. "Good morning. How can I help you?"

Josiah gestured behind him. "I was wondering if you could tell me about the nun sitting outside. She said something strange to me as I passed by."

Frowning, the priest looked out beyond Josiah. "I'm sorry, I do not know of any nuns visiting our church today. Where did you see her?"

Impatient, Josiah turned and pointed at the bench. "Right there..." he trailed off. The bench was empty. He scowled. "Well, that's odd. She was sitting right on that bench--a blind nun."

At his words, the priest returned his gaze to Josiah, studying him intently. "A blind nun, you say? My son, I believe you have been visited by Sister Catherine. You would do well to heed her warning." And then he turned and strode away, leaving a bewildered Josiah to stare after him.

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Chris slammed down the phone, cursing under his breath. It wasn't unheard of to have an unscheduled evening meeting pop up, but it certainly wasn't one of the things he enjoyed about his job. And especially not when it conflicted with something he would much rather be doing--taking his foster son trick or treating. He closed his eyes as he thought of Vin. The eight-year old wouldn't complain, he would simply go quiet and stare up at him with those soulful blue eyes. Chris sighed. Sometimes, he thought, he'd rather have the screaming tantrums of JD than the silent disappointment of Vin.

There came a soft knock on his door and then Buck poked his head in. "Hey, stud, Nathan brought in pumpkin muffins, if you're interested. They're in the break room." Then he got a look at Chris' expression and felt his own smile drop. "What is it?"

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Chris looked up at his oldest friend. "I can't take Vin out tonight." He gestured at the phone. "Mandatory administrative meeting tonight."

"Damn," Buck sighed.

"Yeah," Chris agreed, then stood up. "Guess I'll come have a muffin."

"I could take Vin to the party with JD," Buck offered uncertainly.

Chris snorted. "I have a feeling that, for Vin, that would be worse than staying home."

Nodding in agreement, Buck followed his boss down the hall. "Can't argue with that. Room full of noisy kids and a bunch of adults he don't know sounds pretty close to Hell for that boy."

Nathan and Ezra glanced up as Chris and Buck entered. "Problem?" Nathan asked, catching just the tail end of Buck's comment.

Before Chris could respond, Buck answered for him, "Chris has a meeting tonight. Can't take Vin out trick or treating as he'd planned."

"That's too bad, Chris," commented Nathan. "He'll be disappointed for sure."

Ezra was silent for a moment as he sipped his cappucino. He watched the glum expressions on his comrades' faces and thought of the sad face that his "nephew" would have. Before he even realized it, his mouth was opening and spoke, "I could take Mister Tanner out tonight."

For a moment, the room was quiet and then Buck's face broke out in a broad grin. "Well, I'll be, Ezra, that's a mighty fine offer and I'm sure Vin will be pleased as punch."

Chris studied his undercover officer carefully and then a smile slowly began to form. "Thank you, Ezra. It'll be much appreciated. I'll let Vin know this afternoon when I pick him up after school. Do you know what time you can pick him up?"

Blinking, Ezra thought quickly. What time did one take a child out on Halloween? "What time had you planned to leave?" he hedged, only now realizing just what he had volunteered himself for.

Chris' eyes crinkled in amusement as he saw the reality dawn on Ezra. But there was no way he was letting him get out of it now--it was the perfect solution. "Six or seven. I have to be back here for a meeting at six thirty, though, so if you can arrive at six, that would be great. Earlier, if you want to eat with us."

"Ah... no thank you, I believe will dine before hand. I am certain that Mister Tanner would prefer to have some time alone with his father, especially as you will not be accompanying him for his first foray into the here-to-fore unknown ritual that is trick or treating," Ezra declined. "Six o'clock it is."

Chris nodded his head in acknowledgment and stood to refill his coffee. "I'll be working on reports today, I expect you boys will be doing the same," he stated calmly and then returned to his office.

Buck slanted a glance at Ezra. "Thanks again, Ezra. Vin's been looking forward to this night for weeks now."

"Yes, I do believe I have heard reference to it a few times when I have seen Mister Tanner and Mister Dunne. I believe Mister Dunne is otherwise engaged tonight?"

"Yep. All the kids in his grade are having a party at the school. I'm one of the chaperones," Buck proclaimed proudly.

"And are you dressing for the occasion?" Ezra asked.

"Sure am. JD and I are goin' as cowboys," Buck stated.

"Really..." A sudden thought struck Ezra and he stared at Buck in horror. "Tonight... I am not expected to disguise myself in some manner, am I?" he asked.

"Naah, you just walk with Vin around the neighborhood. Just stand at the sidewalk and let him go up to the door himself. He'll get his candy and you move on to the next house. Piece of cake," Buck assured him.

Relaxing, Ezra allowed a small smile to form on his lips. "I do believe I can manage that just fine, Mr. Wilmington."

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Looking up at the building apprehensively, Josiah finally convinced himself to get out of his Suburban. He always felt somewhat ambivalent about his visits with his sister, and today was no exception. Institutionalized since her early twenties, it seemed that Hannah was never going to "get better." And yet, sometimes, Josiah could swear that she knew more than he could ever hope to learn... that she had some special insight into how the world really worked. That was why he was here now. He hadn't planned on this visit, but after his strange encounter with the nun in the morning, he was hoping maybe his sister would be able to shed some light on what it meant. Lord knows he hadn't had any luck figuring it out himself. He'd spent the whole day at work on the computer searching for any information he could find on Sister Catherine, and was both amazed and a bit frightened to find that she had appeared to others, as well.

"Hello, Mr. Sanchez," one of the nurses greeted him warmly, and Josiah blinked in surprise as he noted that she was dressed as Dorothy from "Wizard of Oz."

"Ah, hello," he replied. Belatedly recalling that it was Halloween, he had a sudden thought. "Is it all right if I visit with Hannah for a bit? I forgot about the holiday... are there group activities planned?"

"You go right on up. The party starts in about half an hour. You're welcome to join us, you know, even though you aren't exactly dressed for the occasion," the nurse teased, indicating his business casual attire of khakis, button down shirt, and blazer. "I'll give you fair warning though, many of the patients are a bit wound up tonight." She shrugged. "Maybe they're excited about the party. Anyway, remember to compliment Hannah on her costume. She was very pleased with the way it turned out."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to do that," Josiah said, nodding as he headed for the elevators.

Stepping out onto Hannah's floor, Josiah noticed that the noise level in the ward did seem much higher than usual, and occasionally a patient would skitter by him, giggling merrily. He was a bit surprised by both the variety and quality of the costumes he'd seen, but that hadn't prepared him for the sight of his sister as he knocked gently on her door and then opened it. "Hannah?" he called out softly, and gasped as she turned around.

"Josiah!" she exclaimed, beaming. "I knew you would come!" She clapped her hands happily.

"You look beautiful," Josiah said, striding forward and taking both her hands in his own much larger ones. And it was true. Her silver hair gleamed and set off the gold tones of her dress perfectly. The crown and wand completed the transformation of his sister into Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

"Thank you, kind sir," Hannah replied and curtsied gracefully. The she looked into his eyes and her expression changed. "You're worried."

Sinking into the chair next to the door, Josiah nodded. "Yes. Something strange happened this morning," he declared.

Hannah cocked her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied him, and then she slowly nodded. "Warnings are never given lightly," she said.

Startled, Josiah looked back up and into his sister's knowing eyes. Yes, this was why he had come. "What can you tell me?" he asked.

Taking a deep breath, Hannah turned her gaze away and seemed to stare off into space. After a few minutes, she began to speak, her words given in a monotone and almost a whisper. "On this night, the Dark Ones hunt a boy-child. One whose soul is pure and burns brightly."

Josiah gasped. He wasn't sure what Dark Ones his sister might be referring to, but he had enough experience with the evil in the world to know that men were capable of just as nefarious deeds as any demons. Boy-child. Pure. JD! Suddenly feeling a sense of urgency, Josiah surged to his feet. "Thank you, sister. You have been a great help." He kissed her forehead and rushed out of the room.

"His deep blue eyes hold the wisdom of the ages and he can see right into your soul," Hannah continued and then she blinked and looked around. "Oh dear, I must find that sweet Dorothy and help her to find her way home," she said casually as she skipped out of the room, brandishing her wand.

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Chris smiled at the assortment of creatures and characters that came streaming out of the school building. Some he recognized and others he just shook his head at. Finally, the one he was looking for, his own little Robin Hood, came running toward the truck. He opened the door to help Vin into the back. "Hey, cowboy, or I guess I should say Robin, huh? How was your day?"

Vin beamed. "Good. Mostly did fun stuff today. No homework, neither," he said happily.

"That's good. 'Fraid I have some bad news, though," Chris started as he fastned the boy's seatbelt, and Vin immediately froze. "Not real bad," Chris tried to reassure the boy, "just kind of disappointing." He looked up to find Vin's large blue eyes staring up at him anxiously. Sighing, Chris dropped his head. "I can't take you trick or treating tonight, cowboy. I have to go to a meeting." Vin remained silent and Chris looked back up at him, unsurprised to find tears brimming, but not quite falling. "But you're still going out. Ezra is going to pick you up and take you around Nathan's neighborhood just like we planned, OK?"

Vin nodded slowly and sniffed a few times, but still no words were forthcoming.

"I'm really sorry, cowboy. If I could, I'd get out of it, you know that don't you?"

Vin nodded again and then turned to look out the window, his hands clenching into the green tunic of his costume. Chris covered the hand closest to him and was relieved when Vin didn't flinch in response. "It's just the two of us for supper, though, and I thought we'd pick up a pizza on the way home," he offered. He was rewarded with a tremulous smile as Vin turned back to him.

"OK," Vin agreed quietly.

Giving Vin's hand a firm squeeze, Chris returned to the driver's seat and started up the truck.

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Ezra turned off the engine and took a deep breath. 'Just what were you thinking, Ezra, volunteering to take a child trick or treating? What could possibly be in it for you?' Maude's voice echoed in his mind and he winced. There were times when he really wished he could tune out the subconscious critic that his mother had installed within him throughout his years of childhood. Although, since joining Chris Larabee's ATF team, the voice had grown softer, and with the addition of his two adopted "nephews," it's criticisms had begun to decline in frequency. Every once in awhile, however, it would sneak up on him... 'All right, enough of that.'

Before he reached the door, it opened and any doubts he had about the night disappeared as he saw Vin standing there dressed in a Robin Hood costume. A flush of pleasure swept through him at the sight. "I see you took my suggestion to heart, Mr. Tanner," Ezra said.

Vin nodded, staring up at Ezra with shining eyes. "Chris says you're taking me trick or treatin'?" he half-asked, half-stated.

"That's right. It will be a first time for both of us. What do you think of that?" Ezra asked.

A puzzled frown developed on Vin's features and he gave Ezra a doubtful look. "You never been trick or treatin' either?"

"No, I have not had the pleasure. However, tonight we shall remedy this appalling lack in our cultural education," Ezra stated firmly as he accompanied Vin inside the ranch house.

"Ezra," Chris greeted as he finished stuffing some files into his briefcase. He turned to Vin. "You'd better go get your bag and jacket." As Vin ran off, he shook his head and looked back at Ezra. "Hope you're well rested. He's a bit excited."

Ezra smiled in return. It was good to see the normally quiet boy exhibit some childlike exuberance. "I'm sure I'll manage," he said.

Vin came running back in and in addition to the jacket and bag, he now carried a small bow with an accompanying quiver of arrows.

"All set?" Chris asked, looking him over approvingly.

Vin nodded and looked to Ezra.

"Why, Mr. Tanner, you cut quite a dashing figure as Robin Hood," he stated, receiving a giggle from the boy in return.

"OK, what are the rules?" Chris quizzed Vin.

"Stay with Uncle Ezra and don't eat any of the candy until Uncle Ezra says it's OK."

"Good. Well, I need to get going. You two have fun tonight." Chris knelt down and gave Vin a hug, which was a bit difficult considering the boy had his hands full. "I'll see you tonight and we can look through your loot together, all right?"

Vin nodded again.

Standing back up, Chris addressed Ezra, "I plan to be back around nine or so. If you could have Vin back by then, I'd appreciate it."

"I shall endeavour to do so," Ezra assured him and then he turned toward Vin, holding out his hand. "Shall I relieve you of some of your encumbrances, Mr. Tanner?"

Vin handed over his jacket, keeping a firm grip on his bag, bow, and quiver. "'Bye, Chris," he said softly.

Chris watched the two walk out to Ezra's Jag, feeling a stab of wistfulness that he wasn't the one going with Vin. Then, he took a deep breath, grabbed his briefcase, and went out the door.

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"OK, Vin. Just let me get a couple of pictures for Rain and then you two can head out," Nathan said as he stepped back from adjusting the quiver on Vin's back.

Ezra watched with amusement as Vin fidgeted, anxious to get going. Having his picture taken was not one of the boy's favorite activities. He was just grateful that Nathan had offered the use of his garage for the Jag for the duration of the night's activities. Just the thought of egg on the paint of his beloved car made him cringe. However, since Rain had a shift at the hospital, her bay was free and the Jag would be safe and sound as they toured the neighborhood on foot.

"Ezra, come stand next to Vin." Nate's words intruded into Ezra's thoughts and he looked up, startled. He ruefully admitted to himself that getting his picture taken wasn't something he enjoyed, either.

"Geeze, the two of you look like you're getting a mug shot or something," Nathan complained. "Say 'trick or treat.'"

Once he'd taken the shot and studied the result in the view finder, Nathan nodded in satisfaction. "All right. Looks good. You can tell Chris I'll e-mail him the pictures." He gave them both a level look. "Now, remember, only go to houses with the porch light on, don't eat anything until it's been looked over, and don't eat too much, you hear?"

Both Ezra and Vin nodded solemnly, and Nathan grinned. "Good. Now, out you go. Have fun." He ushered them out the door.