Seven Hallows' Eve Part 2
Little Britches ATF
Disclaimers: The boys don't belong to me, more's the pity. sigh
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Buck stared around him at the chaos and wondered just what he had gotten himself into. Everywhere he looked, little critters were running around and screaming. He felt a bit dazed as, once again, something slammed into legs. This time, it was round, fuzzy yellow thing with little triangular ears. "Pika pika!" it screeched and then tore off in another direction.
"First time?" a woman's voice suddenly sounded in his ear and he looked over in surprise to see Catwoman eyeing him with amusement.
"Uh... yeah," he stammered, uncharacteristically tongue-tied.
She smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. There'll be a bit more order shortly, as they line up for the costume contest. Do you want to get a seat? Once they announce the line up, the good seats fill up fast."
Regaining his usual equilibrium, Buck smiled broadly. "Well now, darlin', that sounds like a mighty fine idea. Why don't you pick out a seat and I'll go rustle up some grub for us." He watched with appreciation as she walked away, the leather catsuit accentuating her assets quite nicely. Whistling under his breath in appreciation, Buck turned toward the food table.
"Buck, Buck!" JD shrieked happily as he ran up, and Buck quickly dropped to his knees to gather the little boy in a quick hug.
"Well, hey there, Li'l Bit. Having a good time?" he asked as he released JD.
JD nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Me'n Tommy are going to bob for apples," JD said, gesturing to the other side of the room where Buck could see a small pirate watching them, shifting from foot to foot impatiently.
"Looks like you'd better head on over there, pard. I think Tommy is a mite anxious to get started," Buck suggested.
"OK!" JD yelled and then took off running towards Tommy.
Buck just shook his head as he stood up and continued on his way to the food.
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Vin looked at the house apprehensively. The porch light was on, and two jack o'lanterns were lit and positioned on either side of the steps. "I just knock on the door, say 'trick or treat,' and they give me candy?" he asked doubtfully. Chris and Buck had earlier explained the procedure several times to him, assuring him that it was safe and expected, but he had a hard time believing it.
"Yes, I do believe that is the proper method. Here, let's observe how it's done, shall we?" Ezra suggested as he noticed a small group of youngsters approaching with a chaperone. He nodded politely to the other man, most likely the father of one or more of the children, and was nodded to in return.
Vin watched quietly as the other children marched right up the steps and rang the doorbell. The door opened before the bell had stopped ringing and a smiling woman appeared with a bowl. He heard the loud almost shouts of 'trick or treat,' and then the woman started dropping things into the children's bags. Then they all turned and trooped back down the steps, returning to the man who waited at the sidewalk for him. He bit his lip. It didn't look hard. With one last look at Ezra, he sucked in a breath and walked as steadily as he could up the steps and rang the bell.
When the woman appeared again, Vin was momentarily at a loss and stared up at her blankly.
"Oh look, it's Robin Hood!" she exclaimed. "Come to take from the rich to give to the poor?" she asked with a wink.
Blinking, Vin remembered what he was supposed to say. "Uh... no ma'am... umm... trick or treat?" he asked hopefully.
"Here you go, sweetie," she said, dropping a handful of various candies into his bag.
"Thank you, ma'am," Vin said, and then turned and ran back to Ezra, his heart thudding in his chest.
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Chris scowled as the new forms were handed out. The emergency meeting was about new report forms! The aid who was unlucky enough to catch Chris' eye as he passed by paled and visibly gulped at the expression on the forbidding blond's face. He'd heard stories about Larabee, and he had no desire to find out if any of them were true, so he scurried away as quickly as possible. Chris smirked as the man just about tripped over his own feet. It was petty, but he figured those around him could suffer along with him. One of the other team leaders chuckled, shaking his head.
"Now, as you can see, the forms have been rearranged so that..." Chris tuned out the boring explanation of the new form layout. What, did they think the forms weren't self-explanatory? Bureacracy--gotta love it. Not.
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Buck had learned that Catwoman, whose real name was Nancy Williams, was a single mother and a paralegal. Her daughter was currently Tinker Bell and had been enthusiastically throwing glitter on everyone with whom she came into contact. Buck, himself, had been the recipient of one such attack of pixie dust as the girl giggled happily and told him 'now you can fly!' before skipping off to dust someone else. He was just about to ask Nancy if she'd like to have dinner sometime when a familiar voice boomed next to his ear.
"Brother Buck!" Josiah greeted as he laid a warm hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Josiah?" Buck said in confusion. "Something up?"
Josiah shook his head, taking a seat. "Just wanted to stop by and see JD in costume," he stated, scanning the room for threats but finding nothing amiss.
"Last I saw of him, he was about to duck his head in a barrel with a pirate," Buck drawled.
And, sure enough, a partly damp JD was happily munching on an apple next to an similarly moistened pirate. Josiah chuckled, relieved that his worries had been for naught. 'Of course they were,' he told himself. 'Good thing I didn't mention the nun to the boys, they'd have laughed themselves silly.' Still, he decided to stay and keep his eyes open, just in case.
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For the third time, Vin glanced back behind them, his face scrunching up into a frown as he muttered to himself.
"Mr. Tanner? What is it?" Ezra asked. He looked back, as well, but couldn't see anything that might spook his young companion.
Vin shrugged. "Not sure, but I think somethin's followin' us," he said. "Feels like somethin's watchin'... waitin'..." he trailed off, shivering a bit.
Frowning himself, Ezra tried to peer into the darkness but there was nothing he could make out. "Well, how about we finish this street and then call it a night?" he offered. It was getting close to the time he had planned on calling it quits, anyway.
Nodding, Vin started down the street but then stopped as a large dog suddenly appeared in his path, growling. He froze, staring at the dog with wide, frightened eyes.
"Vin," Ezra instructed, careful to keep his voice low and calm, "don't move." Cautiously, Ezra reached for the small gun he had secreted under his sweater. As an undercover agent, he'd learned that it was always a good idea to be prepared for trouble. Before he could get ahold of it, however, he heard a rustling sound behind him and then something smacked him on the back of the head. As he fell into darkness, the last thing he heard was Vin screaming for him.
"Uncle Ezra!" Vin cried out. He'd heard something behind him and turned just in time to see Ezra collapse into a heap. A black-cowled figure stood behind Ezra and several more were advancing on the boy. The dog growled again, but then launched itself past Vin and at the closest approaching figure. Torn on whether to stay with his uncle or flee, Vin lost precious seconds to indecision. Finally turning to run for help, Vin was suddenly swept off his feet. He screamed again until a cloth covered his nose and mouth and then the world faded away as a peculiar odor overpowered his consciousness.
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Chris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a sense of foreboding descended upon him. He stood up abruptly, shoving the new forms into his briefcase and clicking it shut.
The man who had still been droning on about the new report forms paused to frown at him. "Agent Larabee..." he began, but Chris cut him off.
"I have to go. You can send me a memo," Chris remarked shortly and then he stalked out the door, leaving everyone at the table to stare after him in bemusement.
Something was wrong. Chris knew it. He had only felt this way once before... He pulled out his phone as he began to jog to the parking ramp, a familiar chill starting to settle around his heart. Listening to the ringing, he snapped the phone shut when he was shunted to voice mail. Chris hit the exit at a dead run.
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Frowning, Josiah glanced around, but could find no reason for his sudden sense of unease. JD was standing proudly on the stage with a few other children, the winners of the pumpkin carving contest.
Buck leaned over. "Boy, kind of wish Chris and Vin were here to see this. Li'l Bit's about to burst his buttons," he stated, grinning broadly.
Vin. Josiah shut his eyes. Had he been guarding the wrong boy? Why had he automatically assumed it was JD in danger? He dredged up a sickly smile for Buck and nodded in agreement, though he could tell the other man had noticed something was wrong.
"You all right, there, Josiah? Eat something that didn't agree with ya?" Buck asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. Think I'll call it a night, though. You tell JD I'm very proud of him, all right?" Josiah stood up, somewhat unsteady on his feet. What should he do? Vin was with Ezra trick or treating in Nathan's neighborhood... He'd go to Nate's house. And then his friend could laugh at him and tell him that Vin and Ezra were just fine. Trying hard to convince himself of that, Josiah stumbled out to his Suburban.
Buck watched the older man leave, eyes narrowed in concern. Josiah might have said he was fine, but he sure hadn't looked it. In fact, the profiler had almost turned green. Before he could consider it further, however, there came a tugging on his hand.
"Buck, Buck, look! I got a ribbon!" JD exclaimed joyfully, holding up a red ribbon. "Second place!"
"I see that, Li'l Bit. Good job, pard. We'll hang it up when we get home, OK?"
JD nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I can't wait to show Vin and Chris. And I get to keep my pumkin, too!"
"That's real good, JD. We'll set it out on the porch and light it to keep away the scary monsters," Buck promised. He looked around, noticing that the crowd was beginning to thin out as parents came to collect their youngsters. "Is the party over?" he asked.
"Uh huh. I just gotta get my bag of treats and my pumkin," JD stated.
"Why don't you go do that, then, and I'll meet you by the door. I think it's about time for good cowboys to get to bed," Buck said with a wink.
JD wanted to argue that he wasn't tired, but Buck had already stood up and was walking away. Heaving a sigh, JD went to retrieve his stuff.
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Wet... slightly slimy... Ezra twitched, then frowned. This time, something cold and wet poked at his cheek and his eyes flew open. There, right in front of him, was the muzzle of a very large dog. A dog that, just a few minutes ago, had been licking his face. "Ugh," Ezra moaned, scooting backwards, and then the pain in his head let itself be known. "Argh..." He clutched his head as he tried to figure out just what was going on, and then all thoughts but one flew out of his head. Vin! "Vin!" he called out, looking about frantically. Vin's bag of candy and bow were a few feet away, but of the boy himself there was no sign. Ezra closed his eyes, denying both what his eyes told him and the tears that were forming. "Mr. Larabee is going to kill me," he muttered under his breath and then he began scrabbling for his phone.
He didn't even notice when the dog moved closer and began leaning against him. Waiting impatiently for Nathan to answer, Ezra began a litany in his mind--'Please let Vin be all right. Please let Vin be all right."
"Jackson residence," Nathan's voice was a welcome sound in Ezra's ear.
"Nathan! Vin has been abducted," Ezra stated, wincing at the slight quiver in his voice.
"Ezra? Now just hold on, where are you? Are you hurt?" Nathan asked, anxiety tightening his voice.
"I'm not sure..." Ezra peered around, finally making out the street sign on the corner. I'm at Beechwood and Temple. Hurry, we need to find Mr. Tanner."
"I'll be right there. You want to call Chris?" Nathan asked, even as he was grabbing his medical kit and jacket.
'No, I don't want to call Chris!' Ezra screamed in his head, but he remained outwardly silent except for a deep breath. "I shall inform Mr. Larabee post-haste," he said flatly and ended the call, dropping his chin to his chest. That's when he noticed the warm body pressing up against him. "Good Lord, you're shedding all over my cashmere sweater," he told the dog, who simply stared blandly back at him, making no move to change his position. 'Ezra, you're losing it. Forget about the damn dog, you need to find Vin. But first, better to get it over with...' Mentally bracing himself, Ezra hit Chris' number on the speed dial with a trembling finger.
"Larabee."
Ezra winced at the cold tone, and figured it would be glacial by the time he finished speaking. "Ahh... Mr. Larabee..."
"Where's Vin?" Chris snapped.
Blinking, Ezra tried to organize his thoughts, as the interruption had completely derailed his train of thought. "That's what I was calling about... that is to say... I mean, we were attacked..." Ezra realized he was rambling, but he couldn't seem to help himself. The way the world kept slipping in and out of focus certainly didn't help. "The dog is here," he stammered as said animal promptly licked his nose.
"Ezra!"
Ezra looked up in relief as Nathan came running up. "Tell him they took Vin," he pleaded, holding the phone out, just before he tumbled to the ground once more.
"Damn it!" Nathan exclaimed, recovering the phone. "Chris, someone took Vin and Ezra just passed out. From the looks of it, he's been bashed over the head," Nathan said as he gently probed the back of Ezra's head. We're at the corner of Beechwood and Temple."
"I'm on my way," Chris said and ended the call.
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Vin moaned softly. He felt awful. Blinking his eyes open, he peered around blearily, but didn't recognize his surroundings. It was pretty dark, but there were a few candles flickering weakly on the other side of the room. He went hot and then cold and turned to his side just in time to lose the pizza that he had enjoyed so much earlier in the evening. Whimpering as he continued to heave after everything had been evacuated from his stomach, he finally noticed that his hands were bound together with some kind of plastic fastener. He levered himself up with his elbows and took a closer look around. Was he in a basement? How did he get here? Scooting away from where he'd been sick, Vin moved to place his back against a wall as he tried to get his bearings. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened. Uncle Ezra! His eyes darting frantically, he could find no trace of his adopted uncle. 'Please let him be OK,' he pleaded silently.
Shivering as much from fear as from the coolness of the basement, Vin stared about him, searching for a way out. There were stairs near the candles and a small window on the wall adjacent to him, but it was too high for him to reach. He had just decided to explore the rest of the room in hopes of finding something to stand on when he heard a door open and then the creak of stairsteps. Freezing in place, he stared with wide eyes as first high heels and then a pair of stockinged legs came into view. He blinked in surprise as a woman with longish brown hair and a tight-fitting black dress approached him.
"Awake are you? That's good. We wouldn't want you to miss the party, now would we? Especially as you are the guest of honor... Vin," the woman said silkily, a sly smile upon her lips.
Vin shuddered. At first glance, he would guess that she was pretty, in an unnerving way. But as he continued to look at her, it almost seemed as if her image... rippled... and what was underneath was not nice. And her eyes... to Vin, they seemed as black pits, reflecting nothing but endless night.
"Nothing to say? Well, according to all reports, you are the quiet one, aren't you? Ah well, silence is much preferable to endless prattle, anyway. Do you know why you are here, my dear?" she asked.
Shaking his head, Vin continued to stare at her apprehensively while simultaneously trying to inch away from her. She laughed and stepped closer, placing one perfectly manicured nail under his chin and pressing just hard enough to draw blood.
"You, little boy, shall serve a dual purpose. First of all, you will make a very tasty treat--all of that power that just leaks from your soul..." she paused as she brought her finger up to taste Vin's blood. "Mmmm... delicious. But, and this is the best part, once I have it, the one I truly want, the one who is to be my mate, will be unable to resist me once I've made your power my own."
Chris! This crazy woman wanted Chris! Vin shut his eyes and turned away, unable to prevent a few tears from slipping out.
