Hey everyone,
I'm going to timejump a little with this chapter. And to be honest, the next chapters are all going to cover a couple of time jumps. This chapter will cover the Goodman kids going to school and there is going to be another confrontation between Merlock and Jake. Then I am going to cover the first lunch break of the day and after that I am going to make a timejump to a point sometime later down the week. From there we'll just wait and see.
All good? Nice,

Venquine1990

Chapter 11
A Taste Of His Own Medicine

5th of May 2418
Tama City, Japan
Merlock's POV

The rest of Sunday went delightfully wonderful. Sarah and I shared a few dances on old Disney love songs, I actually got to hear my One sing along softly to herself a few times and I lovingly got to hold her close for the better part of the rest of the day. And Sarah's voice was so incredibly beautiful, I firmly and lovingly told her that her voice puts a nightingale to shame. The words had brought a blush and a smile to my One's face.
And just like the previous night I had happily joined my Sarah in her bed and helped her when another nightmare plagued her sleep. Yet after hypnotizing her for a third time to ensure that she would sleep soundly, I had left the room and returned to my own. And I had simply spent the rest of the night lying on my back and resting. I had heard the others waking up due to their need to go, but otherwise the night passed peacefully.

By now it's morning and while Uncle Bernie made us breakfast, I happily made the twins and Flint packages of lunch to take with them to school. I have a loving, excited and slightly impish grin on my face as Tony warned me earlier that Jake is probably going to be waiting for him and Sarah at the front door or something. And Sarah actually asked me something that is the cause for my grin. "Don't hold back." Three simple words, so much meaning.
However, I feel like I can't really come true to that request as it might risk Miss Iknow putting my beloved in detention as well or something. And while I can't help but feel as if there's something strangely familiar about the brunette that almost married Rocky a few months ago, I just keep my focus where it belongs; with my One who I will be escorting to school in a few minutes. And for a moment I feel like calling on Unita-Master.

But I shake my head at my own thought and silently decide that he might have to come in later, if Jake really proves to be as stubborn as Sarah and Tony have been telling me. For the last few minutes I have actually been talking with Uncle Bernie about the boy and learned a few things about him. Apparently Tony and Jake met at a game store where they both bought the same – as they called it – underrated game.
The boys bonded over their love for games that others just didn't appreciate and were often seen at each other's houses playing said games. For a few years they would even save up together to buy a certain game together. After this one of the two would get to play the game at their house first and then give it to the other kid. Whoever enjoyed it most got to keep the game, but had to buy the other lunch a few times to make up for the money used.

Uncle Bernie moans and hangs his head over the back of the couch, which is set near the center of the living room, and he groans: "And of course then the kids had to grow up, hormones had to come into play and apparently everything went to heckles in a handbasket. Tony and Jake have been growing apart and fighting more and more since Jake started liking Sarah. I'm telling you, Merlock, Sarah finding Flint's fossil was a true blessing.
It gave Jake someone to be afraid of, it got us in real contact with the Time Bureau, it sent us on all those crazy adventures, it helped my kids make tons of new friends. And most importantly, it got Sarah a boyfriend who will actually both appreciate her and respect her for who she is. Someone who – forgive me – is old enough he doesn't let his hormones get the better of him." But while the man apologizes, I just laugh at his word play.
"Uncle Bernie, allow me to teach you one thing that is a little joke between us vampires, or at least me and my Clan. We love age jokes. Make enough of them and you have George rolling across the floor." Bernie gives me a huge grin at the new fact and then Tony, Flint and my lovely Sarah come down, all three of them ready for school. And of course, ever since the wedding incident, Flint has stopped covering up Rocky's face.

Uncle Bernie asks the three of them if they're ready to go and the three nod and give vocal confirmation. Then Sarah starts listing the subjects they'll have today and both Flint and Tony quickly check to see if they have the right books. Both seem to have succeeded, though Flint also pulls his Grammar book out of his bag and puts it on the table in front of me. He puts the schoolbag back on his back and I happily stand up to join them.
The four of us greet Uncle Bernie goodbye and leave the house. And while I let Tony and Flint guide us, I lovingly take my One by the arm and cuddle my nose against her cheek. Sarah giggles at the contact and my heart becomes alight at the sound. A very tiny part of me feels ashamed over the fact that I have yet to address my upcoming Heat with them, but I push down on this feeling and return my focus where it belongs.

"So you'll have one break for lunch and are free after gym class, right my love?" I ask her as we get closer to her school. Sarah nods and I happily tell her that I will be with her during the break and will wait for her in the trees outside of the gym field. Sarah asks me if I won't join them for gym class, yet I let out a laugh and remind her of how terrible that went when we were in Greece in an attempt to retrieve the Time Shifter Muscles.
At this Flint turns his head and says: "That's right, though that also really confused me. I mean, you're an amazing athlete, Merlock, so how come you did so poorly when we were running our laps?" I grin at the kind younger man and gently explain that my muscles have been trained to be lean and flexible, suitable for jumping and leaping. I can make short spurts, but need to add jumps to that to work properly, like when I protected Bindi from Petra.

Flint nods in understanding and Tony mumbles how we are only three blocks away from school. Both he and Sarah turn to look cautious and wary and Flint's usual, happy-go-lucky smile also vanishes off his face. I quickly make sure to pull Sarah closer against my side and gently remind her that I'm here and that I won't let anything happen to her. And all three of them smile at me for this before we turn the final corner.
I can see the huge school building a few miles ahead of us and can see the gymnastic field in front of it in the distance. And even as we approach, the sight of a large group of students concerns me. I sharpen my senses and my hearing easily picks up on the muttering and whispering a few miles before the others are able to hear it. And the fact that Sarah's name is mentioned almost every other sentence increases my sense of concern.

Then suddenly I notice that average Joe, the boy named Jake, standing near the front of the crowd, waving his arms around like a madman. Tony notices this as well and groans in dismay as he mutters his disbelief over the situation. I focus my senses on Jake directly and a soft growl escapes my lips as I hear what he's saying. "I'm telling you. That disgusting freak used some kind of voodoo magic to paralyze Flint and then took off with Sarah.
And considering that he's some kind of dark magic – whatever – he probably put a spell on Dr. Goodman and Tony as well. Unlike me, they weren't even there! And now my poor, sweet, innocent Sarah is probably expecting his demonic hell spawn or something even worse. She could be dead for all I know. Oh my Sarah. My poor, sweet innocent Sarah. If that bastard hadn't sent an army of bats and demonic beings my way, I would have been able to save her."

The more the lad speaks, the more I feel my anger rising to the surface. I grip my cane tighter and tighter and growl more and more. Flint also seems to have heard some of what the lad said and snarls: "He'll pay for this!" But I firmly grab his shoulder and tell him not to rush off. The others all turn to me and I pull my cellphone from my pocket. And while I switch my gaze between my phone and the sight in front of me, I pick the right number.
I put the phone to my ear and only hear the dial tone ring once before the call is answered. Miss Grey greets me on the other side and I quickly explain her the situation before I ask: "Tell me, can you gain access to the local security camera footage? Are you able to send a copy of Saturday's footage near Tarka Park at around 3 or 4 o'clock to my phone?" Miss Grey tells me to give her a moment and I patiently follow her request.

And the woman calms my anger a moment later as she confirms my request and tells me that she's sending it to me now. Then she makes things even better as she says: "And Merlock, please put this little brat in his place. He's been a thorn in the side of the Time Bureau for almost half a year now. He just keeps trying to apply for a job here and claims that he doesn't need to take any exam as his history scores speak for themselves. But his scores are atrocious."
I grin at her and say: "So now this isn't just a personal mission to protect the innocence and rights of my girl, but also an official mission to uphold the honor of the Bureau, huh Miss Grey?" And while she's on the other side of the call, I can almost hear the smile on her face in her voice as she says: "Exactly, Agent Holmes. And you have my official permission to use every tool at your disposal. Don't hold anything back."

I end the call and see the file on my phone. Then suddenly I notice that there is actually a tv screen above the double doors of the school on the other side of the field. Instantly my mind works overtime and I quickly use the internet to look up the number of the school. I find it and press the link to make the call. This time it takes a few more times of the dial sound ringing before the call is answered by a pleasant and slightly high-pitched voice.
"Good morning. This is Emma Iknow of the Tama Highschool. How can I help you this morning?" I quickly answer by explaining the situation once again and then ask: "I have the file of the actual confrontation and how non-violent it really was on my phone. I don't feel safe sending my Sarah into the crowd and I believe this video will make them disperse. Can I send it your way and ask you to show the video on the tv-screen?"
The woman hesitates and asks if this will humiliate the boy. And because I understand her desire to protect and safeguard her students, I curtly answer her: "No more than he is currently humiliating himself and definitely no more than he is currently humiliating Sarah, Tony, Flint and Dr. Goodman. This young man is simply digging his own grave and I am merely helping him fall in it. Nothing more, nothing less, ma'am."

The woman gives me a vocal confirmation and tells me to send the file, that she'll do as asked. I grin at my friends and hang up the call before I quickly follow Miss Iknow's instructions. And once this is done, I offer my arm back to Sarah and ask: "Shall we head off and enjoy the fireworks, my Sarah?" The girl nods and Flint yells his excitement. While I was making my calls, I had pulled the others in between a few of the bushes that lined the pathway to the school.
And while Tony and Flint had been in front of Sarah and me before, this time Sarah and I lead the two of them towards the school. And thankfully, just as a few of the students in the crowd start to notice us, the large tv screen on the other side of the field turns on. Sarah's teacher, Miss Iknow, appears and the woman adjusts her glasses as she says: "Children, it has come to my attention that one of you is spreading lies. I am here to show you the truth. Watch closely."

And to the utter horror of the lad in question and the delight of those around me, the screen changes to show Tony, Flint, Dr. Goodman and me leaving the forest, me lovingly carrying Sarah in my arms as I walk. I notice a lot of eyes widening as they watch the whole scene take place and also notice that Jake is starting to shake on his legs. I may not be able to see the look on his face as he has his back turned to me, but I feel confident I can guess how he looks.
The video, amazingly enough, actually switches between various cameras that were apparently present in the area at the time. I silently praise Miss Grey for her incredibly quick work editing the video perfectly. Then the video ends with me standing on top of one of the buildings on the t-split of the road and giving my friends a two-fingered salute. As I jump away, the video stops and the face of Miss Iknow reappears as she says:

"Now that you all know what really happened, I would like Mr. Jake Henstens to come to my office. Right now, please." Yet the young man apparently has more guts than I gave him credit for – or perhaps he is more stubborn than I anticipated – as he angrily yells for the whole field to hear: "NOT BEFORE I SEE MY SARAH!" A lot of the students around him look at him shocked and disgusted and Tony wants to run at him.
I stop the boy who might one day become my brother-in-law and mutter: "He wants to get you in trouble with Miss Iknow. Divide and conquer. Don't let him use that tactic against you. Reprimand him, but don't hurt him. Leave that to me, if necessary. I have Miss Grey's backing, remember that." Tony nods and in his eyes I can see his gratitude for my advice and my willingness to help. Then he angrily storms over and yells at Henstens:

"YOU WILL NEVER SEE SARAH AGAIN BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER BE MY FRIEND AGAIN! I REFUSE TO BE FRIEND WITH A LIAR AND I DON'T CARE THAT WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR YEARS! ANYONE WHO USES THAT JUST FOR THEIR OWN GAINS IS NO FRIEND OF MINE! Goodbye and till never again, Henstens. And before you even think about it, the only one you have to blame is yourself."
I take confidence and strength from the fact that a lot of the students around the two are nodding in agreement and approach the group. Henstens spots this and yells: "YOU! YOU HAVE –!" But because I know that it's almost time for class and I don't feel like giving my friends a reason to end up being late, I decide to just end this whole thing here and now. And so I swiftly pull my Detective ID from my pocket and raise it up for the world to see.

"Pardon me for not introducing myself during our last meeting, but I didn't think it was required at the time as the needs of my girlfriend were of more importance to me. I am Merlock Holmes of the Time Bureau. I am a personal friend of Miss Jillian Grey, the Head of the Bureau, and was her apprentice as well when I applied. Now I believe that you have an appointment with your teacher and that your peers need to hurry, lest they be late for class."

And instantly this statement makes all of the students scurry for the double doors underneath the blank tv-screen. Henstens looks between the hastily retreating backs and me and then growls: "This isn't over, you freakazoid." But I just raise an eyebrow at him as I've heard much worse in regards to insults over the years I've lived. The lad storms into the school and my friends and I wait a minute or so to be sure that he's left.
Unfortunately enough my sensitive hearing easily picks up on how he attempts to make it sound as if he's walking away. I raise my hand to keep Sarah from following after him and summon my cane with my other. And while I sincerely hope that both Miss Iknow and Miss Grey will forgive me for the property damage, I shoot a beam of heated light at the door and the point I know Henstens is hiding behind. The lad yelps and I hear him scurrying.

I sigh and shake my head at the fact that I had to resort to this to get him to leave. Then Sarah makes everything better as she softly kisses my cheek and says: "Don't worry, we don't share any of today's classes with him and I know you'll be there for me during lunch. Besides, you put him in his place and Henstens hates to show his face in public after he gets humiliated or shown up for the show off that he is. He won't bother us anymore."
I give her a grateful and relieved nod and gently tell her that I'll be watching over her from the tree tops. I quickly peck her on the lips and then I send her and the other two off to ensure that they're not running late. And once the double doors close behind them I leap up to the top of the fence that surrounds the gymnastic field. From there I rush and jump into one of the trees in the line that surrounds the entire school premise.
I quickly pull out my phone again and use the internet to check where Sarah's classes are located as I only observed her in a few classes before now and don't know her entire schedule by heart. Thankfully her first class is in a classroom that has the tree line nice and close to the windows and I easily leap from branch to branch to my destination. What startles me is that when I get there, there is actually someone waiting for me.

"Adam, what are you doing here, Elder?" The elder vampire is seated on one of the highest branches of the tree I was heading to and I move over to sit on a branch slightly below him. The man smiles at me and answers that he is here for the same reason as me; to watch over his One. My eyes widen as I wonder what Petra could be doing here, yet then Adam's face turns more serious and he asks: "Tell me, has Pterry talked yet?"
Instantly I am on high alert as, after he woke, Pterry heard what we had discussed and had decided to postpone his report. And so I tell Adam: "No, he said we'd gone through enough shocks and painful truths. Tony and Flint are very curious, but Pterry was looking specifically at Sarah when he said this. They knew that Sarah had been through enough as she suffered nightmares both nights and we agreed to wait till next weekend.
Adam, what happened?" The Vampire looks away and into the building. This alone increases my sense of concern and the man answers curtly: "Pterry recognized the identity of the witch. She was once close to your Sarah. She has already hurt your One once. Pterry knows what she could have done if we had not stopped her. He knows that hearing this will hurt your One even more. When he speaks, make sure you are there for her."

The man's words increase my concern with each sentence and yet at the same time they also fuel my determination and my desire to see Sarah safe. "I know I can't keep her from getting hurt. But I can be there for her when she gets hurt. And I will." I answer back to Adam. And even without looking up at where he's seated, I just know that Adam is smiling down on me in pride. This knowledge drives away my concern and a small smile adorns my face.
I ask him how his One is related to this school and Adam makes my eyes widen as he answers: "She works here as teacher. Her pseudo-name is Emma Iknow." Utter shock rakes through my body and yet then a memory occurs to me and I moan in a sense of self-humiliation. "How did I not make the connection? The timing between the two was way too short. The fact that we were caught right as those two were there – how did I not –

ROCKY ALMOST MARRIED PETRA FINA?" This thought shocks me so much, I once again lose my balance. But then suddenly a hand reaches out and grabs me and helps me back onto my branch before I can crash down onto the harsh ground below. Then Adam, who has a concerned grin on his face asks if he wants to know my thoughts just now. I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart due to the shock and explain.
"It was a plot of hers to capture the Time Shifters. If not for Jitterbug-Master and Talen-Master, they would have succeeded as well. Petra even managed to Petra Stamp Rocky and turn him against Flint, his own son, for a short while. But in the end the two Time Shifters and Flint's own strength of heart, body and his courage brought Rocky back and saved the rest of us. Still, I can't believe I didn't make the connection before now."
Adam smiles at me in such a way I know his heart goes out to me over my wounded pride. Yet I also notice something in the way that he looks at me. I moan and mutter that he better not have more shocking news to share. The man shrugs and says: "It kind of comes with me being in love with your former target." I groan as I have to agree with the man on his words and mutter that he should just tell it to me straight. And Adam complies.

Ready yourself, Merlock,
So yeah, I'm going to make a time jump here. I could have let this chapter go on and be as long as the previous one, but I felt that dividing the 5th of May into a couple of chapters would yield better results. But we're not entirely done with Henstens yet. Next chapter he's going to prove that he's a bloody little spineless coward and a liar and that the only one he respects is himself. And Merlock has news to share with Sarah.
A lot of it,

Venquine1990