This is just a super quick fun one inspired by Liza's imagination and Halloween! Enjoy, and comment with love or suggestions!

Liza

It was half past three when a loud door slam jolted both Charles and Liza from their peaceful sleep.

"Charlotte must be home..." Charles mumbles his voice heavy with sleep.

"Mmmhmmm...must be..." Liza was trying to hide her annoyance at being woken up by Charli's late night parade for the second night in a row. "I have a big meeting with Quinn in the morning. Hope she settles down soon." Suddenly the sounds of reggae music are drifting loudly up the stairs and invading Charles' bedroom. Liza could feel Charles tense every muscle in his body, Charli had been acting pretty strange the past two days and Charles was at his ropes end. Normally Liza would try and calm him down before he would speak with Charli about the Bob Marley concert blaring from the first floor but not tonight. Tonight Liza needed her sleep dammit! So when Charles sat up, charged with anger Liza encouraged and even fanned his fire by adding that if the girls had been home tonight Charli would have woken them up too.

"You're right! She can't just march about like this, I'm going to talk to her, maybe it's time she moved out if she can't respect the rest of us trying to sleep!" And with that her galant knight stormed off to reclaim his castle. Liza smiled and burrowed deeper into the covers.

She didn't know how long Charles had been gone, but the spot he vacated next to her had grown cold. The music had stopped shortly after Charles had left to confront his wily kid sister, but why had he not returned? Liza got out of bed partly to check on Charles but mostly to make a quick trip to the bathroom. After relieving her bladder she headed down the stairs to rescue her fella and drag him back to bed, but she couldn't find Charles anywhere on the first floor. She checked the outside area, nothing...Liza decided to check his office next, maybe he was tinkering on a project. He sometimes did this especially on the weeks when the girls were with their mom, and sure enough there he was. Sitting on the couch his back turned to her, he had the cutest cowlick on the back of his head the hair was standing straight up. She moved soundlessly into the room intending to pop up behind him and scare him. As she got closer she prepared to jump him from behind when suddenly Charles fell forward on to the floor with a loud thunk. Startled Liza runs around to roll him face up, frantically she's yelling his name but he doesn't respond. She's so startled by the sight of Charles' large capable body flop to the ground that way she didn't notice the blood...sooo much blood. Liza opens her mouth to scream but nothing comes out she's standing there in shock when Charli enters the room whistling cheerfully. Liza snaps out of it and rushes to Charli exclaiming that they need to call an ambulance now! Charli looks at her lifeless brother on the floor and then to Liza, she shakes her head slowly and her voice is almost a whisper when she speaks.

"I really wish you hadn't seen this, please know I take no pleasure in doing this. Well, I take very little pleasure." And then her eyes turn black as Liza realizes that Charli killed Charles and now she was going to kill her!

Liza bolts towards the door but she trips and Charli reaches her, next thing liza hears is the blood rushing from her veins as Charli slices her throat in one quick expert maneuver...

Liza jumps straight up nearly out of the bed, her heart is pounding so hard she fears it may leap out of her chest. She raises her hand to her throat expecting to feel hot sticky blood, but her neck is dry and solid. Charles! She frantically reaches for him next to her in the dark and her hand comes down on his nose hard, she hears a strangled hmmp noise escape his own perfectly intact throat.

"Liza?" His voice is laden with sleep, worry, and slight annoyance at being whacked in the nose without warning. He raises himself up on his elbows and squints to see her in the darkness. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"No! I am not okay Charli murdered you and she tried to get me too! You were dead, it was awful!!" Concern washes over Charles and he pulls himself up into a sitting position next to Liza. He encircles her in his arms and squeezes her tightly. Instantly she starts to feel better. "You were dead." She repeats as she rest a tear soaked cheek on his chest.

"And Charlotte did the deed huh?" Liza nods her head and feels Charles' chest shake as he laughs at her. Seriously??!? He was laughing at her anguish?

"Not funny! It was a terrible nightmare. She was terrifying. So cold and calculated and she had no problem slicing my throat too!"

"I'm sorry." He pushes a few stray hairs away from her face and kisses her temple gently. "It does sound absolutely horrific. I know just the thought of losing you...-I can't even imagine. I'm so sorry but I'm here and we're together safe and sound." He kisses her tear stained cheeks and settles her back in to bed still holding her in his arms. "Sleep now my love, all is well in the world." Liza smiles and kisses his chin as she snuggles in closer.

"I'm sorry I woke you, it just seemed so very real. I don't know how I'm going to look Charli in eye now." Charles chuckles and pulls her closer.

"She's going to love this, and just so you know Charlotte would never kill by stabbing or cutting, anything involving blood reality. Too much clean up afterwards. No it'd be quick, painless, and untraceable."

"Yeah, well that's good to know...Charli won't make you bleed out slowly, nooo you won't even know you dying till your already dead. Leave it to Charli to be an overachieving murderer as well."

"We Brooks kids never do anything half assed. Now think of rainbows and day long excursions to the library. Find your happy place and get some sleep." Liza did as instructed and reconstructed her favorite Dartmouth library from memory, and when sleep finally found her again she had a smile on her lips.