Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, yet again, I got to work better on getting these on time. Well, for one, I am very pleased that I now have 100 reviews, and I'm still only on the first arc! Thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to review thus far! I'll do my best to keep you al satisfied, and hopefully, this chapter will help! Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Before Dawn

"Is it ok, please?" Double D asked.

"Absolutely not." Mr. Herriman said stubbornly, with hands on hips. "I simply cannot allow it."

Double D gave a desperate look on his face. "Sir, please. We just want to make sure that Frankie is ok."

"I assure you that our best guards are protecting all of the staff of this house. There is no possibility of break-in, burglary, and most of all, housebreak." Herriman said."Yes Double D." TEC said. "We all know that this house is safe. It is getting dark. Besides, have you forgotten our mission? If we don't keep moving, Beldam will beat us to the star."

Double D sighed. "Listen, I'll explain everything later to everyone…" Double D said to his group.

"Later? But why not now?" Petuni asked.

"You have to trust me for now." Double D said. He turned back toward Herriman. "…sir, it's rather vital."

"So vital that is calls for breaking the rule of only housing imaginary friends in it's rooms?" Herriman asked, adjusting his monocle.

"Yes, sir." Double D replied.

"Then why don't you tell me what it is?" Herriman asked.

"Oh, because it's none of your business!" Madame Foster shouted.

"Madame!" Herriman shouted. "How could you be willing to break that rule? You invented it!"

"I know, I know." Madame Foster said. "…I have had that rule up since that little incident quite a few years back. But these people saved my grand-daughter. That's all the reason I need to heed their messages and trust them."

Herriman gave a breath of exasperation. "Now see here-"

"You may be the preside of the house, but I am the owner." Madame Foster said. "Which means my rule cancels yours out when I see fit."

Herriman looked down and nodded in defeat.

"Thank you." Double D said with a bit of relief.

Eddy, who was at the opposite end of the foyer, gave a laugh. "Good, now I have more time to get my revenge on Jib."

"Ok Eddy, give it a rest." Eddy's brother said. He sat down at a chair, reading one of his trademark magazines. "I think you should spend less time working on looking for Jib and more time trying to win over Goombella."

Look, I got a score to settle with this guy, alright?" Eddy asked. 'We'll only see Jib here, but Goombella's with us so I got more time."

"I'm just saying that you need to figure out your priorities, bro." Eddy's elder brother said, before turning a page of his magazine.

Eddy looked down to the floor and watched as a shadow suddenly passed by. Eddy looked up and down the hall, and could hear footsteps very close by, but saw nobody. Eddy, however, was able to see a single shapeless shadow pass by and go down the hall.

The younger of the brothers pointed right at the hall. "THERE HE IS!"

He jumped up from his seat, knocking it to the floor, and rushing back down the hallway in a frantic demeanor. "I'm gonna catch you and get you so bad, that you'll…" the rest was incoherent as his voice echoed in the hallway as he ran. Eddy's brother blushed and slowly hid his face in the magazine his was reading.

"What's he so worked up about?" Goombella asked.

Eddy's brother looked back down upon the mushroom-shaped creature. "That's just my bro. He's just nuts."

"Then he hasn't changed much during the last few years." Goombella said.

"Hey, Goombella." Eddy's brother said. "Tell me, just what was it like for you guys during that whole adventure?"

Goombella sat down beside him. "Oh, that was a few years ago, so I don't remember the whole thing. However, it did start way back in Rogueport, when-"

"Oh, I heard the story." Eddy's bro said. "But what was it actually like? And did my bro behave himself over in your weird world?"

"That depends on what you mean by "behave."" She said. "He did behave, although oddly."

Eddy's brother laughed. "Yeah, that's Eddy for you."

"That kid can withstand a lot, though. When we found him, he was running his own store."

Really?" Eddy's bro asked.

"Yeah. After that, we got lost in some woods, then he got washed overboard when we were on a sinking ship, and we literally got sent to the moon, and then down to the darkest areas of the world."

"Hm… wow." Eddy's brother said. "My bro's gone through a lot of interesting things, hasn't he?"

"Yup." She said.

"Goombella!" Goombirro's voice shouted from somewhere within halls.

Goombella got up from her seat. "Coming." She said before rushing down the halls.

"….whoa." Bloo said as the film ended. His mouth was left wide open, even after the last of the film ran out, leaving a flickering light on the projector.

"Neat, huh?" Goo asked. She turned the lights in the room back on and turned off the 16mm.

"…that was amazing." Bloo said. "Hard to believe some kids went on a trip like that."

"…you know…" Goo started. "Nowthatthestarsareheremaybeallofthatstuffwillhappenheretoo?"

"I can't believe that one kid, though. That kid with the firepower! He's like a super hero or something!" Bloo shouted.

"Yeah, sort of." Goo said.

"And now it's like we're a part of the story!" Bloo shouted. "Goo, make sure you get the entire battle tomorrow when I bravely face those guys and show 'em who's boss!"

"That aught to be good." Goo said with a slight snicker as she packed away the camera.

"You'll see, Goo!" Bloo shouted. "I'll save the entire house, and then Foster'll have to make me friend of the month for sure!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming." Goo said.

The door to the room slowly creaked open. Double D, Vivian, and Eduardo jr walked into the room.

"We're staying for the night." Double D said. "All of us."

"Cool." Bloo said.

"Me too." Go said. "'causeItoldmymomIwasgoingtospendthenight-"

"Goo!" Bloo shouted.

"Oh, I'm doing it again, huh?" She asked.

"Yup." Bloo responded.

Double D looked around. "Have any of you seen Mac?"

"He's back in my room." Bloo said. "After he head about the star, he won't let the darned thing out of his sight."

"He's smart." Double D said.

"Now more then ever, it's important he does so. Think about it. It's one of the 7 most powerful items in both of our dimensions." Vivian said.

"You would know." Bloo said. "You were you were there when they were made, weren't you?"

Vivian nodded silently.

"She was, but her memories about her past prior to our adventure seem to have been erased." Double D said.

"That's not helpful." Goo said.

"Hey, it's not her fault." Double D stated.

"I didn't say it was." Goo said.

"Ok, ok, let's chill. Back to how we're going to protect this house." Eduardo jr said.

"Right." Double D said. "Hm… maybe we should go and tell this to Mac, too."

"I'm right here." Mac said suddenly. They all turned and spotted Mac standing at the door, with a duffel back. The bag was glowing green, showing them all he had the star in it.

"Mac… I know this day has been pretty tough on you." Double D said. "…but we all got to pull together if we want to make sure this works."

"I know." Mac said. "In fact, I was trying to make a plan."

He sat down at a chair and placed a paper on it. The paper had blueprints of the outer perimeter of the property.

"The entremosaurus cages are here." Mac said, pointing to a smaller cadge, that was a ways northeast of the house. "The only way to get to the cadge is by one path, because the rest are walls."

"I see." Double D said. "So you propose we make a blockade there to make sure they can't get to the monsters?"

"Right." Mac said. "If they don't have monsters, it's going to be hard for them to break in."

"Mac, I knew you'd pull through!" Bloo shouted.

"Yeah, way to go!" Goo shouted, holding up a hand for a high-five. Mac, however didn't give one back but instead shook his head. "There's a bit more too it then just simply guarding the cadge. Now, I don't know how much knowledge Masque has about this place, but Terrance only knows about two entrances, the front door, and the back entrance."

"So we got to block the front and back door." Vivian said. "No problem."

"There's 6 of us. We just have to divide into groups of two." Mac said.

Eduardo jr struck a confident pose. "Well, since my dad, Vivian and I are the strongest-"

"Uh oh, no way!" Bloo shouted. "I'm the strongest!"

Mac and Goo both chuckled under the breath. "I created you, Bloo, I know just how strong you are." Mac said.

"Well, um…" Bloo looked around, as if in a literal search for a comeback. After that, he simply turned toward Mac and stuck out his tongue.

"…anyway." Eduardo jr started.

"Since Eduardo jr, Vivian, and myself have the most experience fighting, we'll lead out groups." Double D said. "I can guard the front door."

"I'll guard the back." Eduardo jr said.

"Then I guess I'm going to block the cadges." Vivian said.

"Double D, I would like to go with you." Mac said.

"I'll go and head with Vivian." Goo said.

"Aw, I wanted to go with Double D!" Boo shouted.

"Sorry, you'll have to go with Eduardo jr." Double D said. Bloo turned towards Eduardo jr, who was waving his hand as he gave a grin.

"Don't worry." Eduardo jr said. "I don't bite… though I do gulp sometimes."

Bloo's eyes widened. "Just don't try anything funny, got it?"

"Only if you don't, Blooey." Eduardo jr said.

Bloo growled. "My name isn't Blooey, it's Bloo."

"Whatever you say, Blooey." Eduardo jr taunted.

"Big talk coming from a thing with such a big nose and lousy haircut." Bloo said.

They both growled and looked ready to attack one another. "WHY YOU-"

"STOP IT!" Double D and Mac both shouted.

Both of them stopped and turned toward Double D.

"Is this anyway to behave knowing the entire house is in serous danger?" Double D asked.

"Yeah, Bloo, calm down!" Mac shouted.

"Ok…" both Bloo and Eduardo jr said in defeat.

There was much more silence now. "Let's get ready to sleep." Double D said. "We have to wake up an hour before the sun rises to be prepared."

It was about 2 in the morning when the light switched on in Bloo's room. Wilt slid out from under his bed. Being tall enough, he reached Eduardo on the top bunk, and shook him a little.

"…Chewy, it's early." Eduardo said weakly rolling about in his bed.

"It's not Chewy, it's me." Wilt said. "Get up, hurry."

"Ok, ok, soy awake!" Eduardo said.

Wilt placed a finger in front of his mouth. "Shh… c'mon, we can't wake Bloo."

He walked toward Coco and gave her a nudge. She at first gave a quiet purr, then opened her eyes. "Coco?" She asked.

""C'mon." Wilt said. Eduardo jr slowly jumped down from the high bunk bed. The three of them quickly walked out of the room, and shut the door behind them.

"Wilt, where are we going?" Eduardo asked.

"We're going to go carry out the plan."

"AHHHH!"

"Hey, keep it down out there!" a voice shouted from within the rooms.

"Sorry." Eddy replied. Though it had been hours, Eddy was now completely lost in the house."

"Darn it, where is he." eddy asked. He has completely forgotten the others and didn't even realize he was lost. All he cared about at this point was finding Jib at all costs.

"There's got to be some sort of clue." he said. He looked toward the door right next to him. "But where am I going to find…"

Eddy's voice droned away into a shocked silence. Dead ahead of him was a door with a sign on the door:

"Jib"

Though to Eddy's immediate dismay, there was yet another sign on the door:

"Do not Enter."

"Weird, most of the other rooms do have that." Eddy said. "What gives? What kind of secret do they have behind this door?"

Eddy reached for the knob and gave it a quick turn. Nothing. Unlike every other room in the house, this door was locked.

"I was so close!" he shouted.

Though in the next instant, he snapped his fingers his face resuming to it's normal smirk.

"I got it! I'll just wait here until he comes out!" Eddy shouted. He spun and sat down on the floor. "Am I a genius or what?"

"Quiet!" everyone from every room all shouted.

There was a sudden rustling sound from outside. Herriman, who was up very late in his office filing paper, looked out of his open window. All he could see were the woods outside and the breeze whipping against his curtains.

"Silly me." Herriman said. "I must be hearing things."

As if on cue, there was the sound of leaves outside brushing against one another. This time, the noise had caught his attention. "Oh, of all of the things to deal with that this hour." he stated.

Herriman hopped to the window and peered into the darkness, watching as a the dark leaves wove back and forth. "Hello?"

CRUNCH!

Herriman was now at full alert. He reached for a lantern that was hanging on a nearby wall. He quickly took another candle and lit the lantern up with the small little fire. He then set all of his papers down on the table and proceeded to hp toward the door and then out of his room.

He proceeded back toward the foyer and walked out of the main door to arrive onto the front porch. It was almost pitch back outside, save for all of cars brought by the heroes, which reflected a little bit of moonlight.

He fearlessly walked down the steps and onto the driveway.

"This is so wasteful." he commented.

There was no more sounds now, except for the crickets chirping outside, and the occasional car which would speed on past.

"Hello?" he called again.

"Sh…" he could hear come from within the woods.

"What's this?" Herriman asked. "Why, It's against the rules to trespass!" Herriman shouted. By mere outrage, he continued to walk away from the front yard and towards the woods.

Herriman could feel the woods beginning to resist his arrival: the branches and leaves pushed him back with every step, blocking his pathways. Nonetheless, Herriman pressed forth.

He looked back and saw he had already gone a ways from the house. It looked like nothing more then a shadow in the night sky. The breeze was unnaturally chilly that evening, giving an immediate sense on insecurity.

"Hello?" he called again nervously.

There was another sound, the snapping of twigs in the woods. Whatever it was that was creeping about the property, it was very close.

"Listen…" Herriman said nervously. "I am the president of the house, and I… decree…" his voice was becoming quieter as more sounds could be heard, even closer. "…that he or she… who… passes around… here will be… …um… alerted to the authorities…"

The sounds came once again. This time, it was right next to him. Herriman gave out a surprised gasp. "Oh!"

"Stop your sniveling." a dark voice said casually from within the woods.

Herriman gasped. "AHH, who's there?"

From behind a tree, two figures suddenly jumped from behind the trees. They quickly revealed their faces.

"Terrance, it's you." Herriman said, upon seeing Terrance in the candlelight.

"Don't forget me." Masque said.

"Ah, it's you as well!" Herriman shouted. "What do you want with Foster's?"

"You should know, you overgrown rat!" Masque shouted. Herriman gasped walked away slowly.

"I'll have you both arrested, do you understand?" Herriman asked.

"I don't think you'll be able to do anything, old hare." Masque said. "You're not as lively as you were when we last met, you know."

"And you're just as despicable as ever!" Herriman shouted. "But I am going to put a stop to you here and now!" he shouted. Herriman quickly swung his lantern. "You fiend!"

Masque simply rose his hand and caught the lantern as it swung. "Stop your failing, old man!" Masque shouted. He forced Herriman to lower his arm, until the lantern was hanging at his side.

Masque turned toward Terrance. "It's a good thing we came early, or this one would have tipped them all off. Good thing we can take care of him once and for all."

Terrance only nodded.

"Did you bring the suitcase?" Masque asked.

"Yup." Terrance said. He moved his hands from behind his back and reveal and old leather case. Masque gave a chuckle and took the case from Terrance.

"What do you have there?" Herriman asked.

"…oh, this?" Masque asked. He took the box and quickly opened it up, for Herriman to see.

"Oh dear, not that! Don't do that!" Herriman shouted, to the point where he was pleading.

"Don't worry, you old rat." Masque said. He closed the case and placed it on the ground. "I plan to end your life different then I plan to end theirs." Masque reached for the tip of his mask. "…it was a pleasure seeing you again, old man."

"Wait!" Herriman shouted. "What are you-"

With a swift movement, masque grabbed the edge of his mask and ripped it off his face. There was a disturbing high-pitched cackling as Herriman was left, looking right at Masque's unguarded face.

In the same instant, Herriman released the lantern from his stiffened hands. The metal shell smashed against the ground, an the quick breeze quickly washed away the light, enveloping the area in darkness.

The clock in the foyer struck 4 AM. At the exact same time, Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco reached the entrance to the hallway.

"So, what are we doing here?" Eduardo asked.

Wilt looked down the hall. "This is the hall where Frankie and Madame Foster sleep."

"Si." Eduardo said. "…pero, why are we here?" he asked.

"Well, you see." Wilt said. "Masque wants to get to Frankie at dawn. All we got to do is stay here and guard this hall, and he won't be able to get to her."

"Coco?" Coco asked.

"Yeah, that's it?" Eduardo asked. "That's it?"

"…yeah." Wilt said. "I few do anything else, the others will know we're onto them."

"Looks like we made in just in time." Eduardo said. "Mira!"

They looked out of a window, and saw the horizon was changing color, from a dark blue to a purple.

"The sun's rising." Wilt said.

"Coco coco." Coco chirped.

"He'll be here any minute now." Wilt said. "Let's get ready."

Author's Notes: The battle begins next time! What will happen? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait just a little while longer, but I assure you it won't all be in one chapter. Until then, though, please review!