Ok, so I probably should have attached this one to the one before it, but oh well. Another short one, but necessary. Trust me ;)

Please Review! Enjoy!

~TLD

Part Ten: It Begins

Morticia's long, catlike eyes opened in a flash. Immediately roused from what had been a deep and satisfying sleep, Morticia felt her body become alert. She wasn't sure what had tripped that deep-rooted trigger, that innate fight or flight reflex, but she knew to trust her instincts.

She rose slowly out of bed. Her darling husband dozed still, snoring slightly, his head buried in pillows. Listening intently, Morticia moved with the silence of a jungle cat as she stealthily made her way across the floor.

It was a little after 3am according to the clock at their bedside, but Morticia didn't need the clock's confirmation. She could feel it in her bones, that witching hour, that deadest hour of night, where even the liveliest of souls flirted with the black abyss beyond.

She was heading to the door out into the hallway, but a small sound stopped her in her tracks. Without thinking, she turned, heading for the window instead.

The sound came again, a little louder this time. It was less than a sigh, less than a laugh, as heartbreaking as a sob, but as radiant as a bell. It was almost a song, but softer than a breath.

She stopped within arm's reach of the heavy velvet curtains covering their window. As she reached out, a strange feeling overcame her. It was like a cool breath of air down her spine, except that it seemed to seep right through her, cooling her bones, tickling her lungs. The scent of lilacs filled the air around her.

Morticia let her arm drop. Her eyes flashed annoyance and understanding. She straightened her back, drew a determined breath, turned her back on the window, and climbed back into bed.

Though she curled back under the covers and nestled against Gomez, her piercing catlike eyes were alert, staring at the ceiling. Thinking, planning, remembering.

Gomez grunted a little in his sleep and shifted restlessly. Morticia cracked a small smile, kissed him on the head, and nestled herself closer.

Glaring at the ceiling once more, Morticia's smile grew sinister.

"So. It begins," she thought venomously.

Joel couldn't sleep. That fact alone wasn't particularly strange – Joel hardly ever slept during nighttime hours – but it wasn't the time of day that kept him from sleeping. It was a deep and nagging fear that gnawed at his mind, keeping peace at bay.

He slept, well, didn't sleep, in an unfamiliar bedroom – a guest room in the Addams mansion, in fact. After his scuffle with his demonic half-brother of sorts, Joel was in no shape to venture back to his motel room across town. And, frankly, he was glad that he had that excuse. He was no coward, but, beaten and bloody as he was, he didn't feel up to taking on whatever might await him at home. If Zane had followed him to the Addams,' he more than likely left some unwelcome surprise at the motel – just in case. Then again, Zane had always been reckless and overconfident. Perhaps he wouldn't have made contingency plans in case his direct attack failed. Joel wasn't willing to risk it. He needed rest.

Thankfully, one of the perks of being one of the reborn damned was that he healed from most things much faster than an average human. He felt his cheeks and jaw in the dark. Yes, the swelling had definitely gone down and the area was only slightly tender. He felt around his shoulder for the knife wound. Still tender, definitely, but it was already beginning to scab. He found it ironic that the worse the wound, the faster it healed. Helpful, but ironic, considering how vain his kind tended to be.

He shook his head, remembering the one time he'd blackened Veronica's eye in combat practice. She'd nearly taken his head off. Literally. Of course, he healed up before she did, so he got the last laugh after all.

The last laugh. The words stuck out in his mind as the gravity of his situation began to sink in. Zane was a scout, a warrior, yes, but primarily a tracker and a scout. If he were here, that could only mean one thing.

Lilith had upped her timetable. The others were coming.