Surrender

Chapter Three

Family Reunion

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            Jennifer set Ana down and helped Kara sort through the things. “Gosh Kara, what did you
buy?”

            “Stuff for the party, we don’t have enough napkins and things for a two kid birthday party
with 200 + guests. Help me put it in the kitchen?”

            “Yeah, boys, watch her would you?”

            “Sure aunt Jen.” Dan shrugged and called the little girl to him. 

            Kara and Jennifer dragged the stuff into the kitchen and began putting it away. Suddenly
there was a noise and the door-latch turned, both watched, terrified as the door opened slowly.
Tommy stepped in and to their surprise, so did a now 21 year old Jamie Lloyd.

            Jennifer stared in mute astonishment as the laughing brunette stepped in, her hair longer
than it had been six years ago, she was pale, as she had always been, and her brown eyes sparkled
with life she hadn’t seen in them since they had lived with Laurie. She smiled at her older sister
and sighed. “Hey Jenjaroonie.”

            Jennifer uttered a wordless cry and rushed to hug her, years of unspent turmoil finally
being set free. They cried as they held each other, clutching, clinging, when suddenly a shrill cry
came from the other room, all four looked at each other, then ran in to see Dan clutching Steven
and Anase. se. “Mom, he’s here! Michael is here!” He cried, holding the screaming youngsters.

            Jamie froze. “Michael...”

            “It’s ok James.” Jennifer said, then scooped up Ana. “Everything’s going to be ok.”

            Kara motioned for Dan and Steven to come closer. “Where did you see him?”

            “In the window! He was watching us!”

            Tommy moved to the kitchen, straight for the knife-block by the sink. He froze as he
noticed their largest knife was missing, and his eyes moved to the window, his brow furrowed as
he realized it was closed.

            He went back to them with his second biggest knife. “He’s been here, in the house.”

            Jennifer turned to him. “What?” She was shocked, had been here and known he had only
just been outside the window.

            “The 14", it’s missing. He’s been here.”

            “Did you check the window, maybe it was open.” she said softly.

            “Closed, why, Jen, you sound kind of... Defensive.”

            She felt fear pang through her. “I saw him earlier, but he never came inside and the.. The
window was open.”

            Kara frowned. “I didn’t leave it open.”

            “I opened it.” She said when suddenly a thump heard from upstairs. Dan froze and looked
at them. “Mine and Steven’s room, our window was open!”

            “Shit!” Tommy swore, then went to the stairs.

     㺼&60;     “Tom, don’t you go up there!” Kara yelled.

            “I’m not letting this son of a bitch come for my family!” He replied and swung the knife
to a more comfortable position. Jennifer looked around as he sed ued up, then handed Ana to
Jamie.

            “I’m going up.”

            “Jenni!”

            “Kara, I’m the only one who can keep him cool! I Tommy goes alone Michael will be
pissed.”

            “Jen!” Jamie cried. “Are you nuts? He’ll kill you too!”

            Kara sadly shook her head. “Jamie, there are some things you should know about Jenni...”

            Jennifer didn’t stay to help explain, she ran up the stairs and flipped at the light switch,
which worked, thank God. She saw Tommy, and he turned to look at her, then frowned.

            “Jenni.”

            “Get closer to me...”

            “Jen I can...”

            “Now dammit!” She cried, he obeyed and just as he did Michael stepped from the room
Tommy had gone to investigate.

            Ana’s room!

            Jennifer grabbed his shirt sleeve and they stepped back. “Michael,” she began and he
stepped completely from the room to reveal his armed hand, Jennifer’s heart skipped a beat.
“Michael think about this, do you truly want to hurt innocent people?” She paused. “Let me
rephrase, kill innocent people?”

            He tilted his head at her and held out his unarmed hand but her eyes were locked on the
knife, and he knew what she wanted, but he wouldn’t do it.

            The lights went out, completely and the only light that could save them was moonlight.
Michael came forward, arm raised when a sound came from the stairs and Steven appeared, also
armed with a knife. Not sure what to do, she shoved Tommy against a wall and laid her body
over his, her back against him to shield him from injury.

            “You take him, you get me also.” She warned father and son. Steven turned to Michael,
he looked afraid, but it all changed when Michael came forward and readjusted the knife in
Steven’s hand, so he had a better grip. Terrified, she closed her eyes and prepared to be stabbed
by one of them.

            ... Nothing was happening....

            She opened her eyes to see they were gone, and the window in front of them was open,
she heard Michael’s car start and looked out to see him drive away, and extra shape in the car.

            “Oh dear God...” She whispered and ran downstairs, relieved to see Steven hadn’t
attacked anyone.

            “You’re both ok! I tht fot for sure when Steven went up you were goners! Where is he?”
Kara asked, holding Tommy close, Jennifer fell to the floor, tears poured down her cheeks.

            “Michael took him, the curse ends at midnight, so tomorrow he’ll be human....” She
looked sadly at her dear friend. “But Steven wont.”

            The coo-coo clock struck nine, the little bird popped out and made his noise, Kara stared
long at Jennifer, a crying mess on the floor, and collapsed next to her.

            A sudden pitter patter made Jennifer look up and smile as her daughter approached, bottle
in hand. Jamie followed from the kitchen, arms crossed, face tear stained. “Hi baby.” She
whispered to the dark haired little girl. Ana giggled and plopped down onto her lap. “Oof, easy
there, sugar.”

            Ana yawned and clasped her mother’s cheeks, Jennifer smiled and picked her up, took her
to the couch and laid her down, wrapped a blanket around her. “You’re gonna sleep down here
with us tonight.”

            Kara shook her head. “He wont come for her.”

            “He damn well will, he knows she exists, he has a copy of her birth certificate. He wants
her and Steven, I don’t think he quite comprehends what Steven will become yet. He’ll know
tomorrow, he’ll know.” She sat down by the couch, her back against it and she wearily sighed. “I
never should have left, I should have just stayed put.”

            Kara shrugged. “He still would have come for Steven.”

            Jamie sat by them after Kara scooted over to Jennifer, let Dan rest his head in her lap as
he fell asleep, Tommy stayed near the door. She looked at her older sister. “Who is Steven? Why
does Michael want him?”

            Jennifer felt her heart thud as she looked at her. “James,” she wasn’t sure how to explain.
“Steven’s your baby.”

            Jamie’s eyes widened. “Oh... oh God! He’s... Oh my God...” She paused and turned away,
so she was in profile to them. “Steven...” She chuckled. “I was going to call him James, after
daddy.”

            Jennifer smiled softly. “Yeah, but Steven suits him. I don’t think I could match his face to
another name.”

            Jamie smiled weakly, then looked at her. “Why did Dad make you do it?”

            “Do what?”

            “M-m-marry Michael.” She said softly, her deep brown eyes meeting her sister’s green
ones.

            Jennifer smiled softly, her expression lost in the past. “To piss Mom off, and to
break the curse. I love him Jamie, I never didn’t, five years of love and thee shall be set free.”

            “I forgot about that, the Prophecy of Bel.”

            Jennifer nodded. “Five years at midnight, then the curse passes on.”

            Jamie froze. “That’s why he took Steven? To.... to pass the curse?”

            Jennifer nodded. “A boy 4-7 has to be present when he loses it to receive it, and when
they’re blood it’s all the more better.”

            Jamie buried her face in her hands. “So he’ll come for me now? And you?”

            Jennifer nodded. “And Mom, and John, and his foster family. And Michael too, quite
possibly, but I doubt it. I’m pretty sure Thorn would spare him for being true to his duty.”

            “But not us for being true to our duty.” Jamie muttered.

            Jennifer looked at her, then sniffled, wiped her face and stood. “I’m going to go find
them, if I can get him to kill me by midnight, the curse wont end.”

            “No! Jenni stay here! As if Michael wont protect you? I don’t care if I die just stay here!”

            Jennifer’s teary eyes met her sisters but she shook her head. “None of you deserve that, as
long as he has Steven he wont...” She froze. “Anastasia.”

            Jamie looked at the sleeping child and blocked Jennifer’s way. “No, I won’t have you
give him his kids and get killed, that’s just going too far.”

            “God dammit Jamie sometimes we have to take risks. You sure as hell took one, faking
dead, Mom’s taken a bunch, John a buttload already, just give me my daughter!” She shoved
Jamie aside and scooped Ana up without waking her, then made her way out the door.

            She got into her car and set a still sleeping Ana in the back, then got in front and drove
off, searching the streets for her husband and nephew.

            It didn’t take long to find them, near some docks, Steven was practicing his stabbing on a
wooden pole. She swallowed at the lump in her throat, then unbuckled Ana and scooped her up,
she finally woke and made a pouting sound. “Shhh, mommy’s got you.”

            She stepped close and Michael’s head whipped up, wanting to see who dared come near,
but his anger seemed to melt, he set his knife in the wood and reached out to Jennifer. She felt
tears build up but fought them, stepped close and sed ted the little girl into her father’s arms. Ana
sighed contentedly and curled up, fell asleep again. Michael seemed to beam with joy, and
looked at her, tilted his head as he witnessed the tears.

            Quivering with emotion she spoke up, her voice echoed off of the waters. “This is what
you want isn’t it, you just want those two.” She sobbed but shook it off. “Well then take it, take
her and leave them alone, they have nothing you want now.”

            He set the little girl aside near her brother and took up his knife, then moved closer to her.
Jennifer didn’t back up, just stood there, eyes half closed, sobbing with fear. He came to be just
inches away, then looked at her, she nodded softly.

            “Go ahead. I’m yours Michael, I promised I would be yours forever, I would love you
forever and I do, I love you. I will love you even after this because as sick as it is, as wrong as it
is I was made for you, and this has to happen.”

            He tilted his head, but didn’t move any closer. So she continued. “I’ve spent the past,
nearly five years with you, as your wife and there have been ups and downs but it has been the
best five years of my life. I have Jake and Ana because of you, and I had you for so long. But I
don’t want you to be different then Michael Myers, I don’t want you to be soft, and to talk and to
not hurt people, kill me. God dammit stab the living shit out of me just please, please don’t go
after them. Please.”

            He was tense, she could tell, he raised the hand that held his knife and there it was, in the
air, right above her. She sobbed again but didn’t fight him, she watched as it fell closer, closer,
closer, now it was at the point where it began to touch her skin, he felt the helpless resistance of
her flesh and froze, then flung the knife to the ground. He reached out to her and she blinked,
realized what had happened. “No!”

            She ran to it and lifted it toward her delicate white throat, still scarred from the first time
she had slit it. He grunted and moved forward but the closer he got the deeper she pressed and
finally blood slipped down her collarbone. He froze in place, still reaching out, she watched him,
tears poured from her eyes and she cried out, dropped the weapon. He moved to her and swept
her up, buried his masked face in the tender, warm fleshe cre cried against him and held him
close.

            “Why cant it be ok for once? Why cant something bring resolution, not pain? Why does
he have to get the curse? Why, why, why?” She shrieked into his front.

            He frowned behind the mask, his humanity was close now, he knew it. And she could
only worry because with Steven cursed, a lot of people would die. A LOT of people would be
hurt and she couldn’t stop running. He knew though, if he didn’t pass it on, it would never go. It
had to happen.

            “Michael, Michael, Michael I love you! I do, I always have even when I was a little girl I
loved you. Why cant things be like that? Why?”

            God he wanted to say it too, he wanted to promise her it was going to be okay. He looked
over at Steven, who had stopped practicing and was watching them, eying her with hate, anger....

 &#          ...Rage...

            For the first time in 38 years he was going to speak, to truly speak only to try and save
them from this horrible fate. He cleared his throat. “Steven don’t listen to it...”

            She gasped and jumped back, stared at him only to see he was focused on his eldest son.
She watched a she moved closer and continued.

            “You’ll hear it for the first time clearly tonight but you have to ignore what it says, what it
says is bad and you? You must be good.”

            Steven looked at him. “I have to ignore ‘it’?”

            “Yes, never ever listen to it, it’s rage, it’s lies.”

            Jennifer glanced at her cell phone hanging halfway out of Michael’s pocket, still turned
on. She squinted to see the clock on it and gasped. It was 10:30. They didn’t have much longer.

            Michael stiffened, then turned to her. “Go home, take her with you. Lock the doors and
windows. I’m going to try and keep him from listening to it.

            Tears in her eyes she shook her head. “No, Michael I...”

            “Dammit, if you love me, go!” His voice was harsh, not only from disuse but from...
worry and... God maybe compassion, love... She paused and moved closer.

            “Say it.” She said softly.

            “Say what?” He asked, tensing all the more as she pressed to him.

            “How you feel, say it Michael.”

            He was silent, then pulled off his mask, lifted her face into his hands and kissed her,
deeply, roughly. “I love you.”

            She listened to the words pour over her and smiled softly, kissed him quickly and
murmured something. She scooped up Ana and was off.

            He turned to Steven who stabbed more furiously at the pole, then replaced his mask and
went to work.

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