Note: This story makes some minor references to an earlier work of mine, "Unexpected" (a collaboration with Stephanie White). You don't need to read it to understand this story...it does, however, introduce the characters of Sophie and Jake. It's your call. :)

Caution: Cape Does Not Enable User To Fly

 A Halloween story
by: Audrey Brackett

October 30, 2000
Los Angeles, California

"Man, I hate working Halloween," Liz Kenzington muttered, looking to her partner for sympathy. "I know we got it off last year, but I still hate it. I'd rather work tonight than tomorrow. It may be Devil's Night, but it's not--"

"Halloween," Jennifer DeSoto finished for her. "Yeah, Liz, I know. I don't like it much either. People go nuts this time of year. Crazy things happen. I've seen so many Halloween disasters since I joined the department that I don't even remember half of them. But holidays are never a picnic to work. Even All Soul's Night has its fair share of additional problems."

"All Soul's Night?" Jake asked, looking up from where he was currently using his finger to write the words "This model also available in white" on the back of a dusty, beat-up, white Geo Prism. They were standing in the parking lot of a small club/lounge known as the Roadside Rendezvous. It was their usual hangout.

"Yeah, Jake," his sister--the owner of said car--explained. "November first. All Soul's Night. Night after Halloween. You ought to take your head out of those medical textbooks more often."

He shot her a dirty look, though his heart wasn't really in it. "Very funny, Sophie."

"It's the truth. And stop writing on my car. I think the dirt is what's holding it together."

Jennifer just shook her head at the two of them, and turned back to Liz. "It's just times like these that all you can do is sit back and remind yourself about how important our jobs are, how much we're needed, and why we do what we do in the first place."

Liz nodded. "You've got a point there, Jen. But c'mon, you guys. I didn't come out to the R&R just to stand in the parking lot. Let's go inside."

They did, and after finding a table, Jen watched her partner for a moment. Finally, she asked the question. "Hey, Liz...why do you do what you do?"

"The job?" Liz asked. "I love it, that's why."

"Well, that's a given," Jennifer answered. "I mean, what made you decide to go into this line of work in the first place? What made you decide that being a paramedic was really for you?"

"You mean what was my defining moment?" Liz responded. At her partner's nod, she went on. "I guess I was about 16. I was looking up some more information on the start of the paramedic program in California, specifically LA, for a report...I'd always thought I might like the field, but after reading more articles...after looking at the Wedsworth-Townsend Act... after seeing how much of a difference they'd made in starting the program...I knew that was what I was supposed to do with my life. My mom wasn't exactly thrilled when I told her that I was moving to Los Angeles, but I think she'd kind of expected that I would all along. I mean, I'd idolized John Gage since I was, like, 14...I think she always kind of knew that I'd go all the way to be like my hero."

Jake laughed. "Then you move to LA and eventually end up working under him."

Liz's smile widened. "Yeah, I know. I don't think the excitement has worn off yet." She paused a moment. "So, Jen, what about you? What made you decide to become a paramedic?"

"Hmm," Jen mused. "I don't think I ever did grow out of that 'I want to be just like my daddy' stage...I'd toyed with the idea since I was a little kid...but the defining moment, I think, had to be Halloween night...1983."

At this, Sophie chuckled softly to herself, and Jake's face took on a decidedly uncomfortable expression.

"Please don't bring that up," he insisted.

"Well, it's the truth," Jennifer told him.

"Yeah, but there's no need to tell the whole story." He wasn't as embarrassed by the story itself as he was worried about saving face in front of his girlfriend.

"Sure there is!" Liz (said girlfriend) exclaimed. "C'mon, Jen, tell me! Please?"

"Well..." Jen began, trying as hard as she could not to laugh at Jake, who was standing just behind Liz...desperately motioning for her not to tell. "Okay."

Jake slunk back to the table, defeated...and knowing full well that once Liz heard the story, she wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Sophie still hadn't let him hear the end of it, and she'd known the story for a good seventeen years.

Jen leaned forward dramatically, setting the tone. "All right. I guess it really started on October 29...or a couple of days before Halloween, at least. I was 13...the Wonder Twins over there were 7. As with most things, it started out innocently enough..."



*Seventeen years earlier...*

October 29, 1983
Los Angeles

A car pulled into the driveway of the house on Merriweather Lane. A man got out of the car, glad to be home after another typically hectic day at work in Los Angeles, California. As it got closer and closer to Halloween, more and more nuts came crawling from out of the woodwork. And most of them seemed to end up in the emergency room of Rampart General Hospital. That was where he came in. People never ceased to amaze him with the jams they could get themselves into--both as results of dumb luck and their own stupidity.

"Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!"

And it was moments like this that could make him forget about whatever had happened that day. He watched, smiling, as his seven year-old daughter raced out of the house and across the lawn to greet him. The pink chiffon of her dress trailed behind her, fluttering in the wind. She practically leapt into his arms once she was close enough. He caught her easily, and kissed her forehead. "How're ya doing, sweetheart?"

She giggled. "Lookit me, Daddy, I'm a princess!"

He chuckled softly, and ruffled her silky hair. "You've always been my princess."

His wife stole up behind him with a small, throaty laugh. "Oh, yeah? And what does that make me?"

"The queen?"

She grinned. "I can live with that." To prove she meant it, she leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Sophie Brackett squirmed in her father's arms, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Eww, yuck!"

Dixie smiled wryly. "You just wait 'til you're older, missy, and you see how much you hate it then."

Brackett's eyes blazed defiantly for a moment, in a playful sort of way. "She's not dating 'til she's 30."

"Uh-huh." Shaking her head in amusement, Dixie walked into the house. She found their babysitter in the living room, attaching the cape of Jake's Batman costume to the rest of it. Not an easy task, considering that Jake was a bit impatient to get it on, and wasn't quite standing still. Brackett walked in behind her, shutting the door. He, too, watched the scene for a moment with barely concealed amusement. They'd both been there a million times themselves.

Sophie bounded off in search, presumably, of the white knight who was going to rescue her from the deep, dark dungeon of her fairy tale land. In other words, she was hiding in the space beneath the stairs, waiting for Jake.

"There ya go," Jennifer DeSoto announced, turning Jake loose. The thirteen year-old grinned to herself. "Finally." She stood up, and turned to the twins' parents. "Has anyone told them that Halloween isn't for another two days?"

Dixie shrugged. "I've tried. They're excited. I guess as long as they don't accidentally kill each other during one of their 'adventures', there's no harm done."

"Yeah, I'd love to have that level of imagination again," Jenny sighed. "Or even that level of energy."

Brackett chuckled. "Yeah, isn't that the truth." He watched for a moment as "Batman" rescued Princess Sophie from her exile and they raced each other upstairs, giggling conspiratorially. Had he ever been that young?



Dixie caught his arm about twenty minutes later as he got back from driving Jennifer home. "Kel?"

"Yeah, Dix?"

"Ooh, you're gonna love this. Anyway...the, uh, Dynamic Duo up there still needs a few things. You feel up to braving the stores or did you want me to take care of it?"

He shrugged. "I'll go with you. Let's just try to keep it short and sweet, all right?' He didn't particularly enjoy shopping on a normal basis. Two days before Halloween, it was bound to be a nightmare. But it was better than hanging around the house alone.



Anyone who ever said that twins really weren't double the trouble had obviously never been a parent to a set of them. Brackett sighed in frustration as he reached out to grab one of the twins--either one of them--and, again, failed. One would run in front of him, one would run behind...and they were having the time of their lives with this little game.

"C'mon, you two," he sighed, frustrated not at the children but rather his inability to catch them. "Cut that out..."

Dixie watched in amusement as her husband struggled to herd the two kids in, grinning wider as she realized he was about at the end of his rope. She figured she could be merciful and bail him out. "All right, guys, knock it off. Give your dad a break."

Her tone was casual, affectionate, gentle...but Jake and Sophie responded to it immediately. Within seconds, they were practically angelic.

Kel just stared at Dixie. "How do you DO that?"

She shrugged. "I'm their mother."

He nodded, seeing her point as well as he ever would. "You know, I never realized just how well that phrase works..." The doctor trailed off, as something caught his eye. It was one of the few costumes left on the rack...a French maid's uniform. With a grin that was designed to be wicked, Kel caught Dixie's attention and motioned to it. "Hey, Dix. How much would it take for me to get you to wear that?"

"Not on your life, Kel," she answered, continuing to walk forward, a vague smugness gracing her features for a moment.

There was no way he was going to let her win that easily. He caught up with her (with a quick glance to the side to make sure both twins were still present and accounted for), and smiled at her. "Ah, I see. Getting a bit more conservative in your old age, huh?"

Dixie turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "Do you have a death wish?"

He held up his hands in mock-surrender. "All right, I give up. You win."

Jake and Sophie had lost interest in their parents' playful banter, and were now conspiring with each other about the upcoming night. After all, Halloween was only two days away. They needed to have their plans straight.

"Jenny's goin' with us, you know," Sophie told her brother, drawing herself up aristocratically in a very princess-like way. She'd been practicing. "Mommy and Daddy are workin' then."

"What's she wearing?" Jake asked, trying to figure out how he could incorporate this into his grand scheme to transform Los Angeles into Gotham City on the night of the 31st.

Sophie shrugged, spreading her hands in front of her. "I dunno. She never told me." A speculative look crossed her face, and for a moment, she looked exactly like her father did when he was formulating one of his theories. "Maybe it's top-secret or something."

"No way!" Jake exclaimed. "If it was top-secret, she wouldn't even wear it!"

Sophie nodded, conceding the point. "Maybe we can go find a haunted house!" Although she was normally the more skeptical of the two, Halloween tested even her ideas on things. Plus, she loved the chance to harrass Jake.

"There's no such things as ghosts!" Jake protested. "But if there was, Batman would fight 'em off. Batman is awesome."

"Yep," Sophie agreed. "But Wonder Woman's really cool too."

Dixie laughed to herself. They were dead serious. It was so adorable the way children put such trust in fictional superheros...she supposed she should enjoy it while she could. There would come a day when that innocence would fade, much as she would have liked to have believed otherwise. Someday those watercolor ponies on the refrigerator door were going to ride away. She shook her head, as though to clear it, willing away the thoughts for the moment. That wasn't something she was going to have to worry about for quite some time...why depress herself ahead of time if she could avoid it?

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kel checking his watch and glancing around. It was rather subtle, but she knew him well enough to take it as an indication that he wanted to hurry up and get this shopping trip over with. Dixie made a quick check of the list in her hand, and turned down an aisle so that they could get the remaining item on the list. "Come on, let's finish up here."

She saw the grateful, affectionate look Kel tossed her, and, even after seven years, it made her heart flutter. Love sure was confusing sometimes, but they'd had a lot of fun trying to figure it out!



Halloween night seemed to take forever to get there to the twins, but it came in due time. After the typical neighborhood candy collection, they returned home...dragging their near worn-out babysitter behind them. Jenny had always known how active these two could be, but under the influence of sugar (and the promise of sugar), they were downright hyperactive.

"Can we keep our costumes on, Jenny?" Sophie asked, all but bouncing up and down.

Jenny shrugged. "Yeah, sure." She didn't see any harm in it. Besides, anything that kept them happy was a good thing for a babysitter--as long as it wasn't anything too outrageous. She thought of the t-shirt and jeans she'd brought with her...this wedding gown she was wearing was cute (even with the streak of white she'd put into her blonde hair), but it was starting to get a bit annoying. She figured she might as well wait to change, though...there was no telling what the twins could get themselves into while she was changing. They headed upstairs to the playroom--which had been the attic before it had been converted to a play area. The attic spanned the length of the house, and the stairs to it were hidden behind a door that seemed to lead to a closet, so it was both roomy and out of the way (so that one didn't need to worry about how straightened up it was if visitors unexpectedly dropped by).

Jen smiled to herself as she heard the twins giggling above her, and paused to grab a piece of butterscotch candy from her own stash of sweets before joining them.

She found them sprawled out in the middle of the floor, doing the traditional "trade"...a green piece for a red piece, and the like. At this, she couldn't help but smile reminiscently--like almost all kids, she'd done the same thing with her brother when she was little. Chris was 17, then, though...he'd be going to college the next year...time sure flew by quickly. It didn't seem that long ago that she'd been the princess in pink.

Jake's blue eyes sparkled with a playful sort of mischief, momentarily forgetting the candy (as important as it was) in favor of something even more fun. "Hey, Sophie...wanna play a game?"

Sophie brushed a dark brown lock of hair away from her face. "What kind of game?"

Jenny wanted to know the answer to that question, too. She had the most nagging suspicion that it involved her somehow. She was thankful that Sophie and Jake were past their "twinspeak" stage--where they'd refused to speak to each other in anything but the language that they had created and only they understood. It was often helpful to know what they were up to.

"It's gonna be fun," Jake promised. "Jenny looks like she's getting married, right?"

Sophie still seemed doubtful. "Right. So?"

"So...we can make her get married! We can have a wedding."

"You gonna marry her?"

"No. She can marry Nick."

Jennifer laughed. Nick was Dixie's orange tabby cat. She'd found him two years earlier, abandoned in a box on the steps of the hospital. She'd called him Nick because Brackett had told her the cat had probably been rescued "in the nick of time". One wouldn't think at first that owning a cat was a very good idea (especially given the fact that their active seven year olds were active five year olds then), but Nick turned out to be a very laid-back cat. In fact, if he were any more laid-back, he'd have been dead.

Sophie frowned. "People can't marry cats."

"So what?" Jake argued. "We'll pretend Nick's a person!"

Jenny figured it was at least better than pretending that she was a cat. Sophie agreed to the game (imagination was all a child needed sometimes), and went to find Nick. It wasn't hard. He, like usual, was sleeping on top of the dryer. While not exactly appreciating being roused from his nap, carried upstairs, and thrust into Jenny's arms, he put up with it.

The wedding went smoothly, especially considering that Jake and Sophie decided it would be best if the "kiss the bride" scene were skipped all together. She went downstairs shortly thereafter to get something for the kids to drink. Nick followed her down, deciding it was best to get while the getting was good. He hopped up on to the kitchen counter and started to re-smooth his ruffled fur back into place.

Jennifer grinned at him while pouring the lemonade into glasses. "Sorry 'bout that, Nicky. But I do have to admit, you're a good sport about it."

Nick turned at the sound of her voice, then went back to grooming himself.



Back in the playroom, Jake was hanging over the edge of a chair, "flying" by extending his arms out in front of himself. Sophie watched him wistfully, taking off the headpiece that went with her costume. "You know, it'd be really cool if you could fly."

Jake looked up at her. "'Course I really can fly. I'm just not doing it now."

Sophie's nose wrinkled. "You can't fly!"

"Sure I can. I have my Batman suit on! Batman can fly. It's cause of the cape."

Jake's dreaming nature was matched only by Sophie's practicality. "It's just a cape. It doesn't make you fly."

Jake stood up. "I'll prove it to you." He headed toward the window, and pushed it up, trying to open it.

Sophie just stared at him. "Are you crazy?!"



In the kitchen, Jennifer opened the door to toss the now-full kitchen trash bag outside. Nick saw an opportunity to visit the female cat next door, and slipped out. With a frustrated sigh, Jenny went after him. He wasn't moving very fast, so it'd only take her a minute.



It all happened too quickly. Jenny got outside just in time to see Jake jump from the now-open attic window, shoving himself forward in an attempt to fly. In that instant, she forgot all about the cat, and started running towards him in an attempt to catch him, too shocked to even scream.

She got there a split second too late. Jake hit the ground just as she arrived at his side. Jenny could hear Sophie's scream, but she couldn't take time to comfort the child at the moment. She had to worry about Jake. Sophie ran downstairs and out onto the lawn beside them, crying. Through a combination of adrenaline and force of will, Jenny was able to keep herself together. She wanted to pick Jake up, but growing up as a paramedic's daughter had taught her a few things. She knew that she couldn't move him. She automatically started checking what she could. He was breathing and his heart was beating. Without a watch, she couldn't tell at what rates, but he was alive. Besides, she didn't know what was normal anyway. First aid classes threw several numbers at her, but was it for a child? An adult? Infant? She couldn't recall off the bat.

Jake's right arm was definitely broken, but it was a closed fracture. No severe bleeding. There was that to be grateful for. But he was unconscious, which wasn't a good sign.

The neighbor from across the street came running up to them. "Can I help?"

Jenny nodded. "Yeah, go call 911." She'd have done it herself, but she didn't want to leave Jake.

The neighbor smiled at her. "I just did." She tried to hug Sophie to calm her down, but the little girl pulled away. "How did this happen?"

Jenny looked up at her, unshed tears choking her voice. "I don't know. I just got out here...and I saw him jump. I'd just gone down to the kitchen..."

The woman put a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, sweetheart. You couldn't have known."

Jenny wasn't convinced. She sighed, and checked the ABC's again. She couldn't tell if anything had changed, but all that was supposed to be present was. It was all she could hope for.

Or maybe she could hope for a little more. She saw her father's car coming down the street.



Captain John Gage looked around his station. He observed the crew in the dayroom, joking around and laughing like in the old days...well, his old days. He missed Station 51, with a fierceness so strong it scared him at times. He especially missed working with Roy.

'Oh, Pally...' he thought, sitting down on the couch, 'I'd give this whole captain thing up in a minute if I could go back to being a paramedic with you again. Maybe we'll work together one day on a fire or something...but it won't be the same. You told me once that when one chapter ends in your life, another one starts. But what if you didn't want that chapter to end? Life isn't like a book...you can't just go back and read it over. I miss ya, Roy. I know we still see each other, but it's not the same. I miss Captain Stanley. I miss Marco and Stoker. I miss Henry. Hell, I even miss Chet...not that I'd ever let him know it. I'd love a good Phantom strike over here at 36...but I can't exactly go in there and suggest they start hitting each other with water bombs. That wouldn't be very...captain-ish. God, is that even a word? Um...well, it is now. I hated working Halloween even then...I still hate it now, but you're not here for me to whine to!'

He was startled from his reverie by the sound of the tones going off.

'Station 36, unknown-type rescue. 598 Merriweather Lane. 5-9-8 Merriweather. Cross street, Morse. Time out--19:56.'

Johnny's head jerked up at that, as he called the acknowledgment in to dispatch, and leapt into the engine. That was Kel and Dixie's address! What had happened?! Jennifer was babysitting! She'd have known what to call in if she'd made the call...but if one of the twins had...because something had happened to her...oh, no. No. It couldn't be. How would Roy and Joanne react? What had happened? Too many questions. Too many damn questions!

'Oh, Jenny, please be all right!'



Roy DeSoto smiled to himself as he turned onto Merriweather Lane. He knew Jenny was a good babysitter...but he also knew how active the twins could be. He didn't even want to think about what they'd be like when sugar-crazed. He'd been in the neighborhood (really!) and he'd decided to drop by to see how she was holding up. He figured she'd be lucky if the kids hadn't decided to re-enact the Salem Witch Trials (sans the flames), and tied her up. She'd be really lucky if Jake hadn't decided to marry her, what with that bridal costume and all.

He frowned in confusion as he pulled up to the house, and saw Sophie crying, and a neighbor with her hand on Jenny's shoulder. Jenny was kneeling down, bending over something...or someone. Jake!

'My God, what happened?' he thought as he leapt out of his car and hurried to assist.



Johnny sat in the engine as they raced to the rescue, praying to a God he wasn't sure he believed in. He'd already prayed to every Indian spirit he knew of.

His engineer, a friendly guy by the name of Kyle Jette, looked over at him in concern. "Cap? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Jenny's over there...it's an unknown rescue..." Johnny muttered, not having heard him.

Kyle tried again. "Cap? Are you all right?"

Johnny looked up, staring at him bleakly. "I know that address, Kyle. My best friend's daughter is babysitting over there tonight. If she got hurt and one of the kids called it in..."

"It'd probably be an unknown rescue," Kyle finished, having made the leap of logic. "I see your point. But I'm sure she's okay. Or she will be. Look, we're almost there."

Johnny was worried about Jennifer, but he was also worried about how Roy would take it...how he would break the news to him...and then he saw Roy's car in the driveway of Kel and Dixie's house.

'Oh, God, he's there. How's he gonna take it? I mean, if it were my kid--if I HAD kids...I don't what I'd do...what am I gonna say to him? Is Jenny okay? She's like a daughter to me, but she really IS Roy's daughter...Is ROY okay?'

He jumped out of the engine as soon as they'd stopped. His paramedics raced over, mere steps ahead of him. Johnny had thought he'd prepared himself for just about anything. He hadn't prepared himself for what he did find.

Other than looking somewhat traumatized, Jenny wasn't much worse for the wear. She was fine. Jake, however, was lying unconscious on the lawn, a nasty-looking cut on his head. His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. Sophie was crying, almost hysterical, despite a woman's attempts to comfort her. Johnny kneeled down at her level, watching as his medics took over Jake's care. He reached out to Sophie, and she flung herself into his arms.

Johnny held Sophie, rubbing her back soothingly. "There, there, darlin'," he told her, holding her tighter as she clutched him like a lifeline. "Take it easy, okay? They're takin' good care of your brother. They won't let anything happen to him, munchkin." He used his pet name for her, trying to calm her. He was worried himself, of course. His relief that Jennifer was okay had quickly switched to concern for Jake. He and Roy had been there the day the twins were born. He and Roy had been there as a very confused Dixie McCall had tried to figure out what she was going to do once she'd learned she was pregnant. He and Roy had responded when Dixie had run into problems during the pregnancy...they'd been at the wedding...they'd watched the twins on numerous occasions during their infancy. They'd been there almost every step of the way. Brackett and Dixie had gone from being casual friends to very close friends to Johnny and Roy. And now Jake was hurt. And he worried about how they were going to react.

Now that the paramedics had been able to take over Jake's care, Jenny could afford to finally let her emotions take over. She started to cry, the sobs shaking her small frame. Roy reached out to her instantly, and drew her into his arms. He knew whatever words he could say would mean nothing to her at this point, so he just let her cry and draw strength from his touch. She was an increasingly independent teenager most of the time, but at the moment, she was a frightened little girl who needed her daddy to hold her.

"I--I--I--told him he--he couldn't--couldn't fly," Sophie sobbed, burying her face in Johnny's turnout coat.

Johnny just held her, rocking with her as she cried. Not only was this her brother, and not only had she seen the accident, but twins had a special bond. He'd seen it in these two, and did his best to comfort her. "I know, Sophie, I know. But the paramedics are taking real good care of him, you hear? He's gonna be all right." He prayed he wasn't lying.

"Paramedics?" Sophie asked, still crying. Her voice was muffled by the jacket. "Like you 'n' Roy usedta be?"

"Just like it," he assured her.

David Fredricks, one of the paramedics, looked at his partner, and got the radio set up. "You got the kid's vitals?"

Jansen Murphy nodded. "Yep. BP's 95/60, pulse is 75, respiration 16."

Fredricks finished with the radio, and turned it on. "Rampart, this is Squad 36. Do you read?"

Kel Brackett's voice came over the line. "Read you loud and clear, 36."

Roy and Johnny looked up from where they were comforting the girls, and exchanged a look, each expressing their mutual dread. Of all the doctors in that ER, why did it have to be him?

"Um..." Fredricks began, having the same thought, "Rampart, we have a seven year-old male, victim of a fall...victim is unconscious at this time...respiration is 16, BP 95/60, pulse 75. Pupils are responsive, but sluggish. Spinal precautions have been taken."

"36, how far did the child fall?"

Fredricks looked at Roy for an answer, as the ambulance pulled up.

Roy shrugged. "However high that attic window is..."

Fredricks went back to the radio. "Exact height is unknown, Rampart...he fell from an attic window--second story level."

"Are there any other injuries?"

"Yes, Rampart...the child has a closed radial fracture. The fracture has been splinted. There is also a laceration present on the child's forehead...we're dressing it now."

"All right, 36...start an IV with D5W, TKO, and transport immediately."

Fredricks nodded, out of force of habit. "10-4, Rampart." He shut down the link, and waved the ambulance attendants over. As Murphy started the IV, Fredricks looked to his captain. "I thought about advising on the ID, so they could get a history...but I didn't think I should, with Brackett on the line...I didn't want to panic him..."

Johnny nodded, and let go of Sophie long enough to put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dave. I'd have done the same thing. He's a damn fine doctor, but it's his kid we're talking about here. He's human, and he'd probably have gotten flustered."

Fredricks nodded, somewhat reassured, and helped his partner put Jake onto the gurney.

Murphy climbed into the ambulance, and Fredricks followed them in the squad.

Kyle got out of the engine long enough to walk over and kneel next to Johnny. "Hey, Cap, you okay?"

Johnny looked at Sophie, and Jennifer, then down the way the ambulance had gone, and finally back to Kyle. "Yeah, Kyle, I'll be fine."

"I understand," Kyle replied. "It's always tough when we get a run involving a kid."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed. "Especially when you know the kid."

Kyle nodded sympathetically, and turned to go back to the engine. "You coming back to the station?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah. Just gimme a minute, all right?"

"Sure thing, Cap. We're ready when you are."

Roy stroked Jenny's hair softly, and looked over to Johnny. "You calling in a replacement?"

"Probably," Johnny told him. "I dunno...I don't think I'd be able to think straight, worrying...I'll wait for the replacement and head over to Rampart."

Roy managed a smile, and looked at him. "Good point. I'm gonna head over there...how do you think Dixie and Kel are gonna take this?"

Johnny shrugged. "That's what I worry about. I mean, they're tough, but they've never had anything like this happen before...not with their kids."

"Yep," Roy agreed, somewhat solemnly.

Johnny reluctantly pulled away from Sophie, gently stroking her tear-stained face with one hand. "I've gotta go now, sweetheart...I'm gonna leave you with Roy, okay? He'll take you to the hospital, and you can see your brother there."

Sophie sniffled, and wiped at her nose. "'Kay." She leaned forward, and hugged him again. "Bye, Johnny."

"I'll see you later," he promised.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

She nodded, satisfied, and then thought of something. "Promise me something else?"

"Sure thing, munchkin. What is it?"

Sophie looked up at him, grey eyes shining with both tears and hope. "Don't get hurt at any fires, 'kay? I don't think Mommy and Daddy would like that...and I don't like you getting hurt."

Johnny would have laughed if she hadn't been deadly serious. "I'll do my best, all right?"

"All right," Sophie acquiesced. "If you do your best, it's good enough. My teacher told me that."

Johnny wanted to smile at the total adorableness of that, but he knew she'd take it the wrong way, so he forced himself to remain serious. "Well, your teacher is very right." He kissed her forehead gently, patted Jenny's cheek in what he hoped was a comforting way, and headed back to the engine.



At Rampart, Kel Brackett walked away from the radio with a sigh. A seven year-old kid. His twins were seven. It was unnerving to him. He'd be fine, but he was just unnerved. ETA was about 15 minutes...he ducked into the staff lounge for a quick cup of coffee first. Besides, he knew Dixie was in there.

She smiled at him. "What's wrong?"

"Ah...just a kid coming in. Fell out of a window...it's Halloween night; I won't be surprised if it turns out he was trying to fly out that window."

Dixie shook her head softly. "Kids...you tie a piece of fabric around their neck, they think they can fly. Only problem is, they can't."

"Yep," Brackett agreed, sitting on the counter. "Kate's getting 3 ready...they'll be here in about 15 minutes. 36 is bringing him in."

"Johnny's station?" Dixie asked, grinning. "I swear, it's still hard to believe...our original paramedics are all captains now."

He grinned at her. "Empty nest syndrome, Dix?"

"Sure, why not? Gives me a head start for when the twins grow up."

"You always were a mother at heart." He looked at her for a moment. "That's just the thing, though...the twins...I guess that's why this case bothers me so much."

"Why?"

"The kid they're bringing in--he's 7 years old, Dix."

Dixie stood up, smiling at him sympathetically. "I see what you mean. But, Kel...there have to be thousands of 7 year olds in LA."

He nodded. "You're right...I shouldn't personalize this." Sirens outside announced the approach of their victim. "They're early. I guess traffic was good. All the better." He raced outside to meet them, Dixie right behind him.

Brackett fell into step alongside the gurney, and gasped in shock as he saw his worst fears realized. This was his son. He stepped backwards, thrown off-guard. Dixie saw it a second later, and was unable to stop a strangled sob from escaping her lips. Her legs began to give out on her, and she started to go down. Brackett caught her, and led her to a chair.

Joe Early saw the scene, and hurried over to help. He was shaken by the little boy's identity, but he knew that this was one case Kel Brackett couldn't handle. He was too emotionally involved, and rightfully so. So Joe took it over. "Take him into three." He tossed a look back at his friends. "I promise, I'll take good care of him."

As soon as he saw that Jake was in good hands, Brackett's body too decided that standing was over-rated. He kneeled down in front of Dixie, and embraced her. She grabbed him fiercely, her hands clawing at his shirt. For one of the few times in her life, Dixie wept openly, not caring what anyone thought.

"That's my baby, Kel...not my baby..."

He moved into the chair she was sitting in, pulling her into his lap. "I know, Dixie...I know." He was scared too...but he knew he had to keep it together for her sake. She cried for a few more minutes, then pulled herself together, standing up. "I've gotta be there."

He saw her point. He wanted to be there in that treatment room, too, but hysterical parents were the last thing they needed...he knew that all too well... "Dix, I understand, but..."

She shook her head, her blue eyes glistening tearfully. "I know that, Kel, but I've got to be there. I have to know what's going on. I can handle it. If I can't, I'll leave." She looked at him, the plea evident in her eyes.

He nodded, standing up as well. "Okay. Let me know the second they know anything, okay?"

"I promise." She rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Where can I find you?"

"Um...my office."

"Okay." She reached out and held his hand for a moment before turning toward the treatment room. "I love you, Kel."

"I love you too, Dixie." He lingered long enough to watch her go, then headed for the relative privacy of his office. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise that she had decided to go. He didn't have to worry about scaring her worse than she was by falling apart. He didn't know how much longer he'd have been able to do it.

Roy got there a second later, though, with Sophie and Jennifer. Brackett stopped to see them, taking some comfort from the fact that his daughter was all right.

Sophie hugged him tightly. "It's okay, Daddy. Johnny said he was gonna be all right. Don't worry about it. Where's Mommy?"

Brackett stroked her cheek lovingly. "She's with Jake."

Sophie considered this bit of information. "Oh. Well, you tell her what Johnny said, all right?"

"Sure thing, angel."

"I'm not an angel, I'm a princess."

He chuckled. "Sorry."

Roy motioned toward Sophie with one hand, and looked at Brackett. "Did you want me to, uh..."

Brackett nodded slowly. "Yeah. Thanks, Roy...I appreciate it."

"Not a problem."

Roy took Sophie, but Jenny stayed behind, leaving Kel alone with her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her.

"If this is gonna be 'I'm sorry', don't." He put a hand on her shoulder. "After working with your dad as long as I did, I'm familiar with these DeSoto guilt trips. It wasn't your fault, Jenny. I know you wouldn't have let anything like this happen." He paused for a moment, recalling Dixie's words only a short while earlier. "You tie a piece of fabric around a kid's neck, they think they can fly. You turn your back for two seconds, they run off. That's just the way children are. You can do everything humanly possible, but accidents will still happen. You see my point?"

She nodded, looking down still. "I know, but..."

"It's only natural to wonder 'what if'," Kel assured her. "Just don't beat yourself up over it. I don't blame you...Dixie doesn't blame you...and I know for a fact that the kids don't. You shouldn't blame yourself either. It was an accident." He knew the blame game too well...he'd played it when he was involved in the accident (there was that word again) that killed a little girl's father. But his feelings of guilt had never accomplished anything. And neither would Jenny's. "You're a good kid, Jenny. Don't blame yourself."

She nodded again, looking up at him. "I'll try."

He smiled warmly at her. "I didn't say it was going to be easy."

After she'd left, he continued on to his office. There, he was finally able to fall apart instead of having to be strong for the benefit of everyone else. He sank back onto the couch there, tears stinging his eyes. He'd been taught throughout his childhood that "real men" didn't cry, and tried to fight it. But, eventually, his instincts won out, and the father in him took over. He surrendered to his emotions, and let the tears come.



Dixie stepped out of treatment room three and headed to Kel's office. She knew she was crying again, but she didn't worry about it. Mothers were allowed to be over-emotional where their children were concerned. She didn't have to be the tough-as-nails ER nurse when it was her little boy who was the patient.

When she walked into the office, the scene before her just about broke her heart. Kel was sitting on the couch, sobbing softly with his head in his hands. Dixie would never have admitted this to anyone, but she had something of a weakness for male tears. She could keep her cool, all right, but it tore at her heartstrings to see a man cry. Always had. Especially this man. She crossed over to the couch, and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Kel..."

He looked up at her, and at first only saw her tears. If she'd left the treatment room...and she was crying...no. No, it couldn't be. A thousand worst-case scenarios ran through his mind--everything from epidural and subdural hematomas to spinal injuries. Or even...no. He couldn't let himself think that. He squeezed Dixie's hand supportively, his heart sinking. "Dix...don't tell me..."

"He's gonna be fine," she said, happily. Her tears were tears of relief.

"I knew it," he sighed, his voice choked by emotion. "Oh, God, Dix, what're we gonna do? We..." He paused, and looked at her oddly. "Wait a minute. What'd you say?"

Dixie laughed, both at him and in relief. "Jake's gonna be fine. He's got a nasty concussion and a broken arm, but he's gonna be okay!"

"Thank God!"

"Tell me about it," Dixie sighed. She looked over at him. "Well, I don't know about you, but that sure scared the hell out of me."

"Believe me," Brackett assured her, "you're not the only one."

She laid her head against his chest for a moment, then sat up. "Come on, Kel. Let's go see our son."



Johnny paced the dayroom of Station 36 for the tenth time in as many minutes. He had just called Rampart for news on Jake, only to be informed by Kate Michaels that she didn't know anything yet. Fredricks and Murphy were still at the hospital, so they weren't going to be able to tell him anything. Kyle watched him continue to pace for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, Cap," Kyle suggested, "why don't you just go over to Rampart? We all know how worried you are about this kid. If we have to, we'll call in as unavailable until a replacement gets here."

Johnny shook his head. "No. I'd love to, but it's Halloween night. We can't afford to be unavailable for any length of time if we can help it. Besides, Mike should be here soon."

Kyle looked at him, impressed. "Mike Stoker? You got him on short notice?"

Johnny almost smiled at that. "I wish. He's working tonight...I got Mike Coats."

"Mike Coats?" Kyle echoed. "Mike, as in short for Mikayla?"

"The one and only. She happens to owe me a few favors from one time we worked together."

Kyle grinned. "Oh, boy. The guys are gonna love that. This could get fun."

Johnny half-shrugged, the best he could manage at the moment. "Don't say I never did nothin' for you guys." He looked up, as the sound of a car pulling up reached his highly-trained ears. "Sounds like she's here. I'll wait around for a few minutes, and I'll head over to the hospital."

"Sure, Cap. Lemme know how things turn out."

"I will." Johnny turned to leave, then looked back to his engineer. "And, um, Kyle...?"

"Yeah?"

Johnny smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Any time, Cap."

As Johnny left, a petite red-headed woman entered, a spring in her step. She looked too small and fragile to be a firefighter, but anyone who'd spent any length of time around her knew full well she was anything but fragile. "Well, looks like I'm here for the night. Gage sure knows when to call in his favors, I'll hand him that. So...where are the rest of the boys?"

Kyle chuckled to himself. "I think they're playing basketball out back."

Coats's thin eyebrows shot up past her hairline almost. "Ooh. Sounds like fun." She headed for the back door. Kyle just watched her go. This was going to be a very interesting night. Gage might even be sorry he had missed it.



One thing Roy had forgotten as his kids had gotten older was how hard it was to keep a 7 year-old entertained while waiting. He was running out of ideas. And Sophie wasn't getting sleepy, either. At least Jake was going to be fine. That news had calmed everyone's understandably frayed nerves. Sophie had relaxed once she'd been able to see for herself that her brother was okay. Jake had regained consciousness while still in the treatment room...all signs indicated that he would make a complete and quick recovery. It seemed all was well that ended well.

As Roy struggled to find something to occupy Sophie, Johnny arrived, looking a lot more chipper than he had been back at the house. Roy grinned at him. "You heard?"

"Yep," Johnny confirmed. "Kate just told me. He's really gonna be all right. What a relief."

"Yeah, I know," Roy agreed. He moved over on the lounge's couch to make room for Johnny. "So who'd you get to replace ya?"

"Would you believe Mike Coats was off tonight?"

Roy laughed. "Jeez, Johnny. I know she owes you a few hundred favors still, but...you left her with your guys? Isn't that considered a form of medieval torture for a single woman?"

"Actually, I think she's going to have more fun with it than they are." Johnny's eyes sparkled.

Roy just shook his head. "I don't know about you sometimes, Junior. I really don't."

Johnny reached out to tickle Sophie under her chin. "So where are the Doc and, uh, Mrs. Doc? With Jake?"

"I think so, yeah," Roy said. "He's a pretty lucky kid, I'd say. Coulda been a lot worse."

"How's Jenny handling it?"

Roy considered the question for a short moment. "A lot better now that we know he's going to be okay. I think she still kinda blames herself for not being able to prevent it, but she's dealing with that. It's not her fault, of course...but I can see, at least, where she's coming from. I'd have probably felt the same in that situation....I think anyone would have. But she rose to the challenge well enough. She about had the situation under control by the time I got there."

Johnny smiled. "You know, Pally, she could make one heck of a paramedic someday."

"She could," Roy agreed. "I'm not going to push her into it if it's not something she wants...but let's just say it's not a possibility I'd do much arguing with."

"'Course not." As he settled back, Johnny's expression grew reminiscent. "We sure had a lot of fun in our day, didn't we, Roy? I mean, I'm not saying that there weren't a few incidents I could have done without--the lady with the girdle comes immediately to mind--but overall. It was great. I'm glad you talked me into it."

"So am I. They were great years. I'd have 'em back in a minute. Even the girl with her toe stuck in the faucet."

Johnny's face lit up at that. "Oh! So you admit it, finally! You liked that run!"

"I did not," Roy argued. "I only had to take over because you bailed out. Are we going to spend the rest of our lives arguing over this?"

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

Roy pretended to give the matter heavy thought. "Nah. Arguing with you is kinda fun. But the minute I understand why, I'm checking myself into a mental institution. Which is where I've always thought you belonged."

"Oh, well, thanks a lot!" Johnny mocked being hurt by the accusation. For a moment, it was just like the "old days" they'd just been speaking of...this very same conversation could have easily had taken place inside the squad as they raced to another call. "You know, tonight...I figure it's probably as close as we're gonna get to working together again, at least as a team...I liked it. I sure wish the circumstances had been better, but I liked it, in the end."

Roy nodded slowly. "Me too." He looked over at Sophie, who had been watching their conversation with rapt interest up until a minute ago...when she'd found a dust bunny under the couch that had caught her attention. It didn't really take much to amuse her...but it rarely did with children. Ah, if only they all could have such innocence. He picked the girl up, and tapped the end of her nose playfully. She giggled.

"You hungry?" he asked. He knew he was. When she nodded, Roy continued. "Wanna get something to eat?" Another nod. "Well, then let's go." He looked to Johnny--although they may not have been partners any longer, they would always be friends. "You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Johnny told them. He grinned that trademark lopsided smile of his, catching Sophie's eye. "After all, it's not every day I get the chance to eat with a beautiful princess."

Sophie leaned over Roy's shoulder enough to reach Johnny, and kissed him on the cheek. "There. Now a princess kissed ya, too."

"I'll never wash this cheek again," Johnny vowed, completely deadpan.

Sophie's nose crinkled up at the very idea. "Yuck."



Back at the Roadside Rendezvous...
October 30, 2000

Liz grinned as Jen finished her story--adding, of course, what she'd been told to what she'd actually observed. "Well, I can definitely see how something like that would influence your eventual career choice."

"Great," Jake muttered to himself. "Now Liz knows. Of all people..."

Liz reached out to tousle his dark hair. "Aw, don't worry, Jake. I think it's cute! I mean, not that you got hurt...but just the whole trying to fly thing--that's adorable!"

Sophie's response to that was a scoffing laugh. "You call it adorable; I call it stupid. But I guess that's why you're his girlfriend and I'm his sister."

Jake shot her a look. Not that it helped.

Jennifer just laughed. She knew that if it had been her and Chris, they'd have been arguing just the same. It was all playful, even if they didn't admit it. Little sisters were little sisters, whether it was by four years or four minutes. Actually, Sophie was more like nine or ten minutes younger than Jake, but why split hairs?

Liz seemed hesitant about her next question. "Um...this is gonna sound really stupid, but I gotta know. What happened to the cat?"

"The cat?" Jen asked, surprised.

"Yeah...Nick or whatever his name was. You said you went outside to catch him. So what happened to him after that? I mean, it's understandable that you'd have forgotten about him in the shuffle of things, but..."

Sophie grinned. "Oh, he was on the back porch the next morning. And the cat next door had kittens two months later."

"You're kidding," Liz said, staring at her.

"She's not," Jake assured her. "I don't think anyone caught the timing until later, though...our cat Fido was one of those kittens..."

"Fido?" Liz asked.

Sophie shrugged, spreading her hands in front of her helplessly. "We were trying to be original."

"Obviously."

"Oh, yeah...Fido...I remember that..." a male voice came from behind them--a very familiar male voice. "Nick obviously had a bit of fun trick-or-treating that Halloween night..."

"Johnny!" Sophie exclaimed, surprised that he would be even suggesting something like that around them.

John Gage looked at the four in from of him, shaking his head softly as he sat down. "Oh, c'mon. You're all adults now...as much as I hate admitting that. And, besides, this is nothing you haven't known since you were, like, twelve. I know a lot more about what you knew then than your parents know you know now." He frowned, vowing he'd find a better way to phrase that someday.

"Ooh...'Uncle Johnny' talks about the birds and the bees..." Jen teased. "So what's today's lesson?"

"Don't push your luck, Jennifer," Johnny advised her, with mock seriousness. He smiled. "So, Halloween stories, huh? '83...yeah, that was a night to remember. You know they actually put a warning on those Batman costumes at some point?"

"Really?" Liz asked.

"Yeah--'Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly'. So you can't have been the only one to try it, Jake, if it makes you feel any better."

Jake looked up. "It doesn't. Not really. I'm never gonna hear the end of this..."

"It could've always been worse," Johnny pointed out to him. "You could have broken your neck or something..."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Jake allowed.

Johnny patted his shoulder. "You see? It's like I always tell ya, Scooter...you gotta look on the bright side."

At the use of the old nickname (Johnny's pet name for Jake, which he had sworn to quit using...eventually...) Jake groaned. Liz's interest was piqued even further, however.

"Scooter?"

"Old nickname..." Jake sighed, trying to dissuade her from pursuing it. "Long story."

"But I wanna know!"

"Okay, I'll tell you, Liz," Johnny agreed. "At least you won't drive me crazy next shift about it."

"Love ya too, Cap," Liz answered dryly. "Now talk."

"You people are evil," Jake accused.

"Hey, it's Devil's Night," Jen pointed out. "We're allowed to be."

"But why me?!"

Sophie smiled sweetly at him, pure saccharine. "Because you give us so many wonderful stories, Jacob Michael. That's why. Now shut up and let the man talk. I'd kinda like to hear this one myself."

Now it was Johnny's turn to be surprised. "You really don't know?"

"I probably did...can't remember now. Tell the story already."

"Okay." Johnny allowed for a dramatic pause, then started it. "It started when Roy 'n' me were babysitting the twins here. They couldn't have been any more than six months old, I don't think. Well, all of a sudden, we look over at 'em on the floor, and..."



 End notes: Wow! I did it! At 8:03 P.M. on October 30, 2000, this story is done! Hehe--and they said I'd never do it. :) Started on the 28th. <G> Well, hope it turned out okay, but y'all will be the judges of that. Many thanks are in order to those who made it possible--Steph, I'd never have gotten it done without ya! If it weren't for the ideas and the urgings and the cheers, this would still be collecting dust in the corners of my mind. Thanks a million, Pally! To the gang on E!fic--I appreciate all your last-minute help...and we DID have a lot of fun with the "I need a name for Dixie's cat!" thread. :-)~ Thanks again to Leslie, too, for reminding me of a child's normal BP when I totally blanked. Otherwise, I think I'd have killed the poor child and never realized it. And thanks to Lacye--who actually convinced me to go through with the French Maid thing. Although I probably shouldn't go into the way it was originally gonna go... <evil grin>

Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope it's fun and safe!

Audrey
10/30/00

Note from Tigger: She did it! And I lost it! I found this story in a sea of e-mail on Nov. 3, LOL! Oops! Thanks, Audrey, for being so understanding about my tardiness!