Halloween Hassle

[rycolfan.livejournal.com]

Title - Halloween Hassle
Author - Rycolfan
Rating - NC-17 (to be safe!)
Pairing - Ryan/Colin, Jeff/Greg.
Summary - Halloween proves to be a challenging night for our boys once again...
Disclaimer - I only own the story peeps! Feedback - is positively adored!

Okay, I wrote this in response to the supernatural themed challenge over at bythewayiluvyou and thought I'd post over here too.  What can I say?  My muse is playing nice at the moment....which has helped to cheer me up! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it...it's kinda Buffy-ish!  Comments are love!  ^_^  x   

It was a particularly chilly night; winter had begun to take hold, its icy grip withering what was left of the leaves and flowers. The sky was littered with clouds, obscuring the full moon for long periods of time and bathing the landscape in an inky blackness.

The graveyard was eerily quiet and still, except for the occasional ruffle of leaves whipped up by the cold wind, but all was not as it seemed. Lurking in the shadows around the perimeter, several black shapes waited; their eyes fixed upon a particular grave. An occasional whisper could be heard above the wind, quickly hushed by another.

There was a sudden movement from the grave; the soft earth seeming to rise up of its own accord until a hand broke the surface and reached for the sky. An arm came next, then shoulders, followed by a greyish head, which retained little of its former humanity. Before the grotesque shape could pull itself free from the ground a shot rang out and obliterated its head, the body falling back into the earth with a sickening thud.

“BRAD!” an indignant voice shouted from the shadows. “You could have waited a little longer; that was way too easy a shot.”

“Ha!” an amused voice replied. “You’re just annoyed that I got him first. That puts my tally up to six so far tonight.”

“Well, at least make it a challenge.”

“Cut it out you two,” a new voice said sternly as six figures emerged from the darkness to check the corpse. They were all dressed in black and carrying an assortment of weapons, from guns to wooden stakes.

“I love it when you’re stern Col,” Ryan smirked from beside his lover, earning an exasperated look.

“Well Greg?” Colin asked the man who had bent down to get a better look. “Has he been neutralized?”

“Yeah,” Greg replied, getting to his feet and brushing the dirt from his trousers. “He’s definitely not gonna be getting up again.”

“Good,” Colin said firmly, glancing around warily as he spoke. “Okay, that should be it for this graveyard tonight but I want a couple of you to stay here just in case.”

“Jeff and I can stay if you like,” Greg offered. The man at his side looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Do I get a say in this?”

“Oh come on babe. You know there’s nothing more romantic than a graveyard by moonlight.”

“My dream come true,” Jeff deadpanned which drew a few chuckles.

“Okay,” Colin said with a smile, “Greg and Jeff stay here.” He turned to the others. “Brad, can you and Chip patrol the north side of the river? Ryan and I will take the south side.”

“No problemo,” Brad grinned while Chip looked put out.

“Why do I always get stuck with him?” he grumbled.

Colin rolled his eyes, obviously having had this argument many times before. “That’s life Chip. He’s your partner so deal with it. Right, you all know what to do. Be careful, and radio for help if needed.”

The group murmured agreement and headed off to their designated assignments. Colin and Ryan headed out of the graveyard and began walking down a narrow sidewalk towards the south side of town. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Colin let out a deep sigh.

“I hate Halloween.”

Ryan grinned and took Colin’s hand, rubbing soothing circles on his palm with a thumb. “It’s always our busiest night of the year, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, but it seems to get worse year on year,” Colin said wearily. “I mean, it’s only 2am and we’ve already had eight zombies, three vampires, and two demons to deal with. Remember last year when we nearly lost Jeff to that werewolf?”

Ryan shuddered. “I don’t think any of us are gonna forget that in a hurry. It was a close call, that’s for sure.”

“Too close,” Colin replied seriously. “You know, I think Greg would have taken that thing on single-handedly if we hadn’t got there in time. We could have lost both of them.”

“But we didn’t,” Ryan said, stopping and turning to face his lover. “We’re called the best team for a reason Col. I’m confident that we can take down anything this night throws at us so let’s just focus on getting the job done, okay?”

Colin smiled and leant forwards to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “I knew there was a reason why I keep you around.”

“Other than the fact that you’re madly in love with me you mean?” Ryan smirked.

“Yeah,” Colin grinned, “other than that.” He was quiet for a moment as they carried on walking, then decided to bring up something which he’d been thinking about for a while. “You know, you could have your own team if you wanted.”

He felt rather than saw Ryan’s look of surprise, but pushed on before he lost his nerve. “You’re a natural leader Ry. I don’t want to be responsible for holding your career back.”

“Okay, stop right there,” Ryan said sternly, stepping in front of Colin and halting him in his tracks. “Putting aside the fact that I love you, I’m here because I want to be and because we work well together. Sure I could have my own team, but I wouldn’t work as well without you and that wouldn’t be fair to those under my command.” He raised a large hand to caress Colin’s cheek. “I’m happy with the way things are.”

“Even though you’re under me?” Colin asked worriedly.

“You should know that I love being under you,” Ryan growled, latching onto his neck and nibbling it gently as Colin chuckled. 

“Okay, as long as you’re sure.”

Ryan straightened up and looked into the warm brown eyes which had captivated him from the moment they’d met four years ago. “I am.” He closed the short distance and kissed him, reassuring his lover the best way he knew how. Colin melted into it, grabbing Ryan’s shirt and pulling him closer as they lost themselves in the embrace.

The kiss ended prematurely with the sound of Brad’s voice coming over the radio. “Brad to team leader, come in.”

Colin reluctantly released Ryan and pulled the radio from his belt. “This is team leader. Go ahead.”

“There’s some serious V action up on third. I think we’re gonna need your help over here.”

Colin exchanged a worried look with Ryan as he answered. “We’re on our way.”

They began to run back the way they’d come, covering the ground quickly. Both men were at the peak of physical fitness due to the nature of their profession and were barely out of breath by the time they reached the others.

“What have we got?” Colin asked urgently, his eyes constantly assessing their surroundings as they crouched behind a parked car.

“It looks like a whole coven is out,” Brad replied, keeping his voice low. “They’re circling the bars and clubs, keeping to the shadows and waiting to pick up any loners.”

“How many?”

“At least eight.”

Ryan whistled softly and Colin cursed under his breath. “Okay, so we’re outnumbered. We’re gonna have to split them up to gain an advantage. I’ll go out there alone to draw some of them away, then you three can take out whoever’s left.”

“That’s too dangerous Col,” Ryan argued. “Let me be the bait.”

Colin shook his head. “My team, my rules.” He put a hand to Ryan’s mouth to prevent any further protests. “I’ll be fine Ry. I need you to lead the others in, okay?”

Ryan’s eyes conveyed the worry he was feeling as he nodded. Colin kissed him quickly and stood, looking back down when Ryan caught his hand. They shared a moment of silent communication, then Colin moved out from their hiding place and walked casually down the street towards the club. He pulled his long coat around his body and kept his head down to prevent any chance of recognition, every sense on the alert for an imminent attack.

He heard movement to his left and increased his pace, hearing at least two pairs of footsteps joining his own and following at a distance. Passing the club on his right, Colin reached under his coat and grasped one of his wooden stakes firmly. 

As soon as he turned the corner next to the club Colin broke into a run and entered the park opposite, taking cover amongst the trees.   Moments later, three shadowy figures followed him and he heard a low, hissed, conversation before they began searching in different directions.

He silently withdrew the stake from his belt and waited, hearing footsteps coming closer to his position. As soon as the vampire came into view Colin’s hand shot out and the stake hit its target perfectly, driving straight into the heart and vaporising the vampire instantly.

The sound of his demise drew the attention of the other vampires and one of them growled furiously. “A slayer.”

Colin peered around the tree and saw that two more vampires had emerged from the darkness, making it four against one. He didn’t like those odds.

“Come out and face us slayer,” the lead vampire hissed, “or are you too much of a coward?”

Colin grabbed two more stakes and took a deep breath before stepping out, holding one stake firmly in each hand. “Okay, who’s next?” he asked calmly.

Several of the vampires started to move forwards but the lead vampire held out an arm to stop them. “No. This one’s mine.”

He stepped forward and they began to circle one another, their gazes locked. “Do you know how old I am slayer?”

Colin shrugged. “Can’t say I care much. You’re not gonna see your next birthday.”

The vampire let out a harsh, mirthless, laugh. “No, it is you who won’t live past this night young one.”

Colin threw one of the stakes up in the air and caught it nonchalantly. “We’ll see.”

In a blur of speed the vampire was upon him, his icy hands gripping Colin’s arms tightly, but Colin struggled free and kicked out, striking him hard in the abdomen. The vampire recovered in seconds and flew at him again, driving him backwards until he was up against a tree.

One of Colin’s stakes dropped to the ground as he grabbed hold of the vampire’s head, trying to keep the razor sharp teeth away from his neck. He brought a knee up forcefully and the vampire’s grip faltered enough for him to push him off and punch him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. He brought the stake down to finish the job but the vampire was too quick and it only hit the hard ground. The vampire grabbed hold of Colin from behind and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. “I’m going to enjoy draining you,” he whispered in his ear.

Using all his strength, Colin grabbed him and pulled his bony body over his shoulder so that the vampire landed flat on his back in front of him. In one swift movement it was all over, a cloud of dust rising from the spot where the vampire had lain.

A cacophony of hisses and screams came from the onlookers and they all rushed forwards together. Colin quickly grabbed the stake which he’d dropped and managed to take the first vampire who reached him out immediately but the others quickly surrounded him and wrenched the stakes from his hand. His heart sank as several more vampires appeared from nowhere, obviously attracted by the noise.  

Realizing that the situation was only going to get worse the longer he waited, Colin rushed one of the vampires and knocked him off his feet. As they rolled around on the ground an explosion of noise erupted around them but Colin was too focused on the creature in front of him to give it much thought.

He finally managed to pin the vampire to the ground and felt around for one of his stakes. Much to his surprise one was placed firmly in his hand, and he looked up quickly into the eyes of his lover before driving the stake home.  As Ryan pulled him to his feet, Colin looked around to see that Brad, Chip, Greg, and Jeff were taking care of the other vampires.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ryan said softly, pulling him into a heartfelt hug.

Colin allowed himself to relax into the warmth, still breathing hard. “Better late than never.”

They stayed like that for several minutes, drawing comfort and reassurance from the contact, until the others came over.

“You okay?” Greg asked worriedly as Colin released Ryan and stepped back, still keeping hold of his hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Brad was looking around at the scattered dark patches which indicated where a vampire had been destroyed. “Geez, how many were you up against Col?”

Colin smiled tiredly. “I don’t know. I kinda lost count after a while.”

“Well, you certainly kicked some vampire butt tonight,” Jeff grinned. 

Chip simply stared at Colin with an expression of utmost awe as the older man bent down to pick up his stakes and replace them on his belt securely. 

“The night’s not over yet,” Colin said seriously. “There’s still a few more hours until dawn; plenty of time for more trouble. Did you take out the vamps that didn’t follow me?”

“Yeah,” Ryan replied. “They weren’t a problem, although it took longer than I would have liked.  Once we realized how many had gone after you I called Greg and Jeff for back-up and we came straight here.”

Colin nodded and smiled. “The phrase just in the nick of time has never been more appropriate. Okay, let’s get back to it.”

When the first rays of the sun lit up the streets a few hours later, heralding a new day and a new month, the team parted ways and wearily headed home. They hadn’t had too much more action to deal with, just the odd demon and one last zombie.

“You know, we’re a bit like vampires,” Colin remarked as he and Ryan got undressed and climbed into bed. “I mean, we’re up prowling the streets all night and we sleep all day.”

“And I love biting your neck,” Ryan growled, pouncing on the shorter man and biting down on his pulse point gently as Colin laughed and tried to wriggle free.

Ryan lifted his head and looked into Colin’s sparkling eyes, the smile fading from his face as his expression turned serious. “You scared me tonight though, Col. Please remember that I’d be lost without you.”

Colin raised his hands to cup Ryan’s face. “I’m sorry Ry. Believe me, I have no intention of ever leaving you.”

“You’d better not,” Ryan replied, lowering his head to meet Colin’s lips. He quickly removed the remainder of their clothing and pressed their naked bodies closer together, gasping in pleasure at the sensation.

They added their own cries to the symphony of the dawn chorus, and then fell asleep in each other’s arms as the sun rose steadily higher in the brightening sky.