All Hollows Eve

You peek out from the blanket wrapped snugly around you to throw a cautionary glance towards the screen. The moment had passed and feeling secure in that knowlege, you wrestle out a hand to grab another fistful of popcorn.

What were you thinking, renting a horror movie to watch by yourself? In the dark AND on Halloween no less! You shove a handful of popcorn into your mouth and release yourself from the protective blanket completely. You rise from the couch and head to the kitchen for a glass of wine; you need it, this flick has definately got your nerves a little frayed.

Suffering from *the creeps* caused by the movie, you decide to ignore it. You open a cupboard and retrieve a wine glass. After pouring yourself a lovely cupful, you retrace your steps back to the couch. Just as you are about to re-cocoon yourself...

Okay. Now this is a little strange. Wine still in hand, you silently pad your way to the door. Just as you are about to peer through the peephole, you hear a soft voice drift to you from the other side, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

You stand very still, your heart racing as adrenaline rushes through your body. As if cosmic timing could be any worse, one of the poor cheezy heroines in the movie chooses that moment to release a scream that could literally wake the dead. This triggers a chain of events that in the real world, would seem completely incomprehensible. The scream causes you to jump and not only bang your head on the door,but smash the hand that's holding the wine glass into it also. Before you've even had a chance to assess the damage, there is another insistent pounding on the door.

The stalker on the TV is approaching his victim...the heroine moans..."Noooooo." Grasping your head in one hand, and shaking glass from your other, you barely have time to take a step back before the voice is heard again.

"I'm coming in!" And with that, the pitiful contraption you called a 'lock' pops from the door as it comes flying inward. You fall backward onto the couch, and look up into a pair of blazing green eyes.

"Are you all right?" His voice washes over you to puddle on the floor, but not before you detect the note of concern ringing through it.

"Um....yeah, I was until you came flying through my door," you struggle a bit, trying to free yourself from the confines of the couch, "and just who the hell are you anyway?"

After glancing at the television and watching you for a moment, he moves into action....stepping to the couch, he gently grasps your upper arms and helps you up. Standing, you notice how close the two of you are, and raise your eyes up to clash with his intent gaze.

"Sorry about your door.....I thought someone was in trouble," he murmurs and then, as if noticing he was still holding your arms....he slid his hands down and away.

You take a step back, unnerved at his closeness, to back into the arm of the couch. Placing a hand down to steady yourself, you gasp out in pain. His gaze leaves yours to look down and grimacing, he steps toward you again.

"Look at your hand," his breath moves across your lips as he bends to grasp your wrist...his face is an inch away.

He lifts your hand and gently turns it palm up. Briefly he looks up and notes where the kitchen is and still clasping your wrist, gently pulls you in that direction. You stop halfway there, as if coming out of a trance.

"Look, the door is still on it's hinges, and everything's fine, so thanks for your...um....rescue attempt, but you can go now."

He stops briefly to turn and look at you, "Actually, I can't, that's why I was shadowing your doorstep in the first place."

With a gentle tug he turns and continues towards the sink. His voice, so sofly spoken, sends trickles of awareness down your spine. Staring at his broad back and moving down....for the first time you notice he's in costume. And a fine one it is! You reach the sink and using his free hand to turn on the tap, he gently eases your fingers under the warm water.

You look and take note of the tiny trickle of blood being washed away, but more than that, you notice this man has incredible hands. Your fingers are gently wrapped in his under the water....he's absently rubbing his thumb back and forth across the fleshy area beneath your thumb.

He looks back down, "probably just needs a band-aid....." turning off the faucet, he picks up the towel laying next to the sink.

Gently wiping away the moisture, he then lifts your hand to his lips. Closing his eyes he places a soft kiss upon the irritated area. You feel it clear down to your toes.

His lips lingering....he murmurs,"It's small, but it's my fault, I'm truly sorry." You gently pull your hand away and he smiles again.

"Of course," mentally shaking yourself you move over to the phone jack and pick up the cordless. You hand it to him and go into the bathroom in search of a band-aid.

In the bathroom, his incredible voice reaches your ears, but you're not able to make out what he's saying. Returning to the kitchen, you see him leaning against the counter speaking softly in French. As if that doesn't stun you enough, you are now able to assess his appearance from afar. Dressed in dark colors, the man looks like he just stepped out of a book.

A deep forest green doublet covers his upper torso, high shoulders moving down the slightly puffed sleeves to come to points at his wrists. The V at the neck stopping above large polished obsidian buttons rowing down the front. The doublet ends low on his hips and some sort of puffed bottoms peeped out beneath to follow down to mid thigh. The rest of his muscular legs encased in a matching shade of green tights. On his feet was a pair of black slip-on shoes.

Ahhh....you nod, and move away to cross the room to the door. Evaluating the damage, you hear him say "Merci beaucoup, c'est bien," and the sound of the phone being set down. You shut the door and turn to find him watching you from his position against the counter. The only illumination in the room is the light from the television and the shadowcasting effect it is having on this man, well, breathing is becoming difficult.

"Not very scary...I mean, Halloween and all...." this is harder than you thought! He slowly pushes away from the counter....

"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love." He's making his way towards you, slowly, his lazy grace almost...predatory in nature.

"I love'd.......Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love, make up my some." He stops before you and lifts a hand to gently cup your chin and hold your gaze. His voice drops to a murmur..."O dear...." he pauses as his eyes search yours, "I am ill at these numbers; I have not strength to reckon my groans; but that I love thee best, O most best," his gaze drops to your lips as you are entraced in breathless wonder...."Believe it..." his face moves closer and your lips part in anticipation..."Thine evermore."

You open your eyes, "Huh?: Oh, ...it was nothing I'm sure," you lean towards him. His gaze returns to your mouth and his lips curve into the slightest of smiles....

You feel a hand move to the small of your back,pressing you into him. His other hand starts at your collar bone and palms it's way slowly up the side of your neck to then rest your head in it's strong grasp. Your eyelids flutter closed as he parts his lips and.....

"I'll be right back," you see the frustrated light in the green depths as he sighs and reluctantly steps away.

"You know," your voice is a little shaky, "we have a lot of strays in the neighborhood .....always jumping on trash cans and stuff."

You stand there, arms crossed over your chest...and begin counting..."One one thousand, Two one thousand, Three one thousand....." You get up to Ten one thousand, and stop. He may have encountered some trouble, and he's in *tights*....... needless to say, he may need some help.

Just as you reach the door, it opens and he steps through. Smiling, he shuts it behind him and says, "It's my ride."

"I sent them away..." He's walking towards you, his hair ruffled from the wind....his eyes filled with determination.

"Oh?" your voice lifts, speaking an answer to his unspoken question. He reaches you and without hesitation, brings his hands up to your face, sliding his fingers deep in your hair. His hands are chilled next to the heat of your face.


	ALL HOLLOWS EVE By: Kyara Caledonii Copyright October 31, 1995 ***All Rights Reserved. Story cannot be reprinted/reproduced without Kyara's permission.* You peek out from the blanket wrapped snugly around you to throw a cautionary glance towards the screen. The moment had passed and feeling secure in that knowlege, you wrestle out a hand to grab another fistful of popcorn. "How stupid an idea was this?" you ask yourself. What were you thinking, renting a horror movie to watch by yourself? In the dark AND on Halloween no less! You shove a handful of popcorn into your mouth and release yourself from the protective blanket completely. You rise from the couch and head to the kitchen for a glass of wine; you need it, this flick has definately got your nerves a little frayed. Knock Knock You jump even though it was sofly placed upon your door. Glancing at the clock you see it's 1:00 am.... "What kids are still out at this time of night?" you mutter to yourself.** Suffering from the creeps caused by the movie, you decide to ignore it. You open a cupboard and retrieve a wine glass. After pouring yourself a lovely cupful, you retrace your steps back to the couch. Just as you are about to re-cocoon yourself... *Knock Knock* Okay. Now this is a little strange. Wine still in hand, you silently pad your way to the door. Just as you are about to peer through the peephole, you hear a soft voice drift to you from the other side, "Hello? Is anyone home?" You stand very still, your heart racing as adrenaline rushes through your body. As if cosmic timing could be any worse, one of the poor cheezy heroines in the movie chooses that moment to release a scream that could literally wake the dead. This triggers a chain of events that in the real world, would seem completely incomprehensible. The scream causes you to jump and not only bang your head on the door,but smash the hand that's holding the wine glass into it also. Before you've even had a chance to assess the damage, there is another insistent pounding on the door. *Knock, Knock* "Hey? Are you alright in there?" The stalker on the TV is approaching his victim...the heroine moans..."Noooooo." Grasping your head in one hand, and shaking glass from your other, you barely have time to take a step back before the voice is heard again. "I'm coming in!" And with that, the pitiful contraption you called a 'lock' pops from the door as it comes flying inward. You fall backward onto the couch, and look up into a pair of blazing green eyes. "Are you all right?" His voice washes over you to puddle on the floor, but not before you detect the note of concern ringing through it. "Um....yeah, I was until you came flying through my door," you struggle a bit, trying to free yourself from the confines of the couch, "and just who the hell are you anyway?" After glancing at the television and watching you for a moment, he moves into action....stepping to the couch, he gently grasps your upper arms and helps you up. Standing, you notice how close the two of you are, and raise your eyes up to clash with his intent gaze. "Sorry about your door.....I thought someone was in trouble," he murmurs and then, as if noticing he was still holding your arms....he slid his hands down and away. You take a step back, unnerved at his closeness, to back into the arm of the couch. Placing a hand down to steady yourself, you gasp out in pain. His gaze leaves yours to look down and grimacing, he steps toward you again. "Look at your hand," his breath moves across your lips as he bends to grasp your wrist...his face is an inch away. He lifts your hand and gently turns it palm up. Briefly he looks up and notes where the kitchen is and still clasping your wrist, gently pulls you in that direction. You stop halfway there, as if coming out of a trance. "Look, the door is still on it's hinges, and everything's fine, so thanks for your...um....rescue attempt, but you can go now." He stops briefly to turn and look at you, "Actually, I can't, that's why I was shadowing your doorstep in the first place." With a gentle tug he turns and continues towards the sink. His voice, so sofly spoken, sends trickles of awareness down your spine. Staring at his broad back and moving down....for the first time you notice he's in costume. And a fine one it is! You reach the sink and using his free hand to turn on the tap, he gently eases your fingers under the warm water. "You've cut yourself....but I don't see any glass in it." You look and take note of the tiny trickle of blood being washed away, but more than that, you notice this man has incredible hands. Your fingers are gently wrapped in his under the water....he's absently rubbing his thumb back and forth across the fleshy area beneath your thumb. "It's nothing," you sound a little breathless and he lifts his face to yours and gives you a gentle smile. He looks back down, "probably just needs a band-aid....." turning off the faucet, he picks up the towel laying next to the sink. Gently wiping away the moisture, he then lifts your hand to his lips. Closing his eyes he places a soft kiss upon the irritated area. You feel it clear down to your toes. His lips lingering....he murmurs,"It's small, but it's my fault, I'm truly sorry." You gently pull your hand away and he smiles again. "Now that that's taken care of, may I use your phone?" "Of course," mentally shaking yourself you move over to the phone jack and pick up the cordless. You hand it to him and go into the bathroom in search of a band-aid. "Thank you," he says and proceeds to dial. In the bathroom, his incredible voice reaches your ears, but you're not able to make out what he's saying. Returning to the kitchen, you see him leaning against the counter speaking softly in French. As if that doesn't stun you enough, you are now able to assess his appearance from afar. Dressed in dark colors, the man looks like he just stepped out of a book. A deep forest green doublet covers his upper torso, high shoulders moving down the slightly puffed sleeves to come to points at his wrists. The V at the neck stopping above large polished obsidian buttons rowing down the front. The doublet ends low on his hips and some sort of puffed bottoms peeped out beneath to follow down to mid thigh. The rest of his muscular legs encased in a matching shade of green tights. On his feet was a pair of black slip-on shoes. Noticing your scrutiny, he pauses his conversation and in English says, "Hamlet." Ahhh....you nod, and move away to cross the room to the door. Evaluating the damage, you hear him say "Merci beaucoup, c'est bien," and the sound of the phone being set down. You shut the door and turn to find him watching you from his position against the counter. The only illumination in the room is the light from the television and the shadowcasting effect it is having on this man, well, breathing is becoming difficult. "So...?" You let the question hang. His voice drifts to you..."My ride should be here in a bit." "Okay...........so, Hamlet huh?" You feel the need to make some idle chit chat to relax you. He smiles, "Yes, costume party." "Not very scary...I mean, Halloween and all...." this is harder than you thought! He slowly pushes away from the counter.... "Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love." He's making his way towards you, slowly, his lazy grace almost...predatory in nature. "I love'd.......Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love, make up my some." He stops before you and lifts a hand to gently cup your chin and hold your gaze. His voice drops to a murmur..."O dear...." he pauses as his eyes search yours, "I am ill at these numbers; I have not strength to reckon my groans; but that I love thee best, O most best," his gaze drops to your lips as you are entraced in breathless wonder...."Believe it..." his face moves closer and your lips part in anticipation..."Thine evermore." ~~~~~~~~ Just then, there's a sound outside. He stops his descent and his eyes flick past your head to the door. "What was that?" he murmers. You open your eyes, "Huh?: Oh, ...it was nothing I'm sure," you lean towards him. His gaze returns to your mouth and his lips curve into the slightest of smiles.... "Where were we..." he whispers. You feel a hand move to the small of your back,pressing you into him. His other hand starts at your collar bone and palms it's way slowly up the side of your neck to then rest your head in it's strong grasp. Your eyelids flutter closed as he parts his lips and..... "There it was again," he looks to the door and then back to you. "I'll be right back," you see the frustrated light in the green depths as he sighs and reluctantly steps away. "You know," your voice is a little shaky, "we have a lot of strays in the neighborhood .....always jumping on trash cans and stuff." He's moving past you and opening the door. "And it's Halloween, prankster kids may be fooling.." He turns and winks at you before stepping out the door "around and getting into things and..." He closes it softly behind him. ".....stuff." Your voice fades out. "Damn!" You stand there, arms crossed over your chest...and begin counting..."One one thousand, Two one thousand, Three one thousand....." You get up to Ten one thousand, and stop. He may have encountered some trouble, and he's in tights....... needless to say, he may need some help. Just as you reach the door, it opens and he steps through. Smiling, he shuts it behind him and says, "It's my ride." "Oh." your voice drops, conveying your AMAZING disappointment. "I sent them away..." He's walking towards you, his hair ruffled from the wind....his eyes filled with determination. "Oh?" your voice lifts, speaking an answer to his unspoken question. He reaches you and without hesitation, brings his hands up to your face, sliding his fingers deep in your hair. His hands are chilled next to the heat of your face. "It's cold out there..." you murmur. Using his grasp, he pulls you in, "Yes, but not in here...." The End