Tom Harris was walking through the halls of S.P.E.A.R. satisfied that he could help bring in the vampire known as Hannibal after so many long years. Now the only thing to do was wait on whatever Yuriko was up to, so she could come back and they could interrogate Hannibal together. As Tom walked on, there were several people congratulating him and giving him a thumbs up for his work out on the field. He was on his way to speak with Nat MacGregor and Director Meyers in Director Meyer's office, when a few voices caught his attention.
"Look, the thing was huge, alright? That's the best description we can give. Maybe he was at least...what? 7 feet tall? I know it was bigger than both of us." The voice sounded like it belong to his cousin, Garrett.
Tom wondered what he could possibly be doing at S.P.E.A.R. but was more surprised to hear Lynne Turner's voice as well.
"He also had antlers, we know it was a he. I know for sure that the asshole gave me and my boyfriend here a good beating." Lynne said as Tom peered into the room where he saw Lynne and Tom speaking with a female succubus agent who wore a suit.
"And you said there was another person with you? A human?" The succubus woman asked as the story now peaked Tom's attention. Lynne and Garrett now looked at each other and nodded.
"There....there was, but....she didn't make it. She's in your morgue now." Garrett sighed as Tom looked to see Lynne was holding something in her arms.
Tom now politely knocked on the door as the succubus woman looked up from her notes, and Garrett and Lynne turned around to see Tom standing there.
"Tom, this is certainly is a surprise seeing you here." Garrett said as he gave a little smile and got up from the chair to greet his cousin. "Uncle Cole told me you were working here, but I didn't think we'd get to see you here." Garrett said as she went and gave Tom a hug.
"Yeah, I was just on my way to see Director Meyers when I heard....you." Tom said as he saw Lynne turn around and stood up with a smile on her face. But what surprised Tom even more was that she was holding a baby in her arms.
"Lynne, are you babysitting him?" Tom now asked.
"No, he's....he's sort of ours now." Lynne said as Tom raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Before you ask: no, this wasn't really a choice, so much as it's become our obligation." Garrett informed Tom as he now crossed his arms and leaned back against the door.
"Well, whatever's going on, however I can help, I'll help you both in whatever way I can. Just...tell me what happened." Tom said.
"I've already been given their statement, you don't need to pry any further mister...." The succubus agent said unsure of Tom's last name.
"Harris, and it's okay. If it involves my cousin, then it's a family matter now and I'm always looking to help out my family in any way I can." Tom said as the succubus woman shrugged and went back to finishing the report.
"So: tell me how you two got involved with this baby." Tom asked as Lynne looked to start.
"We were out on a date night for the holiday...." Lynne began.
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A few hours earlier
Lynne Turner smirked, admiring her Christmas themed dress. With some much needed time off from her mother's fashion company, the 22 year old red head was looking for a fun night out with her boyfriend Garrett Harris. Lynne's mother, Lisa, had given her a secretary job at her fashion agency after she graduated, but she wasn't the biggest fan of the job. It was grueling on her some days, and doing babysitting helped her relieve that stress, at least she could have some fun with her young relatives when she babysat them.
Despite Garrett being a few years younger than her, the man knew how to dress. Sporting a Christmas sweater and slacks, the 20 year old had graduated college a year prior. It wouldn't be a shocker when learning that his parents were Derrick Harris and Morgan Harris, both teachers who had taken a long time to fall back in love with each other again. They had made sure their son was an academic genius, but they did want him to be deprived of having fun with friends or family when he could. Still, when it came to Lynne, there was always drama.
"You know, I make enough where we could both try and go some place classy to eat for the holiday. It doesn't have to be the same usual cheap food shops we eat at every other day of the week. I mean, hell, I got all dressed up for a fun night on the town." Lynne said shaking her head.
"I don't see why we have to go fancy Lynne," Garrett said. "I mean, we're both still trying to save up to finally move out of our parents house. We don't have to break the bank to have a good time."
Lynne furrowed her brow, hands on her curvy hips as the redhead glared at Garrett. Always over confident and outspoken, Lynne wasn't the type of girl who would settle for no. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to splurge on a fun filled an expensive romantic outing. Lynne didn't like it when either of them argued, it sometimes brought up bad memories for both of them with past relationships. Garrett discovered in high school he was bisexual when he was attracted to both Lynne and a boy who he couldn't remember his name for the life of it. Lynne and Tom had been together for the longest time, Garrett even thought the two would marry. But she and Tom had a bad fight the year prior and had broken it up. Garrett had usually been the friend Lynne turned to when she needed a shoulder to cry on, so Garrett was surprised when one day, she finally asked Garrett out. His own love life had been in the pits, and he welcomed a chance for love and excitement, which was something they both longed for.
"Garrett, the last romantic thing we did together was go on that horror themed boat ride, in October, it's December. Did you at least save any money for some nice gift for me?" Lynne asked smiling up at him.
"I...look, I tried to find that one thing for you. But would you at least be happy with something I got in its place?" Garrett asked as Lynne sighed.
"Yeah, I would. But you know, I'm trying to keep this spark alive between us, I don't want it to fizzle out." Lynne said as she now held Garrett's hands. "Sorry, sometimes I just get too caught up in things and push the issue. Whatever you get, I'll be happy with. I promise." Lynne said as she stopped him and gave him a short but loving kiss on the lips, which he smiled at.
"Thanks. Look, Lynne, its part of your charm. Sometimes I wish I was as bold as you instead...." Garrett began to say before they both heard a shriek.
"HELP! SOMEONE FOR GOD'S SAKE, HELP ME!" A woman yelled.
Garrett and Lynne looked at each other an nodded, both racing off towards the direction of the cry for help. Following the voice of the crying woman to an old abandoned church with overgrown moss over it, the couple noticed a woman cornered against the back of a church. In front of her, was a huge towering figure with antlers on its head.
"Shit, I think that's a Wendigo." Lynne said as she prepared a spell. Garrett meanwhile now sprinted towards the woman, looking to pull her away from danger. Garrett considered himself lucky that he came prepared with a magic weapon.
Unlike many of his relatives and friends, Garrett wasn't as skilled in magic as others were and had to resort to using magical weapons. His favorite magical weapon to use was a collapsible swordstaff that was specially made for him from Merlin.
"Stay behind me ma'am, my girlfriend and I got this bastard." Garrett said as he rushed in front of the woman held his weapon out towards the Wendigo keeping him at a distance.
Garrett was no slouch when it came to hand to hand combat, he was nowhere as proficient as the other members of his extended family. Garrett's cousins were wizards or demon hunters. Garrett on the other hand, was just a regular college guy. But his father, as well as his uncle and a few others trained him in combat. His grandfather had been a soldier, and with the menaces his own family came across every so often, it helped for any Harris member to be prepared for anything.
As the creature tried to strike at Garrett, he slashed the the swordstaff against the creatures hand, both injuring and making it more angry it seemed then it already was. The wendigo wrapped it's hand around the swordstaff, now taking in the pain as it tried to reach Garrett, with its free hand, but only managing to slash off some of some of Garrett's Christmas sweater.
"Okay, Lynne, whatever spell you can think of, you better use!" Garrett shouted to his girlfriend as he held onto his weapon as best as he could.
Lynne smirked, her power surging outwards as she stared down the Wendigo. Despite being the youngest sister in a family of wizards, Lynne potentially had the greatest potential. This was no small feat considering her sister Gloria ran the Magic Shop while her sister Katie was the legendary Catalyst, an engine of change for humanity. The young woman now began to glow, arcs of pure magical energy surging from her body.
"Alright buddy," she grinned. "Let me show you what happens when you interrupt my date."
Blasts of raw magic shot skywards, scorching the surrounding area and striking the Wendigo in the chest. Sailing through the air, the creature crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Quickly, it leapt to its feet before releasing an unearthed howl. As Lynne and Garrett covered their ears, the creature rushed up to them and slammed their bodies down hard, knocking the young couple to the ground. Lynne's Christmas dress was now in ruins like Garrett's own sweater. Lynne and Garrett grunted in pain and annoyance, as they slowly they rose to sit up, they watched as the creature now had its chance as it went over to the frightened woman.
Before either of the two could act again, they watched as the woman turned to her back, the Wendigo slashing the woman across her back. Scream of pain echoed through the night.
"NOOOOO!!!!" Lynne shouted in shock. After everything they had done to save the woman, she couldn't let her die like this.
Garrett got up as quickly as he could and used his swordstaff to stab the wendio in the shoulder, as he knocked Garrett back down again. The creature screamed in agony as he swatted Garrett back down, before it ran out of the cemetery leaving Garrett and Lynne with the woman.
They both went to check on the injured woman, still aching from their injuries. They both became shocked as they heard an infant crying as they went over to the woman and saw massive claw marks on the woman's back that looked like they ran deep. Garrett slowly turned the woman over and saw clutched in the woman's arms was a crying infant in her arms as the woman's face looked to also have hit against the side of the old church building.
Garrett and Lynne were no doctors, but one look at this woman and they knew she needed medical help fast.
"Oh my god, ma'am, look, you're.....(oh god)....you're going to be okay, alright? Do you hear me? You're going to be okay." Lynne said trying to reassure the woman despite her terrible injuries.
The woman could see the fear in Lynne's eyes as she knew what Lynne was worried about so much, as well as the shock on Garrett's face.
"No, d.....dy....dy....dying....don't....bullshit me." The woman said as she spoke. It was obviously painful for her to speak and when she did, she sounded out of breath.
"No, no, you aren't going to die, we'll....we'll take you to a hospital, you're going to be alright. We promise, then maybe we can help you find your family." Lynne said as the woman slowly shook her head 'no'.
"Home....less." The woman said taking in deep breaths as she struggled to speak.
"N....Na....names?" The woman said in and out of breath.
"I'm....I'm Garrett." Garrett said to the woman.
"I'm....I'm Lynne, ma'am, please, we can get you to a hospital, you'll be okay. Please, try to hold on. Think of your baby, okay? Your baby needs her mother, and....her father, where is the father?" Lynne pleaded to the woman to hold on as tears now welled in her eyes as she pointed in the direction the wendigo had gone.
"Was.....father. Tried....prostitution....but....got preg....baby is his. He....wants it. Don't.....don't let him....have it." The woman cried as Garrett and Lynne looked at each other with shock.
"Keep....away from.....father. Wen...dell....Santi....ago."
The woman now held out the baby to the two of them as Lynne gently took the baby from the woman's arms and held it in hers, it was a baby boy. It couldn't have been more than a month old at least.
"Ga....Garr...ett. Lynne. Please.....take....care of my....my son. Prom...ise....please?" The woman pleaded as her she was breathing her final breaths. Garrett was holding the woman's hand as comforting reassurance.
"We....will, ma'am. I promise." Garrett said to the woman trying to hold back his own tears.
"So do I. What...what's his name? Do you have a name for him?" Lynne asked trying not to cry too.
The woman looked up at the wall of the church building and saw an old torn up poster advertising for the old church's play of 'A Christmas Carol'.
The woman looked back to the two and gave a smile to them.
"Tim....his name is....Tim.....thank......" The woman said as she smiled, but never finished as she breathed her last breath and her hand now slipped out of Garrett's hand.
Garrett and Lynne now looked at each other and the baby before them as he opened his eyes and looked at the two of them, a soft cry now escaping his lips. Lynne began cradling the baby and shushing him holding back tears as Garrett put his hand on Lynne's shoulder and looked the deceased mother.
"It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay Tim. We promise you, it's going to be okay." Lynne said while crying.
What had turned into a night of fun was now a night of sorrow and change for Garrett and Lynne's life.
****************************************
"So that's how little Tim here came into our arms." Lynne said giving the baby a gentle smile as she rocked him gently before she handed him over to Garrett.
"You're lucky to be alive," Tom frowned. "What were you thinking trying to fight a Wendigo?"
"Hey, don't you start shitting on me for saving the babies life!" Lynne exclaimed.
"Hey, careful, no foul language around the him." Garrett said as he held the baby gently.
"Heh, I doubt he understands any of this just yet." Lynne chuckled as she gently touched the baby's face with her index finger and smiled at him.
"Tom, will you help us? We deserve it to that woman." Garrett asked Tom as he looked at the two of them, then at the baby.
"I'll help you find this Wendigo." Tom replied as Lynne gently held Tom's hands in thanks and nodded.
"We'll drop off this little one at my parents house. I'm sure they'll love the little guy." Lynne said as she and Garrett headed out of the office.
"Lynne, I think we should also call my parents and have them meet at your house so we can explain this to them." Garrett suggested as Lynne nodded.
Tom smiled as he watched the two of them walk off keeping an eye on the baby. Of course, Tom had holiday plans with his family, but now that would have to wait a while until this Wendigo situation was dealt with. The first thing he was going to have to do was look at a body in the morgue.