Monster Life

By Toby Danger

Monster High is copyright of Mattel. All other characters mentioned are copyright of their original creators

Chapter 1: The Reunion

Frankie peered through the small window into the examination room, where the small girl was sitting on a metal table. She was hunched over, arms crossed over her lap, and despite the presence of her mother beside her, she looked terribly alone and afraid. She couldn't really blame her, the bare walls of the hospital's exam rooms weren't the most inviting places to be in, especially when you were injured.

She put on her friendliest smile and entered the room. It was time to cheer this kid up.

"Hello there! You must be Monet, right?"

The little girl glanced up at her and nodded.

Frankie knelt down so her face was level with Monet's. "Well, I'm Doctor Stein. But you can call me Frankie. I'm here to make sure your injuries aren't too bad, so you can get back out and about."

The girl shivered slightly, her green eyes downcast. Sensing her worry, Frankie held out her hands.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I'm just going to check to make sure nothing is seriously sore or broken. I'll be really gentle, I promise. And your mom's here, so if I do something wrong she'll tell me off."

Monet glanced up at her mother, who squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Finally she gave Frankie a small smile and a nod.

"Okay then." Frankie smiled back. "Monet, could you please raise your arms in front of you?"

The girl did as she asked, holding her arms in front of her.

"Great. And could you do the same with your other arms?"

Another set of arms, attached to her body directly below her upper arms, were raised in the same manner. This time, Frankie noticed the slight grimace on her face.

"Does one of those arms hurt?"

Monet nodded and pointed at her lower right arm.

"Okay... I need to touch it to know where exactly it hurts, okay?"

Very gently, Frankie held Monet's arm and began to examine it, carefully pressing with her fingers to find anything wrong.

"So... your mother says you were playing in your garden when this happened." She spoke as she continued. "Were you doing something fun?"

Monet seemed uneasy about Frankie's examination, after a moment, she spoke. "I was climbing the tree in our garden. Papa said I wasn't supposed to, but I thought I would be alright." She shrugged. "I wasn't going to climb all the way up.."

She glanced at Frankie's arms, studying her seams. "Did you fall over too?"

"Oh no. I'm just stitched together, that's all. I need these or else I fall apart. And the bits of me start to misbehave.."

Frankie undid the stitches on her wrist and removed her hand, placing it on the table next to the little girl. Monet watched with amazement as, by Frankie's mental command, the hand suddenly hopped up and stood on it's fingertips. It began to dance on the table, performing a little jig with its fingers. Monet giggled with glee as she watched the performance, distracted enough so Frankie could finish her examination.

Finally, she reattached her hand so she could wrap a splint and bandage around Monet's arm. Satisfied that she seemed happy and comfortable with the dressing, Frankie allowed her mother to pick her up and hug her, before leading the two out into the hallway.

Monet's father Mr Francouer was waiting for them, and he cut quite a contrast against his wife and daughter. While they looked human, save for Monet's extra arms, her father was essentially a large humanoid flea in a suit, with four skinny, hairy arms and a smooth face with large green eyes and mandibles next to his mouth. That mouth was currently curled into a smile of relief as he approached his family.

"Ah, my petit, I'm so glad you're alright." He ruffled his daughter's hair. "How is she, doctor?"

"Monet will be fine." Frankie replied. "Luckily, nothing was broken, she just suffered a mild sprain. She'll need to move her arm as little as possible to give it time to heal, but that should only take a couple of days."

She looked at Monet directly. "In the meantime, it's important that you take it easy, and don't do anything to hurt your arm again, ok?"

"Ah oui." Francouer nodded. "No more climbing trees for a while, young lady."

"That's okay Papa." Monet smiled. "We can always play music together instead."

The flea-man laughed happily, before facing Frankie. "I cannot thank you enough Doctor."

"There's no need to sir, I was happy to help." Frankie assured. "You guys are good to go home now, but if anything else comes up just give me a call."

They shook hands, and the family headed towards the exit. Monet waved back at her with both her left arms. "Thank you Frankie!"

Frankie waved back, a warm smile on her face. Even though she'd been working at Salem General Hospital for almost three years now, she never tired of the joyous feeling of seeing her patients going home in good health.

"Another happy customer, eh doc?" A voice with a rough Brooklyn accent spoke beside her. Frankie turned to see one of the newer nurses, a young gorgon named Duzer following her gaze.

"That's the idea. It's lucky that her injuries weren't worse though. A majority of monsters with insect genetics tend to suffer from weak bones, even if they're hybrids like she is."

She rolled her shoulders, stiff from fatigue. "Anyway, I'm about to clock off. Is there anything that needs to be taken care off?"

Duzer checked a clipboard. "Nah, we're all good Doc. I gave Mr Goatgruff his antibiotics a while ago, he's reacting to them well, and Mrs Creeper just had her dressings changed. I reckon it's gonna be a quiet night."

"Well, that's good." Frankie pulled off her white coat. "Because I really need to have this night off."

"Ooh, got a hot date?" Duzer inquired, grinning.

"Not quite. I'm going to my high school's Ten year class reunion."

"Really? Doesn't sound like much fun."

Frankie looked at the nurse incredulously. "Are you kidding? I've been charged up for this all week. Meeting all my old friends, learning what's happened to them since graduation... I've not seen many of them for years."

"Well, I hope you have fun, Doc." Duzer shrugged. "My high school reunion sucked. All the boys I had crushes on were either married or had become total douchebags, not to mention all the people shoving all their success in my face."

Frankie looked worried for a moment, but smiled again. "Well, I'm sure it'll be fun. If I know my friends, they're as eager to catch up with everyone as I am. I just hope I get to see them all..."

With that Frankie folded up her jacket, bade Duzer goodbye, and started walking to the staff locker room. She had only a couple of hours before she had to go to Monster High, where the reunion was being held. Enough time to squeeze into her little black dress, put on some makeup and generally look fabulous. There was a skip in her step as she headed up the corridor.

Illonka pulled herself up through the skylight, the blustering snow pelting her face. It was times like this that she was grateful she was undead, and thus couldn't feel the cold.
A thick coating of snow blanketed the roof of the opera house, but this didn't let this impede her from walking to the air conditioner. Sure enough, the backpack was there, just as her handler had told her. Now all she had to do was get off this roof and get out of the city...

"Illonka!" His rich voice cut through the cold air, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to see him standing by the skylight, a terrified look on his handsome face.

"Tristian.." She murmured, guilt welling up in her. It was bad enough she had to lie to him, but now she had possibly dragged him into her mess as well.

"Illonka, what's going on? Why were those men chasing you?" He moved closer to her. "Please, tell me!"

She avoided looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry darling... but I have to go."

"Go? Go where?! Please, tell me what's going on!"

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself to his chest. "I want to explain... there's so much I want to tell you. But not now. There are hundreds of lives at stake... including yours."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "I will explain everything.. in due time. But for now, you have to hide. These men will kill you if they think you're involved. I'll contact you when I get the chance. Until then..."

She leaned in and gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster, as if it were the last time she would ever kiss him. For all she knew, it very well could be.
"... please wait for me."

She pulled away from him and strapped on the backpack. He watched, stunned and alarmed, as she broke into a run toward the end of the roof. Tristian called out for her to stop, but instead she leaped off the edge.

She yanked at a hidden cord, and the backpack split apart, revealing a set of metallic wings with a compact jet engine attached. The engine roared to life, and she flew off into the night sky, grey exhaust in her wake...

Laura stared at the screen, studying what she just written. It had sounded good in her head, but the image of her elegant vampire character escaping via a jetpack suddenly seemed a little silly.

"Clawd? Do jetpacks actually exist? I mean, could you actually buy one?"

Clawd walked out of the adjoining bathroom, buttoning up his shirt. "I think so. I saw one on TV once, but I don't think you could just go out and buy one from a store."

He glanced over his wife's shoulder to read her text. "I'm pretty sure you can't get one that fits in a backpack though. The real life ones are pretty big."

"I thought so.." She sighed. "This is stupid. A proper spy wouldn't use a jetpack. She'd climb down the side of the building or something... no, that wouldn't work either! Everyone in the skyscraper would see her."

"It's a spy story, babe. I don't think everyone's expecting realism."

"But a lot of spy stuff is realistic these days. Remember that normie movie we rented, Quantum of something...?"

She threw up her hands. "Auugh.. why did I agree to do this story? This spy stuff is totally out of my league!"

Clawd wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Because you wanted a challenge, and your publisher wanted something a little different. And I thought a story about a sexy vampire spy was pretty cool..."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did.." Laura smirked.

Clawd planted a small kiss on her cheek. "You're gonna be fine. The stuff you've written so far is great, and the publisher is gonna love the final draft."

He pulled back and grabbed his suit jacket. "But we'd better put Illonka's adventures on hold. We need to head out if we're gonna get to Monster High in time."

"It's that time already?!" Laura jumped as she checked her watch. She got up and smoothed out her dress. "Give me a moment to touch up!"

She rushed to the bathroom to apply some makeup, not letting her lack of reflection in the mirror slow her down. "Ooh, I can't wait to see everyone again! We have got so much to catch up on.. and our little announcement."

She poked her head out the door and stared at Clawd. "You haven't told anyone, have you? You haven't said it by accident?"

"Relax honey." Clawd smiled back. "The only ones who know about this are you and me."

"Great.." Laura sighed. "I really want to surprise the ghouls, and I definitely don't want Spectra blogging about it to the whole town."

She got excited again as she grabbed a fur shawl to wrap around her shoulders. "I wonder how they're going to react?"

"Can't be any worse than how our parents reacted." Clawd replied, taking her arm in his.

"Dad wasn't that upset." Laura recalled. "Heck, most of the night he was really happy."

"Yeah sure, when he wasn't glaring at me and willing for my head to explode." Clawd shivered slightly, memories of Dracula's disconcerting stare playing in his mind.

Laura giggled and snuggled up to him as they walked out of the room. "Well, this night will be more fun, I'm sure.."

In the back room of a small boutique known as House of Fierce, Clawdeen was focused intently on her sewing machine, stitching together two pieces of fabric as quick as she could without making the seam look messy. She had very nearly reached the end of the seam when the smart phone resting on her design table vibrated. Exhaling a huff of irritation, Clawdeen answered the phone, frowning when she realized who it was.

"Hello again Mr Pyg... yes, everything's ready for the hearing tomorrow... what?" Her eyes widened as she listened to her client's suggestion.

"No Mr Pyg, we can not sue Mr Bigbad for blowing down your brother's houses... Why? Because it wasn't his fault... I'm not being biased because we're both werewolves!"

She fought to keep her voice calm and controlled. "It's a simple fact of physics. Your brothers built their houses with cheap materials and incompetent contractors, that's why they fell down. And as tough as Bigbad is, not even he can physically knock a house down by blowing at it. Trust me, I got several little brothers who have tried it and failed."

She rolled her eyes as Mr Pyg continued his rant. "Yes... okay... don't worry, I promise we'll get everyone a fair settlement... I gotta go now.. see you tomorrow."

She hung up and slammed the phone to the table, a low growl of annoyance rumbling in her throat. Thanks to the call, she wouldn't be able to finish the dress before she had to leave for the reunion. It was times like this that she wondered what lunacy possessed her to practice law in the first place. Surely there were less aggravating ways to supplement her boutique's income. Like trash collecting, or working as Cleo's assistant.

"You alright, love?" A soft, French accented voice spoke. Clawdeen looked up to see Catrine enter. The white-furred werecat wore a set of paint smeared overalls, a clear sign she'd been busy painting in her studio next door.

Clawdeen moved over and embraced her, sighing deeply. "Yeah, just frazzled. I got to get all the Spring Line outfits done by the end of the week, and Mr Pyg's case has really been a pain in the ass."

"Uhh, not that fat fool again." Catrine sighed. "I don't know why you took his case, that Mr Bigbad has the right idea about wanting to kick him out."

"Hey, he's pays well. And he might be a jerk, but he's got a right to build his home on the land he bought from Bigbad." Clawdeen replied. "Still, I'll be glad when we finally get this resolved so I don't have to put up with him anymore."

Catrine kissed her forehead. "Well, let's forget about him. We have to get to the reunion of yours, right?"

"Sure do." Clawdeen stepped back to grab her purse. "Are you sure you really want to come, though? I know these kinds of events aren't your thing...

"It's alright. I have nothing better to do, and I would love to see how our old classmates have fared in the last few years." Catrine sniggered. "Perhaps they have saved the Monster World yet again."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Clawdeen chuckled as she looped her arm around her.

The penthouse office was large, but sparsely furnished. A couple of couches, a large set of storage drawers, and some large pieces of Egyptian artwork displayed on pedestals. It all served to direct attention to the massive, gold plated desk in the center of the room, where the editor and owner of Eternal Ghoul magazine presided over the production of her latest issue.

At the moment she was looking through the final page drafts, scrutinizing every article and picture for anything out of place.
So far, everything pleased her. The latest fashion reports, Spectra Vondergeist's gossip column, a showcase of the best getaway spots in Scaris, an article on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace...

It was when she got to the health and beauty pages that Cleo's elegant eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"Tanis!" She called out for her loyal assistant. "You have a boyfriend, right?"

Tanis, a young mummified woman with linen bandages partially wrapped around her face and body, and weaved into her hair, put down the diePad she had been working on and stepped towards the desk. "Yes ma'am?"

Cleo held out a page. "Read this and tell me.. do these tips sound like anything you would do with your boyfriend?"

Tanis quickly scanned the page. Her pale face blushed red as she read a certain paragraph. "N... no way, ma'am! I could never ask him to do these... I don't even think they're physically possible."

"Yes, I thought so..." Cleo frowned. She switched on an intercom on her desk. "Catherine, could you come into my office please?"

Cleo then clasped her hands in front of her, waiting patiently for the writer to appear with a calm expression on her face. Only Tanis looked slightly nervous. She knew what was coming.

Shortly, a blonde leggy succubus named Catherine entered the office, smiling as if expecting good news. "You called, ma'am?"

"Yes Catherine.. sit down." Catherine took a chair, and Cleo pushed the draft of her article toward her. "I just finished reading your article, '25 Amazing Positions to excite your Manster."

"Ooh, I'm so glad!" Catherine giggled. "I worked my butt off to get it finished in time. I think it's one of the best things I've written for the magazine yet."

"Yes..." Cleo spoke dryly. "That said, I think there need to be a few revisions."

"Erm.. like what?"

"Well for starters, I wouldn't title it '25 Amazing Positions to excite your Manster." Cleo's eye's narrowed. "I would call it '25 Insipid, Insane and Impossible ways to traumatize your Boyfriend and break your back!"

Catherine's eyes were wide with shock. "W..what?"

Cleo's voice rose in anger."Several of these 'positions' of yours are simply variations of things we printed in previous issues, and some of these you've obviously borrowed from other writers! And the new ones you came up with are ridiculous!"

She held up the draft page and pointed at a rather suggestive diagram. "Not even the most flexible shapeshifter could bend themselves into these positions without hurting themselves. And this one! 'Surprise him by lightly whipping him on the butt with a riding crop'?!"

She glared at Catherine. "What are you trying to do, make every single one of our readers single?!"

"I... I didn't.."

"I don't know what crummy rag you used to write for before coming here. Probably that sorry waste of pulp the normies call Cosmo. But at Eternal Ghoul we hold ourselves to a higher standard! Our readers want real, factual content, something that every monster can relate to and understand. Not this phoney garbage which sounds like something ripped off from an awful romance novel."

Catherine seemed ready to burst into tears as Cleo leaned forward and clasped her hands. Her voice was now even. "However.. I'm in a charitable mood tonight, so I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You have two days until we go to print to rewrite this article, with some proper, factual advice. If its up to scratch, you get to write more articles for us. If not..."

She trailed off.. but Catherine got the message loud and clear. She got to her feet, trembling. "Ye.. yes Ma'am. I'll get right on it."

She walked out of the office, sniffling slightly.

"If you don't mind me saying ma'am... that was a bit harsh." Tanis spoke up.

"Call it tough love." Cleo replied simply. "If this encourages her to improve her work, then it'll be worth putting the fear of Ra into her."

"I don't think it's Ra she's afraid of..." Tanis muttered.

"Anyway.." Cleo snapped her fingers. "What's my schedule for tomorrow?"

Tanis checked her diePad. "You have a interview with Michael Booble at eleven, a meeting with the fashion photographers before one, then there's the party for the Egyptian Wing opening at the museum at seven."

Cleo sighed. "Ah, so much to do. I don't know why everyone thinks a person in my position has it so easy."

Tanis rolled her eyes at that.

"Well, I think we're done here. Tanis, you're free to go home. Just tell my driver to have the car ready on your way out, would you?"

"Sure thing ma'am. Going anywhere tonight?"

"Just to my school reunion to meet a few old friends, bask in the adoration of everyone I've ever associated with." Cleo replied gaily.

"So, the usual then?" Tanis sighed. "See you tomorrow ma'am."

Tanis left the office, leaving Cleo alone to gather her thoughts. After a few moments of quiet, she took a deep breath and picked up her phone, selecting a certain number on her speed dial.

"Hello.. yes, it's Miss DeNile... Oh hello Harry! How are you... yes I'm just finishing.. I was just wondering if anything had turned up in the Nefera case..."

Her smile faded as she listened. "Oh, nothing new then. No no, I appreciate your efforts. Please let me know if you discover anything... thank you."

A long sigh escaped her lips as she put down the phone. She looked across her desk at a group of picture frames. Some of her and Deuce, her friends, and most prominently one of her, Nefera and her father, smiling together. The last picture of them together.

Brushing aside her melancholy, she dialed on the phone again, this time calling the Copperhead Restaurant.

The Copperhead was packed with diners, a usual occurrence for a Friday night. With orders coming in thick and fast, the staff were rushing about the kitchen preparing meals, under the close scrutiny of their head chef.

Deuce finished up seasoning two orders of finely seared devilcow steaks, then swiftly moved to a large bubbling pot to take a sip of the soup within.

"This needs a little more mandragora in it." He ordered a nearby chef. He hadn't finished talking before he moved to another chef's station, checking on the cockatrice breasts sizzling on the stove.

"Those look crispy enough, get them ready to go out." He turned to the center prep area, where a man with three heads was swiftly preparing several meals at once. "Freddie, you got that party order ready yet?"

"Almost done Chef!" "Chef presque terminé!" "Chef casi listo!" Freddie's three heads replied in unison, each in a different language.

Deuce nodded, a pleased smile crossing his face as he observed his kitchen crew working away. They were a pretty tight knit group since the restaurant had opened two years ago, and he could always count on them to get the job done.

Well, most of them anyway. His smile faded when he spotted Edd, one of the young trainee chefs they had brought in recently, standing in a corner groaning on a cell phone instead of watching the steaks he was meant to be grilling.

"Edd! What the hell?!" He bellowed as he stepped over, causing the zombie to jump. "You know you're not meant to be calling people in here! And why aren't you watching the steaks?"

"Urrrrgh..." Edd pointed to his phone.

"I don't care if you have a timer on the phone! You watch them to make sure they cook properly! These were meant to be medium rare, not well done!"

"Errrgh!" Edd half-heartedly apologized.

Deuce's eyes narrowed. "You know, I have had it up to here with your bad attitude pal. If you're not gonna take your job in here seriously, then maybe I should put you somewhere where you'll be more useful."

Edd just shrugged, clearly not worried.

Deuce sighed. "Alright then... hold your arms out."

Confused, Edd extended his arms in front of him. Deuce lowered his rimless shades and hit the zombie with a mild blast of petrifying rays. Edd was instantly encased in stone, a surprised look on his face.

Another trainee chef, a catgirl, ran up to Deuce. "Chef! Your wife's on the phone..."

She trailed off when she noticed the frozen zombie. "Oh my..."

Deuce faced her. "It's okay, it'll wear off by tonight. Could you put him by the door for me? I'll take the call in my office."

Leaving the trainee to drag the petrified Edd out of the kitchen, Deuce headed to his office to grab the phone.

"Hey babe... yeah, everything's fine... I was just about to get ready... Cleo, relax, I got my best suit out. I promise, we'll make a real splash when we enter the party... yeah, I'm not my way, I'll pick you up in thirty minutes.. love you too babe."

Hanging up, Deuce grabbed a garment bag hanging from the back of his chair. Minutes later he emerged from the office wearing a finely cut green suit.

"I'm off to my reunion! Freddie, you're in charge!"

"Have fun!" "Amusez-vous!" "¡Que te diviertas!"

Deuce made his way out the kitchen and through the restaurant. As he exited through the front door, he passed by the petrified Edd, who now wore a sign around his neck proclaiming 'Please leave your coats with me.' An entering patron draped her fur coat across his frozen arms.

New Salem Municipal Airport was fairly quiet as night approached, with only a few flights taking off or pulling in for arrival. One such plane, for Nightmair Airlines, was parked as it's passengers made their departure into the airport.

Only one couple didn't immediately enter the building, instead walking slowly towards the rear of the plane where the cargo hold was being unloaded.

A vampire attendant unloading some bags noticed the two, one a tall zombie whose muscular body seemed too large for the Hawaiian patterned shirt and shorts he wore, the other a petite zombie with blue hair wearing a flower patterned dress who linked arms with him.

"Can I help you?" The attendant spoke.

"Errrgh." Moe pointed at the cargo hold.

"You here for your luggage? You have to pick it up in the arrivals lounge."

"Guuuugh, Errrah." Ghoulia spoke up, holding up her and Moe's passports, as well as some papers.

"You brought a large container, and want to make sure it got here okay?" The attendant repeated, glancing at the passports. "Okay, I guess I can let you stay... give me a moment, I'll bring it out for you."

Ghoulia and Moe stood quietly for several minutes as the attendant searched the cargo hold. Eventually he wheeled out a large plastic pod, the shape of an egg and the size of a small couch.

"Well, here you go." The attendant patted the side of the pod. "Man, this is some souvenir. What's in here anyway? I gotta ask.. customs and all that."

"Errrgh." Ghoulia replied, smiling.

"Some old friends?" The attendant blinked, puzzled.

Suddenly, the pod's lid opened slightly, allowing a hiss of trapped air and several liters of water to escape from the opening and spill onto the tarmac.
The attendant nearly fell over in surprise as the lid fully opened, revealing two monsters clad in swimsuits resting inside it, partially submerged in a pool of water.

Lagoona sat up and stretched her arms. "Awww, that feels better. These things are so cramped."

Gil rubbed his stiff legs. "That's the price you pay for getting a submersion pod at the last minute, I guess. Least we didn't dry out during the trip.."

Lagoona turned to Ghoulia. "Oh hey. How was your trip love?"

"Uhhhhh." Ghoulia shrugged.

"Yeah, a bit boring. Me and Gil were asleep most of the time." Lagoona and Gil stepped out of the pod, Gil checking on the aluminum collar he wore around his neck. It stored and provided water to his gills, allowing him to breathe without wearing his old glass helmet.

Gil pulled out some waterproof suitcases. "Sweetheart, which one had the towels in it again..."

Moe reached into his carrybag and produced two towels for the aquatic couple to dry off with.

"Thanks bro... so, when does the reunion start again?" Gil asked.

"Guuuagh." Ghoulia pointed at her watch.

"Not long then." Lagoona noted. "We'd better check into the hotel and get ready."

Moe took their suitcases, and the four started walking toward the airport, leaving the stunned attendant to stare at the pod.

"Gosh, I can't wait to see everyone again. There's so much I want to catch up on..." Lagoona gushed.

The air over the mountain was clear and crisp, with no clouds obscuring the view of the stars. Abbey could have happily stayed atop the cliff all night just to watch them.

But tonight was not that night. Tonight, for the first time in months, she would be making her trip down the mountain, back to Salem and Monster High.

Adjusting her winter coat, She wandered over to her trusty mammoth Shiver, the small baby she had raised now a full grown, massive woolly beast. As Shiver rose to his feet, she checked on the harness securing the saddle to his back.

"You ready to go?" A deep, gruff voice spoke.

She turned to see a huge yeti, powerfully muscular and just as tall as her, standing nearby. Sitting on his shoulder was a small yeti child, clutching his fur jacket.

"Yep." She moved closer to her husband. "You sure you don't want to come?"

Yakov shrugged. "Is fine. Have met your friends already and besides, still have lots of crops to package for sale tomorrow."

Abbey smirked. "So serious. You must learn to let hair down once in while."

Yakov gave a hearty laugh. "Hah, give me some real ale and good food, not that weak stuff those Salem guys drink, and I will show you how I party!"

Abbey smiled and kissed him on the lips, then kissed her son's forehead. "Behave for your papa, alright?"

"Will you come back mama?" The child replied.

"Da, Ivan." She ruffled his messy white hair. "I'll be back in the morning, and we'll all go to the market together."

Ivan hugged her. Happy that her family was well, she turned to Shiver and clambered atop his back. With a command from her, the mighty mammoth began lumbering down the hill. Yakov and Ivan waved to her as she began her descent.

Salem was relatively crime free, but even a small country town had it's share of vandals, drunks and troublemakers. And on weekends, they all seemed to be causing disturbances all at once. Hence, the sheriff's office was full of noise as deputies pulled in various offenders and answered calls.

"MRRRROOOOWWWWW!" A large minotaur bellowed as he was led into the main office. "Gimme mah phone call! I'm nae drunk!"

The deputy leading him in sighed. "Horace, you are one drunk, sorry son of a heifer, you know that?"

"I wasnae even doing anything! I was just walking along!"

"Yeah, walking along, screaming obscenities at passerbys.. and I believe you took a piss on some poor shopkeeper's front entrance. You know, people frown on that kind of thing."

He led Horace to the nearby cells. "Now why don't you sit down, sleep it off, and when you wake up I'll have some nice shiny fines for you to pay..."

Horace suddenly bolted forward, breaking free of the deputy's grasp, and spun to face him. Steam flared from his nostrils.

"Ye dinnae tell me what to do, ye ginger bastard!" He charged forward to gore the deputy with his horns..
And stopped abruptly when the deputy's hand suddenly burst into flame.

Heath stared down the drunken bull. "You gonna calm down now? Or am I gonna have to set something on fire? With the amount of booze you've got in you, you'll probably go up like a roman candle."

Horace quivered and help up his hands in surrender. "I'll be good!"

Heath maintained the flame until Horace walked himself into a cell, then blew it out and locked the door. "Thanks for being so cooperative."

"BURNS!" A deep voice boomed behind him. Heath paled and turned to face the huge, hairy form of Sheriff Growler.

"What have I told you about using those flames of yours at headquarters?!"

"I'm sorry Chief! I was just trying to subdue the perp!" Heath pleaded, intimidated by the large werewolf towering over him.

"Yeah, and the last time you used your damn powers to do that, you started a fire fight with two dragonmen and almost burned the whole damn building down!" Growler barked back.

"Hey, that was ages ago! And I didn't know they were gonna fight back with fire breath!" Heath retorted. His resolve was weakened by the steel eyed glare of his boss.
He lowered his head. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just don't do it again." Growler replied. "Anyway, you'd better get changed."

Heath blinked. "Changed? For what?"

"For your damn school reunion. You've been goin' on about it all week."

Heath slapped his forehead. "Aw damn, you're right! I gotta suit up!"

He rushed to his desk and hastily scribbled out a arrest report. "Man, I am so pumped for this! All those hot chicks who wouldn't go out with me when I was a kid.. I bet most of them will be scrambling to be with me once they see Heath Burns, former loser is now Heath Burns, badass officer of the peace!"

"Badass? Hah!" Growler laughed. "Word of advice kid, that badge ain't exactly a chick magnet. In fact it tends to scare people off."

"Yeah, well I'm different. I've been cultivating the image of the approachable, charming, yet rugged lawman around town.."

Growler laughed again. "Ha! Rugged?! Kid no offense, but the last thing anyone thinks when they see you is rugged."

Heath scowled. "Huh, you'll see. The future Mrs Burns is probably at that reunion, and I'm gonna meet her!"
He grabbed his coat from a chair. "And if you're lucky, I might give you a wedding invite."

"If by some miracle you do get hitched, I'll eat my hat."

"I'll hold you to that, Chief." Heath smirked as he jogged out the office. "See you tomorrow!"
Growler chuckled as he watched Heath leave. "Good luck kid. You're gonna need it."

After parking her old muscle car, Frankie stepped out and checked herself in the side view mirror. Hair looked good, her make-up was perfect, and her black dress with a blue lightning strike running down the side looked freaky fab.

Well, almost. She frowned as she looked at her midsection. Despite it's best efforts, the dress couldn't quite hide the small potbelly she had developed over the years, or how wide her hips and chest had gotten. She couldn't understand how, despite being on her feet most of the day at work, she put on so much weight. She hoped her friends didn't make too much fun of her size.

As she walked out of the parking lot, she looked up at the towering building of Monster High, and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. The school had hardly changed in ten years, still looking as creepy and mysterious as the day she graduated.
She could still see that day in her mind...

"We did it ghouls! We graduated!"
"I know, it's incredible! I actually have a diploma for the first time in hundreds of years!"
"Yeah... it's great.. real great.."
"What's the matter Frankie?"
"My father got a call... I've been accepted into the Ingolstadt academy of Monster Medicine"
"Well, congratulations! That's what you were aiming for, your father's old school right?"
"I know, but it means... I have to leave to go to Germany in a few weeks."
"Oh..."
"I want to be a doctor.. but I don't want to leave here! I love this town, I love you ghouls..."
"For the love of Ra, it's not like we'll disappear the minute you leave. We'll still keep in touch."
"Da, easier than ever nowadays. They still have internet and phones in Germany, no?"
"Yeah... but it won't be the same as being here."
"It won't be the same as before, but we'll still be friends.. we'll just be apart."
"Yeah, and we can always meet up whenever we get the chance.
"You.. you mean that?"
"Sure. I'll spring for the flights to Germany myself."
"We said we'd be best ghoulfriends forever, right? Well, we meant it!"
"You guys... you're amazing. Now I really don't want to go..."
"You better! When we're all rich and famous we'll be coming to the best doctor around for treatment, and that'll be you!"

Frankie smiled at the memory. She might not have been able to stay close to all of her friends, but there were still many she had kept in touch with over the years, and a few who had gotten ever closer since coming back to Salem. She wondered if she'd ever get the chance to meet them all..

"Frankie! Frankie! Over here!" A voice with an unmistakable Romanian accent called out to her. She looked at the school entrance to see Clawdeen, Draculaura, Clawd and Catrine standing by the steps. She broke into a quick step towards them, careful not to break her heels.

Clawdeen hadn't changed much in the ten years, save for completely removing all traces of colouring dye from her hair to maintain a smart appearance for her two jobs. She was dressed in a daringly cut purple and gold dress, no doubt her own design, which clung to her curvier figure. She stood close to Catrine who looked very stylish herself in a Scarisian style grey and purple dress

Draculaura and Clawd looked a lot different from when they had graduated, though it was understandable given the lifestyle changes they had taken on in the last few years. Laura was now slightly plump, her curves filling out her dark pink victorian-style dress, and Clawd wasn't quite as muscular as before, but he still cut a fine figure in his dark suit.

"Oh it's so good to see you!" Laura cried as she and Clawdeen hugged Frankie simultaneously. "It's been so long!"

"We only saw each other a few days ago, over coffee remember?" Frankie replied.

"I know, but we've been so busy lately, it feels like forever."

"How you been, ghoul?" Clawdeen asked.

"Oh you know, business as usual." Frankie replied. "It's the calm before the storm though. Once summer hits we're bound to get lots of patients coming in with the usual summer aliments. Dried up sea creatures, vampires with heatstroke..."

"Ugh, I know what that's like." Laura sighed.

"I sympathize, it is not easy to work during the summer when you have a coat of fur." Catrine added. She stepped toward Frankie and offered her hand. "Bonjour Frankie, it has been a while."

"It certainly has." Frankie replied, shaking her hand. "I think the last time I saw you was at that charity art auction for the hospital."

"Ah yes, I hope the painting I sold was able to help fund your new ward."

"Yeah, that, plus all those children's face paintings you offered really helped us beat our goal. The guy who bought your painting actually donated it to the ward, so it's hanging up there for all the patients to see."

"That is wonderful to hear." Catrine smiled. "It is a shame I have not had a chance to see all your hard work in person. I have been so busy with my latest works and running my gallery..."

"And helping me with prints for my clothes." Clawdeen finished proudly, taking her hand.

"I merely help with a few atheistic touches, the main designs are all her talent." Catrine interlaced her fingers with Clawdeen's.

Frankie giggled under her breath as she watched Clawdeen blush slightly from Catrine's comment. They were genuinely such a cute couple.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar of a motor engine. Everyone turned to see a red cruiser motorcycle racing up the driveway, slowing to a halt near the group.
The rider got off and removed his helmet, revealing a familiar head of flaming red hair.

"Hey hey, Heath's in the house!" Heath cheered as he approached. "Clawd! Looking good!"

"Heath! Good to see you bro." Clawd moved to give Heath a friendly hug.

"Good to see you too!" Heath flashed his best smile at the girls. "And it's really good to see you fine ladies again. Need me to warm you up?"

The girls chuckled and rolled their eyes. Despite the years, Heath's come-ons were as cheesy as ever.

"Watch out man, that's my wife you're hitting on there." Clawd warned jokingly.

"Yeah, and I'm taken too." Clawdeen indicated Catrine, who was glaring at the fire elemental.

"Relax everyone, I ain't out to break your hearts. I know you've all gotten over me, as tough as it was." Heath smirked. "I'm just here to party, have fun and let everyone bask in my general awesomeness."

"Well, I certainly hope this... 'awesomeness' you speak of includes behaving a little better." A refined voice spoke up.

Heath jumped in fright as he realized Headless Headmistress Bloodgood was standing right behind him. Clad in a dark green dress, the head of the school looked as classy as ever.

"Headmistress, it's so good to see you." Frankie spoke.

"Please Doctor Stein, it's just Mrs Bloodgood now, you're not a student here."

"I know, but I can't help it. You're always going to be the Headmistress to me."

"Well tonight, I am merely here to chaperone and catch up with some old friends, so please don't feel the need to be formal." She cast a wry glance at Heath. "I do hope you don't plan to make my job difficult, Mr Burns. I want this night to be enjoyable for everyone."

Heath swallowed nervously. "Er... no problem ma'am!" The girls giggled.

"Well then.." Bloodgood beckoned the girls to follow her. "Tonight is your night, so lets get to the party already. It's in the Hall of Halloween, I'll lead you down there."

The former students followed the Headmistress as she led them inside the building, taking them into one of the long paths through the Catacombs. It took them several minutes before they reached the Hall of Halloween, which had been converted into an all purpose event hall when the girls had graduated.

Frankie was wide eyed as she admired the hall. The Jack-o-Lantern fireplace was in full blaze, and the walls were decorated with streamers and large, blown up pictures of various students and events from 2013. The head of the reunion committee had certainly done a great job of designing this event.. and said head was approaching them right now.

"Ghouls! How delightful to see you!" Cleo held her arms wide as she drew nearer for a hug from her old friends. She looked every inch the woman of power she had become in her shimmering gold dress, decorated with Egyptian symbols. Deuce was by her side, looking smart in his suit as he approached Clawd to shake hands.

"Cleo, this place looks amazing!" Frankie exclaimed as she and the others hugged Cleo.

"Oh, it was no trouble really." Cleo spoke smugly. "The photos were my idea, a nice way to remind everyone of everything we did in that year."

"I see you made sure everyone was reminded of you." Clawdeen spoke dryly, pointing to several photos of Cleo dominating one part of the far wall.

"Well, I was rather remarkable that year.." Cleo fawned. Her friends just rolled their eyes. Clearly Cleo's ego hadn't deflated too much in the last ten years.

"Er.. Anyway, look who made it here!" Cleo gestured toward two familiar friends who were approaching the group with their significant others.

Apart from her blonde hair now cut in a short bob, Lagoona seemed to have hardly changed at all, her fit figure displayed wonderfully in a silk turquoise dress. Next to her, shuffling as elegantly as she could in her red and white dress, was the recently wed Ghoulia Mortavitch.

"Oh ghouls, it's so good to see you again!" Lagoona exclaimed, tears in her eyes. She and Ghoulia hugged the newcomers warmly.

"I know.. it's almost been a year since I last saw you." Frankie replied. "Since you and Gil left for Hawaii."
"Did you just arrive from there?" Laura asked.

Lagoona nodded. "Yep. we got some time off from our research there, but we had a devilfish of a time trying to get a flight out. Luckily, Ghoulia and Moe were returning from their honeymoon, so they offered to let us come along with them."

"Well, we'll certainly want to hear all about your time over there..." Cleo replied, but was interrupted by a loud yell.

"MY FRIENDS! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!" Before she could react, Frankie felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and grasp her in a powerful hug, lifting her off the ground. She yelped in surprise before she was put back down.

"Abbey!" She exclaimed, turning to face her. Abbey was a little thicker than before, but she was still as tall and statuesque as ever, and looked fantastic in a dress patterned with black ice crystals. These facts weren't overlooked by Heath, who immediately began preening his hair and freshening his breath with some spray.

"My friends, I've missed you so!" Abbey declared.

"We've missed you too ghoul." Frankie replied. "You look great."

"So do you. Am glad to see some of you have finally put on curves."

Frankie and Laura blushed slightly. "Is it that noticeable?"

Abbey laughed. "Don't be ashamed, you look good!"

"You got that right." Heath sidled up to Abbey, flashing his best grin. "So Abbey, how about we catch up on old times..."

Deuce grasped Heath's shoulder and spun him around. "Hey, let's go talk to Moe and Gil! I bet they've got some stories to tell!" He began dragging Heath away.

""Dude, what are you doing?" Heath struggled to break free of his grip.

"You know she's married, right?" Deuce hissed at him. He smiled at Cleo. "We're gonna meet with some of the guys, catch up with you later babe!"

Cleo waved good bye as Deuce and Clawd dragged Heath with the, toward the other males.
Abbey shook her head. "Heath still not changed much, I see."

"He's actually a pretty good cop. I see him during some of my cases, he really takes the job seriously." Clawdeen spoke. "When he's off duty though.. it's classic Heath all over again."

"I have a feeling he still feels strongly about you.." Laura murmured.

"Well well, look who it is!" A deep Southern accent boomed. Everyone turned to see a familiar red haired ghoul with a scarred face. "Only the craziest bunch of ghouls to ever grace this fine institution."

"Operetta! "Clawdeen exclaimed. "Wow, I haven't seen you in years!"

"Same here! Been too busy running my damn bar to come down here and see you ghouls" She smiled. "Reckon I rushed down here faster than a greased toad when I got the invite."

"Well, it's good to see you too." Clawdeen hugged her. "Man, we have so much to catch up on..."

"Well,what y`all waiting for? Let's git a table, grab some booze and start talking! I got a ton of tales to tell."

"And I want to hear them." A soft, whisper like voice spoke up. A glow appeared at their feet,and everyone stepped back to witness Spectra Vondergeist float up through the floor, dressed in a sheer evening dress.

"Spectra!" Laura exclaimed. "Oh, I wish I could hug you, but I'd probably pass right through you."

Spectra chuckled. "That's okay, it's wonderful just to see you all again."

"Still running that gossipy blog of yours?" Lagoona asked.

"Of course, when I'm not writing for Cleo." Spectra replied proudly.

"Uh huh. And I suppose you want to hear about all the embarrassing things we've done in the last ten years to fill your latest post, right?" Frankie spoke, smiling knowingly.

"Why, I would never post personal,potentially juicy stories about you ghouls... honest." Spectra pouted."Although, I would like to let everyone know how everyone's been doing in the last few years. I've already interviewed several monsters and gotten their stories."

"Ooh, any interesting ones?" Laura asked, eager for gossip.

"Tell you what, lets get a table and I'll tell all... settle down ghouls." Spectra indicated a large round table in the corner. "It's story time."

It took a few minutes for the ghouls to grab some drinks from the bar, during which they ran into a few old acquaintances who stopped to say hello, but eventually they were all crowded around a small table, where Spectra floated overhead while pointing out various former student bodies.

"No way!" Clawdeen exclaimed as Spectra finished her latest bit of gossip. "I cannot believe... not him!"

"See for yourself." Spectra pointed across the hall at Manny Taur, who looked surprisingly dapper in the tuxedo he wore. He was standing next to a tall, muscular gargoyle while he talked to someone, and it was pretty obvious the two were holding hands.

"Isn't that one of the guys from the Granite High SKRM team we beat? Gary something..." Lagoona asked.

Spectra nodded, and Clawdeen shook her head in amazement. "I'll be damned.. the way Manny kept being a jerk to everyone, I would have never imagined he was into guys."

"I think that was the point. He acted that way so no one would ever suspect." Spectra spoke. "But he's completely out in the open about it now, and he's been apologizing to people he pushed around ever since he got here."

"He certainly looks happier.." Frankie commented, noticing that Manny didn't have the perpetual scowl he'd worn all through his school year.

"Good for him." Laura said. "It's nice to see that so many people found someone after school. There are so many couples here.." She looked across to see Bram and Gory Devein, the couple lavishly dressed and looking every inch the sophisticated vampire couple. Gory was currently nattering to some other vampires about her pregnancy, occasionally rubbing the swell of her stomach for effect, while Bram watched her proudly.

"And some really unexpected ones too..." Frankie added. She cast her gaze over to none other than Hoodude Voodude, the living cloth doll cutting a surprisingly dashing figure in his stitched together suit. He stood arm in arm with his partner, a rather adorable human sized wooden puppet in an 20's style dress named May O'Gany. The two were talking to Headmistress Bloodgood, occasionally looking at each other adoringly. Frankie smiled, thinking of how Hoodude and May had taken over Mrs Kindergrubber's foster home after she had passed away. She was pleased that the boyfriend she had accidentally created had found happiness after experiencing a lot of bad luck in his life.

It made her think of the other men in her school life. Were Jackson and Holt attending the reunion? She had always regretted how things had ended between them, and had never got the chance to patch things up before he had left Salem.
Maybe she would be able to rekindle their friendship if she got the chance to meet him... them. And after that.. who knew where things could go.
It would be nice to have that feeling of being in a relationship again.

"...and Ivan rode mammoth with his father for first time. He was so happy!" She returned to the conversation Abbey had now started about her family. "Will not be long before he is hunting yak too."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Lagoona cooed.

Cleo raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he like, four? Isn't that a little young for hunting?"

"Is not unusual. I was hunting jackrabbits before I learn to read." Abbey shrugged.

"That explains a lot.." Cleo looked disturbed. "Still, I must commend you Abbey. I thought you were crazy for wanting to go back to the mountains after spending time here, but it seems you've done well for yourself up there."

"Well, always meant to return to village. Wanting to modernize my home and make life better for my people was reason for going to Monster High in first place."

"And who has that been going?"

"Has been slow. My people very resistant to change. But we have internet and phones now to talk to people, a few machines to help with making clothes and food to sell, and more girls are copying modern fashion styles. So, we are doing okay." Abbey spoke proudly. "I am still sad I never became pro snowboarder on the side, but I am happy with how life has turned out."

"Yeah, I know that feeling." Clawdeen said. "I always imagined I'd be famous and owning a huge fashion line with shops all over the world by this time. Now I got one small shop and I do law on the side to help keep it afloat. The most exciting thing I've done this month was pick out new materials and colours for my spring line and help some families get back some money they were cheated out of."

She smiled wistfully. "But you know, I couldn't be happier. I'm making clothes and I'm helping people out. Can't ask for more than that."

"Me too honey." Operetta smiled. "I still remember when I first got signed to DeadHead Records. I thought I was finally gonna be living the life of a rock star."

She frowned. "Instead I spent most of the time being pushed around by yes men tellin' me how to dress, what my songs should sound like, ruining my creativity and sucking the fun out of the whole thing.. is it any wonder my first single only got to number twelve in the charts?"

"I thought it was a great song." Laura consoled.

"Ah, would have been better if I hadn't gone through all that damn rigmarole just to get it released." Operetta shrugged. "Still, least I made some money out of it. Thanks to that I was able to open my bar. Now I can sing what I want, how I want, and my customers keep coming back for more. And that's all I need."

Frankie sighed, resting her head on her hand. "It's funny how things turn out sometimes. You set out for one goal, but you end up with something completely different. And sometimes, that thing is better than you ever expected."

Operetta and Clawdeen nodded in agreement, while Cleo suddenly frowned as she noticed a certain figure.
"Speaking of the unexpected.. look who's shown up."

Everyone followed her gaze to see a orange furred werecat, clad in a red evening dress, talking to some female alumni.

"Is that Toralei?" Frankie exclaimed.

"What's she doing here?" Cleo spoke disdainfully. "I thought she finally got expelled our graduating year."

"No, she was just suspended after she beat up that student. She missed the ceremony, but she still graduated." Lagoona recalled.

"I wonder why she's here.. I recall she was never fond of the school." Catrine asked.

"Perhaps planning another of her stupid pranks." Abbey growled.

Laura blinked as she noticed Toralei turn and walk towards their table. "Oh my Goth, she's coming this way! What do we do?"

"Tell her to piss off, what else?" Clawdeen shrugged.

"Come on ghouls, let's be polite." Frankie admonished. "We're adults now, lets act like it."

The ghouls watched Toralei warily as she approached the table. She looked remarkably different from her high school days, her once lithe figure now thicker, her hair longer and thicker, and a slight, weary look in her eyes. Despite that, she still had her familiar smirk on her face as she gazed over the groups.

"Hi there... should have known I'd find you ghouls all together again." She purred.

"Toralei! It's er... so nice to see you." Frankie said lamely.

"Nice to see you too.. though I don't think everyone shares your sentiment." Toralei replied, glancing at everyone's accusing stares.

"Toralei." Cleo said bluntly, hands clasped under her chin. "Must say I'm surprised to see you here."

"I could say the same for you. I figured you'd be too busy being Queen of the World to hang out with ordinary plebs like us."

"For your information, I helped organize this event." Cleo replied smugly. "What reason do you have to be here?"

"I wasn't going to come, but Bloodgood asked me to keep an eye on things, and make sure no one acts like an idiot." Toralei sighed.

Cleo's eyes widened. "Why would Headmistress Bloodgood ask YOU of all people to chaperone?"

"Well, I do work here now. I'm the Clawculus teacher."

Everyone's jaws dropped at that revelation.

"You teach here?!" Clawdeen gasped. "Willingly?"

Toralei just shrugged. "Well yeah. I did pick up a few things from that math camp you sent me to, might as well use them."

She tensed up. "Speaking of which... you remember how that happened?"

Laura scowled. "You mean when you tried to get us expelled so you could become a fearleader again? Yeah, that kinda stuck in our minds."

Toralei took a deep breath. "Well.. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doing that, and for doing all the other awful crap I did to you."

The group's eyes grew even wider.

"Di.. did we just slip into some bizarre alternate universe, or did she actually apologize to us?" Cleo spat out.

Toralei looked very annoyed. "Really? Is it that much of a stretch to believe I might have matured in the last ten years?"

She glared at their incredulous faces. "I guess so.. sorry to bother you." She turned to walk away.

"Toralei, wait!" Frankie called out, stopping her in her tracks. "We're sorry!"

She turned back to see Frankie's apologetic look. "It's just... we never heard anything about you for years after we left school, and after the way you acted.. we kinda assumed the worst, you know."

The werecat sighed. "Yeah.. guess I can't blame you."

"But if you say you've changed, then we're willing to give you a chance, right guys?" Frankie looked at her friends, who all gave wary nods of agreement. Even Cleo managed a shrug.

"Would you like to join us?"

Toralei seemed hesitant, but she then broke into a smile.

"Ah, why not? I'm kinda curious to know what you losers have been up to."

"Back at you." Frankie grinned. "Take a seat."

"..And then, he started charging at me with a knife! Instinct kicked in. I grabbed his arm and tossed him over my head and onto the ground!" Heath enthusiastically waved his arms as he told another story from his days on Salem's police force. "It was totally epic, like something out of Stalker, Texas Ranger!"

Deuce, Clawd, Moe, and Gil stared at Heath with skeptical and incredulous stares.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that guy could sue you for that.." Clawd spoke.

"Ah no worries!" Heath waved it away. "The guy was selling drugs to teens, no lawyer around here is gonna stick up for him."

"For your sake I hope not..."

Gil shook his head. "I still can't quite believe it. Heath Burns, lawman. How on earth did you convince them to give you the job?"

"Good looks and charm, old buddy!" Heath grinned. "That, and I studied my ass off to pass the test. Plus, Sheriff Growler gave me a chance to work under him. Said he wanted me to make something of my life."

"Can't say I blame him." Clawd smirked. "I recall he was always locking you up for getting rowdy in the streets after too many beers on the weekends. Guess he got tired of you taking up the drunk tank."

"That only happened a few times!" Heath spat back. "I was young and dumb back then, man! But I've totally changed."

"True, you're not young anymore."

"Hah de fricking hah..."

Deuce patted Heath's shoulder. "We're just joking bro. Seriously, we're all proud of you for sticking with it."

Heath rubbed his hair bashfully. "Thanks guys.. that means a lot."

He noticed two attractive females walking by, and put on a sly smirk. "Only thing that could make this night better would be to go home with one of these fine honeys I've seen tonight. Or win back the heart of a certain ice queen..."

"Oh boy.." Clawd huffed.

"Dude, if you're thinking of hooking up with Abbey, forget it." Deuce warned. "Despite what you think, she's happily married to that Yakov guy. And you really don't want to mess with that guy's wife. I've seen him, he's huge."

"I know, I know.." Heath sighed. "Guy can dream though, right?"

"You gotta move on man. It's not healthy to dwell on the past. For all of us." Deuce cringed slightly, recalling how Heath had been a sobbing wreck when he and Abbey had split up just before graduation.

"You're right." Heath nodded. "Somewhere in here is the woman of my dreams, and I'm gonna find her!"

He took a long swig of his drink and started walking towards the dance floor. "I wonder if Twyla is around, she was pretty cute.."

"Hi Heath..." A whispery voice spoke up. Heath turned around, only to see an empty space before him. Suddenly, Twyla and Invisi Billy materialized just inches before him.

"Gah!" He jumped back in fright, flames leaping off his head.

Billy slapped his knee. "Hah! That one never gets old."

Twyla rolled her eyes. "Ugh, do you ever act mature?" She smiled at Heath and the others. "Hey guys, how are you?"

"We're all doing well..." Clawd spoke, noticing how closely together Twyla and Billy stood. "So, did you two come here together?"

Twyla laughed and wrapped her arms around Billy. "We've been dating for two years or so now. Though I suppose you might not have noticed..."

"Yeah, we just moved in together." Billy spoke proudly. "I pretty much owe my entire career to her. If was wasn't for her waking me up when I need to go to a gig, I would have been out of a job ages ago."

"I wouldn't need to if you would just get some sleep at regular hours.." Twyla huffed.

"I'm fine, I get enough sleep.."

"I'm a boogeyman, honey." Twyla smirked knowingly. "Don't try to argue with us about how sleep works. You'll lose to us every time."

Billy just sighed, knowing she was right. In the background, Heath sighed and reached for another drink.

"Hey Deuce, guess what? We finally got round to having a meal at your restaurant." He spoke to Deuce. "It was fantastic! I never knew you could fry basilisk tongues with butter and chives. Hell, I didn't even know you could eat basilisk tongues before I came to your place."

"Thanks. Always nice to hear from a happy customer." Deuce smiled.

"Think you can squeeze me and Lagoona in?" Gil asked. "The in-flight magazine raved all about your place. I gotta try it."

"Sure thing bro. Though I have to warn you, we don't have a lot of seafood dishes."

"Heh, I could do with a change from seafood. It's practically all we ate in Hawaii."

"Hawaii, eh? On vacation?" Twyla asked.

"No, research. Lagoona and I work for a company called Oceanic Research and Conservation Association. We travel around studying marine life, clean up the coasts and oceans and make sure people keep it that way."

"ORCA? Isn't that run by er.. humans?"

Gil grinned. "Yeah, but when two water monsters who can swim to tremendous depths for several hours without oxygen apply for a research job, they tend to make exceptions."

"Pretty sweet gig though. You must travel a lot."

"That's a plus, sure.." Gil sighed. "But it's a lot of work, and it gets a little disorientating, never staying in one place for too long. Luckily, Lagoona and I might be working at a permanent location in the near future, so you might be seeing a lot more of us."

He faced Clawd. "So, how's the shoe company going?"

"They're not shoes, they're 'bespoke training footwear." Clawd grinned. "But yeah, the company is doing fine. More stores are stocking our shoes and our online orders are through the roof. Though it's a little boring now I'm stuck in the office managing all the business stuff most of the day. I miss when I was helping make the shoes, you know? Least I'm still helping design them.."

"Aw yeah, that's right! You make those awesome Beasties sneakers nowadays!" Billy exclaimed. "They're the most wanted shoes right now. Everyone and their mom is trying to get a pair."

Clawd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, we're not that popular just yet. That's just those crazy sneaker collectors talking..."

Moe suddenly raised his hands and let out a series of groans. Everyone looked at him with surprise.

"Whoa, big annoucement? Heath gasped. "What's up?"

"Mooaaaaggggghh. Maaagghnnd!" Moe groaned proudly.

Heath's jaw dropped. "No way! You're opening another branch of your deli in Portland?!"

Billy's face was euphoric. "I... I can finally buy the famous Mortavitch Cheese Brain Steak sandwiches near my home?" He rushed forward and hugged Moe. "I love you man!"

Moe just shrugged.

It was then that Clawd spotted a head of dark hair with blond highlights mingle through the crowd as it approached them. The person stepped forward, revealing a slim man in a yellow trimmed black suit. He adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"Uh, hey guys." He waved nervously.

Clawd did a double take. "Jackson? Is that you?"

"In the flesh." Jackson smiled."It's good to see you guys again, you look great."

"You too bro." Deuce patted Jackson's shoulder. "Man, it's been years since we last saw you. You still studying all that weird chemistry stuff?"

Jackson nodded. "That's more of a side project these days. Lately I've been working in psychology, helping patients get through mental problems." He smiled crookedly. "Something I know a lot about..."

"Good to hear. And how's Holt doing?"

Jackson sighed. "Still rocking with his friends in the music biz. He's calmed down a little since we moved to Screattle... not much, but..." He shrugged. "At least he's not as bad as he used to be."

"Guess you two have got things figured out, huh?" Gil queried.

"We still disagree a lot on things, but at least we're not trying to sabotage each other's life now. It's not perfect, but we get by. Holt said he'd show up later to meet you guys once the music gets a bit more exciting..."

Jackson glanced around the hall. "By the way.. did Frankie show up at all?"

"Yeah, she's here, she went with the other ghouls to catch up." Clawd replied, grinning knowingly at his old friend. "Why do you ask? Looking to spark things up with her again?"

Jackson blushed slightly. "Well, sort of.. we kinda ended on a bad note when we left school.. I need to talk to her about it."

"I know that feeling.." Clawd sighed, a distant, uncomfortable memory of his relationship with Laura after graduation briefly surfacing.

He shook it off, thinking of a much happier memory he needed to relate to his friends. "But before you go, I need to tell you something. All of you guys."

Jackson adjusted his glasses and edged closer, alongside Deuce, Gil and Moe. "What is it?"

Clawd's smile grew even wider. "Moe's not the only one with some big news..."

Operetta walked to the table, a tray full of drinks in her hands. "Alright ghouls, got yer refills!"

She began handing out drinks. "Lemme see, formaldehyde on the rocks, that's Frankie, Black Velvet for Clawdeen, Bathatten for Cleo, Green Lagoon.. Lagoona, White Russian.. Catrine, Bloody Mary for Spectra, Pink Kitty for Tora, and some beers for me and you." She handed a large bottle of Deadweiser to Abbey.

"Skol!" The yeti cheered, taking a large swig.

"I guess this is yours then." Operetta passed a glass of Crypt Cola, the only non alcoholic drink to Laura.

"Ooh, thank you." Laura reached into her purse and produced a small glass vial, containing a red liquid. She poured a small amount of the liquid into her cola, turning it dark red. Toralei's nose caught a scent of the mixture.

"Is that... blood?" She stared wide eyed at the petite vampire. "You drink blood now?!"

"Only in small amounts, and not by choice." Laura huffed. "I had a bad case of anemia a few years ago, and my doctor.." She frowned at Frankie, who grinned back. "..pretty much ordered me to get some blood in my system every day. Fortunately, she said I could mix it with some other stuff to mask the taste. Unfortunately, I decided to mix it with milkshakes and smoothies."

She pointed at her curvier hips. "You can guess where they all went."

Toralei shrugged. "Eh, you look better like that."

Laura giggled. "Clawd certainly thinks so..."

"So.." Toralei leaned closer. "You still writing those cheesy romance novels?"

Laura looked offended. "They aren't THAT cheesy!"

"Really?" Toralei raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't your first book some kind of 'You Got Mail' rip-off with vampires and werewolves?"

"Okay, they were a little cliche, but I've gotten better!" Laura pouted. "In fact, I'm writing a new book right now. It's about a vampire who gets inducted into the CIA as it's first monster spy, and sets off on an adventure to stop an evil mastermind from destroying China. There's action, drama, a little bit of romance.."

"Huh, that actually sounds pretty cool." Toralei said. "It's not as racy as your other stuff, is it?"

"Not too much.."

"Good. Maybe I could get it to read to my kid, she loves that kind of stuff.."

"Yeah, it's not too.." Laura stopped. "Wait.. did you say..."

"You have a KID?!" Clawdeen exclaimed.

Toralei rolled her eyes. "Uh yeah. Not exactly a big deal. Lots of monsters here have kids now."

"Yeah but you?" Lagoona spoke. "No offense, but we never took you as the nurturing, motherly type."

"True.. but you'd be amazed how your outlook can change when you actually have your own kid."

Toralei took her wallet from her purse and drew out a small photograph, holding it up for the others to see. It depicted her with a small werecat girl, her red hair tied up in multiple pigtails. Both of them were grinning for the camera.

"This is Nekora." She smiled proudly.

"Awww, she's so cute!" Laura squealed.

"Yeah.. sometimes.." Toralei sighed. "Most of the time however, she can be a real terror. She never sits still, she's always getting into mischief.. I dread to think what Felix and Whiska are going through."

"Who?"

"Meowlody and Purrsephone's parents. They let me stay with them and the twins when I was raising Nekora."

Cleo scanned the room. "Where are your cronies anyway?"

"Eh, they're probably with their husbands, bragging about their kids.." Toralei spotted the two werecat twins at the far end, both of them dressed in identical black dresses. They each stood by the side of two tall broad shouldered men with blond hair, also identical to each other.

"Hey, those are those two goons Lilith van Hellscream had follow her around." Lagoona recognized.

"Yep. Fred and Ted Guunderson. They're actually pretty nice guys, they just had to grow out of that whole fratboy stage.." Toralei spoke.

"Oh my Goth, I heard about those two when I started my internship." Frankie spoke up. "It was in the news! Twin sisters who fell for and married twin brothers, and both couples gave birth to triplets! It was amazing.. the chances of that happening are unbelievable."

"I still can't believe it, and I have to babysit those brats on occasion." Toralei huffed. "I'd rather teach my classes for a whole day."

"So, you teach Clawculus here, huh?" Clawdeen probed. "What's that like?"

Toralei shrugged. "Eh, it's a pretty good gig. The pay's alright, and it's always different and interesting."
She smirked evilly. "Plus, I get to boss around thirty annoying teenagers for several hours."

The ghouls all looked at her with worried glances. Toralei laughed it off. "Oh they're not all bad! Some of them are pretty cool kids..."

"But hey, enough about me." She leaned forward to look the ghouls in the eyes. "So what have you guys been up to?"

"Uhhhhh. Errrghh." Ghoulia spoke up.

"Huh, working at the M.A.D Scientific Institute, should have figured.."

"Guuurgh, errrgh buugh." Ghoulia continued. Torelei frowned.

"You're researching what? That went way over my head."

"Mine too, and I have a medical degree." Frankie agreed.

"Uhh." Ghoulia shrugged.

"And you?" Toralei asked Frankie. "Must be pretty exciting, being a doctor and all."

"It can be. Why one time..." Frankie paused as she tried to think of a particularly interesting event from the last year.

"Erm.. actually... it's been pretty quiet this last year. Nothing really major, just the usual accidents, injuries and surgeries."

She felt dismayed for some reason. She loved her work dearly, so why couldn't she muster up enthusiasm for it right now?

"Guess it's not all action and drama like on TV, huh?" Toralei said.

"True.." Frankie sighed. She felt bad for saying it like that. As if she should have said something more interesting.

"Well, besides those riveting tales..." Cleo spoke dryly. "Things have been really exciting on my end. The magazine has been doing well, subscriptions to the diePad version have gone through the roof. Especially since we did that interview with David and Icktoria Heckham..."

She smiled as she remembered something. "And there was that Goresachi photoshoot in Scaris with the new spring line we shot before anyone else.. ohh, and coverage of the red carpet at the Grimmeys! That was fantastic. Oh! And the after party with One Resurrection!"

"Yeah yeah, we get it." Clawdeen huffed. She'd heard enough about Cleo's exploits with the rich and famous over the last year.

"And that's not all." Cleo's expression turned smug. "In a few months, I'll be heading to Devilia with my team to cover the biggest event of the year."

"What is Devilia?" Abbey asked.

"A small country somewhere is Europe, ruled almost entirely by monsters. The Crown Prince, Demitri Maximov is getting married to Countess Morrigan of Makai. A veritable who's who of the creme de la creme of the upper crust has been invited, including me!"

"How did you get an invite?" Spectra asked.

"What can I say, the Countess is an avid reader." Cleo shrugged. "It's so exciting! I'll be meeting and greeting all the major players in the Monster Federation, hanging out with royalty for the first time in years, and everyone will want to read about it! It will be the crown jewel of my career!"

She sat back, arms held out wide. "Feel free to be jealous."

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "Of what, your enormous ego?"

"So, how does Deuce feel?" Frankie asked.

"Oh, he's excited. We've haven't gone abroad together in a long time, not since we visited his Aunt Scylla in Greece. Hopefully we'll have some time after the wedding to sightsee, Devilia is said to have some wonderful romantic spots."

"Sounds great.." Frankie replied, though there was a touch of unease in her voice.

"You're so lucky Cleo." Laura spoke up. "Clawd and I have been so busy with our jobs, we've had no chance to go on a nice vacation together. I mean, we spend a lot of nights together, which is lovely, but a change of scenery wouldn't hurt. I totally want to visit Goremont again..."

"I know what you mean." Clawdeen sighed. "I want to go somewhere with Catrine for a getaway, maybe New Yuck. But with her schedule and all the work I gotta put in for the Spring collection, we've just got little to no time to spare.."

She looked at Lagoona. "Lucky you don't have that problem. You and Gil get to go to all these exotic locations. Skull Shores, Australia, Thailand..."

"Hey, it's not like we laze about in the surf all day!" Lagoona frowned. "We're busy the moment we're sent in. If we're not cleaning up coasts or searching for research specimens, we're writing up reports and holding presentations and courses to educate other people about what we do. Gil and I have had hardly any time for ourselves."

"Sorry.." Clawdeen apologized. "I guess I forgot how much work it takes to look after the planet."

"Yeah... but you know what they say, it doesn't feel like work when it's something you love. All the work Gil and I have done.. I really feel like we've made a difference, even a small one. And it's really helped out relationship. We've become closer these last few years, especially when we do get a chance to have time to ourselves."

She smirked. "Like, we went on a treasure hunting expedition a few weeks back, found a nice little alcove 200 feet below the sea, and well..."

She blushed slightly, letting everyone know exactly what had happened in that alcove. "In the past Gil would have never dared do something like that. He'd be shaking like a jellyfish and worrying about getting eaten. Nowadays..." She giggled.

"Well, it's great that he's broadened his horizons, so to speak." Spectra chuckled.

"Still, it's a shame you have to travel so much. We've really missed having you guys around." Frankie said.

"You won't have to worry about that soon. ORCA are setting up a new research center and marine wildlife sanctuary in Astoria Bay near here, and they've asked us to help set it up and run it. It will be specially designed to look after and research some of the more exotic creatures which swim down there from Gloom Beach."

"Wow, that sounds great."

"Well, you can thank our local governor and her ecology platform for that." Lagoona glanced over to look at Venus McFlytrap, who looked like a completely different monster with her full head of hair and immaculate business suit.

"It's a really great opportunity for us, plus it means we get to spend more time in Salem, closer to our families and you ghouls." She flashed a sad smile. "Traveling around the world is fantastic and all, but we've really missed being able to spend time with the people we love face to face. I mean, look at all the stuff we've missed out on. We weren't there when Clawdeen opened her shop, or when Ivan was born.."

She looked at Ghoulia. "And I'm really stewed that we weren't able to come to your wedding. I saw the video you sent us, you looked beautiful."

"Ehhhh!" Ghoulia smiled.

"Still, I wish I'd been there. It was a fantastic ceremony. In fact..."

Lagoona held out her right hand, which she had been holding clasped with her other one throughout the conversation, to reveal a large ring with a shining white pearl embedded in it.

"I was hoping you could give me a few ideas for my wedding."

Simultaneously her friends all squealed loudly.

"Ohmighoul! Gil proposed!"

"Wow.. took his damn time.."

"By Ra, that ring's gorgeous!"

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks.." Lagoona grinned brightly.

"That is so wonderful Lagoona!" Laura gushed. Her happy expression fell suddenly. "Oh, but.. oh, this puts me in a spot."

"Why? What's up?"

"Well, I had this really amazing news to tell everyone.." Laura looked bashful. "But after hearing about your engagement.. the last thing I want to do is steal your thunder."

Lagoona chuckled. "I think there's enough thunder for all of us to go around. Go on love, tell us your news."

"Okay!" Laura shot to her feet, everyone's eyes on her. A nervous smile plastered her face.
"Well.. so, I was feeling a little off while on my last book tour in Screattle, so Clawd and I went to a local doctor there and.."

She paused for dramatic effect, before finally bursting out. "I'm pregnant!"

Once again, everyone simultaneously squealed.

"Oh my.. that's wonderful!" Frankie hopped up and hugged her.

"Congratulations!" Lagoona cheered. "How far along are you?"

"Oh thank you.." Laura's eyes were teary. "It was such a surprise, the doctor told me I was about a month or so along. I wasn't even aware until I started feeling a little nauseous."

Clawdeen stepped up to hug her sister-in-law. "I'm so happy for you guys.. but man, now I got another niece or nephew to buy presents for. My family is gonna bankrupt me."

Laura giggled. "We'll try not to spoil her.. or him too much."

"This is joyous news!" Abbey raised her arms. "You know what we must do? We must have knocking up party!"

"Excuse me?"

"Is tradition is my village. When someone is with child, we throw huge party to celebrate new life." She grabbed Laura's shoulders and pointed towards the bar. "Come, we already have music, we must get more drinks!"

"Sounds like my kind of celebration!" Toralei grinned.

"Erm, I don't think I should be drinking alcohol in my condition.." Laura said.

"No problem. You will drink mead instead! They serve mead here, right?"

"No wait.." Before she could protest, Abbey was carrying her toward the bar, Toralei and Operetta following close behind. The other ghouls chuckled at the sight of the protesting vampire.

Frankie's laughs were quieter than the others though. She was lost in thought, thinking about her life.

Sometime later, the ambient music was replaced by more uptempo dance songs, and many of the guests were on the dance floor, dancing alone or with another. Frankie stood near their table, sipping from a drink as she watched her friends.

Laura and Clawd, Gil and Lagoona, and Ghoulia and Moe were currently jiving away on the dance floor. Abbey sat at the table, happily swigging away at a large jug of beer while singing a loud Yetish shanty with Toralei and Operetta. Clawdeen and Cleo were chatting away about fashion, occasionally laughing at each others jokes. Deuce and Catrine sat near their loves, having a conversation of their own. Spectra floated overhead, typing away on a tablet.

Her friends were all here, together and happy with their lives and each other. So why did she feel so blue?

This strange feeling had come over her ever since the others had told their stories. Was it jealousy? It couldn't be that, she'd never felt happier or prouder of her friends. They had all worked hard to achieve their goals, just as she had.

So why did thinking about her life give her this cold feeling inside?

"Hey Jeckyll!" A loud voice boomed out. She turned to see Manny Taur standing before a lanky man in a suit. She did a double take when she realized it was Jackson. He had actually come!

"I've been looking for you!" Manny boomed, a frown set on his face.

"Y..you have?" Jackson replied nervously. Frankie wondered if she would have to step between them.

"Yeah, to tell you this!" And before Jackson could react, Manny had his broad arms wrapped around him. Tears fell from the minotaur's eyes.

"I'm sorry man! All that crap I put you through in school.. I was going through some bad stuff in my life, and I was always pissed off and.." He sniffled. "Can you ever forgive me?!"

"Um.. sure Manny." Jackson replied humbly.

Manny looked delighted, and hugged Jackson once again. "Thanks man! If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'm your monster."

Jackson just smiled and gave Manny a warm handshake. The minotaur walked back to his partner, giving Frankie a chance to approach him.

"Jackson.. hi."

Jackson audibly gasped as he looked at her. "Frankie! Wow.. you look incredible."

Frankie felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Thanks.. you look great yourself."

He certainly did. His lanky frame had filled out with a bit of muscle over the years, and he looked quite dashing in his expensive looking suit. But the dorky, yet kind expression on his face was still there, along with those deep blue eyes.

"It's great to see you again. I must admit, I was a little worried you wouldn't show up."

"Hey, I didn't hate the school that much!" Jackson replied. "Sure, this place drove me up the bend sometimes, but some of my best memories are also here."

"Mine too.." She smiled. "A lot of great things happened here.."

"Including the first time we met." Jackson added. Frankie blushed even harder as the memory of their first meeting rushed through her mind. Was he flirting with her?
The music suddenly shifted to a slower R&b tune. She noticed a few couples were closing together for a slow dance, including Draculaura and Clawd.

"Care to dance?" Jackson extended a hand toward her.

"S..sure!"

They stepped towards each other, Jackson taking her hands and leading her in to a gentle shuffle around the dance floor.
Several moments passed in comfortable silence, though Frankie felt herself growing more excited and anxious at the same time. It felt wonderful to be dancing with the man.. men she had cared so much about in school once again, bur she knew one of them would have to bring up the past eventually.

"This takes me back.." Jackson spoke softly after a while. "Reminds me of when we danced at the prom."

"Yeah.. that was a wonderful night.." Frankie sighed. "Though it was a shame you had to keep skipping out so Holt could dance with Operetta."

"Yeah.." He frowned in annoyance. "I wouldn't have minded so much if he had at least told me about Operetta. Every time the music switched I kept waking up in her arms instead of yours."

"And boy was she mad when she found out why Holt kept leaving her so you could dance with me." Frankie chuckled.

"I got that when she started flinging drinks at us."

They both laughed at the memory, though Jackson didn't seem quite as amused.

"..the day after wasn't so great though."

Frankie nodded. That had been the day when they had decided to stop dating and remain friends, two weeks before they graduated and Jackson left town for college. It had been an amicable split, with no hurt feelings between them... just a lot of regret.

"I know... I felt so bad about breaking up after that night. We were both so upset.." Frankie sighed. "I should have tried harder to keep us together, find a way all three of us could be happy."

Jackson held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Hey, none of it was your fault. It was me.. us. After that night, Holt and I realized we would only keep hurting you if we kept trying to sabotage each other's lives. We had to really figure out a way to live together without driving each other up the wall."

"And have you?"

"More or less. First thing we did was agree to a schedule so we could both have time to ourselves, and to promise not to intrude into the others life unless it's important. Fortunately we've got flexible schedules at our jobs, so he can work without dragging me away from my job and visa versa. I do my medical work some days, he produces music during the others. As long as we keep talking to each other and stick to our schedules, we get by alright. And there's also this."

He reached into his pocket and brought out a small vial full of a yellow liquid.

"It took a bit of research into Henry Jekyll's old formulas and our own genetic makeup, but I was able to come up with this. It acts as a sort of inhibitor to... well, whatever the heck in in our blood which makes us able to transform. I can drink it and instantly convert into Holt, or vice versa. We... well, Holt calls it, 'Switcheroo Juice'."

"So now you can switch back and forth without having to rely on music. That's fantastic!" Frankie applauded.

"Yeah, it's handy if we need to switch over in a hurry for whatever reason." Jackson sighed. "Though sometimes Holt forgets to take some whenever he's hanging out too late with his music industry buddies. The next thing I know, I waking up late for work after he's been up all night.

"He's a producer, surely he has to mingle with people he works with."

"Yeah fine. But did he really need to spend an entire night partying with Catty Noir and her entourage when I needed to hold a presentation in the morning?"

Frankie chuckled again. "Other than that, I guess you guys have got everything sorted out."

"I guess so.." Jackson smiled, and to Frankie it was one of the most heartwarming things she had ever seen. She'd seen Jackson and Holt go through a lot of grief and confusion over their dual nature, Jackson especially. She had tried her hardest to accommodate the both of them during their brief time dating, but ultimately learning to co-exist was something they would have to do themselves.

And they had finally achieved it. And maybe now, she could finally have the relationship they had never had back in high school.
If nothing else, it would be nice to truly reconnect with him after so long.

Frankie gulped. It had been a very, very long time since she had asked someone out on a date, and she just prayed she didn't spark out and say something stupid.
"Jackson.." She spoke carefully. "I'd love to hear more about what you and Holt have been doing. Would you like to.. meet for lunch tomorrow and catch up?"

Jackson's eyes widened. "Oh.. well, sure, I've love to catch up.."

Frankie mentally jumped for joy. He said yes!

"But it would have to be another time." Jackson continued.

"Oh?"

"Yes, you see tomorrow I'm..."

It was at that moment that the DJ decided to switch from a r&b song to some loud techno dance beat by Skullex. Monsters took to the dance floor as Jackson covered his ears.

"Ah man! Seriously?!" A flash of flame washed over him, and he was replaced by Holt Hyde, wearing a white version of Jackson's suit.

"Hoo, finally! I get a chance to strut my stuff!" He raised his arms in the air. "Hey everybody! Nice to see y'all! You miss me?!"

A few people clapped and cheered, others just glanced at him, rolled their eyes and went right back to what they were doing.

Holt's face fell. "Huh. Guess I was away longer than I thought."

He turned back to Frankie, his wide grin returning. "Wow.. Frankie Fine, looking even finer than ever."

Frankie blushed a little. "And you're still a big flirt."

"Hey, just calling it like I see it." Holt smiled. "Guess Jackson filled you in on what we've been up to."

"Some of it. He certainly had some tales to tell about your exploits." Frankie replied, humour in her voice.

"Ah, he makes it sound worse than is is." Holt waved off. "I'm in the music biz, those guys love to party. Who am I to say no? Helps me keep the people I work with close. And I only broke from the schedule like, twice."

"It's hard to picture you keeping a schedule at all." Frankie said. "I remember you were late to half your classes."

"Yeah, but then we went to college, and I found out lecturers reallllly frown on that kind of thing. Plus having to share a home with Jackson and working meant having to learn a bit of discipline."

He shrugged. "But hey, I got no complaints. We still argue from time to time, but life is better than ever! We got jobs we love, a sweet apartment and a fine ghoulfriend!"

"I know.. I'm so proud of you guys." Frankie smiled.

Then his words sunk in. "Wait.. ghoulfriend?"

"Oh, didn't Jack say? Sometime after we settled in Screattle we met Clair. You remember Clair, right? From that whole bust up at Halloween?"

She certainly hadn't forgotten Clair, the human who had helped them save the school so long ago. but she hadn't kept track of her. Clair had left New Salem for college about the same time she had.

"Yeah, we bumped into each other. She runs a small clothes store. We, well Jackson mostly, started hanging out and hey, before we know it, we're dating."

"What.. all three of you?" Frankie spoke, stunned.

Holt looked quite proud. "For sure. It took us a while to figure out a way we could all spend time together, but it's working pretty well so far. And Clair is totally cool with it. She's been really supportive of both of us."

A lewd grin crossed his face. "And she knows how to 'share the love' if you know what I mean."

"Um.. yeah." Frankie said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"But seriously, being with Clair is one of the best things to ever happen to us." Holt looked off in the distance, a wistful look in his eyes. "I think this could be something serious, you know? Like, moving in together serious."

Frankie struggled to answer, a heavy feeling in her heart had suddenly taken hold.

"That's... wonderful. I hope it works out for you."

"Yeah. For both of us."

He looked at her again. "Hey, are you okay? You look a little upset."

Frankie forced back a smile. "Yeah yeah! I'm fine, just thinking."

"You sure?" Holt asked, concerned.

"Yes, really." Frankie covered. "Er, give me a moment, I think I see someone.."

She turned away, walking quickly as she could without looking like she was running away.
She didn't feel fine at all.

The night went on, with much revelry, camaraderie and dancing spent among the visiting former students. But even creatures of the night could only stay up so long. It was past midnight when the guests begin to file out.

"Goodbye everyone, thanks for coming!" Cleo bade farewell to each monster as they left the hall. "Make sure to catch the next issue of Eternal Ghoul, I'll be covering the reunion in it!"

"Not if I beat you to it." Spectra replied smugly as she floated away. Cleo glared at her.

Deuce approached her, supporting a rather sozzled Heath in his arms. "Hey babe, you mind driving yourself back home? I gotta get Heath back safely, he had a little too much to drink."

"..s`not fair no one wants to date me. Heath slurred unhappily. "I'm an officer of the law, I'm a good catch..."

"If you must." Cleo huffed. "Honestly, this guy is responsible for our safety?"

"Feel sorry for Heath." Abbey commented as she watched Deuce pile Heath into a taxi. "He tried so hard to find date. Never seen anyone hit on so many ghouls before."

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "The fact he struck out with every single one should have been a hint to quit when he was ahead."

"He was getting pretty desperate near the end." Lagoona chimed in. "He was claiming he'd taken down an entire army of drug dealing demon ninjas."

"Heath like old yak trying to outdo tractor on farm. Needs to stop trying so hard and act like himself more." Abbey sighed. "Foolerly like that reason we broke up in first place."

"Well, maybe he'll learn... one day." Lagoona sighed.

Abbey then walked over to Shiver, the huge mammoth sitting patiently in the parking lot. She clambered up onto his back.

"You need lift back to hotel before I head to mountain?"

Lagoona paled at the sight of the hairy beast. "Er.. thanks love, but I think Gil and I will walk back..."

"This was such a wonderful night." Laura said as she cuddled up against Clawd. "Thanks for throwing this party, Cleo. It was so fangtastic to see everyone again."

"My pleasure. It was delightful to see how everyone was doing after graduation."

"Especially now you know you're doing better than everyone else, right?" Toralei snuck up behind Cleo, smirking.

"Oh, how I've missed that blunt wit of yours." Cleo rolled her eyes.

Toralei checked her watch. "Damn, I gotta get back and put Nekora to bed."

"Wow... scary to think I'll be doing that in a few months." Laura giggled.

"Enjoy those months while you can, shorty. Trust me, raising a kid is no catwalk."

The werecat hailed a taxi. "It was nice to see you ghouls again, seriously."

"Yeah.. it was really great to see you again too." Frankie admitted.

Toralei gave the ghouls a grateful smile as she got into her taxi.

"Man, I still can't believe it." Clawdeen spoke as she watched the taxi drive away. "Who'd have thought Toralei would have become nice? Well, nicer than she usually was."

Catrine wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well it happens. People grow up, stuff happens to them, and they change from the experience. I know what it's like, trust me."

Clawdeen looked at her lover curiously. "Oh, and what do you mean by that?"

Catrine looked wary for a moment. "Er... let's just say I was very different when I still lived in Scaris. I doubt you would have recognized me."

"Hmmm." Clawdeen snuggled up against him. "One of these days you have to tell me about this childhood in Scaris."

"Yes.. One day." Catrine replied absently.

"Still, you're quite right." Laura spoke. "We're always changing, even if we think we're not. And before you know it, your life is completely different."

"Yeah... different.." Frankie spoke quietly, lost in thought.

After many warm hugs and promises to meet again to all her ghoulfriends, Frankie returned to her car and drove back to the small single story house she called home. The house was silent as she entered, even her beloved dog Watzit was fast asleep. The lack of noise and activity only served to make the melancholy she felt even worse.

It was times like this she wished her parents are still around. Her father had recently be chosen to be the head of Internal Medicine at Union Hospital, a new hospital on the outskirts of Salem which catered to both monsters and humans. With his new responsibilities, Viktor and his wife Viveka had decided to move to a new home situated nearer the woods, which brought them closer to their respective workplaces. It was the dream home they had always wanted, and Frankie was supportive of their move. But it meant she saw less of them, and it was times like this, when she felt alone and discontent, that she wished they were closer so she could ask for their advice.

She wasn't even sure why she felt like this. She'd had a great time at the reunion, and had felt nothing but pride for her friends when she had heard of how their lives had turned out. But when she thought about how her friend's lives had changed, and how her own life had turned out, she felt this feeling of.. emptiness within her.

Why? She loved her work at Salem General, she had great friends and close family, she..
Surely that wasn't all she had in her life?
She poured herself a quick drink of cold formadahyde, them moved to to her bookshelf to pull out a certain tome. It was a large scrapbook containing several photographs taken by her and her friends over the years.
Sitting down on the couch, she began flipping through the pages, glancing at pictures of her and her ghoulfriends at various memorable events from her school days.

The joint Halloween dance with New Salem High, the class president election, the Mashional fearleading competition where they had won for a second year.. She paused when she found a large picture of her and her other ghoulfriends in their graduation robes from ten years ago. Next to it was a picture of the ghouls wishing her goodbye on her move to Germany. More pictures over the page depicted her friends congratulating her on completing her residency, and helping her move into her house. A smile crossed her face as she recalled those days. She had felt so grateful to be able to experience all of those important milestones with her loved ones.

But as she looked at the photos taken after that time, she noticed that they were all about events from her friend's lives. There was the grand opening of Clawdeen`s boutique, the launch party of Cleo`s magazine, the ghouls trip to the Scarier Reef to help Lagoona on her first research trip.. and everything else that had happened afterwards.

There were parties, from Cleo`s lavish celebrity shindigs to intimate cosy dinner parties with Laura and Clawd. There were big events like Operetta performing her music live in town, Ghoulia unveiling her latest invention for translating zombie speech, and traveling to the mountains to see Abbey and her newborn son.

There were weddings. Cleo and Deuce`s ridiculously extravagant ceremony, Laura and Clawd`s wedding at her father's summer castle in Goremont, Abbey's traditional wedding in the mountains where everyone had to wear yak fur coats, Hoodude and May's ceremony where she had attended as Mother of the Groom, and of course, Ghoulia and Moe's recent wedding.

And tonight her friends had revealed more happy events in their lives, with Laura's pregnancy and the revelation that Toralei was a mother forefront in her mind. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that was the problem.

Everyone had such amazing, exciting things happening to them. Family, relationships, careers...

Except her.

Ever since she had finished her residency and become a full doctor, working in medicine had become her whole life. Most of her time was spent at the hospital managing her patients or writing up journals and essays. Aside from days off and spending what free time she had with her ghoulfriends, her personal life was virtually nonexistant.

She sat down, trembling as her mind absorbed this realization.
She loved her job. She loved helping people in need, and couldn't imagine doing anything else. But what had she sacrificed in the process? Everyone around her was moving to to new things, starting families..

She didn't have anything like that. Not even a relationship with someone. The last time she had been on a date was with some gargoyle from university she could barely remember. After that, relationships had gone out the window once she returned to Salem.

She sighed miserably. The only true relationships she had ever had where her dates with Jackson and Holt, and that brief infatuation with Andy Beast. Sure, they hadn't been perfect, but those times spent with those boys were among the happiest she has ever had.

And now Jackson and Holt were with Clair, and Andy hadn't been seen in years, not since he had left Salem to discover his missing past.
What chance did she have of ever experiencing a relationship like that again?

A part of her knew it wasn't necessary. She had a good life, she didn't need a man by the side to complete it.
But she did want someone, she realized. Someone to come home to, someone to spend her days with, someone to teach and learn from. Not just a friend or parent.. someone closer than that.

And now it seemed she'd missed her chance to have what everyone else had.

A sense of crushing loneliness came over her, and she felt tears falling from her eyes.
She wasn't sure how long she spent just sitting there, quietly sobbing, but it felt like forever. She felt so numb, the prospect of being alone more frightening than any of the threats she had encountered in her adventures at school.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity in the dark, she found the strength to pick up her scrapbook and stand up. She felt tired, and since she had arranged to work a late shift tomorrow she could sleep in. Maybe a good, long sleep and power recharge would improve her mood. She doubted it though, things would still be the same when she awoke.

She moved back to the bookshelf to replace the scrapbook, wiping her eyes with a free hand. As she did, her gaze came upon the rest of her bookshelf, specifically the books next to the space where the scrapbook lived.

They were mostly large medical books, including a couple of large volumes dedicated to the upkeep of individual limbs. She look at them, then back at at scrapbook, thinking of the pictures of her friends and their new lives.

And then suddenly, it hit her.

An idea. No, THE Idea. The biggest Idea ever to cross her mind.

It was at once the craziest thing she had ever thought, and yet it was also the most logical solution to her problem. As she rolled it over it her head, the more it seemed to make sense. It was something she had never considered wanting before, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it.

She shook her head, letting rationality take hold. She wasn't serious, right? There was no way she could actually do this? Surely the level of skill involved, not to mention the time and money needed, and the investment needed afterwards.. could she really do it?

Curiosity gripped her. There was only one way to find out.

She pulled out some medical books and dropped them on her desk, pausing to switch on her laptop before returning to grab a couple more. As she flipped through one tome to find an article on organ transplants, she moved to a cupboard to find some old bills..

She went back and forth like this for some time, until she was finally sat before the laptop, surrounded by dozens of books, magazines and slips of paper.

Medical journals describing methods for attaching and harvesting organs and limbs. Bills and receipts for all her recent expenses and how they affected her income. Issues of Good Tombkeeping open on articles about new families. Books on psychology and pediatrics.

And two large, leather bound journals, considered two of the most priceless items owned by the Stein family, and entrusted to her by her father when she left for her studies in Germany so long ago.

One was an old book, its pages yellowed and fragile with age, containing the original notes, theories and diagrams written by her grandfather Victor Frankenstein when he had begun creating her father.
The other book was far newer, and was filled from start to finish with all of the research and descriptions her father had written when he and her mother had created her.

She studied all of this information, glancing from one article to the next, studying facts and copying them down on a spreadsheet on her laptop, which had browser windows open to even more articles. Numbers and knowledge were all compared, added and subtracted, reasoned and compromised.

Until finally, almost at the crack of dawn, she came to a conclusion.
She could do it.

It would take a lot of time and resources, but she had enough money in the bank to afford the needed items, and she could negotiate with Salem General to change around her shifts to give her enough time during the day. It would take a long time to complete, months at most, and she would need to find a large space to put everything in...

But she could actually do it.

And she wanted to do it. More than anything she had ever wanted in her life.

For the first time that night, a bright smile crossed her face. She felt giddy and excited, the prospect of the work ahead of the her, and the wonderful result it would bring lifting her up.
She could hardly wait to begin.

Sleep beckoned however, and after taking a few minutes to hug Watzit and take him for a walk, she headed to bed.
Her happy smile remained as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

A heavy curtain of rain was falling over the city of Fanghai, the dark clouds blocking much of the light and casting a gloomy grey pallor on the usually vibrant streets.

Such days were both a blessing and a curse for Jinafire. While the rainfall and general quiet atmosphere provided a tranquil environment for comtemplation or creating a new piece of art, it was annoying that she could not take her students out onto the temple's large courtyard for a calligraphy lesson, or practice her martial arts. Such activities always felt better when you could do it in the fresh air of the mountains overlooking the city

She refocused her attention to the small clay statue she was working on, breathing out a thin jet of flame from her mouth to more accurately shape the soft material. She cut the flame off when she heard a soft knocking at the door.

"Please enter."

The door slid open, and a young dragonman entered, kneeling respectfully before her.

"Master Long, I apologize for interrupting you."

"It's quite alright. What's troubling you Qui-lang?"

"Well, I don't want to sound like a nuisance.." Qui-lang took a breath. "But you have to talk to that foreigner. He's driving us crazy."

"Hmm?" Jinafire raised an eyebrow. She knew of the person Qui-lang spoke off. He was a traveller who had journeyed long and far across several countries, and had sought refuge after finding himself in Fanghai with no money or place to stay. Jinafire was happy to let him stay in one of the temple's spare rooms, and he was eager to repay her kindness by helping out with the various odd jobs and repairs the temple needed.

"I appreciate all the help he's given us, but lately he's been fixing stuff which didn't need to be fixed." Qui-lang continued. "The day before last, he was scrubbing the walls of the calligraphy classroom, even though we had cleaned it already. Then he rearranged every single tool in the metallurgy room. It took us ages to find everything we needed. Last night he came in at the dead of night to do all our laundry. And right now he's outside, banging away on the roof of our dorm to fix some tiles."

"In this weather?" Jinafire was surprised. She wouldn't even make her worst behaved student perform labour on a night like this.

"None of us can concentrate with all this racket he's making. I'm worried he's either going to hurt himself, or someone is going to snap and take it out on him."

Jinafire nodded in agreement. While she respected their guest's work ethic, this need to keep busy seemed to be a symptom of something else.

"I shall certainly talk to him about it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."

She bowed to Qui-lang and exited the room, pausing to grab an umbrella from a closet before she stepped outside the cosy confines of the temple into the downpour outside.

She only had to walk across the courtyard to find their guest perched on a ladder outside the student's dormitory, hammering away at the rooftiles seemingly unperturbed by the rain.

He was a tall monster, the raincoat he wore doing little to hide his broad shoulders and muscular arms. As he noticed her presence, he turned his head to glance at her, revealing a handsome face framed with a deep purple beard, and two large antlers protruding from the top of his head.

"Master Long. Can I help you?" He asked politely.

"I'm curious as to why you're out here in this dreadful weather."

"Oh! Well, I noticed a few tiles were loose, and I thought I'd better replace them before they slipped off. I'm sorry, should I have cleared it with you first?"

"No, I'm glad you spotted it Andy. Though, you didn't have to do it right now. You could have waited until this weather passed."

Andy rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well, I thought it was best to get it fixed as soon as possible, and I didn't have anything else to do.."

"Yes, I gathered." She replied dryly. "Andy, you are our guest here, not our servant. I do appreciate you going to all this trouble for us, but there is really no need to do so."

"I just want to show my gratitude for letting me stay here."

"Is that the only reason?" Jinafire frowned. "This constant need to find something to do.. Is there something troubling you?"

Andy tried to reply, but he could think of no passable answer, and looked at her with a forlorn expression.
"Would you like to talk about it?"

Moments later they were sat in Jinafire's study, Andy gratefully sipping from a cup of hot green tea.

"It's just..." Andy took a deep breath. "For a while now, I've been unsure as to what I'm meant to do with my life. I left school and set out to find out more about myself. I wanted to find out who I was, if I had any family, if there were more monsters like me. And so I started traveling."

He stared out of the window. "It's been ten years since then. I've traveled to virtually every country in the Monster Federation, and a few places monsters don't normally go. I've seen some amazing sights, met some great people and had a few adventures. But now.. I don't know where to go from here."

He sighed. "I haven't found any leads about what kind of monster I am for ages. I still don't know about any other family I might have. And lately, I've been thinking that I could live without knowing about my past. That I could stop looking, and I would have no regrets about it. But without that driving me on, what am I meant to do?"

"You feel lost." Jinafire spoke.

"Huh... that sounds about right." Andy huffed. "I just want to find something to live my life for. Not just traveling around. I want something.. meaningful, you know. To do more than just sightseeing and meeting people only to leave them to go somewhere else. But I just... I just don't know where to go, or even what I'm looking for."

There was silence, save for the patter of the rain outside. Andy continued staring out the window, as if hoping to divine an answer from the falling water.

"My grandfather once told me this." Jinafire spoke up. "Even the highest birds in the sky must eventally come down to their roosts to rest."

Andy's brows furrowed. "Er.. I'm not sure what that means."

"You have spent most of your life on a journey, seeking out new experiences and exploring as much of this world as possible. It is a noble pursuit, and it has taught you many things. But even the most verdant traveller cannot keep walking through the world, merely observing. A time comes when we must plant our feet, become a part of the world around us, and share our being with the people around us, especially those we care about." Jinafire explained. "Perhaps, the time has come to find a place you can call home."

"Home..." Andy looked thoughtful. "That's a word I haven't thought about in a while... but you might be right. I like travelling, but it gets pretty lonely going from place to place. I haven't really gotten close to anyone in a long time... though how do I find somewhere to call home?"

"Well, you are always welcome to make your home here."

Andy shook his head. "No disrespect Master, but I don't think a life of quiet meditation is one for me."

Jinafire merely smiled. "It is alright, our way is not the path for everyone."

"Then,what do you think I should go?"

"Only you can answer that question, Andy. But if you are having trouble finding that direction, I know of a way which may help."

Andy nodded his assent. Jinafire moved to a drawer in the corner of the room used to store her art supplies, and took out a small lump of clay.

"I want you to close your eyes, and mold this into something."

"Um.. okay. Anything in particular?"

"Don't think about what to make. Don't concentrate on moving your hands. You must create this object not with your mind, but with your heart."

"My... heart?"

Jinafire nodded. "Think about every experience you have had, everything you have seen, heard and felt in your life. Those memories shape and define us. Let those memories you hold in your heart guide you..."

"Okay..." Andy murmured. He wasn't quite sure how this would help, but it was worth a shot.

He closed his eyes and fell silent, blocking out as much outside noise as he could. Moments passed until only the sound of his breathing could be heard.

In his mind's eye he could see the various places he had visited in his travels. Exploring the streets of New Yuck, scaling the mountains of the Grimilayas, helping with relief efforts for struggling villages in Africa, witnessing the Day of the Dead in Hexico. He had met dozens of monsters in his journey. Families, fellow travellers, locals with a wealth of life stories.

But among all of the places he could remember, there was one place which kept popping back to the forefront. The first place he had visited, the second place he had called home after Skull Shores.

It was only a small town, but it had given him so much. He had received hope that he could live a normal life, a chance to make something of himself, and friends who had treated him as an equal for the first time in his life.

And there had been one in particular, a ghoul with incredible beauty both inside and out. Who had opened her heart and home to him, spurring him to finally leave that cursed island and live his life.

He thought of her sometimes, but now it seemed the memories were stronger than ever. The first time they had gone on a date. The joy of spending time with her as they studied together. The guilt he had felt when he had left on his travels with only a brief goodbye.

He'd left because he felt the town was too small, and offered no clues to his past. But now he wanted to see that town.. and that ghoul again, more than ever.

"Do you have it?" Jinafire's voice whispered.

The darkness faded as he opened his eyes, revealing Jinafire staring at him with a triumphant expression. She indicated the clay in his hands. He looked down at it with surprise, he could barely remember his hands molding it at all.

It was crude and misshapen, but he could recognize the shape.
It was the shape of a steel bolt.

A smile crossed his face as he realized what this meant.

He looked back up at Jinafire. "Master Long, are there any newspapers with classified ads around here?"

"I'm certain one of the students would have one. Why do you ask?"

"I think I know where I'm meant to go." He stood up. "But if I'm going to get there, I'm going to need some money for the trip.. and for a place to stay."

He bowed respectfully. "Thank you Master."

Jinafire smiled. "I wish you the best of luck."

Andy stepped out, walking back through the courtyard on his way to the student's rooms, back out in the rain. He barely noticed it, his mind focused on this new goal he had set for himself.
It would take some time, but he would return to Salem, and see Frankie again.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Author notes

1: Apologies to any fans of certain pairings, but not all pairings as presented in the webisodes/movies will be present in this story. Realistically, not every couple who met in high school would still be together several years down the line.

2: There are a few mentions of characters from other monster based cartoons/movies in this chapter and future chapters. Can you spot them.