Authors note: hey everyone! :) I had the idea for this fanfic in a dream. I originally planned to write this as some short little one shot, but it turned into this super long multi-chapter fic that I think is far enough developed by now to share it with all of you. Just so you know: even though from the beginning it may seem a little slow in the romance department, there will be LOTS of Hollstein moments to come. Its just that the story needs to be set up. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy!

ps this chapter is much longer than normal chapters, they will be much shorter

six years old

There was excitement in the air as 6-year-old Laura Hollis ran down the block towards her house. The last of the other trick-or-treaters were going back to their houses as well. Halloween night was coming to a close, and Laura had had the best Halloween yet. She had so much candy her arm hurt from carrying it.

As she ran, she had to occasionally fix her black wig and straighten out her dark clothes- being Wednesday Addams was harder than Laura had thought it would be.

"Laura, sweetie! Slow down!" called out her dad. "I don't want you to trip!"

Laura rolled her eyes, her pace not changing. She giggled as she bounded up her front steps. Her dad finally made it over to the door to unlock it.

"I can't wait to count how much candy I got!" Laura exploded. She started jumping up and down. "I bet I got a million pieces! Dontcha think, Daddy? Dontcha?"

"Mhm, I'm sure you did. Now, stop jumping up and down, before you hurt yourself. And don't eat too much candy!"

Laura ran inside and up the stairs, saying hello to the witch decoration in the hallway as she always did before running into her room and closing her door. She spilled the contents of her bag onto her blue rug, orange and yellow and red wrappers creating an inferno of candy that practically engulfed the carpet. Laura took off her costume, changed into her Halloween pajamas, and began to count each piece out loud as best as she could. 'One, two, three…"

Something flashed in the window out of the corner of Laura's eye just as she was about to unwrap a Reeses peanut butter cup. She got up and slowly walked over to her window, crawling up on the comfy chair beneath it so she could peer outside. Out of sheer surprise, Laura gasped and ducked down.

Just outside her window was a large oak tree, one that had always loomed in her front yard. And in this tree, looking right into her window, was a small black cat. Laura knew that black cats, especially on Halloween, were never a good sign. As Laura cautiously looked out her window again, she got a better sight of its round, yellow eyes that pierced the darkness. It was too small to be full grown, but it wasn't quite a kitten. It had a deep red collar around its neck, but instead of a tag there was a silvery sun charm hanging from it, like it was a fashionable necklace hanging around the cat's neck. Its thick, midnight-black fur was tinged with the light of the full moon, and it unwaveringly stared into Laura's bedroom window.

At first, Laura felt afraid. Should she go get her dad? But as she continued to stare at it, and it continued to stare back, she realized that this little thing was harmless. "Aw," said Laura, smiling. "You're kinda cute." With that, the cat's whiskers quivered, and Laura could swear that the cat had just smiled at her, yellow eyes beaming. Laura began to laugh, hoping this wouldn't scare it away. But the cat didn't budge- it seemed as though nothing could make it move from that spot, perched on the sturdy, knotted oak branch.

"I guess people are wrong about black cats," Laura sighed. "They don't seem so scary or unlucky after all!"

Suddenly, her dad walked in. "Hi, Laura." He noticed where she was sitting. "What are you doing? Why aren't you counting your candy?"

"Daddy!" She jumped down and sprinted over to him. "Come look! There's a black cat outside my window!"

She took his hand and walked him over. "Look! See? Its right…"

But the cat was no longer there. Laura scrunched up her face in confusion. "But… it was just there…"

Her dad gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you making things up again? I still don't believe your whole 'bear in the closet' spiel."

"No! I swear! It was right there…" Laura suddenly felt an emptiness in her stomach. She looked down, upset, and muttered. "Nevermind."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You know I love meeting your imaginary friends."

"But Daddy, this wasn't ima…" But Laura just let out a frustrated sigh, giving up, knowing her dad wouldn't believe her.

He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Goodnight, Laura. Don't forget to brush your teeth." With that, he stood and left, closing the baby blue door behind him.

Laura was sad. Why had the cat left? She felt a tear slide down her cheek. She suddenly felt so… lonely without the cat. So vulnerable. So afraid. She climbed back up, looking out the window, expecting to see an empty tree once again.

Laura caught her breath. Happiness swirled inside her, filling the empty pit in her stomach. A grin stretched across her face.

Two yellow eyes were staring back at her, unblinking and as round as saucers. And Laura had never felt happier. Suddenly, the candy felt so unimportant to her as she ran over to her cabinet and pulled out a piece of paper, and a black, yellow, and red crayon. She ran over to the window and began to draw the cat. When her masterpiece was done, she held it to the window, for the cat to see. Once again, she could have sworn its slick black lips upturned ever so slightly into a smile. Laura looked over her masterpiece again and grinned.

"This really is the best Halloween ever!"

eight years old

"Ready or not, here I come!" called out the dark-haired boy standing in the wood chips of the playground. He uncovered his wide green eyes and began to run around, searching for the other hidden kids.

Laura could barely contain her giggles. She was hiding behind a big, wide tree, in the forest that surrounded the playground, and when Sam Greeneberg came looking for her she'd switch trees stealthily. He'd never find her in a trillion years! Laura thought her plan was absolutely genius.

Just as Laura began to cautiously peer around the tree, a voice rang in her ears.

"Hey."

Laura jumped, her head whipping around to see a girl about her age standing in front of her. She had long, wavy dark brown hair and soulful brown eyes. She was wearing skintight black skinny jeans, lace up combat boots, and a shirt that read 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' Her arms, adorning lace-up fingerless gloves, were crossed and her lips slightly pouty. She looked like she was dressed as if she was several years older that she looked.

"Hi," Laura squeaked, a little intimidated. She had never seen this girl in the park before. She usually knew every kid on the playground, due to how frequently she came and how close she lived to the park. "I haven't seen you before. ...Are you playing hide and seek with us?"

"Ah, is that why you're hiding behind this tree? I was wondering." The girl had a deep, smooth voice that was sweet to Laura's ears.

Laura couldn't help but smile. This girl seemed so mature and cool. And something about her seemed familiar… but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"So, who are we hiding from?" the girl asked. Laura grinned when she referred to them as 'we.' She loved making new friends.

Laura pointed to Sam and whispered her response. "See that skinny boy with the dark hair? That's Sam Greeneberg. He's it this round. He isn't the best at finding, though- he has pretty bad eyesight. So when he starts to come over here I'm gonna make a run for the next tree." She began to giggle. "He'll never find us!"

The girl smirked, pulling at her red choker necklace, the silver sun hanging from it glinting in the sunlight. "I like the way you think," she whispered back. "But, we don't need to run to the next tree. I know a way for him to never see us without moving from this tree at all."

Laura was about to question her, but noticed Sam making his way over. "He's coming!" she muttered.

The dark-haired girl grabbed Laura's hand, her eyes not leaving Sam. "Just follow my lead."

Laura tried to contain her giggles. This was so exciting!

Sam bustled over noisily, tripping over his own lanky body every few steps. As he approached their tree and began walking around, the girl lead Laura silently around, always being on the opposite side of the tree from wherever Sam was. Genius! Laura thought. This is way better than my idea!

Sam stopped in his tracks when Laura accidentally stepped on a twig, snapping it loudly. She and the dark-haired girl stood stock still as the boy contemplated what to do next. Laura, being a bit clumsy once again, took a tiny step back, and yet again snapped a twig.

"I can hear you!" Sam exclaimed. He suddenly began to sprint around the tree; but the dark-haired girl anticipated this, starting to run just before he started, still clasping Laura's hand and leading her along. Sam began to slow down and stop, as well as they did, and the girl stooped down and grabbed a rock. She wound up and chucked it as far as she could to the right, its landing making a loud rustle and thud! noise in the distance. Sam, giving up on trying to find them, snapped his head in the direction of the sound, and sprinted off after it. They moved to the left as he did this. Once he was out of range, Laura tried her best to hold back her hysterical giggles, but it wasn't working. She had to throw a hand over her mouth.

"That was so cool!" Laura said between laughs. "I felt like a ninja!"

The girl chuckled and looked down. "That was really fun, wasn't it?"

Laura's giggle fit calmed down eventually, and the two suddenly realized they were still holding hands. Laura swore she noticed the girl blush as she unlaced her gloved hand from Laura's.

Laura simply grinned. "By the way, I'm Laura. What's your name?" She asked, just now realizing she had no idea what it was.

The girl flicked her dark eyes up and smirked. "Well, now, I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I'll lose my air of mystery, won't I?"

Laura felt shivers go down her spine. She slowly raised an eyebrow. Wow, this girl is so awesome… but kinda creepy and weird, Laura thought. What does 'air of mystery' even mean? And why does she feel so weirdly familiar…? She was about to question her when she heard her dad's voice coming from the benches near the playground. "Laura! Time to go! It's time for your Krav Maga lesson!"

Laura sighed, looking around to see if Sam was in near proximity. "Dad always blows my cover during hide and seek every time," she grumbles.

Laura noticed that the girl looked very disappointed that she had to leave. She grabbed Laura's hand and gave her a small smile with her delicate, rose-petal lips. "Goodbye, Laura. I'm afraid we won't meet again for a while. At least… not like this."

Laura gave her a quizzical look. "What? What do you mean?"

But she just smiled and pulled her into a quick hug. Laura breathed in her scent; it was floral and fresh. Laura smiled, said goodbye, and walked away, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. Laura had only taken a few steps before she turned around to really try and find out her name. "Hey-"

But she was already gone.

Please review, favorite, comment, whatever- I want to know if i should continue this :)