Let Art Be Our Weapon: Frerard/Killjoys Epic

Na Na Na

        "Party, I miss Mommy and Daddy," Grace-Jeanette says.
I put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I understand," I comfort her. "Sometimes, you will get the feeling that they're watching over you. They love you and that's all that matters."
"Those vampires, what do you call them?" she asks.
"Draculoids or Dracs."
"I see them in my nightmares."
"What do you see?" I ask.
"Them hurting people. Mommy told me you would watch me?"
I smile down at her. "Yeah. I'm going to protect you from them. I won't let anything bad happen to you as long as there is a breath in my body and a beat in my heart. Nothing bad will happen to you as long as I am alive."
"What about the Dracs? Can you protect me from the vampires?"
"The vampires will never hurt you. I promise." Grace looks at me uneasily. "Hey, listen to me," I say picking her up and holding her at my waist. "I will never let them, and don't you ever forget this, I will never let them hurt you. I promise. Do you understand? I promise they will never get you as long as I am alive."
Grace smiles. "I believe you, Party."
"Do you feel better?" I ask.
"Yeah, I feel safe knowing you'll protect me no matter what. But I still miss Mommy and Daddy."
"I know. It's okay to be sad but knows that one day, you will see them again."
"I wish the Phantom would take me to the summer so I can join the Black Parade," she says.
I give an uncomfortable smile. I tried giving her something to believe in to be happy and I think I just made her want to die. "Well, remember what I said. The Phantom can only come if you become the saviour of the broken and beaten," I tell her.
"And I have to defeat all my demons and all the non-believers. And stop the plans that they have made."
"Exactly."
"Party? Will you help me?" she asks.
"Help you what?"
"Help me be the savior?"
"Oh," I mutter. Be the savior? Well, I worded everything so she could understand it but basically, I meant that her parents died protecting their fellow Killjoys and were doing it to stop BL/ind. Help her become the savior? Help her become a Killjoy. Yeah, I can to that. Teach her how to shoot and fight and about the zones and other Killjoy things. "Yeah. I could help you. Here, come on," I say putting her down and holding out my hand. She takes it and I lead her to the shooting range. She's a little young to have her own blaster but I can let her use mine. "Alight," I say kneeling down to her height. "This is a gun. It's not a toy, understand?" Grace nods. "Okay, hold it like this." I put it in her hands and adjust her fingers around it properly. "Okay, now try to aim it." Grace squints her eyes and aims at the target 15 ft away. I help her aim. "When you're ready, pull back the trigger. There's going to be a little kick back so hold it firmly and tight." Grace aims for a few more seconds. I help guide the gun and she fires. I hold her hands sturdy and the kick back doesn't knock her down. She hit the target pretty good.
"I did it!" she squeals. "I did it, Party!"
"Yeah! Look at that!" I say. I help her shoot again. After a few minutes, she hits it in the center. "Good job Grace," I say. Her smile fades. "Hey, you did good, what's wrong?"
"Are we like the vampires?" she asks.
"What do you mean?"
"We're shooting. Are we going to hurt people like them?"
That's a tricky question. "Um, no. We're not." She doesn't seem convinced by my words. I lift her up and hold her at my hip again. "Hey, you don't know a thing about this life. We are Killjoys and we are up for everything it takes to prove we're not the same as them. We are not like the vampires and we will wear our masks again out after dark to continue fighting because we are up for everything it takes. Look at me. We are not the same."
"How do you know, Party?" she asks.
"Because we are not afraid and we are not ashamed. And I make a lot of mistakes out in the zones. I'm not perfect but I am the best Killjoy that will protect you. I will sing to you when you need to sleep and I will learn from my mistakes. I will prove that we are not the same because we are not to blame.
"What if the bad guys get me?" she asks.
"That will never happen. I promised. I will save your life and I will always be the one who drives you home at night. I will never let you down."
She hugs me tightly. "I believe you, Party," she whispers.
"Good." I put her down. "Now, the vampires are called what?" I test her.
"Draculoids," she answers.
"Good. The other kind of bad guy is called a Bounty Hunter. We call them both white suits."
"Because they wear all white."
"Exactly. Now, they are bad people, do you understand?" Grace nods. "Good, they will hurt you if you give them a chance. Look at me. They will try to hurt you but we won't let that happen." Grace smiles at me. "Now, you must never let them take anyone alive."
"Why not?" she asks.
"It's not good. Never let them take you alive. It's just a rule we have. You won't have to worry about that because I won't let it."
"What about you are your friends? Will they try to take you guys?" she asks.
"Um, well they'll try to kill us but maybe they'd want to take us. I don't know. All they have done is just shoot at us."
"What would happen if they try to take you?"
I can't help but think of Frank and his dad, who I still haven't told him the truth about his father. I doubt Bonnie would. If she kept it this long, she won't just tell him suddenly and Mikey wouldn't either. If Frank is to ever know, it'd be through me. "Never let them take you alive. We die with our masks on."
"You'd die?" she asks scared.
"Well, if one of my friends got taken, we'd do everything we can to get them back but if we can't get them, it's just better to die without masks on than be taken alive." Grace looks wide-eyed at me. "It'd be okay. The Phantom would take us to the Black Parade."
"Oh," she mutters.
I change the subject. It depresses me thinking of losing one of my team members. Woody was hard but I couldn't go through it all again. Frank, Mikey, Ray. I couldn't lose them. Or even Luke or Melanie or Helena. I don't want to think of what losing them would mean. "Now, when you're out in the zones, you shoot the white suits. You know if you got them if they white suits turn red."
"Is that how you get them?"
"Yes, they will always turn red. But that's how you also know if you get hit. Red. White suits are easier to see but if you see a Killjoy turn red, we have to help them fast."
"Always turn red. Got it. What about stun?" she asks.
"We don't really have the ability to stun. It takes a minute to set it up and you have to reset it after each use. It would take too long and it would end up with us ghosted."
Grace nods. "What happens if you stun someone? Do they turn red?"
"No, they won't."
"Okay, hit them, they turn red. Stun them, no red. I will remember that" she smiles.