A/N: This is my other parody story I've been working on. I have to admit I like this one a lot better than the labyrinth but that's only because the chapters more or less write themselves. Just so everyone knows this is a parody between both the book AND the movie though most scenes have been changed because my mind ordered it. I know I know, Loooooooooooooooooooooong prologue but I started off where the Disney movie started off, with the parents. So! I do not own anything but the writing style. Everything belongs to their owners/writers. Much love to Victor Hugo for writing an amazing heart touching story and hopefully this won't make him turn over in his grave... too much. ^^;

Prologue: Let me tell you a tale.

Recently

The streets ran endlessly together in a strategic pattern of zigzags, crisscross, and straight lines through the large city. Back alleys stretched on forever and hid secrets that the higher class and even the middle class could not even begin to fathom. Some homes were broken down with only a cloth hanging in the doorway to keep the chill from coming in. Others were built sturdy and not even the tiniest strand of air seemed to seek through the wooden frames. Alleys lead to others alleys or behind and next to houses, iron or wooden fences separating a few. Only those brave enough or lost enough ventured past the safety of these run down or well built homes. Surpass the warmth of the commoners or nobles that gathered together for very few events. Only the cruelest or vilest of creatures exceed the safety zone into the area of magic, tricky, and villains. Down pass the alleys, deep in the depths of the city lays a place little talk about and few good souls ever return from. However this is not where our story takes place and for now we shall stay clear of such a domain. Our story begins in the heart of the city, the town square. Here we see a group of children gathered around a poorly put together booth, two people bickering behind it. The stand is not tucked away but proudly standing on the corner of the square for all to see.

The children gathered around in front of the handcrafted puppeteer stand, eyes wide with excitement. These shows were always the best. It was almost a guarantee that the two young women would start to argue and end up giving the children candy for interrupting the show. They won't sure what the new piece was but they were always excited to hear what came from the mythical woman's mouth. Even if most of the time they were being told to cover their ears because 'such language was not appropriate for the innocent ones.'

The first woman took a step out from behind the box and immediately the child went crazy with cheers and applauds. She wore a black shirt that hung down just above her thighs, the navy blue collar dangling loosely all the way down to the tips of her shoulders. To show she was indeed a woman she had a violet belt wrapped around her stomach to keep the shirt pressed tightly to her form. On her legs were black tights with stripes of violet along them and the tips of her violet shoes were pointed. On her head sat a pink jester's hat with two dog flaps that looked more like pigtails, a strip of black around the edge. The grayish skinned woman chuckled for a moment and held up her hands to try and hush the screaming children. It took a few minutes but after a suggestive yell of silence, the children obeyed.

Jinx smiled and started to pace in front of the booth with her hands behind her back. She examined the small turn out and could feel her smile growing slightly. She loved an audience, no matter how small. Seeming pleased with the group and the silence she stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips, eyes watching the five children.

"Who here would like to hear the story of… the bell ringer?" It went quiet and several pair of eyes watched her.

"T-The monster? I don't like scary stories…" The small child with the red hair curled into his sister's side. The older sibling with the blonde pigtails wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. Pink cat eyes only blinked and Jinx let out a small chuckle.

"Scary story? It's more of a romance actually." The redhead with a blue blanket made a noise and pushed off of his older sister, the two twins beside him grunting in agreement. Jinx glared and leaned in close so her face was only inches away from the three. "What was that? I missed it." She eyed the boys and they fell silent, seeming to fake interest in every direction but her eyes. Jinx kept watching the boys for a moment before she straightened back up to her full height, the smile returning to her face. The female jester caught the pigtailed girl raising her hand and nodded her head to allow the child to speak. Melvin slowly lowered her hand and seemed to think over her words before she spoke.

"Miss Jinx… we have all heard the story and there is no romance in it." To this the young woman smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the booth, crossing her legs.

"You make a good point little Mel. But trust me like all things that seem a bit scary… they must simply be looked at with a closer eye." She winked and Melvin smiled slightly. For it was known that the sorceress was the strongest in the community and she could see what most could not. Like the enchanted creature that followed the three children around; the oldest child Melvin took to calling it Bobby. Everyone had said that they were simply children and making up friends and stories, but the sorceress knew better. She kept quiet about it though. For she knew all too well things that were not understood were always chastised and feared. Melvin smiled and hugged the youngest of her brothers, Teether, tighter to herself before she spoke again.

"So… Romance huh?" Once more the boys started to make noises and both Melvin and Jinxed glared. The three boys fell silent. Pink cat eyes kept watching them as the female jester answered Melvin's question.

"Yes romance… but not only romance. It has adventure, action, drama, and everything that makes up a good story." Seeming to try and prove a point, Jinx smirked and let her eyes drift away from the children. She could already see the three boys seeming to glance curiously at her as she continued speaking. "Such as daring escapes, a mother's love, chase scenes, and a father's fight but above all those...Murder." Though they tried not to show it the boys looked ready to burst from the seams from excitement. She knew she had them.

Jinx let a smirk cross her lips and jumped down from where she was sitting, starting to walk away.

"However. I would never wish to waste such a great story on those who never wish to hear it." She teased and stopped walking to keep her back to the boys. None of the children wasted a second as they began to whine.

"No no no no no no!" The children chorused together and the jester put on a fake surprised face, turning around to place a hand to her face.

"What that's? You DO want to hear it? But I thought you said."

"Forget what they said!" Yelled Timmy and the two twins gasped and started to yell something in Spanish. The taller redheaded boy only blinked and looked at them as if they had grown another head each. Melvin slapped a hand to her forehead and sighed. One would think if you made friends with someone who doesn't speak English, you would try to learn their language. The young girl crossed her arms over her chest and responded for the twins.

"They said you're lying Timmy. Which by the way we all know you are." Timmy grumbled a bit and tugged the blue blanket a bit closer to himself.

"All right all right I lied. But I do want to hear it! Honestly Miss Jinx!" Jinx smiled and leaned against the wooden frame of the stand.

"Well since you asked so nicely, I'll be glad to tell you the story. But no more being mouthy." Timmy nodded and plopped back down beside his sister, sticking his tongue out at the twins. The twins returned the gesture and Melvin sighed as she pulled her blonde baby brother onto her lap. The small child squirmed for a moment before he snuggled into his older sister. After everyone finally seemed to settle down, Jinx nodded and cleared her throat. As she cleared her throat it seemed to be some type of signal because the curtain began to draw sideways slowly. Immediately the children's eyes widen in awe and they straightened to try and get a better look at who might be controlling the puppets. They all already knew but it was always best to double check. Jinx smirked and started the tale.

"Twenty years ago… before most of you were born. There was a happily married couple." A puppet with blonde hair appeared and his wife with brown as well, hugging one another. Jinx arched an eyebrow but kept going. "They were very much in love and they showed that love with a bouncing bundle of baby." The woman puppet picked up a small wooden statue craved as a baby and started to rock it in her arms.

"But times much as they are today…were dark and they were hated for what they were. Shunned by people who did not understand them, by a church who did not enjoy their kind and an evil man we all know as the Deacon. They tried to make their escape from this city. This is the tale of how the green beast of Notre Dame…came to be."

Twenty years ago on a dark and snowy night.

The woman held the child closer to her person and whispered sweet cooing sounds to try to settle the screaming child. The hushing from the other people did nothing to soothe the screeching one year old and soon the father was joining the woman's side. She looked up as he neared, the blue hood covering her face to reveal nothing but shadows. Even though he did not see her face he knew her well enough to know she was beyond terrified and he placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her.

"Hush now small one… hush. We won't let anything happen to you my son you must hush…" As if the baby could understand the words its crying died down to nothing more than a soft sniffle. Its emerald eyes glanced up into the blue of its father and the man smiled unsurely down at the child. The woman gave the man a small smile of appreciation and the man returned it with his own. The whispering of the boatmen had the couple glancing over to where the boat rocked in the stream.

"Come we must hurry! Get on the boat or forever be left behind!" The boatmen hissed through clenched teeth, trying to keep from being detected. However it was not to be as the sound of dogs began to bark and horns filled the air. "It's too late! We've been found out!" Both the man and the woman began to look around as if to try and weigh their chances of escape. They did not notice as the boatmen pushed the oar against the stairs and stirred the boat away from the steps. The boat wobbled and soon the boatman was leaving the small family behind. The splashing of the waves against the steps made the husband whirl around and he cursed at what he saw. He ran the few steps to try and catch the drifting boat but it was too late. The vessel was leaving and the boatman was paddling with all his might, not looking back at the people he damned. The heavily dressed woman could only watch in horror as she held the child closer to her person and tried not cry. She watched as her husband cursed from where he stood and ran a hand through his blonde locks.

"He left us! The fool left us!" The husband hissed in a loud whisper, kicking at the snow.

"We don't have time! We must run!" The woman tugged at his arm and he stood torn between jumping into the river or following his wife back up the steps. He did not think long as he cursed the boat keeper underneath his breath and grabbed his wife by the arm. They ran back up the stairs and ducked their heads down just in time, a horsemen riding by. They listened to the pounding of the hooves start to die away. The man peeked over the stone wall before taking his wife by the hand and running across the snow covered pathway, ducking into the alleyway across from the street. Once more he glanced around before they started to dash down the road. They did not get far before they were stopped by horses jumping in front of them.

The woman let out a loud gasp as she saw a man raise his hand with the whip and sent it flying. Her husband was there in a split second and allowed the harsh leather to wrap around his forearm. He yanked on the leash and pulled hard to pull the knight off balance. The knight hooked his foot in the straps of the saddle to try and keep from falling off, his body slumping to the side of the horse. The husband tossed the whip to the ground and gave the horse a slap on the rear, sending both galloping away across the street. She didn't have time to do anything but hold the child closer as her husband grabbed her arm again and ran with all his might down the snow covered road. They could hear the shouts behind them and could hear the deafening pounding of the hooves on their heels.

"Mark! I don't think we're going to make it!"

"Don't talk like that Marie!" Quickly the blonde haired man pulled the cloak covered woman into the alleyway and kept running. The horses stumbled for a moment and they passed by the opening of the alley. The knights yanked on the reins and redirected the beasts to follow suit down the narrow passage. Mark stopped and lifted his wife over the iron gate. He jumped over the steel bars when he was sure she was clear of the landing and grabbed her hand once more. They ran the rest of the way down the alley and into the opening of the closed small shops. Out of breath he quickly glanced around and saw the stone wall that curled around the shops. He wasted no time and run behind the stone fence. They panted quietly in the midnight air and listened to the sound of hooves dying down. Once he was sure it was safe to speak, he turned to face his wife. She was terrified and quickly running out of breath. He wished he could hold her, tell her everything would be alright, and take her back before this night ever happened. Yet he knew he couldn't and the only comfort he could give was to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. She watched him and when she spoke, her voice cracked.

"Mark…We might not make it…" He could hear the fear and doubt in her voice and it shattered his heart. It shattered his heart because in a way he knew that she may indeed be correct. That he might indeed fail her and their child. No. That was not an option. He was a man and a father and that meant he was going to protect his family at any cost.

"Marie…listen to me…I will distract the guards." He held up a hand as she went to protest, tears already filling her eyes. "The docks are too far away…you must run to the church and take sanctuary… when you think it is safe meet me at the docks. Only if it is safe, Marie."

"Mark…I…please don't, you might not make it…what if…" He pulled her into a deep kiss and stroked her cheek. He muttered sweet promises against her mouth and lies that he wished with all his heart could be true. He could see the tears sliding down her cheeks and the hood of her cloak had fallen to show her brunette hair. The brown strands were loose from the usual bun and they fell down along her shoulders in a mass of silky auburn. He broke the kiss and ran a hand through the chocolate strands, stroking them away from his wife's sweaty forehead. Mark Logan slowly let a smile he hoped was confident cross his face and he stroked the tears away from his wife's cheeks before he spoke.

"Hey, like anyone short of the pope can stop me. And even then he would only do so because I like his hat." Despite herself she let out a mix of a laugh and hiccup. He always did choose the worse of times to come up with jokes. She hugged her husband and child close. Mark hugged back, knowing that this might indeed be the last time. The thought shattered his heart and wounded his soul.

"I love you Mark Logan." Marie whispered softly as she buried her face against the love of her life's shoulder. He heard her sniffle and he gently caressed the back of her hair.

"I love you, Marie Logan…and I love you too, Garfield Logan." The brunette haired woman smiled though it was sad and glanced down at the child in her arms.

"Do you hear that Gar? Mommy and Daddy love you…we'll get you out of this…somehow." She choked on her words and forced the sob back down her burning throat. The blonde haired man took the woman's hand and he gave it a small squeeze, kissing his wife once more.

"God Speed, Marie…" He whispered against her lips and she could only let the tears roll down her face. Forcing back the sob once more she sniffled and tried her best to compose herself, whispering back to her husband.

"God Speed Mark…" He pulled the hood back up for her and turned to glance around for any knights. Mark took in a deep breath and ran forward, stopping in the middle of the street to let out a loud whistle. Marie watched as her husband stuck his tongue out at the knights and shook his butt to catch their attention. It worked and the blonde haired man took off running down the street with several knights chasing after him. She watched his retreating back and drew a shaky mouthful of air before taking off in the way of the church.

Marie ran as fast as her legs would carry her, the bundle in her arms bouncing a little against her person. She held the child closer and let out a loud gasp as the Judge and Deacon in training, jumped in front of her on his giant black horse. For a moment they watched each other and then she was off again. As she ran away from the blonde haired man he yanked the reins and forced the black stallion to follow after the running woman. She turned the corner and felt her heart beating faster against her chest, the night air crisp to her lungs. She heard the shouts to stop, heard the hooves hammering on the ground and she ran down another alley. Marie wasted no time as she climbed the boxes, stumbling a bit to grab an overhead sign. She yanked herself up and jumped over the wooden gate to land on the other side. Faltering she cradled the baby closer and felt her heart skip, the church only a little ways away.

Recently

"What the hell are you doing…?" Jinx raised an eyebrow and glared at the person inside of the booth.

"I thought it would be most cute to have the beastly horse to be a pony…do you not agree?" For Jinx only stared at the person inside the booth, unable to speak. Finally fire blazed in her pink cat eyes and she yanked the unicorn puppet away from the puppeteer, tossing it out into the crowd.

"This is not a fantasy! Can you please focus?!" The woman in the booth stood up and 'hmphed' placing her hands on her hips. The puppeteer was a tall older woman with fiery red hair that flowed down in waves of red curls past her hips. She wore a corset with purple lilacs lined randomly against the lavender silk. The black laced crisscrossing in an X shape on both sides as the front dipped down to reveal a considerable amount of cleavage. The skirt she wore was purple and swayed against her legs, brushing against the ground. The short sleeve of the white shirt was puffed up and she had tons of golden bracelets trailing up both of her wrist.

"That was most rude! I was simply trying to do of the mood of the lighting!" Jinx rubbed her face and muttered something and the redheaded woman only glared at her. Sometimes it was hard for the jester to explain to the foreigner that a bit of drama was a good thing in a good story. Still she didn't feel up to arguing with the redhead and simply wanted to get back to her story. So Jinx sucked in a deep breath and turned back to speak to the other woman.

"It's supposed to be dramatic!" Okay so much for not yelling. Kory only pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her face away from Jinx.

"Well I do believe you are going to do of the frightening of the children!" Responded Kori and Jinx felt her eyebrow begin to twitch and she watched the back of the taller female. Everytime. No matter what, they always got into an argument in the middle of the play.

"They like it!" Yelled Jinx and Kory looked over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at the jester.

"Boooooo!! HiiiiiIiiiiisssssss! Get back to the story!" Jinx sent the man yelling in the back row a glare and Kory only smiled and waved. The female jester watched Kori for a moment before she took the taller woman's hand and lowered it. The redhead blinked and Jinx shook her head to say no before she turned her attention back to the man hiding in the back row. She held up a hand and pointed to where she knew the man was hiding.

"Don't make me come back there!" The children chuckled and Jinx only cleared her throat. Pink eyes glanced in the way of the other woman and Kory rolled her eyes to once more drop back down into the booth. "Now…let's see how the father is fairing."

Twenty years ago before the short intermission.

Mark stumbled and hit the ground. Snow flew up and the horses barely had time to jump over him. The blonde haired man rolled on the ground just as another horse galloped where he had once been. He jumped to his feet and yanked a dagger from the concealed place in his cloak. He waited as one of the five knights dashed over and with swiftness Mark had learned over the years he moved in. He ducked the stick and sliced through the saddle. The guard had no time to regain balance as the leather snapped apart and he was forced to the right side of the horse. Mark slapped the rear and off went one knight just as another came at him.

Mark flipped the dagger over in his gloved hand and let the knife go flying. The sentinel cried out as the dagger pierced the side of his neck, forcing him to reel on the reigns. The horse could only stagger backwards before it let out a loud neigh and stood up on hind legs, forcing the rider to the ground. Mark wasted no time in running forward and yanking the knife from the fallen man's neck. He shoved the dagger back into the holder and jumped onto the horses back. The brown horse resisted for a moment but Mark only yanked on the reigns for control and the horse neighed in obedience. Its rider let out a loud 'yah' and took off back down the snow covered road with three knights riding behind.

Mark reeled on the reins and the horse only let out a breath before it took a sharp turn into a nearby alley. He tugged on the reins and the horse leapt over the fence, the man leaning up as they jumped. The horse landed with grace and kept dashing along, one of the knights missing the jump. The guard fell from the seat of the horse and the last two moved around him, determined to get the man. This chase was becoming more and more embarrassing by the moment and the Captain would have their heads.

The blonde haired man yanked the reins to the side and the brown horse obeyed as they went right. They raced down the road with hooves pounding away and snow flying at their heels. He didn't know where he was going but he knew he had to get them as far away from his family as he could. Blue eyes widen as Mark watched the two knights galloping in from the alley in front of him. Quickly he pulled on the reins once more and started to turn around only to see the two knights blocking the way. Desperately he tried to pull to the right but two more men galloped in. The horse started to trot backwards but like before, two more knights appeared. He was surrounded. Mark Logan grunted a bit as the horse neighed and shook its head, seeming to tell him it was over. He only ignored it and stroked the horse's mane, calming it the best he could.

"Mark Logan… give up. We have you surrounded. Don't make this more difficult than it already is." Mark knew that voice all too well. His eyes moved to glance over at the Captain of the guards and blue eyes locked onto brown eyes.

"Steve Dayton… didn't expect to see you here. How's the wife?" The brown haired man did not seem entertained and in the mood for small talk. Instead he let his eyes stay focused on the blonde man in the center of the group.

"Mark… please, just give in. I'll try my hardest to see that they go lenient with you." To this Mark laughed and Steve could only let a frown grace his features.

"Easy on me? A heretic? Oh I was wrong about you, Dayton. You are indeed a funny one. Though I think we both agree, not as funny as Marie." Steve's frown grew and he watched the way his dear friend eyed the knights around him. He knew that Mark would try to make a run for it and a part of him wished it wasn't so. It hadn't even been a day ago they had been out for a pint in one of the bars. They had been friends since childhood and even gone to each other's weddings, both attended as the best men. However when the Logans' had gotten into science, alchemy, and magic; it was his job to stop them. It pained Steve deeply but he had warned them. He had told them so many times but they did not listen and he had a job to do.

"Please Mark." The blonde man watched the eyes of his best friend before the blue irises started to glance around at the number of men. Steve's eyebrows furrowed a bit and he wished that Mark would use those brain cells he was so well known for. "Mark… please." He tried again but the other man only weighed his options.

"Remember that time we played solider, Steve?" Steve growled and glared as Mark Logan met his eyes and winked. He went to yell but it was too late. Mark slid his cloak from off his shoulders and let it go flying to hit the two knights full in the face. The men swatted at the cloak and started to pull it off. It was all Mark needed and he yanked on the thick material with all his might but it was to no avail to force the men from their horses. Once more the blonde haired man took off on horseback down the road. Steve muttered something about stupidity and off he was to try and capture his friend.

However the chase did not last longer than a few seconds as one of the knights grabbed the bow and arrow from his back and let the arrow fly. Mark only had time to let out a loud gasp as the steel pierced him in the back and sent him tumbling to the ground. Steve's eyes widen in horror and he could feel his heart stop as he watched his best friend of many years hit the ground. He jumped from his horse and ran stumbling through the seven inch snow to the side of his fallen friend. A few feet away it was as if the world crushed against him and he fell to his knees, crawling the last few feet to where Mark lay. He pulled Mark by the shoulders and turned him over to see the familiar blue eyes of his childhood friend.

"Mark…get up, you have to get up. For Marie… for your new son. You have to…" Mark coughed and glanced up into the eyes of his long life friend and forced a small smile.

"Never thought I see you looking so scared…" The blonde coughed again and Steve could feel his heart start to race. This wasn't happening, this could not be happening, he refused to believe it. Mark placed a hand over his friends and shook his head slightly. "Don't…give me that look. You know I never blamed you…tell Marie…I'm sorry. Tell her I love her and tell my son… to forgive me for what I've done…please Steve." There were tears in the man's eyes now and Steve could feel all the years of being taught not to cry, all the lectures of men being tough and strong, flee from him.

"Mark… get up…You have to get up…"

"Tell Garfield… that I only tried to save him… tell him, his father loved him…" Slowly Mark's eyes began to close and his life long friend could feel his heart breaking. Steve sat there with Mark's hand in his own and watched every second of life slip away. Finally when it seemed like it had been done and the weight of the world was too much to carry, the tears rolled down his face. He remembered the good times and the bad times. The laughter and the first time the two had met. He remembered all of it and none of it as it played on and on until the cheerful eyes of his best friend were all he could see. Dayton lowered his friend to the ground and took a moment to regain himself. Minutes passed in silence before the Captain stood up and turned around with fire blaring in his eyes. He glared at the knight who had shot the arrow and swiftly moved to close the distance between them.

"Who gave you the order to fire!?" The knight could feel himself filling with fear and answered as quickly as he could.

"The…The Judge said that all heretics are to be shot on sight if they resist…" Steve could only curl his fingers into fist as he glanced down at the body of his fallen friend. He knew he could not say anything since the knight was simply following orders. Still. He turned back to the knight and grabbed him from the horse, yanking him and tossing him onto the ground. Steve grabbed the knight by the front of the collar and forcefully pulled him to his feet and slammed the young man against a nearby wall. None of the other knights even twitched a muscle to stop the captain and they all watched him scream into the knight's face. Some lessons must be learned the hard way.

"You follow my orders! MINE! When I am in charge you listen to me and only me and if you ever, EVER! Do anything without my command again I will not only make sure you never work for this service again but I will personally kick your ass!" The Captain punched the stone right next to the man's head and the knight paled. They watched one another and Steve glared into the face of the trembling man. He wanted to hit the knight until there was nothing more than a bloody mess for a face. He wanted to take all the anger whirling inside him and turn it against the man who had caused it. Yet he did not. He was a professional and that meant you never put feelings in the way of duty. No matter how much you may want to.

Steve growled underneath his breath before he tossed the knight down to the pile of snow and marched over to his own horse.

"Pick Mr. Logan up… we have to report in." No one said anything as the Captain pulled himself up on his horse and clicked his heels, the horse neighing before it took off down the road. If he couldn't save his life long friend maybe he could save his friend's wife. Maybe he could do something right before the night was ended.

Off in another part of town.

Marie Logan clutched the baby closer to her person as she dashed with all her might across the square. Soon she heard the familiar sound of hooves dashing through the thick snow and she closed her eyes, wishing her will to give her strength to keep going. When her emerald eyes opened again she could feel relief wash over her and she flung herself against the door of the church. Her hands started to pound on the door and her sore voice called out.

"Sanctuary! Please! Let me in! Please! Open the door! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" She heard someone stirring behind the door but as she turned she saw the Deacon closing in on her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she started to pound harder at the large wooden door, pleading for them to open. "Please! Please!" Emerald eyes glanced back and she knew she had no choice. She pushed from the door and stumbled backwards just as the black horse jumped onto the steps. Turning around she started to run again but the Deacon jumped from the horse and grabbed at her cloak. He yanked at it and she stumbled forward, clenching the bundle closer to her chest.

Marie tried to pull her cloak away from the man and felt tears flowing from her eyes. Yet he did not let go and she did the first thing that came to her mind. She let her hand go flying and slapped the man across the face. He stumbled back and she turned on her heels to once more start to flee. However he did not give up so easily and he grabbed the skirts of her dress. The door to the church opened as the man yanked harshly at the skirt. Two sets of eyes watched in horror as the Judge gave another yank of the woman's dress and his hands moved to rip the bundle from her arms. Marie yelled and pulled a small knife from her waist and let the knife go flying. The judge let out a loud yell as the steel pierced his eye and he started to thrash about. Marie stumbled to try and get her child back The man kept the bundle close and shoved the woman away, yanking the knife from his eye. Someone screamed and quickly he turned around to see the brunette haired woman sprawled out on the steps of the church. His one good eye widen in shock as he realized she was not moving.

Slowly the priest moved over and kneeled beside the woman and placed a hand to her throat. His eye moved to land on the nun and the Judge before he slowly shook his head. The nun gasped loudly and the blonde haired Judge glared at her.

"You saw what happened…it was an accident!"

"Still… you killed her." The Judge simply snarled and went to yell but suddenly the bundle in his arms started to wail and he glanced down. His one good eye widen in shock as he saw the baby in his arms. If one could call what he held a baby. The child had pointy ears and a fang stuck up from his bottom lip. Not only that but it was green.

"Sorcery…" He started to walk towards the well but the priest was there again. The shorter man grabbed the judge by the arm and forced him to stop in his tracks. The judge spun around on the priest and the men only stared at one another. The seconds ticked by before the one eyed man finally spoke again. "What would you have me do? The child is green! Green."

"Yet still an innocent… you have slain his mother." Before he could talk both men were interrupted by the pounding of hooves. Moments later the Captain of the guard jumped down from his horse and was strolling over to the Judge. The one eyed man arched an eyebrow as he caught the way Steve Dayton marched over to him.

"My men have killed Mark Logan… what is of his wife?" So that was it. Steve Dayton had killed his best friend and by the looks of it was very angry with the fact. The judge merely shrugged off the way the Captain glared at him. He waved his hand and Dayton followed the gesture to let his eyes move over to the steps where Marie lay. For the second time that night he curled his hands into fist, trying not to lash out. "And the child…?"

"The…child as you so call it was just about to be disposed of." Dayton turned his head back at the Judge and the man only watched the Captain. He could see how Steve reminded himself to stay calm, to not lash out, and the judge tried not to smile.

"It is a child! An innocent! You can't kill it!"" The Judge arched an eyebrow and said nothing as he unwrapped the cloth to reveal the green child. For a moment Steve could only watch in shock and slowly understanding crept into his mind. So that had been what Mark had meant. To do such a thing to your child, to condemn them to a life as a monster, it was a horrible thing to imagine. Part of him told himself to let the child be done with and that it was best for him. The other part however, reminded him that he had made a promise and that he was a man of his word. "…Still, it is an innocent."

"I agree with the Captain… you have killed both parents and you must be held responsible… you cannot turn away from an innocent." The Judge said nothing and glanced down at the abomination in his arms. Suddenly the green child let out a loud howl and soon it was fidgeting before its form started to shift. For a moment its teeth got longer and its hair began to grow. Just as quickly as it started, it was back to its little green self. All three men watched and the nun felt herself on the brink of fainting. For a moment no one said anything and the Judge glanced up at the other men, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well. I think we got our answer." He turned but the Captain was there again, blocking his way. True Dayton was not one to usual stand his ground to the church but this was his best friend's child. He had known that what had happened to the child was not his fault but the sins of his father. He also knew this was his last chance at redemption to a close friend and his wife. He had made a promise to a dying man and he would not go back on his word. He could not fail.

"I will not let you kill this child… if you aren't man enough to take care of it. I will." There was silence for a moment and the judge seemed slightly amused at the Captain. Maybe the man was on to something. If he could raise this child and teach it to follow his commands, he would have a powerful being ready to do his will. It was something to consider and he stood there thinking it over. Slowly a small smile crept along his face.

"You make a strong argument, Mr. Dayton. Very well I will take the child. But it will not leave this church." Steve stared at the man and the Judge glanced over at the priest who nodded in agreement. "Good. It will be raised here and I will teach it the way of the church. This night will never be mentioned. Ever." He glanced around and the two men nodded, the nun doing the same when they looked over. The Judge shoved the green child into the arms of the Captain and he was off. Dayton looked down into the yawning face of the green child and wondered what he had just gotten himself into.

"Mark and Marie Logan… please guide me." The priest placed a hand on the Steve's shoulder and together they made their way into the church. The nun watched the judge leave and soon she followed behind the two men.

Present Day

"How did you get that back?!" The redheaded woman only stuck out her tongue as she held the unicorn with the deacon puppet riding on it. Jinx growled and went to yank the unicorn away but Kory was faster. Without effort the taller woman held the puppet over her head and watched the female jester jumped up and down to try and take it.

"Friend Jinx, I think the story was most depressing and that the children wished to see a bit happier ending." Said Kory and held the puppet higher up for good measure.

"It was no depressing!" Jinx said in-between jumping up and down, fingers within grasp of the puppet more than once. Kory just watched the other woman and tilted her head to the side.

"I disagree, friend Jinx."

"Give me that damn doll!" Jinx yelled in frustration as Kory pouted slightly from being ignored and the inappropriate word.

"Language, friend Jinx!" Said the oldest child in the group and pink cat eyes glared down at the child with the golden pigtails. Melvin eeped and went quiet. Jinx turned her attention back on the insanely tall woman who looked right back at her. The jester placed her hands on her hips and held out her hand. Enough was enough and the look said so. Kory could only pout and she placed the unicorn puppet into the shorter woman's hand.

"Booooo!!! HiiiiiiiIIIIIiiiiissss! That story was depressing!" Someone hissed from the back of the crowd and the children giggled. Jinx felt her eyebrow twitch and with all her might she tossed the unicorn puppet in the way of the one yelling.

"Hush!" Screamed Jinx. The reddish brown haired man only chuckled and caught the unicorn puppet in his hands. He sat upon the wooden stack in a brightly colored outfit. The yellow mask he wore shaded his eyes and left the mass of reddish brown hair sweep about in the wind. He wore large red gloves and a short yellow shirt with a small red lightening bolt upon the chest. The shirt cut off at his mid thighs to reveal a pair of bright red tights, yellow boots on his feet. He chuckled and jumped from his spot to walk on over to stop in front of the children. He watched as Jinx glared daggers at him and he could responded with a charming smile.

"Gee love. With a sad story like that I think we need to give the children some candy, just so they have sweet memories tonight." The lady jester only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew this little game all too well.

"You aren't fooling anyone. We all know you just want to chomp down on the candy sticks." Jinx replied and she eyed her boyfriend where he stood. Wally only smirked and shrugged, glancing around at the children.

"Well yeah. Who doesn't?" Wally winked to try and cue the children to agree with him. They wasted no time. Screams of agreement filled the air and soon even Kori was chiming in. Jinx only sighed and shrugged her shoulders, knowing when she was defeated. The children let out a loud squeal and soon all were rushing down the dirt road, Wally right behind them. Jinx turned to talk to the puppeteer but like the children, Kori had already taken off down the road. The jester sighed and couldn't help but smile. She kicked the booth and it collapsed with ease into a pile. She gathered it up and followed after her audience and friends.

A/n: The End! J/K. The beginning of a very very long story. I hope it was enjoyable to read, the next chapter we meet the main characters. Read and review!