ONE DAY LATER

Altoona, Pennsylvania

October 21, 1997

"Of all the nights for me to forget to take my pill…" Karen griped as she brushed her wet locks.

Mitchell stepped up behind her and folded his arms around her naked torso. "If I am not mistaken, sweetness, you still enjoyed our time in the shower together." He affectionately kissed her temple. "I know I did."

"Of course I enjoyed it," Karen confirmed. "I'd just feel better about today if we could solidify our bond."

"Well, we can, but I guarantee you we'd have our own little bundle of joy mine months from now."

Karen sighed. "If I didn't have my father to contend with, I'd be thrilled to have your baby, Mitchell. I can't wait to start a family with you."

"I know, sweetness. Your father is making life quite difficult for us at the moment."

"Not just for us," Karen reminded her husband. "A lot of people are needlessly suffering right now because of him. Every truth I uncover is buried beneath layers of lies and deceit. God, I hate him."

She set her brush down on the counter and pressed a palm to her forehead. "I have such a bad headache right now."

Karen caught Mitchell's frown in the mirror. "You're under too much stress, that's why," he said. "You need a break from life for a while." His expression suddenly lifted. "Tell you what, after we leave here, let's go somewhere warm before we return to Waukegan. Like Florida."

"Florida?" Karen chuckled.

"Sure, why not? We could get a room in a hotel on the beach and spend a few blissful days by ourselves. What do you say?"

The teenager beamed, her entire mood brightening. "I say yes! That sounds fantastic! I've never seen the ocean before."

"Nor have I."

"It will be so much fun!"

"Yes, I think so, too."

Karen turned in Mitchell's arms so that she could gaze into his real eyes. "You're right about the stress. It's really taking a toll on me, but at least I have you to lean on."

"Always," he vowed.

The newlyweds shared a tender kiss until Karen reluctantly pulled away. "We need to dress."

"Yes."

They left the bathroom to kneel before the suitcase. Mitchell quickly chose his garb that consisted of black jeans and a plain black sweater. Even dressed casually, he still looked very distinguished. Meanwhile, Karen couldn't decide what to wear. Irritated, she flipped through her clothes, again.

"I wish I had packed a dress," she said, "but I didn't think I would need one."

"You don't," said Mitchell. He crouched down next to her and singled out her green jeans and a black blouse. "There. You'll look plenty fine in these."

"If you say so," Karen conceded. She slipped on the jeans."I just don't want to see you gawking at her when all she's wearing is a short skirt and a low-cut shirt to attract your attention."

"Now I think you're being a bit paranoid," Mitchell lightly chided.

Karen smirked as she buttoned up her blouse. "I don't think so. She has a tight ass and large boobs. She'll want to show them off."

He chortled, clearly amused. "You're worried about me gawking, sweetness, yet you noticed a lot more of her attributes than I did."

"Seriously?" Karen asked, genuinely surprised. "You really didn't notice?"

Mitchell escorted her from the motel room. "No."

"Huh."

"Karen, I told you I'm not interested in her. Period. The only reason I'm going to sleep with her is to keep her from becoming a being like us, and time is of the essence."

When they reached the car, the teenager turned to her soulmate and splayed a hand across his chest. "Just guard my heart, Michael," she firmly commanded. "I won't be able to live with a piece of it missing."

He shook his head. "I won't allow anything to happen to it, Karen. It will remain safe inside of me." He pressed a firm kiss to her lips. "I promise."

Karen deepened his kiss, letting the killer feel her love for him. "I'm trusting you, Michael," she said once they broke apart. She then ducked into the car and strapped on her seatbelt.

The five mile drive to the Holmes' house was quiet, which suited the teenager just fine. At this point, the couple had nothing left to say to one another. Mitchell was aware of her fears and truly believed they were unwarranted.

Unlike him, however, Karen knew her half-sister was going to test their bond's strength. She suspected he would bend. She just prayed he wouldn't break. Her life depended on it, for if their bond broke, she would die, forever immortalizing her as a helpless victim. That was definitely not the legacy she wanted to leave behind.

When Mitchell killed the Camaro's engine, Karen stepped out of the car. As usual, he reached for her hand. She was embarrassed, because it was shaking, not a lot but enough for him to notice. His fingers clenched hers even tighter.

"You have nothing to worry about," he murmured.

"We shall see," she ominously replied.

Just as the newlyweds reached the steps leading to the stoop, the front door swung open. Benjamin greeted them with a warm smile. "Good morning! Welcome back!"

Mitchell released Karen's hand so that she and her grandfather could share a hug. There was something about him that she found very comforting.

"Your grandmother had a rough night, so breakfast is running a little behind schedule this morning. She's currently in the kitchen with Karen." A deep frown suddenly etched Benjamin's features. "I'm sorry. You probably hate that you both share the same name."

"I hate a lot of things right now," Karen honestly told him, "but, yes, that one is near the top of the list."

Her grandfather deliberately nodded. "Your father is a piece of shit."

"That's putting it mildly," Mitchell interjected. "He's a miserable excuse of a human being. You have no idea what Karen and others have had to endure because of him. His evil extends beyond just your family now."

"What's being done to stop him?" Benjamin asked.

"Mitchell and I have already dealt with two of his friends," Karen said, "and my father and I have made a truce that will keep him from harming anyone else for a while. I will have to return to him by next Christmas, though. That's part of the deal."

"I see. So, you are no longer living in Haddonfield?"

Karen shook her head. "No. I was forced to leave Haddonfield back in August by my father. Mitchell and I have been staying with my best friend and her relatives in Waukegan since then."

"While you lived in Haddonfield, did you ever happen to meet Michael Myers?" Benjamin wondered.

Karen's eyes narrowed. "That's an odd question. Why do you ask?"

Her grandfather sighed and gave his head a deliberate shake. "You're right. It is an odd question. Forget that I mentioned it."

"No, please, I really want to know," Karen insisted. She sat down on the loveseat with Mitchell. "Please?"

Benjamin regarded her thoughtfully for a long moment. "All right." He took a seat on the sofa. "Well, I'm not sure how much Holly told you -"

"Hardly anything," Karen interrupted.

"Right. Okay. Well, Debbie and I traveled to Brookside for your birth. Very soon afterward, David and Holly announced that they had made the decision to move to Haddonfield, because he was offered a better job there. With all that had happened in Haddonfield with Michael Myers, Debbie and I were less than thrilled about the move. However, we supported it, because it was what Holly wanted. We even stayed in Brookside to help her pack and take care of you.

"But then two weeks before the move, Holly was beginning to look quite distraught. Debbie and I mistook it for stress at first until she confessed that she had been having strange premonitions about you and Michael."

"Premonitions?" Karen repeated. "What sort of premonitions?"

"Holly didn't go into much detail about them. All said was that you and him were destined to be linked together somehow. That was when we tried talking her out of moving. Surely her daughter's life was greater than her devotion to her husband, but it wasn't. She loved him too much to leave him, and he was too selfish to give you up, even if it meant saving your life. Seeing that there was nothing more we could do to help you, Debbie and I left.

"For two years, we didn't speak to Holly. Then, one day, she showed up on our doorstep with her daughter in tow. She said she and David had a fight and that she wanted to come back home. We, of course, took them in. They have since moved into their own house across town, but Karen still spends a lot of time here with us. It never even occurred to us that she wasn't you."

"Why would it have?" Karen frostily countered. "You hadn't seen me since my birth."

"I know. Debbie and I should have checked up on you in Haddonfield," Benjamin lamented, "especially since we knew Michael Myers was a threat to your livelihood."

"Or you assumed he was, anyway," Karen replied, "just like my mom did. What no one knew was that I was already living with the man who would threaten my livelihood.

"I did end up meeting Michael Myers, by the way, right after my father first raped me. I was lost in the woods, and he helped me find my way out. He made a very strong impression on me that day - so strong, in fact, that ten years later I married him." Karen dropped her voice and said, "Just don't tell my grandmother. She won't be able to handle the truth right now, if ever."

Benjamin stared at Mitchell. "Michael Myers, huh? You're a lot different than I was expecting."

"You can blame your granddaughter for that," the killer proclaimed. "She says I made a strong impression on her, but she made a stronger one on me, I assure you."

"Does anyone else know?" asked Benjamin.

"Only those whom we trust," Mitchell said.

"Which is very few people," Karen added.

"Gotcha." Her grandfather gave her an appraising look. "You must be quite a special girl to secure the love of such a man."

"She is," Mitchell confirmed. "Trust me."

Karen eyed the older man warily. "We suspect my half-sister is, too."

"Or at least possesses that same potential," stated Mitchell.

Benjamin pursed his lips together. "Yes, I believe you may be right about that. Karen sliced her finger while chopping vegetables the other day. By the time I returned with a band-aid, the wound had already mended. She's always been a fast healer, but not that fast."

"Damn," the killer muttered.

Karen looked at him. "Do you think we're too late?"

To her relief, he shook his head. "No, more like right on time."

Benjamin studied the couple. "You're going to try to stop her progression, aren't you?"

"I have to," Mitchell said, "for my wife's sake as well as my own."

Benjamin's expression hardened. "You won't hurt her, will you?"

"I'm hoping not."

Benjamin eyed Karen. "You look worried."

"I am," she said. "The bond Michael and I share is less than a week old, and it's still ten days away from being fully consummated. I'd feel so much better about this if it could just wait until after Halloween, but I know it can't."

Her grandfather released a soft sigh. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Keep this Karen busy," answered Mitchell, "preferably with your wife. Maybe you can take her shopping for a dress. She regrets not bringing one with her."

"A dress? Sure, we can do that."

"Good."

Fantastic, Karen inwardly seethed. While she and her grandparents were out shopping, her husband would be getting frisky with her half-sister. She hated thinking about them together.

Deborah walked into the living room. "Ah, Mr. And Mrs. Martin, good morning," she greeted with a lot less enthusiasm than her husband. "Karen is making a batch of waffles. Then, it will be time to eat."

"I should see if she needs help," Mitchell offered.

Karen mutely nodded, understanding he needed time alone with her half-sister to implement his plan. She put on a brave front, but on the inside she was a mass of emotions, the most distinctive being jealousy.

When Mitchell left for the kitchen, she excused herself to the bathroom to freshen up. Instead, though, she merely sat on the closed toilet seat, wishing she was a stronger individual.

"I am," she uttered to herself. "I am stronger than this." She stood to confront her reflection in the mirror. "Do you hear that, Mrs. Karen Martin? You are stronger. In fact, you are the strongest person in this house. Now, go out there and prove it."

After her private pep talk, Karen turned from her likeness and headed back to the living room where her grandparents were waiting for her.

While Mitchell wandered to the kitchen, he felt a range of emotions that mostly belonged to his soulmate. He understood her jealousy, but it only made focusing on his mission that much harder. Frustrated, he grunted softly. Come on, Karen, get a hold of yourself, he inwardly challenged. You are stronger than this.

As though she had heard his command, her emotions suddenly dulled within him, except for her resolve, her strength.

Attagirl! Mitchell praised. He entered the kitchen feeling much more confident in his ability to woo his half-sister-in-law. However, one look at her and he saw that Karen had been right all along. Her half-sister was dressed to impress. She wore a short black skirt and a pale pink v-neck sweater that accentuated her cleavage.

The killer hated himself for noticing but hated himself even more for the effect it had on his anatomy. He supposed his reaction was normal, considering he was eventually going to have sex with her, yet it still weighed heavily on his conscience.

Karen glanced up from an opened waffle maker and graced him with a seductive smile. "Hey, there, handsome. I would ask you what you want, but I already know. Your gaze says it all."

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Mitchell curtly asked.

The teenager raised an eyebrow at him like his Karen often did. "For your information, my mom let me skip school today on account of last night. Your wife wasn't the only one traumatized by the news about our father."

"I'm sorry," he replied and actually meant it.

Karen leaned back against the counter, completely facing him now. "I wasn't supposed to have a half-sister, and she certainly wasn't supposed to be married to you. You were destined to be mine, Michael Myers. I've been dreaming about you ever since I was a young girl."

Wait, what? "That's not possible," Mitchell disputed, though the fact that she knew his true identity proved otherwise.

"Trust me, it is. I have books filled with accounts of my dreams. I'll even let you read them, if you'd like." Karen approached him, her hips swaying just enough to entice him. "I have envisioned this very moment. You, me alone together in this very kitchen."

Mitchell's self-control started to wane, allowing lust a chance to sprout.

"Despite the fact that you're married, you still want me don't you, Michael? It's okay to admit it, because it's no secret that I want you, too. Your wife even knows I desire you. She's quite insecure about herself, isn't she?"

"She can be," Mitchell admitted.

"It's because she knows she's not the one meant for you. Our father already claimed her as his, but since she can't accept her fate, she dug her claws into you. Michael, you were never supposed to be hers. You were supposed to be mine. I'll even prove it." Karen raised herself up on her tiptoes. "Kiss me, handsome. Kiss me and you'll know it, too."

Curious, Mitchell lowered his mouth onto Karen's, kissing her deeply. Unlike with Dawn, a bolt of desire shot through him going directly to his groin. Damn, it hurt. He pressed himself against her loins, instinctively seeking release.

Karen reached down between them to open Mitchell's fly and lift her skirt. She stimulated his erection with her palm while rubbing its engorged head over her panty-clad nub. Within seconds they both came, soaking the front of her turquoise undergarment.

"That...was so...hot," Karen panted. She dropped and smoothed out her skirt while Mitchell tucked himself back into his jeans. "We'll definitely...have to do more...of that later."

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and then said, "Will you tell my grandparents and your wife that breakfast is ready, please?"

His wife! Karen! Mitchell suddenly felt a sharp twinge in his chest that may or may not have been there the entire time. Fuck! He had completely underestimated her half-sister's prowess as a seducer, and now she was paying the price for his negligence.

Mitchell hurried to the living room. Karen was sitting on the sofa next to Benjamin, but she did not look well. Not at all. And a hand was slowly rubbing the area over her heart. Double fuck.

"She claims she's all right," Benjamin said.

"I am all right," Karen earnestly insisted. "My chest just hurts a little, that's all."

She turned her dark eyes onto Mitchell. "Is breakfast ready?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Finally," said Deborah. She rose to her feet and then looked at her husband. "Ben, are you coming?"

He quickly followed suit. "Yes."

"Mitchell and I will join you shortly," Karen told her grandparents.

The older man simply nodded and followed his spouse out of the room.

"Karen, I am so sorry," Mitchell apologized once they were alone.

"I knew you'd be drawn to her," she said. "I tried warning you -"

"I know." He watched Karen massage her chest for a few more seconds. "I never meant to hurt you." When her eyes brightened with tears, he automatically reached for her.

"Don't," she ordered. "I don't want to be touched by you right now."

Disheartened, Mitchell instantly dropped his hands to his sides. "All right. So where does this leave us?"

His soulmate shrugged as she wiped the corner of his eyes. "I don't know."

"Karen, I still love you," he earnestly declared.

"Do you?" she softly questioned. "I can no longer feel it."

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Mitchell, the moment I felt your pleasure, I lost the ability to feel you inside of me," Karen stated. "Either it's by design to save me from any more pain, or it means that our bond is starting to weaken. I don't know which it is."

"I can still feel you, sweetness," the killer assured her. "I can feel how much you are hurting."

"This is hard," she confessed. "A lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn't think you'd fall for her this fast."

"I didn't fall for her," Mitchell growled. "I let my guard down. It won't happen again."

"Okay," Karen said, looking quite dubious.

He sighed. "You don't believe me."

"Actions speak a lot louder than words, Mitchell."

"You're right," he agreed. "By tonight you won't have any doubt of my love for you. Now, let's go eat."

Karen Miller sat across from Michael Myers at the table. As they ate, she occasionally bumped her foot into his. Just that slight contact with him made her needy. She subtly slid her left hand underneath her skirt. Her panties were still damp from their special time together, and she knew that there was more to come, quite literally.

"Karen, after breakfast, your grandfather and I are going to take Mrs. Martin shopping," Deborah informed her.

The teenager turned her attention to Michael. "You're not going?"

He gave his head a small shake. "Shopping isn't really my thing."

"Great, you can keep my company, then. I obviously can't go since I'm supposed to be sick from school."

"Sure," he simply replied.

Karen grinned. By the time her grandparents and his wife returned, she planned to be Michael's lover. Then, once his divorce was finalized, she'd become the new Mrs. Karen Martin. The former one could return to their father in Haddonfield where she belonged. She'd simply have to get over the impropriety of sleeping with her father in order to find happiness.

The current Karen Martin didn't deserve to have two men fawning over her, especially when one was just a matter of convenience. It was so obvious that Michael didn't truly love her. He would never consider cheating on her if he did.

Breakfast ended, and not long afterwards Karen found herself alone with Michael. Unlike earlier, though, he seemed a bit agitated. She plopped down on the sofa and patted the spot right next to her. "Come on, Michael. I don't bite."

Sighing, he complied.

"I think it's sweet that you care so much about your wife's feelings," Karen said.

"Of course I care," he haughtily retorted. "I love her."

The teenager scoffed, seeing through his lie. "You say that, yet you want to cheat on her with me. That's quite the contradiction, is it not?"

"I suppose from your point of view it is."

His ominous answer made Karen frown. "Is this just sex to you, Michael, because it isn't to me. If you're only looking for an easy romp, you can find another girl to satisfy your needs."

"I apologized," he said. "I just never pictured myself cheating on my new wife on our honeymoon. It could potentially break her heart."

"I think you are being melodramatic," Karen gently scolded. "She still has her father's love to fall back onto. I have no one besides you."

"Karen doesn't love her father," Michael grumbled.

"But she could, if she'd just let herself. Fate chose them to be together, just like it chose us. Don't you see? You thought you were helping her, but instead you were keeping her from her destiny and us from ours."

The killer eyed his wedding band. "I made a vow to her."

"True, but you didn't know about me when you made it." Karen placed a hand on his thigh. "Michael, please, I need you." She smiled when a large bulge formed in the front of his jeans. She experimentally tugged on his zipper's tiny pull tab. When he didn't object, she freed his erection from its constraint. Earlier, its long length and wide girth had genuinely surprised her. Now, she couldn't wait to feel it stuffed inside of her tight virgin body.

Karen stroked Michael's throbbing manhood, again, just like he had taught her to do in her dreams. "I like touching you like this," she throatily said.

"I like it as well," Michael admitted. "Your hand feels good."

"I know something that will feel even better." Karen bent her head over his lap and sucked the head of his erection into her mouth. She had learned that trick from him as well.

"Undoubtedly so," he groaned.

She accepted more of Michael's length and bobbed her head to ensure his ultimate pleasure. A few minutes later Karen eagerly swallowed her reward. "You're the first man I have ever tasted," she honestly told him. She gave him a long look. "You could be my first in other ways, too…"

He pulled Karen close to him and kissed her. "Yes," he said, "but not here. Let's go to your house. We'll take Karen's car."

"Yeah, sure. I'm up for that."

Michael zipped up his pants. "Good."

The teenager followed him out of her grandparents house and to her half-sister's car. She directed him to her house. Twenty minutes later they arrived.

"You can park in the driveway," she said. "My mom won't be home until after six."

Hand in hand, the soon-to-be lovers entered the house through the side door. Karen led Michael upstairs to her bedroom. Even though no one else was home, she still closed the door and locked it. "You're sure about this, right?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

Karen walked to her closet and reached up to the top shelf where she grabbed one of her dream journals. She handed it to Michael, flipping it open to a random page. "See? I wasn't lying."

He read a few sentences. "When did these dreams start?" he asked.

"Just before I turned eight."

"So around the same time my wife started dreaming of me."

"Yeah, I guess." Karen suddenly frowned. "Does that matter?"

"I just find it strange that your dreams started after she and I met. Maybe you were somehow connecting to her subconscious mind."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Michael countered. "She is your half-sister, and you both have similar powers. Right or wrong, she started loving me just after our first meeting. If you were capable of seeing into her dreams, that would explain how you developed such strong feelings for me."

"Even if your theory is true, I'm still like you; therefore, I deserve to be with you," Karen maintained. "Do you not agree?"

Michael set the book down on her desk. "I cannot deny that the chemistry between us is very strong. I am curious to see where it will lead."

"But you are not promising me any sort of commitment," she stated, beyond disappointed.

"A special bond was created between Karen and me through sex. There's a possibility that the same could happen between us."

Karen's mood instantly lifted. "Yes. Yes, that's what I want!" she excitedly shrieked. "I want to be bonded with you like that!"

"Very well."

Michael initiated a kiss that Karen fervently returned. Her lust for him had reached its peak. She let him explore beneath her skirt, moaning when his fingers grazed her drenched slit.

"You do want me," he breathed.

"Yes!" she gasped. "If you're asking for my consent, Michael, you have it. I need you so much. Please…"

Once he had Karen's consent, Mitchell promptly shed his jeans and yanked her panties off of her. At this point, he just wanted to get the deed done. He may have faltered earlier, but he wouldn't fail his soulmate, again. And she was his true soulmate. Her half-sister's book of dreams proved it, along with his love for her. His heart was now bursting with it. He hoped she was now capable of feeling just how much he loved her through their bond.

"Michael…?" Karen asked, appearing worried. "Are you okay? You seem different somehow."

"Yes, I'm fine," he answered. He took her hand and guided her to the bed. He hated what he was about to do in so many ways. However, it was either now or never, and never wasn't an option.

Karen laid down on the full size mattress and shemmied out of her skirt. "There, that's better," she said. "I don't feel so cheap now."

Mitchell kissed her on the lips. "You are not cheap." This might have been just sex for him, but there was no reason not to be kind about it, especially since she was a virgin.

"Thanks."

They kissed, again. This time, though the killer strategically rubbed his stiff manhood against Karen's wet slit to heighten their sexual desire for each other. As their passion grew, so did his desire to be sheathed inside of her. "It's time," he uttered.

"Yes!" she hissed. "Just be gentle."

Mitchell rose slightly and gradually pushed himself into her tight maidenhood. Despite her very aroused state, her brows still furrowed in obvious discomfort during penetration. "Am I hurting you?" he softly asked.

"You're big," she replied. "I think no matter what you do, it's going to be painful. I'm all right, though. You can keep going."

Mitchell tried his damnedest not to think about his wife, but watching her half-sister's reaction to his entry opened his eyes to what she had physically endured during her rape. Even if David had been as gentle as he was trying to be, Mitchell knew losing her virginity still would have caused his soulmate incredible pain due to her small size and her lack of sexual arousal.

He visualized her little eight-year-old body lying on the ground trapped underneath her father's much larger form. He remembered how blood-shot her eyes had been afterwards and pictured tears streaming down her face as she experienced sex for the first time. She no doubt felt extremely scared, confused, and oh-so lost. The compassion and empathy Mitchell felt for her at that moment was unmatched by anything he had ever felt before. He loved her now more than ever.

The power behind his new-found love for his soulmate rushed through the killer, driving him to expel it the only way he knew how. "Karen!" he yelled as the proof of his love shot out of his body like a cannon.

"Michael!" the other Karen cried, her body shaking underneath his. She then went still.

And so did he.

"This one is very pretty," said Deborah. She held up a long pink dress that was covered in lace for Karen Martin to see.

The younger forced herself not to snigger. It was obvious the two females had very different tastes in clothing. "I'll try it on," she replied only to avoid a fight.

"Perhaps this one is more your style," Benjamin offered. He showed Karen a shorter violet dress that had spaghetti straps and a deep neckline. She had never worn anything that scandalous before, but she felt drawn to it just the same.

"Ben, put that dress away," Deborah demanded. "It's indecent."

"It's daring," Karen boldly corrected. "I like it."

The older woman scowled at her. "It will make you look like a cheap slut."

"I'm on my honeymoon. If my husband wants to think of me as a cheap slut, so be it."

Benjamin burst out laughing. "Just let her try it on, Debbie. It won't hurt anyone."

"Fine," she conceded.

Karen took both dresses into a fitting room but only intended to try one on. However, as she was undressing, an indescribable urge to touch herself seized her. She quickly kicked off her jeans and sat back on the wooden bench with her legs spread open.

Not wasting any time, Karen plunged three fingers straight into her core and pumped them at a frenzied pace. The passion building up within her was unreal. She desperately needed release. Now.

Right when she reached her peak, Karen's heart suddenly burned blazing hot. The pain was so excruciating she thought she might actually die. Her fingers flew out of her wet folds to clutch her aching chest.

"Karen!"

"Michael!" she gasped out loud. She could feel his presence inside of her, again, and with that, an outpouring of love. Then, everything went black.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Karen? It's your grandfather. Are you all right?"

Dazed, the teenager lifted her head off the floor. She must have fallen off the bench when she had passed out. Her body felt really heavy like it was being weighed down by an invisible force. "No, I need help," she meekly answered.

"All right, I'll get Debbie for you."

"No," Karen said, "from you."

There was a slight pause. "Okay, sure, I suppose. What do you need? A different size?'

Karen sighed. "No, I need you to come in here. Please."

Benjamin jiggled the door handle. "Karen, you'll have to unlock the door."

"I know. I'm working on it." She slowly crawled to the door. She barely had the strength to lift her hand to unlatch it. "There," she huffed.

Benjamin cracked open the door to peak inside. When his gaze landed on the teenager's naked legs, his face flushed crimson. "Karen, I think I should get Debbie to help you seeing that she's a woman and all."

"No," she insisted. "I can't explain this to her. Please. I trust you."

"Okay." Benjamin guided Karen back to the bench and then reached for her green denim pants. "So, what happened? You look very pale."

"It's Mitchell," she said. "I think he's unconscious. I have to return to him."

"All right, we'll leave as soon as we get you dressed."

"Thanks."

Benjamin helped Karen slide her feet into her jeans, wisely not commenting on her damp panties. It would have been a very embarrassing situation had she not trusted her grandfather as much as she did. "You're being a real gentleman," she told him.

Benjamin raised his eyes to Karen's face. "I know we are strangers, but you are still my granddaughter and will treat you as such."

Karen managed to pull up her pants and button them. She then slumped against the back wall. "I need Mitchell to wake up."

Her grandfather sat down next to her. "How is it that you're so affected by him? Does it have anything to do with the bond you two share?"

Karen nodded. "It has everything to do with that. You see, he has a piece of my heart inside of him, I have an essence of him inside of me. It's a bond that cannot be easily broken."

"And, yet, you were worried it would be."

"Karen would have been powerful enough to break it, if Mitchell let her."

"But not anymore?"

Karen touched her chest. "No. He chose me."

Benjamin's brow creased with concern. "And Karen? What of her?"

The teenager shook her head. "I don't know."

He stood up. "We need to leave. Are you strong enough now to walk?"

"Yeah, I think so." Karen rose from the bench and grabbed the violet dress. "I want to buy this."

Her grandfather took the garment from her hand as they left the small room. "Did you try it on?"

"No, but it's my size. It should fit. If not, I'll return it in the morning before Mitchell and I head out."

"But you just got here," Benjamin complained.

Karen shrugged. "I think it's for the best. I am not a very popular person right now among you family members."

"They're your family members, too," he kindly reminded her.

"My aunt and I are beyond any type of reconciliation, I think."

Benjamin stopped walking to give Karen a stern look. "I'm not speaking about your aunt. I'm referring to your grandmother and your half-sister."

"Deborah doesn't care for me much, and my relationship with Karen is a lot more complicated than you know. She hates me and will continue to hate me, I'm afraid. Even my opinion of my mom has been tainted during this trip. She didn't love me as much as I had always led myself to believe." The teenager couldn't keep the sorrow out of her voice. She mournfully touched her cross pendant that she had always revered.

"Karen, did Holly ever tell you the story behind her necklace?"

She and Benjamin sauntered up to an open cashier to purchase her dress. "No," she said as Deborah joined them.

Once the dress was paid for, the trio left the store. They crossed the parking lot to the Holmes' blue Pontiac Bonneville. Karen sank down in her seat She was utterly exhausted and feared she was going to lose consciousness, again. "Grandpa, tell me the story now, will you?" she asked. She needed the distraction.

"What story?" Deborah asked. "And don't call him Grandpa."

"She wants to know the significance of Holly's necklace," Benjamin said. "And for heaven's sake, Debbie, if our granddaughter wants to call me Grandpa, then she can call me Grandpa."

"You already have a granddaughter who calls you that," Deborah griped. "You don't need another one."

"But I have another one, and so do you," Benjamin sternly replied.

"Don't worry, Deborah; I'll be sure never to call you Grandma," Karen frostily said.

"Don't take it so personally, Mrs. Martin," Deborah chided. "You might be our granddaughter, but you are still a complete stranger to us."

"I will forever be a stranger to you, Deborah," Karen vowed, hurt by her grandmother's callous rejection.

"Ladies, please," Benjamin implored. "Hasn't our family already suffered enough? Debbie, hasn't Karen suffered enough? She is essentially an orphan looking for her family. It's not her fault that David turned out to be such an asshole."

"Holly never should have married him," Deborah lamented. "And she certainly never should have let him talk her into moving to Haddonfield. Michael Myers has cursed that entire town."

Karen allowed herself a small chuckle. "Michael Myers is not responsible for my father's actions. In fact, I think he would be very much appalled by what my father has done to me."

"Michael Myers is a serial killer," Deborah hissed. "Don't you go romanticizing him, Mrs. Martin. He'd never be your hero."

Karen spun her rings around her finger. "Simply killing my father would have made him my hero."

"Which he never did."

"No, he didn't, which means my father's fate rests with me."

"As it should," Deborah said. "And there's no reason to involve a serial killer in your business, Mrs. Martin. Let the law handle your father."

"That is my husband's stance as well."

"It is?" Benjamin asked, sounding surprised. "Interesting. I thought for sure he'd want your father's blood."

"No. We both agree that his death won't give his victim's the justice they deserve. He'd die a hero instead of the villain that he is."

"David will never confess to killing Holly," Benjamin said.

"We'll see." Karen closed her eyes but didn't dare keep them shut for long. "Benjamin, tell me about her necklace. Why did it mean so much to her?"

"Karen…" he sighed, obviously displeased by the formality of her request.

Right now she didn't care. "Please, just tell me."

"All right," he relented. "The reason the necklace meant so much to Holly was because it had once belonged to her birth mother. When it became obvious that her parents had abandoned her and her siblings, Holly stole the necklace from her mother's jewelry box. She told us she wanted to always wear something that her real parents would recognize in case they ever searched for her. She never gave up hope that they would find each other someday."

"That necklace was Holly's most treasured possession," Deborah added. "She never took it off."

"How did her sister explain not having it, then?" wondered Karen.

"She said that the chain broke while she was out walking in the woods with your father and that they couldn't find it," Benjamin said.

The teenager scoffed. "My father is great at telling half-truths. My mother's necklace is in the woods, but she didn't lose it. He used it to mark her grave."

"That son of a bitch."

"Yep," Karen agreed. She tilted her head back against the seat, wishing she could just fall asleep.

"We're almost there," Benjamin told her.

However, when they arrived at the Holmes' house, they found Karen's black Camaro missing.

"Where could they be?" asked Deborah.

"At Karen's house maybe?" Karen suggested. "They could have gone there looking for something to do."

"In that case, I think we should wait here for them to return," Deborah said.

Karen caught her grandfather's gaze in the rearview mirror and quickly shook her head.

"Debbie, I'm going to take Karen over there," he said. "Do you want to come with us or stay here?"

"I'll stay here and get dinner ready," Deborah replied. "Since we ate breakfast late, we'll eat dinner early tonight."

"Sounds good. I'll be home soon."

Nodding, Karen's grandmother stepped out of the car. "Good-bye, Mrs. Martin." With that, she shut the door

"She hates me," the teenager muttered as Benjamin pulled away from the curb.

"No, trust me, she doesn't," he said. "Just be patient with her. She'll come around."

Karen felt too tired to respond. To conserve energy, she kept quiet during the drive. When they finally reached her aunt's house, she instantly sensed her husband's presence inside of it, though the Camaro parked in the driveway also gave him away.

Looks like they're here," Benjamin said as he parked out front.

"Yes." Karen stumbled out of the Pontiac and clomped up the driveway. She brazenly let herself into the gray two-story house through the side door, which had been left unlocked.

"I'll be waiting for you in the family room," Benjamin stated from somewhere behind her.

Karen paid him little mind. She was on a mission to find Mitchell before she collapsed from exhaustion. She trudged upstairs and found the room he was in. The only problem was it was locked.

Although she knew it would expel most of her energy, Karen closed her eyes and concentrated solely on her soulmate. Seconds later she was standing at his bedside. Much to her chagrin, his unconscious form was naked from the waist down and was still embedded deep within her half-sister's limp body. It was a sight she wished never ever to see again.

Karen tiredly reached out a hand and gave the center of her husband's back a weak shake. "Mitchell!" she meekly called. "Mitchell, wake up!" When he didn't stir, she shook him a little harder. "Mitchell, can you hear me? I need you to wake up. Please." Finally, she received a soft groan. "That's it, Mitchell, wake up," she encouraged as a bit of her own strength returned.

His eyes suddenly snapped open. At the same time, Karen fell to her knees, overcome by the sudden rush of love that slammed into her now that her soulmate was conscious and alert. It was so powerful that it literally took her breath away. She slumped against the bed frame near his head.

"Karen?" he gasped, his voice ragged.

She met Mitchell's stare while she fought to find her voice.

"Karen, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I felt that you were unconscious," she murmured. "I wanted to make sure you were all right."

His dark eyes widened. "You must be exhausted."

"I was," Karen admitted. "You have no idea how difficult it is to function when the person you're bonded to is unresponsive."

"Yet another testament of your strength, sweetness." The intensity in Mitchell's expression heightened. "I love you, Karen."

"Trust me, I know," she said, rubbing her tender chest. "I'm sorry for ever doubting it, Michael. Really I am. It's just that the thought of you choosing somebody else -"

"Karen," he sternly said, "I will never choose somebody else, because there is nobody else. You are my soulmate. Forever."

Tears welled up in the teenager's eyes. She instinctively leaned forward to kiss her husband but abruptly drew back when her gaze settled on her half-sister. "This is a little weird…" she muttered.

His eyes followed hers, his expression quickly changing from confusion to surprise to horror. "Oh, fuck! " he hissed.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Did you forget that you slept with her?"

"No...I didn't realize I was still inside of her."

"Oh!" Karen leapt up and turned away from the bed to give Mitchell some privacy. While he put his pants back on, her gaze landed a leather bound book that was laying on her half-sister's desk. She didn't want to pry, yet, at the same time, she felt it calling to her.

"That's one of Karen's dream journals," Mitchell informed her.

Karen cringed at his usage of her half-sister's given name. It sounded so personal. Of course, Mitchell and her half-sister had just shared something very personal.

To keep her mind off of that, Karen flipped the book's front cover open to the first page. She started reading the passage and frowned. "These aren't her dreams; they're my dreams."

"Yes, I suspected as much," Mitchell said.

Panic rose in Karen's chest. Her dreams were just as personal to her as the act of sex itself. "Did you read any of her entries?' she asked.

"Only a few sentences of one. Nothing more. I swear."

She turned to look at Mitchell. "How - ?"

"I'm afraid she possessed the ability to link to your subconscious mind."

"Oh, god," Karen groaned. Her eyes returned to the journal. "So everything I experienced with my father she knows?"

"And recorded," Mitchell said with unexpected enthusiasm. "Don't you see, sweetness? Karen's journals can be used as evidence against your father. Pair them with the photographs he took, and you've got yourself a real case."

Karen didn't feel so optimistic. "And what - testify that my half-sister saw inside my head while I was sleeping? No one will believe that, Mitchell. Besides, she and I have different handwriting."

"Then, rewrite her entries," he bluntly replied. "You have the time."

Karen stared down at the words on the page and knew what she had to do. "All right, but I won't do it alone. I want you to dictate them to me."

Mitchell blinked, clearly surprised. "Are you sure?"

She firmly nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll get too lost in the memories if I try rewriting them by myself. More importantly, though, I'm tired of keeping secrets from you. You deserve to know what my father did to me." She started to get teary-eyed. "You always have." Her husband instantly pulled her into his arms. She leaned into him and returned his hug. "I'm so sorry..."

"Shh, it's all right, sweetness," he soothed. "It's all right."

She stood with him for a few minutes, "I love you, Michael," she voiced against his chest.

"I have never doubted that, ever. Your love for me caused you to suffer unknowingly at the hands of your father. If you hadn't loved me so deeply, you probably could have ended your suffering much sooner."

Karen gazed up at him through her lashes. "I still could have been a better girlfriend and fiancé to you," she insisted. "I'll be a better wife, though. I promise."

Mitchell tenderly stroked her back. "Oh, sweetness, your deficiencies have never bothered me, because I know you'd overcome them in time."

"They bother me, though. A lot."

He exhaled a gentle sigh. "I know."

Karen looked past Mitchell's shoulder to her half-sister, who was now fully dressed yet remained unmoving on the bed. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

He followed her gaze. "She'll probably feel weak when she awakens, but that shouldn't last more than a few days."

Karen noticed a few droplets of dried blood on her half-sister's comforter. With it came a mixture of jealousy, sadness, and anger - but mostly anger. Her half-sister was given the chance to experience something with Michael Myers that she was denied, thanks to her father's perverse feelings for her. Once again, her mind was transported back to that moment in time.

"I tried to be gentle with her, but she still bled," Mitchell said.

"Not as much as I did," Karen bitterly recalled. "I shouldn't have fought him."

"Karen, you had every right to fight him."

She shook her head as the events unfolded in her head. "It was too much but not enough. By trying to get away, I only made things worse. He told me he loved me, but he was too angry to show me any type of compassion. It hurt so badly. I thought for sure he was going to rip me into two. I wanted to scream but couldn't, so I just cried instead. Afterward, he cleaned me, and then I ran. I had no idea where I was going. I just wanted to get away from him. But - but something led me to you. I know it did. I know it did…"

Karen's voice trailed off as the memory faded from the forefront of her mind. She pressed her face into her soulmate's chest and let the tears fall. "Oh, Michael..." she sobbed.

He didn't respond with words, because they were unnecessary. The profound love and empathy that enveloped Karen's heart spoke for him. He truly understood her anguish.

When her tears finally slowed, Mitchell caressed her crown with his lips. "This is why your strength surpasses mine," he whispered into her hair. "You're a survivor, Karen. A survivor."

"Yes," she sniffled, "but I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you. My love for you might have blinded me from my father's abuse, but it also kept me from dying. I love you so much, Michael."

"And I you, Karen," he reverently said.

As Karen composed herself, a slight stirring on the bed caught the couple's attention. Karen Miller didn't fully wake, but it was clear she was no longer completely unconscious. Karen Martin straightened and gave her husband a long look. "I hope whatever you did to her worked."

"It should have. When I came inside of her all I was thinking about was you."

Karen's face burned hot. "Well, that certainly explains a lot," she said. "I'm just glad I was in the fitting room when it happened. It would have been extremely awkward for me otherwise."

"You felt it," guessed Mitchell.

"Of course I did. How could I have not? It felt amazing, but it also hurt like Hell. Your love for me literally burned my heart, Michael. For a moment there, I thought I was going to die, it was that painful. I blacked out because of it."

"I'm sorry," Mitchell sincerely said.

"It's okay," Karen assured him. "It feels a little better now. I'm just glad Benjamin was around to help me. He's a very good man."

"M-Michael…" her half-sister suddenly moaned.

That was Karen's cue to leave. She placed a chaste kiss on her soulmate's cheek. "I'll be downstairs," she simply told him. "Oh, and don't forget to ask for the journals. We need them."

"I won't," be promised.

"And, Mitchell…" she implored.

"Yes, sweetness?"

"Let her down gently." On that note, Karen vanished from the room.

Voices.

Karen Miller heard voices. Real ones. And they were close. "M-Michael…?" she muttered. She knew the gruff masculine one belonged to him. She'd recognize it anywhere.

More indistinct talking. Come on, brain, work! she pleaded.

"M-Michael…?" she quietly summoned, again.

This time his weight joined hers on the mattress, but he stayed silent.

"What did you do to me?" she tersely whispered.

"What had to be done." Michael's voice was stern. "I love my wife."

Karen scowled. "She doesn't deserve your love."

"You may not think so, but she has it nonetheless. And always will."

Karen cracked her eyes open. "She's had sex with her father."

"She was raped by her father two weeks after her eighth birthday," Michael snarled. "He started drugging her soon after that so he could be intimate with her without her knowledge. He succeeded only because all that time she believed she was dreaming of me. Her unwavering love for me prevented her from seeing the truth, and she suffered greatly for it."

"They might have been her dreams, but that doesn't make my love for you any less real," Karen somberly stated. "I gave you my virginity, Michael. The sex we shared meant a lot to me."

"I know." He sighed heavily. "Do you regret it?"

"No, I'll never regret it. It makes me special. I mean, how many other girls can say that they lost their virginity to Michael Myers?"

"None."

The sadness and regret in the killer's expression caught Karen off guard. She didn't like seeing him in pain. She wished to reach for him, but her limbs refused to cooperate. Instead, she had to settle for a simple "I'm sorry."

"I wish I could have been her first," he lamented. "Karen deserved so much more than what her father gave her. His love for her is very self-serving."

"But he still loves her all the same."

"Yes, and that's the problem."

"For you or for her?" Karen wondered.

"Both," Michael snapped. "We both hate her father."

Damn. "So, what are you going to do about it? Kill him?"

"Preferably not. We're going to try to convict him of muder and rape."

"You'll need evidence," Karen said. "Take my journals. There's two more books in the closet. I never mentioned you by name, but in my dreams, I always saw you. Towards the end, I even started dreaming about our wedding. I had my heart set on marrying you some day. I thought for sure you and I were destined to be together."

"I'm very sorry," Michael apologized, "but the dreams should stop now. Hopefully, that will help you move on from me."

The problem was Karen didn't want to move on from Michael. He didn't realize how hard she had fallen in love with him. Her heart felt completely shattered. Taking a knife and killing her would have been more merciful than leaving her like this. "Just take the journals, Michael," she said. She no longer wanted them in her possession.

"Karen -"

"Just go. Please."

Michael found the two books in her closet and grabbed the one off her desk. He looked quite forlorn as he turned to face her one last time. "Karen, you'll get through this," he insisted.

"No, I won't," she retorted. "I don't have your wife's strength, not anymore." She closed her eyes. "Good-bye, Michael."

Karen Martin jumped from the chair she was sitting in when she heard her half-sister's bedroom door open. A few moments later Mitchell descended the stairs. The haunted look in his dark eyes told her that the conversation with her had not gone well. She met him at the bottom of the stairwell so that they could speak privately.

"There's nothing more I can do for her," he said. "She's weak, but the love she has for me is still very strong. Unless it starts to fade soon, she will die of a broken heart."

"How long do you think she has?"

"I don't know, sweetness," Mitchell soberly replied. "Possibly a few hours. She's sleeping now."

"Maybe she'll feel better once she wakes up."

"That is my hope."

Mitchell suddenly looked beyond Karen's head. She turned, knowing her grandfather was approaching them.

"So...how is she?" he asked.

"Resting," Mitchell simply replied.

Benjamin gestured to the books in Mitchell's arms. "What are those?"

"Journals," Karen said.

"Dream journals to be exact," the killer specified. "Karen Miller possessed the ability to connect with my wife's mind during periods of sleep, so she's seen and wrote about the abuse Karen here has gone through."

Benjamin's wide eyes fell onto Karen. "David sexually molested you while you were sleeping?"

"It was a drug induced sleep," Mitchell interjected. "She thought she was having dreams of me."

"So Karen Miller also thought she was dreaming of you."

Mitchell nodded. "Yes. Seeing into my wife's dreams caused her to fall in love with me, which was why it was imperative for me to stop her powers from growing any further.

"And you did that by sleeping with her."

"It was the only way."

Benjamin pinched the bridge of his nose. "At least tell me it worked."

"It's hard to say right now," the killer confessed. "We'll know more when she wakes up."

"Her mother is going to be home in a couple of hours. How am I supposed to explain this to her."

"You're not," said Mitchell. "Karen and I will stay here with her. You can go home to your wife."

"Very well," he relented. He walked over to a desk and jotted his number down on a sticky note. He handed it to Karen. "Here, in case you need us. For anything."

"Thank you," she said. She dropped the small piece of paper into her back pocket.

"Oh, and your dress is over there." Benjamin pointed to a bag sitting on the floor by the sofa. "I had fun shopping with you today."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Hey, and make sure you say good-bye to us before you leave town, all right?"

"We will," Mitchell assured him.

"Good, good. I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah," Karen agreed. "Bye, Grandpa."

He smiled on his way out.

When the side door closed, the teenager turned her attention to her soulmate. "So now what?"

"Karen's comforter needs to be washed," Mitchell said.

"Okay, but I'll need your help."

The newlyweds re-entered Karen Miller's bedroom. Mitchell lifted her unconscious body off the bed while Karen Martin pulled the soiled comforter off the mattress. "So, this is how it's going to be, huh? Me cleaning up all the messes you make?"

The killer chortled. "And just think, sweetness, these blood stains are small compared to the ones I usually make."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Or prefer to make."

"Rightly so."

Smirking, Karen walked out of the bedroom and down to the laundry room. She had just tossed the bedding into water when a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She added the detergent while her husband deftly unbuttoned her jeans and tugged her panties to the side. With one hard thrust he rooted himself deep inside her fertile core.

They were playing with fire, but Karen didn't care. For a moment she even entertained the idea of getting pregnant. If she and Michael conceived now, she'd have the baby well before her return to Haddonfield. Also, too, with the way her body healed, her father would be none the wiser to it.

However, adding parenting a baby to the Boogeyman's already full plate wouldn't be fair to him. Karen needed to tell him that. "Mitchell, stop," she commanded. "We can't do this right now. It's too risky."

"Relax, sweetness," he soothed, nipping the side of her neck. "I promise I won't come inside of you." His hands moved upward to knead her breasts.

Karen moaned softly as she braced herself against the washing machine.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he murmured.

"Mm-hmm," she uttered, completely focused on her impending climax. Just as she hit her peak, Mitchell slid out of her. A second later he ejaculated all over the seat of her panties.

With a wry smile, Karen took off her jeans. "Another mess," she teased while adding her soaked undergarment to the wash load.

"Hey, you were the one who was so concerned about getting pregnant," Mitchell retaliated.

Although Karen was aware he was just playing around with her, his words still stung. "I know," she mumbled. "I know." She put her jeans back on under her husband's ever observant stare.

"Karen, you weren't actually considering getting pregnant, were you?"

"No," she fibbed, "of course not. That would be very selfish of me."

"Wanting to have a baby is not selfish," Mitchell said, "but I don't feel that the timing is right, yet. When it is, we'll both know."

"Yeah, you're right," Karen agreed. "You really are. With Dawn being pregnant, I've just been thinking about it more. I guess I'm a little bit jealous of her."

"Well, if it's any consolation, her father is going to be just as irate as yours would be if he ever discovered your pregnancy. At least I know Derek would never kill Dawn."

"I suppose believing my father would never find out about our baby is pretty naive of me," Karen said. "After all this time you'd think I would have learned better." She turned to go back upstairs, but Mitchell caught her arm, stopping her.

"Karen, when the time is right, we will know," he reiterated.

At her nod, Mitchell led Karen back to the family room. They sat down on the sofa and started kissing.

"When was the last time we just made out?" he asked between kisses.

"I'm not sure," Karen truthfully replied. "It's been a while. This is nice, though."

"Yes, it is."

As the newlyweds continued to kiss, Mitchell slipped his hands underneath Karen's blouse to fondle her breasts but didn't go any farther than that. Even so, the tingles that radiated from her core were still enough to induce a satisfying orgasm. Smirking, he raised his mouth from hers.

"It really doesn't take much, does it?"

Karen recalled times her father noted that as well. "It's you," she said, kissing him, again. "I love you so much, Mitchell. Always have. Always will."

"Dammit, Karen," he growled. "I'm trying really hard to be good here."

"Then maybe we should stop," she suggested. "I need to put Karen's comforter in the dryer, anyway. While I do that, do you want to check on her?"

Mitchell moved his hands away from Karen's breasts. "No, you go," he said. "It will be less awkward that way."

"All right. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take all the time you need."

Karen hurried to the laundry room. After transferring the wash to the dryer, she traveled up to her half-sister's bedroom. She felt a little guilty for spending intimate time with Mitchell while Karen Miller battled for her life, but as he had stated earlier, there was nothing more either of them could do to save her.

Karen now understood the torture he had endured during her own skirmish with death. Because of her love for him, she had come out victorious. Without it, she would have conceded the fight and succumbed to the Darkness.

That was the predicament her half-sister found herself in. The belief was that once her powers started receding so would her love for Michael Myers. However, no one knew how long the process would take or what it fully involved since he had never before slept with a woman he didn't love, who possessed similar powers as him.

Karen lightly touched her half-sister's hand. "I know you hate me," she said, "but I don't hate you. Maybe once you wake up, you won't hate me anymore either. Just please don't give up fighting. I don't want you to die."

Karen was preparing to leave the bedroom when Karen Miller's eyes suddenly fluttered open. The two teenagers stared at one another in silence until the latter uttered, "I know you...you came to Grandma's house..you told us about your father...my father…"

"Yes, that's right," Karen confirmed. "You and I are half-sisters."

The younger squeezed her eyes closed. "You were with someone else…a man...can't remember his name..."

"Mitchell Martin," Karen replied, filling in the blanks in her half-sister's mind.

"Mitchell...yeah...I remember now...he's your husband..."

"Yes. Mitchell and I got married a few days ago," Karen explained. "We're on our honeymoon right now."

"Yes...yes…your honeymoon..." Karen Miller's facial muscles relaxed as she fell back to sleep.

Karen should have felt relieved that her half-sister had no recollection of the day's events; however, it posed a serious moral dilemma, which she now had to face. She returned to Mitchell for his insight.

"Well, I think it worked," she told him. "She woke up for just a few minutes, and everything she knew about Michael Myers seems to have been erased from her memory."

"Thank goodness," Mitchell said.

"Yeah, except that also includes everything that happened today."

He cocked his head at Karen, not looking at all surprised. "That was the objective, was it not?"

She pursed her lips together, remaining silent.

"Karen, I know what you're thinking, but we can't tell her."

"Mitchell, you took her virginity."

"Yes, and she doesn't remember it, nor will she ever remember it. In this case, it's best just to move on and let her believe she's still a virgin. Telling her otherwise will do more harm than good, especially since she has no memory of her feelings for me."

Karen nodded. "You're right, Mitchell. If we tell her the truth, she will probably accuse you of rape."

"Yes."

"Okay, you just cleared my conscience."

"Good."

"I should call my grandpa, though, and let him know what's going on."

"Go ahead," Mitchell said. "I have to move the car before Karen's mother comes home, anyway."

Karen briskly walked to the sofa and grabbed her shopping bag. "Would you mind taking this with you?"

Mitchell shook his head. "No. I'll take the journals, too."

"Thanks."

When Mitchell left the room, Karen took out her grandfather's number. She used a telephone on her aunt's desk to call him.

"Hello?" Benjamin answered.

"Hi, Grandpa. It's Karen Martin."

"Karen, yes. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said. "Karen briefly woke up while I was in her room, and I think she'll make a full recovery."

"Hey, that's great news!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"Yeah, but she now has a very limited memory of Mitchell. She remembers nothing more than meeting him yesterday,"

"Ah, I see. Well, you won't have to worry about me saying anything to her that would contradict that. I have no qualms with keeping what happened between her and Mitchell a secret. Do you?"

"At first I did," Karen admitted, "but after speaking with Mitchell, I don't anymore. I was hurt by secrets, but in this case, the truth would hurt much worse."

"Yes, it most certainly would," Benjamin agreed. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Karen said, taking the hint. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Grandpa."

She hung up the phone's receiver just as Mitchell rejoined her. "My grandfather sided with us."

"Of course he did. He understands what's at stake."

The timer on the dryer buzzed.

"We need to put Karen's comforter on her bed before her mother gets home," Mitchell said.

"I'll grab it and meet you in her room."

"Very good."

Karen carried out her promise. Less than ten minutes later, her half-sister was tucked snugly into bed. Mitchell didn't linger in the bedroom, so she took that opportunity to slip on her clean panties. Then, she went back downstairs to be with him. Upon her arrival, he promptly handed her a pill.

"Here, take this. I want to be able to properly make love to you tonight."

"I want that too." She walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. Mitchell followed.

"Later, I'd like to see you in the dress you bought," he said.

Smirking, Karen downed her pill. "Did you peak at it?"

The killer shook his head. "No. You just always look so damn sexy in dresses. It turns me on."

"So that's why you wanted me to go dress shopping today," she said. "Kill two birds with one stone."

A light frown touched her husband's lips. "Something like that."

Karen leaned back against the sink. "Mitchell, you had sex with her. It's not something we can just ignore."

His frown deepened. "It was out of necessity," he snarled. "It wasn't something I wanted to do."

"Yet you still found some pleasure in the attention she gave you."

Mitchell's dark eyes narrowed. "Some, yes."

"That is my worst fear about returning to my father," Karen shamefully confessed. "As much as I hate him, he knows my body so well...and this time there won't be any drugs for me to blame it on…" The mere thought of consciously orgasming for her father almost brought her to tears.

Mitchell"s expression instantly softened. "Karen, whatever you experience with him will be a physical reaction only, just remember that."

She swallowed hard. "But I don't want it to even get that far," she said. "I never want to feel his hands on me, again. How do I get past that?"

"I'll help you," Mitchell promised. "It will be easier now that I have been through a similar situation."

"Yeah, but you didn't hate her like I hate my father," Karen argued.

"No, but I still understand the conflict of emotions that go along with it and can empathize with you better. If I recall correctly, that was the entire reason you proposed that I have sex with Aniyah in the first place, was it not?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Mitchell slipped his arms around Karen's waist. "Sweetness, we'll get through this together."

"And become even closer," she added.

"Undoubtedly so."

Karen titled her face upwards, ready to accept her husband's kiss, when a pair of headlights lit up the kitchen.

"Looks like your aunt is home," he said.

"Dammit," she hissed.

The couple broke apart and returned to the family room.

A few minutes later, 'Holly' greeted them. "Good evening. I was definitely not expecting to see you two here."

"Your daughter wasn't feeling well, so we offered to take her home on our way back to the motel," Mitchell smoothly lied.

"Well, this hasn't been exactly easy on her."

"And whose fault is that?" Karen retorted.

Her aunt's blue eyes flashed at her. "You were never supposed to come to Altoona."

"So what? Are you going to call my father and tell him that we discovered another one of his dark secrets?"

"No, mainly because I haven't spoken to David since we moved here. He sends me a check every month, but even that will stop once Karen turns eighteen. So, you see, I no longer have any loyalty to him."

"Fortunately for you," Karen muttered, though part of her still wouldn't have minded seeing her aunt suffer the same fate as her mother. However, at the same time, she didn't want her half-sister to experience that type of loss. At least not right now.

"Come, sweetness, it's time to go" Mitchell intervened. He turned to her aunt. "We only stayed because we didn't want to leave Karen home by herself."

"Well, thank you," the woman replied. "That was why I dropped her off at her grandparents' house this morning."

"Keep an eye on her, but she should start feeling better by morning. Good-bye."

The killer snagged Karen's hand. While they walked outside to the Camaro, he looked at her and said, "You have no idea how badly I wanted to wrap my hands around that woman's neck."

"Well, maybe one day you'll get that chance," Karen told him."You never know."

"No, you certainly don't."

The younger grinned as she stepped into the Camaro. She was waiting for that day.

Mitchell was thrilled when he and his wife entered their private motel room. Sure, it was nothing fancy, but they were finally alone together without any possibility of being interrupted.

"I bet I know what you want," Karen teased.

"If your guess is my cock stuffed inside your pussy, you'd be correct," he gruffly said.

One of her eyebrows lifted. "Patience, Mr. Martin." She held up the bag she was carrying. "I'll be right back. Gotta make sure it fits…"

"Karen…" he growled, but she headed straight for the bathroom and locked the door.

"You know that can't stop me from coming in," he warned.

"Give me just three minutes."

"You have two." Mitchell could almost see Karen's smile through the door.

"Oh," he heard her say.

"Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" he wondered out loud.

"I'll let you be the judge of that."

Karen opened the door, and Mitchell's jaw dropped. What caught his attention first was the dress's provocative neckline. It bared the valley between her perfectly formed breasts, and the padding inside the bodice wasn't thick enough to hide the outline of her taut nipples. It was a dress definitely designed to tease.

Mitchell's manhood throbbed painfully hard within his jeans. Karen placed a hand there, grinning like the damn Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"Am I to assume you like the dress?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, but you are never wearing it in public," he strictly told her.

"That's okay. It can be our naughty little secret."

"Little being the operative word there."

Karen laughed. "Not naughty?" she countered. "Because right now my mind is filled with naughty thoughts…" She popped open his jeans and sank to her knees. However, instead of giving him the expected blow job, she guided his erection down into the top of her dress and squeezed her pert breasts around his girth. Just watching her work him in such a manner was almost enough to make him climax. Almost.

Mitchell yanked Karen upt by her hair. "That is not where I want to come," he snapped. He threw her onto the bed and used his weight to hold her down. However, she kicked his shin so hard he was forced to withdraw for a second as it healed.

"I want to be on top," Karen demanded. "I want to feel you deep inside of me."

"Oh, I'll make sure you feel me, sweetness," Mitchell vowed. However, she stubbornly kept battling him for position. She finally managed to pin him down with her straddling his hips and his hands locked at his sides. The look of triumph in his wife's expression was well worth the fight.

"Gotcha!" she smugly exclaimed. "Now, Mr. Martin, you are at my mercy."

"So it would seem."

Karen deliberately kissed him while sinking down onto his erection. She then straightened, letting him watch her ride him in her immodest dress. Her breasts stayed covered, but they jiggled as she bounced on him. She caught his gaze. Smirking, she leaned forward.

Mitchell licked Karen's exposed skin, which made her quiver. Her reaction encouraged him to dip his mouth into her dress's bodice and lavish each of her nipples with his tongue. Her inner walls instantly clenched his manhood, signaling her imminent orgasm. He was right there with her. They both groaned loudly as a batch of hot cum erupted from him like a damn volcano.

"Oh, fuck!" Karen gasped, rubbing her chest. "This hurts!"

"Give it a minute, sweetness," Mitchell urged. "It's healing your injured heart."

She briefly closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Oh, yeah, that's much better," she said as her gaze refocused on him.

"Does that mean you are up for another round?" he asked.

"Mitchell, I can go all night," Karen seriously replied.

The killer freed his hands. He lifted her off his sex only to set her down over his mouth. "Good. So can I."

A few hours later Karen laid next to him with her legs splayed for his viewing pleasure. She dipped two fingers in-between her lower lips that were pink and swollen due to being overused by him and the vibrator. Her nether hole had endured a similar fate, adding to her allure.

"Well, I'm glad you still find me desirable," Karen jested as she glided her fingertips through the spent fluids that still oozed from her two orifices.

Mitchell lightly kissed her. "Sweetness, it's safe to say you will never have to worry about that." Then, he pulled back to watch her fingers disappear into her bloated core.

"Your cum feels incredible," she said.

His manhood stiffened. "I can add more," he offered.

His wife eagerly nodded. "Please."

Mitchell slid his erection alongside her fingers. She rubbed them against his sensitive flesh while he moved deep within her "Oh, Karen," he breathed.

"Yes," she moaned. "Yes. Come for me, Mitchell. Let me feel your love."

Karen's words were the killer's undoing. With a strong shudder, he fulfilled her request. "Damn," he uttered, finally sated. She pulled her fingers out, but he stayed connected to her.

"I'm tired," she said.

"Then sleep, sweetness. I'll let you."

"Okay. Good night, Mitchell." Karen's eyelids fell closed, and her breaths deepened. Despite everything, she appeared calm and peaceful. And beautiful. So damn beautiful.

Looking back, even at the age of eight, she had been an unusually pretty girl. At the time, however, he hadn't taken any notice of that fact. Her father had, though, starting from the moment she had been born. She never stood a chance to escape him. Neither had her mother.

Karen's half-sister was very fortunate to be David's second-born daughter. She would never have to endure the evil that resided within him, which was also why she could never be the Boogeyman's soulmate. Fate had predestined Karen to be his perfect match. Her suffering was a result of that, and she had become stronger for it.

Now that her half-sister's powers were gone, there was no one who could rival Karen. She was already acting more confidently because of it. The change made her even more enticing.

"Mitchell…" Karen sighed, obviously aware of his desire for her. "Make love to me."

"Are you sure?" he asked. He could feel her fatigue.

"Mmm, yes. You feel so good…"

Mitchell rocked his hips gently against his wife's to prevent jarring her awake. She mewled quietly but her eyes remained closed.

"Karen, are you sure this is all right?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

Although she was alert enough to give her consent, the killer was still hesitant to have sex with his otherwise lifeless partner.

"Mitchell, please…" she whined. "I know it's you…"

He kissed her slightly parted lips. "Of course you do." He continued to make love to her. Her inner walls were so warm and wet and surprisingly tight, considering all the abuse he had just put them through.

Karen's steady breathing turned ragged as her body shook with release. He was close to follow. However, instead of staying joined with her, he pulled out.

"Mitchell, you didn't have to -"

"Yes, I did," he objected, caressing her cheek. "As much as I enjoy making love to you, you need sleep, sweetness. Please go back to sleep."

"Mr. Martin, you're no fun," she pouted.

"Karen, you're barely awake as it is."

"I'm awake enough."

"Not enough for my liking," Mitchell replied. "Now, seriously, go back to sleep."

"Can I at least cuddle with you?" she asked. "I like cuddling with you."

"Yes, fine. If that will make you happy."

"Very happy." Karen snuggled into Mitchell's side with her arm hugging his waist.

"Better?" he wondered. When she didn't answer, he smirked against her crown. "You are something else, my sweet wife. I love you so much." Mitchell kissed the side of her head. "Pleasant dreams." And he, too, fell fast asleep.