To NYC

[Sewer King]

                  The Sewer King glanced at all pretties. He began to smile near his pet alligators. ''Perhaps you'll enjoy New York City, my pets,'' he said. The Sewer King approached Harley. He continued to smile. ''Thanks for stomping on that nasty Russian's foot while he tried to murder me for bragging about mistreating children, Harley. You can injure Batman first,'' he said.

                The Sewer King frowned after he remembered mistreating a certain boy. Frog. He wondered if he was going to cross paths with him again. The Sewer King imagined Frog poking him and then looking up. *Then again, Frog is usually frightened near me. He probably still recalls me putting him in a room filled with bright light for speaking during lessons. I remember his sad eyes before shutting the door.*

                   The Sewer King turned to Miss Itch and Mr. Scratch. He assumed they had children. *Those two will probably smile and cuddle Frog! They'll probably adopt him. They can have him!* He saw cookies and devoured a few of them. 

[Weeper]

                 Mortimer Gloom aka the Weeper stood by one side of the road. Tears were his constant companions. Tears due to everything. The world was a sad place to the Weeper. He remembered recent events. Certain events causing additional tears for him.

                 The Weeper remembered Joker coming across him in a bar. Convincing him to become a villain again. He also remembered failing to commit easy crimes. Robbing a bank and trying to obtain a purse from a woman only to have her strike him with the purse repeatedly. At least he was able to steal candy from a baby. He remembered battling Batman and refusing to end his life due to him not being evil enough.

                    The other memory was of him laughing near a sobbing Joker in a police van.

                      After prison, Mortimer Gloom had wandered. Searching for anyone to be with. Just as long as they weren't happy. The world remained a sad place to the Weeper. He used one hand to move his long white hair back. The Weeper straightened his blue cape and dark suit. 

[Frog]

                            Frog pulled a green hood up so that it concealed most of his face. Although he currently wasn't stealing pretties for the Sewer King, he still didn't wish to be seen. He remembered trembling near his foster father. The latter's eccentric clothes and shoulder length hair. The alligators aka the Sewer King's babies. He glanced at the Weeper, but never remained close to him.

                              At least Frog wasn't with the Sewer King or the latter's babies.

[Sewer King]

                      The Sewer King glanced from his babies to Harley. ''Do you have your own babies?'' he wished to know. Perhaps there were animal companions for the alligators. He smiled. The Sewer King glanced at a window and the road. His eyes settled on a sobbing long-haired man and a familiar boy. They widened after he recognized the boy. 

[Harley]

Harley's eyes blinked as she looked at the Sewer King. Her mind started to race in a million directions. ((How could he know?)) she thought as she remembered the daughter she gave away so she could have a better life. Then she realized he likely meant animal companions. "Me? Nope. I had thought about it a long time ago, but being with those stuck up goody-goodies made it really hard."

As Harley drove along--at a rate much too fast for most people's liking--she saw some people in the distance and  slowed down. "OK, I thought hitchhiking was long gone. Wait. I know that guy," Harley added as she stopped the van near the man. "Weeper? Is that you? Long time, ain't it? Why in the heck are you hanging around out here? And who's your pal there?"
 

[Weeper]

                Frog standing near the Weeper didn't seem to bother him. He viewed a van pausing. The sight of Harley didn't seem to bother him as well. Confused, he tilted his head to one side. The Weeper and Frog entered the van. ''I'm not sure if I remember coming across you. How do you know about me?'' The Weeper glanced at the boy. ''I'm not sure who that is.''

                  The Weeper turned to Harley. He sat near Miss Itch and Mr. Scratch. ''I just got out of prison again and wandered before I found myself here.''

[Sewer King]

                    The Sewer King observed Frog and the Weeper entering the van. He heard Harley as she mentioned the Weeper. His wide eyes remained on Frog. He watched while Frog's eyes widened. ''That's Frog! He's my foster son! He and Batman caused me distress! Ohhh. Yes! Yes! Yes!'' 

[Frog]

                         Frog's eyes remained wide after he recognized the Sewer King. His body trembled uncontrollably. He glanced at a sheet of paper and a pen. Frog wrote something down. He revealed words to Harley. The words were....

                       ''I'm Frog. I am indeed the Sewer King's son. I stole pretties for him. I don't talk because Daddy puts me in a room filled with light for a few hours if I do. Daddy is so cruel! He shouts. He uses a staff to cause bruises on my arms. Daddy forces me to stand by his pet alligators. I was so happy after Batman defeated Daddy.''

                        Frog's gasp was one of silence after the scowling Sewer King approached him at a snail's pace. He heard the Sewer King as he wished to know what he revealed to Harley. 

                      


 

[Weeper]

                   Weeper glanced from the Sewer King to Frog. ''Your foster son? That explains who the boy is.'' New tears ran down Weeper's face. ''A family torn apart. How sad!''

                    Weeper sobbed for a few moments. He turned to Harley. ''How do you know about me? Did Joker mention me?'' 

[Omega Red]

                Omega Red's eyes widened after he saw two unfamiliar people near Harley. His body tensed. He scowled. ''I'll protect you in case they decide to harm you,'' he said. That was when he heard Harley mention Weeper. His eyes became wide another time.

                  Omega Red glanced from Harley to Weeper. ''How do you know one another?'' He turned to the Sewer King and Frog. He heard the Sewer King as the latter mentioned Frog was his foster son. Omega Red also saw the Sewer King's scowl. *That explains the boy.* 

[Mr. Scratch and Miss Itch]

                Miss Itch and Mr. Scratch always sat near one another. They heard various words from their companions, but they never said anything.
They glanced at the Sewer King's babies sometimes. Miss Itch and Mr. Scratch remembered their three daughters. How two daughters were why the other daughter died. How the surviving daughters were cursed to become living flesh and a walking skeleton. How Spider-Woman defeated the family.

         Miss Itch and Mr. Scratch were confused after Harley paused for two other people. They saw a boy with a sobbing man. They found out they were Frog and Mortimer Gloom aka the Weeper. Matching smiles formed the minute they saw Frog. 

          ''A son!'' Mr. Scratch said before he and his wife stood. They ran to Frog and wrapped their arms around him. His wide eyes never bothered them.

           ''We never had a boy. We had all girls,'' Mr. Scratch informed everyone. He glanced at the Sewer King and recalled the latter's words about Frog being his foster son. The Sewer King didn't seem to like Frog anyway.

                  


   

[Caleb Lockwood]

                  Caleb Croft was buried. Just like he was in his crypt for three centuries. Since the Salem Witch Trials. When Caleb watched as his wife was burned at the stake for being a witch. The only time worry filled his eyes. Caleb Lockwood remained. The surname he chose when he became a professor of folklore at his son's college decades ago. 

                 Caleb Lockwood was a vampire for as long as he could remember. He couldn't remember how he became a vampire. There were other memories. Caleb's memories of attacking others and draining their blood. A memory of trapping his students after a seance to feed. A memory of his son, James Eastman, appearing and almost killing him to avenge others. A broken table leg through the chest. Thankfully not through Caleb's heart.
A memory of a new crypt. A memory of emerging from the crypt and wishing to drain the blood from others. A wish to defeat his half-vampire son.

                 Caleb was clad in a dark suit with a long coat. His short hair was slicked back. His vampire fangs weren't visible for now. 

               There currently wasn't any need for Caleb to attack victims. The one he wished to attack more than others wasn't present anyway. His son's blood was eventually going to be revealed. Just as long as Caleb drained the blood from others a few times a month. He was going to be okay. Also as long as there weren't crosses, sunlight, etc.

                      After standing on one side of the road, Caleb extended his arm. His thumb was up. 

                    *I'll be so grateful for being with others that I won't attack them at all. I will have to reveal about my desire for blood and my inability to be in the sun sooner or later. Perhaps my son and I will cross paths again. My son won't survive this time!* 

                 

                  

[Harley]

Harley's head was spinning. Sewer King had a son? And now Mr. Scratch and Miss Itch seemed to want to take care of the kiddo? And poor Arkady wondered what the hell was going on now?

"OK, let's start on the easy part. Arkady, this is Weeper. He used to be an associate of an old beau of mine. I have not seen Weeper here in a very long time. And I haven't that old boyfriend in at least as long either! This young man is named Frog, as Sewer King just said. There seems to be some sort of family dispute, but that might not be an issue if Mr. Scratch and Miss Itch look after the boy..."

Then Harley saw someone she didn't know. "Hello, mister? Can we help you? You need a ride or something?"

Harley looked at Omega Red as she waited for an answer and shook her head. "Maybe we should just drive an Uber?" she said with a very loud laugh. "I'm kidding! Anyway, mister, you need some help?" she said to the newcomer in the suit.

[Caleb Lockwood]

                Caleb entered the vehicle and smiled. He glanced at a sobbing man, a scowling man with two pet alligators, etc. His eyes widened the minute they settled on the alligators before they snapped near him. *Animals can sense vampires?* Caleb thought. He turned to the driver. ''Thanks for giving me a ride. I'm Caleb Lockwood. I was a folklore professor. That is until there were... family problems. I wandered and found myself here.'' His eyes widened again.

                ''Sarah? My wife?'' Caleb frowned after he recalled revealing tears as Sarah was burned at the stake during a certain trial in Salem. His shoulders slumping. 

                   Caleb never spared his victims as he attacked them. As a vampire. Also to avenge Sarah. 

                      There was a memory of Caleb trying to summon Sarah's spirit during a seance. *I wished to be with my wife forever* he thought. Caleb scowled after he recalled his son managing to transfer a victim's spirit to the medium. Was there another way to summon Sarah's spirit?

                    Caleb blinked twice and smiled by Harley. He bowed. ''My apologies. You resembled my deceased wife. Sarah. Please tell me. Do you have any idea how to summon spirits?''

                   The alligators caused Caleb to face them again. His frown returned. They continued to snap by him. He glanced at the scowling man. *That man assumes I'm a vampire? It will probably be his joke guess.* His smile came back. He turned to Harley another time.

                  *I won't reveal how my wife died. I also won't mention my son almost ending my life.* He didn't wish for Harley and her companions to end his life. *I'll have to reveal my vampire nature sooner or later.* Caleb wasn't able to return to a crypt and he had to eventually consume blood. What other options were there?

                     ''Sarah was burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials,'' Caleb informed Harley and her companions as he scowled.

[Sewer King]

                   The Sewer King continued to scowl at Frog. ''What did you reveal to Harley?'' His eyes widened after Frog was cuddled. He stepped back. The Sewer King shrugged. *If Frog is adopted, so be it.*

                  ''A family dispute?'' The Sewer King began to shrug again. ''I suppose it is a family dispute. Frog spoke during lessons. He and Batman removed my other children from the sewer. They caused me distress. Yes. Yes.''

                 The Sewer King viewed a suit-clad man entering the vehicle. *Hm?* he thought. He tilted his head to one side. He heard the man as he introduced himself as Caleb Lockwood.

               The alligators began to snap near Caleb. 

                 *Why are my pets distressed?* the Sewer King thought with concern in his eyes. He turned to Caleb. Another scowl formed. ''Harley, there is something unusual about that man.''

                   That was when the Sewer King heard Caleb as he mentioned Sarah. His wife. He continued to scowl. ''We're searching for men dressed as bats. We aren't here to summon your wife's spirit! What a strange wish!'' he said to Caleb. 

                  The alligators snapped again.

                  ''If you harm my pets...'' the Sewer King informed Caleb. He heard the latter mention Sarah being burned at the stake during a certain trial in Salem. The Sewer King's eyes widened at a snail's pace. ''You were associated with the Salem Witch Trials?? You survived for centuries? WHAT are you???''