All Hallows Eve Surprise

[John Thornton]

Halloween sort of had John Thornton stumped. Suddenly he couldn't go to a supermarket without seeing aisle after aisle filled just with huge packets of sweets, enough, he was fairly sure, to provide the entire country with diabetes. Besides, why did they want to shape corn cereals out of sugar? Was it some trick to fool children into thinking corn was sweet, and thus make them eat it?

Still, when a rather well put together invitation and an attached note saying that a miss van Drakke had been told by their mutual friend Joshua Bernstein that he too was trying to expand his social circle (because Thornton had honestly written the Gay BBQ off as a nightmare that he could force out with enough whiskey), there was a chance he might find a way to enjoy the holiday that would not involve having to mutilate a pumpkin.

It seemed well enough, when he'd asked Josh about this woman his friend had raved, and the key words Thornton had picked out were 'charming', 'polite', and 'boyfriend' which meant that there would be at least one man there who was not at all possibly going to see him as a possible sexual partner. Because it would take enough whiskey to drown london to bury something like that.

It was also a reason to ask Doctor Prideaux to see him again, and a tiny part of him could not help but feel excited about having her on his arm...

should she say yes.

Luckily, she seemed to share his break schedule and since neither of them were still actively trying to avoid each other, it was always nice to have a quick talk.

"Doctor Prideaux," he called as he entered, pulling a chair and sitting opposite her, "Are you doing anything on the Sunday before Halloween? I've been asked to a party, and, well, I was hoping you might want to accompany me?"

He slide the invite across the table, managing a slightly hopeful smile.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse looked up from her tea as John called to her, smiling brightly at him before she looked back to her cup to stir in some sugar. “Good afternoon, Mister Thornton.” She greeted, picking up her cup and moving to a seat where he promptly followed. She blinked and put down her mug when he handed over the invitation.

She looked it over, smiling distantly. “Oh I’d love t---“ She stopped mid word as her heart jumped into her throat. Clarisse had caught sight of the name of the host. van Drakke. She dropped the invitation as if it was burning her delicate fingers and placed the hand over her chest to quell the rapid beating of her heart.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Mister Thornton.” Clarisse shook her head. “But I can’t. and I…I would advise that you don’t either, though I certainly—“ She paused for a moment to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “---can’t influence your decision making.”

[John Thornton]

It seemed a tad cruel, to raise his hopes then dash them within the space of approximately twenty five seconds. Thornton's face fell and he reached to take back th invite, then glanced up and saw Clarisse's face. She looked like she was having a heart attack! "Are you alright, Cl- Doctor?" he asked, rising to his feet and moving quickly around the table to get a closer look at her face and wishing to god that his fingertips were sensitive enough to check pulses.

"I won't go if it bothers you," he said honestly, "Last time I went to a party alone Joshua tried to..." no matter how worried he was, there was some things he would not share and he bit his tongue. Literally of course; the thing was indestructible. "It was a tad uncomfortable. Honestly, I don't mind, but are you sure you're alright? You look, well, I mean,"

He was bad at this, even by english standards he was doing badly at this. And she already had tea! Thornton cleared his throat and, straightening and reaching into his top pocket, offered Clarisse his handkerchief. Just in case.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse absent-mindedly reached out and took his handkerchief, but really did nothing with it except crush it in her lightly trembling hand. “I’m fine, it’s just…” She trailed off, looking at her lap as she remembered the call she’d gotten just under a year ago from Miss van Drakke. How she’d nearly crashed driving her car in the blizzard, and how when she’d finally found Jake…well it was almost too late. “That woman belongs in jail.” She said resolutely, shivering slightly.

“And I certainly hope that no one that we care for will be going to that party.” She added, moving her gaze lower to the floor when she felt tears coming on. Crying was really no use, but she was just so upset! She couldn’t believe that van Drakke could have the nerve—the power!—to throw a party as big as this one was sure to be without fear when she should be on the run for the horrible things she was doing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so upset.” She murmured softly, his handkerchief still buried in her fist. “…Anastasia van Drakke is the reason Jake left.” Clarisse admitted, taking in a slow breath. “She almost killed him.”

[John Thornton]

That seemed to be a very different picture to the woman Joshua had described. "In jail?" Thornton repeated somewhat vaguely, raising his eyebrows. "I don't doubt your opinion for a minute," and he actually didn't, because, no offence Josh, but he had a much stronger intensive to side with Clarisse, "but, ah, why? Because I think quite a lot of people are going."

Josh had said his friends were all going, though not Sean for some reason. It was one of the reasons John had actually considered going, truth be told. He could find the drinks without someone looking in his head to see he was looking.

"No, no, don't be sorry," Thornton said quickly, frowning in alarm. "How, I mean, what happened?" Because, if he was going to be honest with himself, Josh had described Anastasia as a tall, thin young woman, and how exactly someone like that could almost kill someone... unless she had super strength... "So he was, he was running away from her?"

[Clarisse Prideaux]

“She’s very rich and charismatic. And beautiful. And cultured. And all around generally lovely on the outside, I’m sure.” Clarisse pinched the bridge of her nose, her hands shaking with effort. “But she’s an empath, and she’s incredibly unbalanced. And manipulative.” Knotting John’s handkerchief in her hands, she tapped her feet nervously against one another. “She befriended Jake and then tricked him into meeting her alone. He was…” She laughed, her shoulders dropping slightly. “under her spell, if you will.”

Resting her brow on her hand, Clarisse wilted slightly, her posture collapsing almost completely. “At least that’s how he tells it. When he realized what was happening his emotions were in such a riot that he jumped out of a second story window into a blizzard.” With a shuddering sigh and pressing her fist to her mouth, Clarisse closed her eyes. She remembered the voice on the other end of the line. “She called me to tell me they were together, I don’t know why.” Cold, and callous. “But I barely reached him in time. He spent the night in the hospital, and several days in my care.”

She shrugged and sat back. “Then he left, because he was afraid she would come after him.” Clarisse released the handkerchief and let it set in front of her folded hands. “She manipulated him so badly that he couldn’t stay here anymore.” Clarisse looked to John with sad, tired eyes. “Using mental abilities to gain knowledge of someone is morally repugnant…but not illegal.” She sighed. “But Jake suspected he’d been…fooled, tampered with in his mind.” Clarisse closed her eyes again. “Her status as an empath is well known, and I can’t be sure to what extent her powers stretch to.” She wrapped her arms around her sagging shoulders and shook her head. “But she’s just…evil.”

[John Thornton]

That sounded more like Mr Bernstein's description of the woman, and not exactly like a killer.... but, again, Thornton had remind himself before he voiced this, he did not plan on introducing his mother to Joshua.

Because, honestly, being under the spell of a rich, charismatic beautiful woman didn't seem to be meta-related. It seemed to be, well, moral weakness and a rush of guilt that lead to a very un-english display of property damage. "Well we won't go," he assured her, "Because while blizzards aren't exactly a threat to me, I would never want you to have to do something with someone you don't like."

Slowly, he patted the hand that was not crushing his handkerchief. "Would you like to do something else, maybe? That does not involve parties? Or, if you don't mind, pumpkins. I don't particularly see the point in cutting up gourds."

[Clarisse Prideaux]

“Oh, Mister Thornton…I’m sorry I--.” Her cheeks were a light pink with embarrassment. “I don’t want to keep you from going if you…really want to.” It was rather obvious that it was really exactly what she wanted, but she knew she was being rude and petulant. She did manage to crack a smile at his blizzard comment. “And no, I don’t suppose I’ll ever have to worry about losing you in a blizzard. Thank God.”

She looked to his hand and managed to turn hers to grip his fingers. “Well I usually spend Halloween handing out cookies to the kids that come by.” Clarisse explained. “Since I moved to Pilot Ridge I’ll watch a scary movie but…” She shook her head, looking confused. “I never really understood much of Halloween. La Toussaint is quite different.” The French All Saints day was something that Clarisse celebrated on the first of November, and she had planned a quiet trip to the cemetery on November second to celebrate All Souls as well…though she had a feeling John might find this sort of thing silly. “If you’d like to join me for a movie and a quiet night in, I’d be happy to make dinner for both of us.” She offered shyly.

[John Thornton]

"But I don't," John said honestly. "I don't exactly like the idea of costume parties, and I wouldn't know everyone, and last time I went to an even with Josh he tried to set me up with one of his friends." Thornton sighed, and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "One of his male friends."

Luckily, everyone else had found it as absurd as John, even if they all seemed to think it was very amusing.

"I don't really understand it either," he agreed, smiling slightly. "I thought child obesity was a epidemic in America, somehow giving out sweets to children seems counter productive." What exactly La Two-saint was, he had no idea. What he was aware of was that he had just been asked to have dinner and watch a movie with Clarisse. "I'd love to," he agreed quickly, in case she changed her mind. "That sounds a lot more enjoyable then a party anyway."

And he meant it, too. Watching a DVD with someone, if what the movies he had watched with his sister were right, meant close physical proximity. He liked close physical proximity with Clarisse.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse was able to regain her composure by the time John removed his hand from his eyes. The remnants of her smile she had to hide behind her hand. She could just imagine the awkward moment that arose when John had to explain to Joshua that he was straight.

She shrugged her indifference regarding the trick or treat-ers, but could not mask her smile when he agreed enthusiastically. “Really?” She asked in disbelief. “I’m glad.” She chuckled slightly. “I’m actually rather a scaredy cat, but I do like ghost stories.”It will be nice to have company this year, for once.” Clarisse explained, taking a sip of her tea.

[John Thornton]

Clarisse's disbelief was met with equal bafflement from Thornton. Did she really think he'd hesitate to visit her? And here he was thinking he had made himself embarrassingly clear. "Yes, really," he said slowly, testing for sarcasm or some sort of joke on her part. Even his totally lack of interest in horror films was not going to be a deterrent, not from this.

"I look forward to it," he said with as much enthusiasm as he felt was appropriate. His own plans had been to turn off the porch light and try to avoid having children in strange garb knock on his door all night; this was infinitely better. "I'll come over at seven, if that suits."

There was the promise of a smile on his lips as John went back to his tea. Splendid. Quite splendid.