I spend a lot of time thinking about Halloween.. and how it could have all been so different.
…
Blair Cramer couldn't deny that his abrupt exit on Halloween had thrown her. She knew something was wrong. The something was thick and heavy in the air between them, his soft eyes pleading with her, begging her to make it better. She did not; however, know what it was and she was currently trying to pretend like she didn't care.
She had decided soon after the return of the True Todd to pretend that she'd made it a practice in the last eight years not to give help unless it was asked for. She would not go fishing in the head of Todd Manning, he'd have to spill. She had also taken time to calculate the odds of him actually spilling... they were not in his favor. So when she returned from trick or treating she missed the way her body felt heavy for a moment, and the fuzzy way her head spun when Todd Manning, the real Todd Manning, showed up. She'd been vaguely distracted as she wrestled the bucket of candy from Sam before sending him up to bed with a quick kiss. So when she'd gone to hide the mounds of sugar, she'd been down right surprised to see his ghostly figure sitting at her kitchen table in the dark.
"Todd!" She yelped. "You scared the crap out of me. I thought I'd seen a ghost!"
"Lot of that going around." He mumbled.
"What are you doing in here?" She moved towards him. "I thought you went back to Vicky's?"
"I tried." He whispered eerily, she watched the back of his head carefully before taking a few more steps.
"She kick you out already?" Blair huffed, half teasing. He didn't respond. "Todd?" She reached out to him now, her hand falling softly on his tight shoulders. They melted like snow in the rain, his hands coming up to hers grasping it gently, in alternating strokes. "What is it?"
"Ask me again." He breathed.
"Ask you..?" She knew. She knew the question; she just needed to hear it from him. Blair needed his need. She sat beside him, her hand slipping down his arm. His own followed, fingers still gripped around hers.
"Ask me if I'm alright." He looked at her then, pleading eyes dark with worry and fear of rejection.
"You're not alright." She breathed both their heads shaking slowly as he mirrored her. She brought up her hand and traced her scar with thumb.
"I'm not alright."
