Dis: I own nothing, nor do I claim to; all rights to their respective owners.
Prank me once...
"What'll it be?" Jo said, leaning against the bar-top. He looked up, anger and sadness in his eyes.
"More whiskey."
"Maybe you should cool it for a while, huh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the guy who was obviously a bit past drunk.
"Wouldn't help," he mumbled as he looked down into his empty glass.
"Alright, one whiskey coming up."
The jukebox barely made any sound over in the corner, and the wind howled outside the windows. She slammed the fresh glass of golden liquid in front of him and he looked up, and this time he seemed to see her. "Sorry 'bout that," he slurred. "Been a rough couple of months."
"Never mind, I know the deal," she shrugged and tried to smile at him. This was part of what she hated. Seeing young guys like this come in and be all broken. That was the part she hated about her life, about the way of the hunters. It was all so dark, so morbid, and the most cheerful of people had been broken by so little some of the time, it was hard to see. Even growing up it had taken its toll on her. Case in point, she was home, alone on a dark, horrid Halloween night, instead of out partying with the other kids her age. She knew what went bump in the night, and most of the time it wasn't something to laugh about.
"How 'bout one of these for you, since it's a slow night and all."
Slow was an understatement, he was her only customer.
"I don't drink. But thanks anyway." She poured the whiskey he'd wanted to buy her anyway, and put it in front of him. "On the house."
"Thanks." He stared down at the bottom of the glass while she wiped down the counter before he downed the whole thing in one gulp. He made the half roaring sound of someone who just drank something too strong too quickly, and she looked up and laughed.
"What's your name?" he asked, suddenly seeming more sober.
"Jo." She pursed her lips at him and then turned it into a smile. "And you?"
His blue eyes turned into liquid fire as a smile cracked the stone façade, wiping away the wear and tear and leaving boyish charm. "Finn," he said, holding his glass up in a mock toast before putting it down with the same kind of slam she had. "Riley Finn."
"Did you Bond me?" she asked, eyebrows raised. She eyed the now drunk and smiling Riley Finn.
"I indeed did, did, I, I, indeed," he slurred, stumbling over the words. Then, pulling his chin back and looking somber he said: "Indeed I did."
"You're a hunter?"
He shook his head. "Military." He swallowed hard. "Ex. Ex military."
"Why ex?"
"My wife…" His eyes veiled over with pain again.
She put a hand on his bare forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Most of us lost someone."
"You're a hunter?" he said, sounding more than a little incredulous.
"When the spirit moves me," she said, adding a little scoff. She poured him a glass of water and put it in front of him, removing the many empty whiskey glasses.
He took a sip, and then a gulp, swallowing down the cold water. "How old are you?"
"Does it matter? If I say 17, it might as well be 37 after a life in the world of hunters, if I say 25 I might as well be getting ready to retire, after a lifetime in this world. I'm young enough to be young and old enough to have fun," she said, simply snarky.
"I was thinking, why are you tending a lonely bar when there are plenty of guys out there looking for a girl like you on a night like this. You should be dressed up like Wonderwoman or Superwoman or something and make the boys drool…"
"It's not as much fun when you wonder how many of the monsters really are monsters…"
He laughed. "True enough."
"And I'm guessing you're not the candy-apple-trick-or-treating-pumpkin-carving type o'guy?"
Another laugh. It was growing on her, and it suited him. "Really not. Not for years. Not since I left Sunnydale."
"Do I know that name from somewhere?"
"Californian town that imploded?"
"Right," she said, looking away, out the window and into the long stretched desert.
He turned and for a moment they were silent, the only sound was the jukebox in the background and the howling of the wind.
"I love it here. It's so quiet and lonely. Never a soul to bother you after closing. They all leave. No neighbors to have to consider all the time, just you and the desert. And the highway." Her voice was low and husky, fitting right in with the blue mood that seemed to have found its way to the road house.
"And a full moon, too, on Halloween. Like the world needs more crazy people…"
"Or werewolves," Jo added under her breath.
He nodded and a silent understanding settled between them.
Then Jo heard a door creak closed. She touched Riley's arm again.
"We're alone here," she said somberly, if a little rushed.
"So?" he asked, eyes big with confusion, looking from her eyes to her hand, like he thought she was hitting on him.
"My bedroom door just closed, it's the only door in the whole house that creaks like that when it closes. We're supposed to be alone."
Riley sobered up quickly and the stern, stone face was back on. He drew out a gun from the back of his jeans, and she pulled the shotgun from its place under the bar.
"After you," he said, holding out an arm. "Since you know the house."
"I don't mind," she said, slow memories of her walking along a cramped wall-space into the hands of a ghost sneaking up on her as the lights flickered and then went out. "I hope that's the storm and not whatever's in here, cos mom'll have a fit."
They made their way through the abandoned living room, Riley wiping away the cob webs with his hair. Man is he tall, Jo thought as she turned to make sure he was still there. He was silent as a mouse and moved like a panther.
"You're pretty stealth," she whispered.
"Army, a special branch of a special force. We had to be stealthy."
She smiled. "I can tell."
Jo took a deep breath before she put her hand flat against her bedroom door. On the wall a small spider made its way to the floor, slowly strolling along the vertical surface. I wish I could do that, she thought and then let out the breath she'd drawn in. She pushed at her door, turning the knob and still holding on to the shotgun. Her heart hammered away in her chest, and she was sure Riley and every other living thing in the house could hear her fear. It was one thing to have the things on the outside. But not in her [i]home[/i].
"Hey, let me," Riley said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you don't wanna do it."
She let go of the handle and stepped away from the door, feeling dazed. This must be what other people feel like, she thought, when their homes get invaded by the monsters that go bump.
Riley opened the door quickly, and then he was flat against the wall with his gun pointed. Jo followed him into the room and looked around. As she relaxed suddenly her TV flickered on and a scream filled the room. It was so loud they both dropped their guns to cover their ears.
"Let's go," Riley said, pushing at her. "Out!"
Jo downed the small whiskey she'd poured herself.
"I hate scary movies," Riley said, looking out the windows, taking a lap around the room to make sure all the doors and windows were still sealed properly.
"I didn't, now I do." She took another shot of whiskey and looked at the huge man that was walking around the bar. "I used to think scary movies were fun, and some of them are very educational, if you wanna be a hunter," she muttered and then sniffled.
"Did you see what it was?" he asked.
"No, it was too dark."
"But I wasn't all wrong, was I, it was a something?"
"I'm not sure, it could have been just your random ghost…"
Riley laughed. "Or it could be a prank. I mean, it could be a prank- right?"
"I don't think I know anyone who'd be-"
Riley opened the door, slowly, pointing his gun in towards the room and then he flicked the switch on the wall again. The light in the ceiling came to life and there, on her bed, she saw the thing she had gotten so scared of.
A scarecrow.
A fucking scarecrow!
Behind her she heard someone laughin.
"See, I knew something was off with that goddamn thing when we looked in here, but the damn lightning and everything," Riley muttered, almost under his breath. Jo was pissed as she turned around and faced the prankster she called Ash.
"You ass!" she said, slapping his shoulder.
"But I gotcha!" he laughed, throwing the remote to her TV at her. "And I gotcha gooood." Then he looked at Riley and smiled a less smirky smile. "Hey man, I'm Ash."
"Finn," Riley replied and put his hand on Jo's shoulder. "I could use another whiskey right about now," he mumbled and headed back downstairs.
"He's cute," Ash teased.
"Shut up," Jo shot back, heading back down after Riley.
"Feisty," Ash said, still chuckling to himself. Finally, a Halloween prank gone right!
A/N: Soo, what do you think? They're new, and I'm not sure what I think. So please leave a review and let me know what you think!