"Remind me to make reservations one evening and then maybe you'll have your first taste of real Chinese food." Victoria remarked in amusement, as she scrunched her napkin and pushed the Chinese take-out boxes aside once she had finished the meal Patrick had ordered in. Despite the horrendous quality of it, she subconsciously revelled in the opportunity to live in the carefree manner she had lived in before she became Mrs Conrad Grayson. The 'Vicky Harper' she had supressed for so many years had finally started to battle her way out once again with Patrick's presence. At his request, they had consumed dinner out of the take-out boxes while sitting on the floor of the living room and she had barely bothered to dress for the occasion.
"Hey! If we're going for the real thing, why don't we just take off for China sometime next week?" Patrick mockingly teased her carefree attitude, aided by her previous never-ending wealth.
"As soon as the Grayson fortune is returned, I'd be happy to charter the Grayson jet there with you." She replied, in all seriousness much to his horrified amusement. "Unfortunately, right now, our only source of income is Conrad's position as Governor which means our expenses are constantly monitored." Despite her initial infuriation that the Grayson's had lost their substantial fortune, the presence of Patrick in her life distracted her considerably and she left the concern in Conrad's hands. Rising slowly from the carpet, Victoria curled herself onto the couch with the beer bottle Patrick had insisted she drink from in replacement of her more preferred after-dinner drink, in order to complete the more laid-back feeling for one evening and Victoria found herself pleasantly surprised at how relaxed she felt.
"Speaking of which..." Patrick retrieved the vanilla coloured invitation Victoria had received earlier that morning. "I hope I'm not the reason you decided not to attend Conrad's Halloween party at the Governor's mansion tonight." With a grunt of disgust, Victoria reluctantly accepted the invitation Patrick offered and re-read the invitation Conrad had forwarded yet again. Although it stated that Governor Conrad Grayson requested "the pleasure of her presence" at the festive Halloween celebration, Victoria knew full well that the implication behind the invitation was that her attendance was mandatory, in order to ensure the first event Conrad hosted as Governor of New York would play off without a hitch. In light of his latest involvement with the initiative and the consequences their schemes had brought upon the family, Victoria had little intention of granting any more of her husband's outrageous demands. "Not a fan of Halloween?" Patrick gently prodded for an explanation.
"I'm simply in no mood to play 'happy families' for the public when we're anything but behind closed doors." She rationalised with a softened expression, though Patrick sensed the blatant disdain at the very thought of her husband and his talented charades. "Charlotte's still in avoidance of me and Daniel continues to treat me with contempt..." she trailed off, saddened by the entire situation. "
"Still, a masquerade ball could have been fun. It might have been good for you, you know?" Patrick offered another opinion, "Take your mind off of Daniel and Charlotte, keep up appearances with Conrad and even have you leave this house for a little bit." His eyes narrowed in discontent, "Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed spending time here with you but I don't think you've walked out that door in weeks, except to walk with me on the beach." He passed Victoria the hand-written invitation and smiled in an awkward fashion, "This isn't the first invitation you've declined because of me either and I'm starting to feel like I'm keeping you away from everything you've become accustomed to here." High-society luncheons and charity functions had all sent invitations for Victoria's presence – all of which she had declined with little explanation as to why – and Patrick began to wonder if Victoria viewed herself as prisoner to him for her previous abandonment. "I know we have plenty of time to make up for but we have plenty of time to do that." He had voluntarily accepted the fact that his mother had lived her life before him, and after him, and separate from him, but it had become clear that Victoria was almost afraid to resume participation in her lifestyle for fear it would upset him.
In consideration of his initial statement, Victoria became considerably subdued as she reflected on the last masquerade ball she attended, the one she and Conrad had hosted in fact. Patrick had been a mere ghost back then, abused by an unseen enemy to haunt and torment her with her inner demons. "Nonsense! I would much rather be in your company than any one of the people who bother to attend a Hampton's event simply to endorse the propaganda displayed; one quickly tires of such elaborate attempts to display status and wealth." Her final word on the subject, Victoria finalised the conversation by ripping the invitation into two halves and discarding the remains to the floor.
Patrick nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he refrained from continuing the minor debate. "I would just hate for you to feel like you have to babysit me now that I'm here, you know?" No matter how many times Victoria displayed willingness to be in his company as much as possible since their reunion, Patrick still felt like somewhat of a burden, or a loose end that distracted her from the normality she sometimes seemed desperate to escape. "But I am happy we're together for Halloween. It was always my favourite time of the year as a kid!"
"Not Christmas?" Victoria raised her eyebrow, her mood instantly lightened.
"Every kid loves Christmas!" Patrick noted, "Halloween just always filled me with excitement. My father had an aunt, we called her great aunt Zelda, and she was always a little crazy and every year she would make up some kind of crazy story to frighten all the kids!" He chuckled to himself, reminiscent of the happier times of his childhood. "She scared me so much one year that I stayed awake all night, I hid in my closet with a flashlight and nearly had a heart-attack every time the floorboards creaked!"
Victoria softly smiled to herself, automatically reversed into memories of her own. "One year when Daniel and Charlotte were small, I think Charlotte was only four years old, she and Daniel stayed awake until Conrad and I had gone to sleep and they snuck downstairs to watch a horror movie. It terrified Charlotte so much that she crawled into our bed in the middle of the night."
An instant sadness hung in the atmosphere when both mother and son suddenly realised they could add another lost moment, a moment they would never be able to recapture, but Patrick quickly broke eye contact with his mother and forced an awkward laugh. "So Daniel's a horror movie freak, huh?" He questioned, as he rose to his feet. "Do you think he would mind if I raided his collection? I'm curious to see how easily you scare!"
She nonchalantly waved her hand in the direction of the foyer. "Third bedroom on the right." Once again under Emily's control, even if he didn't completely know it, Victoria had little doubt Daniel would return to the manor until summer fell upon them once again, let alone notice if anyone had entered the room he had barely used since his re-engagement. "And Patrick..." she allowed his head to peer around the doorway before she continued, "I do not scare easily!" Her eyes narrowed, the confident glint that shone in them enough to confirm her statement for him.