"A harvest festival?" AJ thought to herself. Sure, she was never one to decline an adventure into town to cause chaos, but she wasn't really in the mood for this today. After her hike, she wanted nothing more than a shower and a few beers - maybe sex too, if Dana was up for putting in all the effort while AJ fought the fatigue in her legs and laid there like a slug.

Even still, a drive into town was on everyone's agenda now. Even Dana, who was strangely quiet since they came back to the cabin, seemed excited to visit the nearby township of Dunmore. AJ, try as she might to sulk in the corner and silently hate everyone for wanting to leave, managed to collect an appropriate outfit before heading for the showers.

Zack mentioned taking a shower before heading into town. AJ calculated that meant Alexa's shower would be free to use. Or so she thought when she barged into Alexa and Dean's assigned room. Luckily, Dean was laying on the bed fully dressed but Alexa was in the process of putting her clothes on.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," AJ commented with a snicker when Alexa tried to cover herself.

"I know, hon, but remember we have boundaries?" Alexa said calmly, throwing a t-shirt over herself. "And knocking is considered polite to some."

"Not me," AJ quipped. She started to the bathroom but paused when she saw the door was shut and heard the water running. "Dude, come on! Who's using your shower?"

"Seth is," Dean replied.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Oh of course. Dean's BFF gets first dibs, but I'm tossed aside like yesterday's lunch."

"Well, he asked politely and I told him he could," Alexa shot back with a smirk. She wrapped her friend in a hug to soothe her manic behavior. "Just give him a few minutes and it's all yours."

AJ nodded. "Ok. I'll be civil. I might beat him to death with my loofa when he gets out, but I won't ask you to help me hide the body. Maybe just an alibi."

Alexa giggled at the comment, but Dean hadn't said anything; He was playing a game on his phone, and felt like AJ's comment was probably not a joke in the first place. AJ walked out onto the landing, leaving her clothes and soap behind in Alexa's room.

A few feet ahead of her destination was the section of the overlook with the futon Seth and Toni had been sharing the last few nights. AJ's mind split in picturing what they probably did in bed together, half of her partly jealous with the other half wondering how to rig the futon to explode. As she thought about Seth giving it to Toni like a wild mongoose may or may not mate, she wondered if this was the same futon from last year - as in the bed where Seth and Dana had a one-time affair... well, one time that weekend.

The thought of Seth fucking Dana the year before, only to bring another woman this year and fuck her in the same bed made AJ's stomach churn. Not in the "I wish that were me" kind of feeling, but the "I want to kill him to honor my friend." Seth and all his exploits with girls in the last handful of months ran through AJ's brain and made her blood boil.

Before she had another anti-Seth thought, AJ found herself standing over the daybed. It was unmade and unkempt, very Seth-esque as AJ came to know. The immature part of her brain wondered if she looked hard enough if she could find Seth's condoms and poke holes in them just to ruin his weekend. Then her more diabolical side caught sight of Toni's snapback resting on the nightstand next to an open can of cheap beer.

AJ looked around for any sign of life; The only thing she could hear was some chatter from downstairs, but no one was walking around the second floor. In a quick movement before she could talk herself out of it, AJ slapped Toni's hat into the trashcan beside the nightstand, knocked over the beer, and watched the dark liquid poor into the plastic can-liner and soak the hat.

"Whups..." AJ muttered, throwing the hat a dirty look before walking off.

Toni Storm's mind weighed heavier than she was used to until she found it surprising that her neck hadn't snapped from the pressure alone. Her conversation with AJ and Dana on the trail started off friendly enough until AJ exploded like a ticking time-bomb and refused to talk to anyone the rest of the hike. Toni knew it had everything to do with Seth, which she figured would happen this weekend but she naively went into this vacation with hopes of zero drama.

"Big mistake, apparently," Toni thought to herself.

She liked Seth. She felt a way about him that she never really thought about any boy in her life before him. There were only a few others, one of whom Toni let take her virginity but she lost contact with him after she moved to the States. Even still, that guy was a good friend she knew for years - Seth was different. She dreaded to think it was love but she wasn't against the idea of one day loving the star kick-returner for SU.

"You ok, babe?" Seth muttered through a sigh.

Toni blinked. She was completely unaware she'd drifted off into space until Seth said something. She made eye contact with her boyfriend, flashed him a tight-lipped smile, then tightened her grip again after glancing down and remembering what she was doing. Somewhere between coming back from the hike and now she was talked into a shower time handy, but she wasn't complaining and, clearly, neither was Seth.

"Just thinkin'," Toni said, trying to keep her mind focused.

Seth stepped out of Toni's grip. Toni furrowed her brow, finding that gesture extremely surprising. Rollins wrapped his arms around his lover and gently pulled her into the warm stream of water.

"Wanna tell me?" Seth asked, offering a soft peck on the lips. "You looked really out of it."

Toni shrugged. "It's nothin' too major. I just talked with AJ and Dana on the hike and they... well, AJ seemed upset with you because you didn't hang out with Dana or something during the Summer?"

Seth dropped his head. "Yeah, I'm not really proud of that. I promised AJ that I would look after Dana and I didn't..."

"Why?" Toni asked. She remembered AJ's reason for Seth's neglect: "Phat kiwi booty" as she so elegantly put an hour or so prior.

"I kinda got distracted with football and... uh, you," Seth said. "But I'm not saying it's your fault. I should've put more effort into talking to Dana. It's complete bullshit that I broke my promise to AJ."

Toni nodded. "She seemed pretty upset about it."

"Maybe I can make it up to them," Seth wondered out loud. "Maybe you and I can take them out to dinner when we get back to Stamford. If that's cool with you, I mean."

"A double-date with two of yer exes, Seth?" Toni asked with a chuckle.

Seth nodded, realizing how crazy that idea sounded when spoken out loud. "Yeah, I can see why you'd think that's insane," he agreed.

"Yeah, but it sounds right," Toni figured. "Yer all still chummy, so it's not like it'll be awkward."

"It might if AJ drinks too much and either tries to kill me or bang Dana on the table," Seth chuckled.

Toni narrowed her eyes. "Why do I have a feeling that yer speakin' from experience?"

"It's happened more than once," Seth said.

"Ah, lovely," Toni paused to kiss Seth on the lips before continuing her thought. "It's a nice gesture, even if they say no. I'm glad yer not bein' an areshole to 'em. Could always be worse, I suppose."

Seth nodded. "Yeah, I think Dana will be into it, which means AJ will say yes because she always does what Dana wants. So then we just gotta keep drinking to a minimum and make sure the restaurant's waiters carry horse tranquilizer darts."

The idea of AJ needing to be drugged to be taken down made Toni burst out laughing. Seth chuckled along and pulled Toni in close to his chest, placing a kiss on the top of her soaked blonde hair. Toni felt pressure against her navel and scoffed half-seriously.

"Boys..." She muttered, stepping back to look Seth in the eye. "Only two things on their minds: Tits and beer."

"And football," Seth added.

"Oh aye," Toni chuckled. "Did you hear anythin' about defense fer next week's game against NMSU?"

Seth shook his head. "Haven't heard a word. Why?"

"Let's just say someone on special teams is getting some playing time at cornerback," Toni revealed, trying hard not to smile.

"Holy shit! Are you serious?" Seth exclaimed excitedly. "That's... holy fuck, babe, that's huge! You're going to be the NCAA's first female to play defense!"

Toni nodded. "That's what Coach Jones kept tellin' me. Says I work too hard to just be the kicker. He says I won't start but I'll definitely get playing time."

Seth pulled Toni in for another hug, also showering her with kisses. "That's fucking incredible, Toni. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Seth..." She sighed, then continued her thought. "I also talked to Graves before we left. I guess he's finally off my case about you, 'cause he said nobody has seen us together outside the bars and he's noticed I'm not as distracted during practice."

"Good. I don't need the coaches thinking we're fucking around..." Seth paused, realizing the irony in his words. "Well... I mean, a friendly shower between teammates is perfectly legitimate."

Toni smirked. "Only friendly, eh? Then I guess I shouldn't help yer 'little friend' down there, right?"

Seth sputtered a string of words trying to retract his statement, which only made Toni laugh. Seth thought his chances of a quickie were ruined until Toni rolled her eyes and dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth. Seth watched on with a smile, wondering what he needed to do to make sure Toni never grew sick of him.

Dunmore is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, adjoining Scranton. It was a mining town back in the 1800s that didn't have the huge population it once had but still housed close to 19,000 people. Their annual harvest festival was an Autumn-time carnival the city threw, despite it not being a farming town.

AJ had been through Dunmore once before when she and Dana visited Scranton to tour the office building used to inspire the set for "The Office." She tried to convince Zack to ditch the convoy and drive past the office building, but it was out of the way and he didn't know the area very well and didn't want to get lost. AJ tried to be miserable today, but she was feeling something in her chest that she rarely ever felt: guilt.

After her shower, AJ walked out onto the landing feeling fresh as a daisy. It was as she was about to head downstairs that she noticed Seth and Toni having a mild argument. Toni was upset about something that AJ couldn't really hear, but she knew it was from her doing when she saw Seth holding Toni's ruined hat. Instead of manically laughing like a crazed serial killer, AJ actually felt bad for Toni. She loved that hat, as far as AJ knew, and now it was ruined all because she was mad at Seth. AJ didn't say anything to either person in the conflict and snuck downstairs to join the others.

In Dean's highlander, the argument hadn't subsided between Storm and Rollins. Alexa was at the point of considering driving the car into the lake just to stop the madness, but she refrained because she didn't want to pull Dean from the water since he probably couldn't swim well with just one leg.

"I'll buy you a new one, ok?" Seth said, trying to ease the tension. "I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened, but I'll figure it out."

"That's not the point, Seth!" Toni shot back. "That hat was from me mum! It's the only thing I have with me that reminds me of home! Why did you leave half a freakin' beer on the table anyway?"

"It wasn't my beer-"

"So yer blamin' me?" Toni cut in.

With Seth and Toni bickering in the back, Alexa leaned over to her fiance to make sure only he heard what she had to say.

"None of your signature snarky comments to break the tension?" Alexa asked.

Dean shook his head. "Even I know when to shut up, Lex. It's not my place right now."

Alexa kissed her fingertips and ruffled Dean's hair. Dean smirked but was slowly losing his mind over the argument behind him.

The trio of cars came to a halt in a mass parking lot across the street from the carnival. From the looks of it, the festival was about as big as some county fairs usually were this time of year; No roller-coasters or anything of that nature, but there were a few carnival games and a Ferris wheel from a glance.

Dean, as always, took the lead at the head of the group. "So, we don't have to go to the carnival thing right away. There's other shit to do in this town if anyone's up for it."

"Like what?" Liv asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Dean quipped with a grin. "There's a coal mine tour. Although I'm not sure how Braun will do in a coal mine."

Sarah spoke up for her beau. "He gets claustrophobic."

"Ok, so no to that," Dean said. "There are also a few museums..." He chuckled at the negative comments about that idea. "...or there's a supposed haunted house a few blocks from here that's holding an open house."

"How haunted?" AJ asked.

"Distressed spirits and a few murders," Dean said. "The website says it's not as haunted as it was a few decades ago, but I still kinda want to check it out."

The group split almost in half, with some going to check out the haunted house while the others headed for the festival across the street. Dean, Alexa, AJ, Dana, Seth, Toni, Braun, and Sarah decided to head for the house. Charlotte, Becky, Liv, Finn, Zack, Bayley, Roman, and Tessa all decided to stay back.

"You're not afraid of ghosts are ya, Bex?" Dean chuckled.

Becky shook her head. "I want some fookin' caramel corn. Don't be bringin' back no bad juju."

As Dean and Alexa departed, Charlotte and Becky crossed the street. For the first time in the public's eye, Charlotte reached for Becky's hand and intertwined their fingers together. Becky flashed her girl a sweet smile before lifting herself on her toes and kissing Flair's cheek.

After weeks of not being able to show affection outside Charlotte's dorm, Becky's spirit felt a mile high today. Even something as little as holding her girl's hand felt so much to Becky. She understood why she wasn't ready to come out back home, and Becky fully respected that. It was a shame that they had to travel two hours and cross state lines to feel comfortable away from the watchful eyes of paparazzi, but Becky wasn't going to let anything bad come from today.

Charlotte stepped up to the ticket booth. "Hi. Two wristbands for me and my girlfriend?"

Becky just about jumped to the moon. Her smile stayed glued to her face with no chance of leaving. Charlotte glanced and winked at her girl, silently making Becky wish they were alone right now. Charlotte secured her own wristband first, then did the same for Becky. Before Becky could step away, Charlotte stole a quick kiss to the lips. It was brief, but the fact that Charlotte took that chance while surrounded by strangers made Becky feel as if Charlotte pinned her against a concession stand and shoved her tongue down her throat.

"A little lovey-dovey with no cameras, eh?" Becky quipped with a grin.

Charlotte smirked and shrugged. "I'm not ready to tell people in Stamford... Dunmore, on the other hand..."

Becky, with the most love she ever felt swelling in her chest, slid her fingers through Charlotte's once again. Little to their knowledge, a windowless white van pulled up across the street. The side door popped open and two dedicated, two despicable paparazzi hopped out with their cameras at the ready.

"This isn't even that scary..." AJ thought to herself while she walked the halls of this supposed haunted estate. She expected creepy paintings, peeling wallpaper, and chalk outlines, not this modern look into whatever the hell "authentic old-style" meant.

Much to the mild disappointment of the group of friends, the inside of the Victorian home was re-done with brand new hardwood floors, new appliances, and the plumping completely gutted and re-installed. The creepiest thing about the house was one of the old women in a blue dress, who just sat in the living room in an armchair while everyone else checked out the house.

"What do you think, hon?" Dana asked.

AJ shrugged. "Told you we should've made Zack stop at Massacre Mansion Haunted Attraction, but nobody ever listens to me when I have an idea."

Dana rolled her eyes playfully. "We can try to convince him on the way back, ok? Let's just look around here for a little bit, then I can win you something at the carnival. I'm a pro at the bottle toss game."

AJ chuckled to herself. "Not as good as Seth. He has a trick to beat that shitty game," she thought to herself, finding the boy across the room with his current girlfriend. Toni was keeping a distance from Seth but followed him around the room, so they clearly hadn't broken up over AJ's little prank.

The realtor, a short and stout woman with half-moon sunglasses approached Dana and AJ with a smile.

"Are you liking the home so far?" She asked.

"It's very nice," Dana said.

"Are you looking to buy?" The realtor asked.

"Eh, it's not really our type of thing," AJ said before Dana could reply. "I was sorta hoping this place was a little more... lively, in terms of spirits."

The realtor nodded her head. "Ok. Are you two actually planning on buying the house or are you just loitering?"

Dana furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

AJ stepped in. "Actually, yes we were. I'm CJ Ramirez, and that's Tara Rook. We're with 'Ghost Hunters International' and we were scoping this place out for the show. My producers tell me that this place was supposedly crawling with ghosts, but so far all I've seen is a creepy old woman and a very rude homophobic realtor."

"I-I assure you I am not homophobic! I had no idea you two were a couple-"

"So two attractive young women looking at a house together have to be a couple now?" AJ snapped.

"Um, I have heard that the attic is a hotspot for paranormal activity," the realtor said, looking flustered as she spoke.

AJ nodded once. "That's more like it. You're dismissed."

The realtor sputtered out a quick apology and changed rooms. AJ stared the woman down until she disappeared around the corner, then she crossed her arms and flashed Dana a cheeky smile.

"I love sticking gay panic on people," AJ chirped.

Dana slowly shook her head, but slid her arm around AJ's shoulders and traveled to the next room with her.

Upstairs, Dean and Alexa were checking out the many bedrooms the house had to offer. Dean hobbled around on his crutches, excitedly checking each room for any sign of ghosts or creepy goings-on. Alexa just followed her boyfriend, loving the child-like look of wonder in his eyes.

"Do you think a miner's wife got her back blown out in here?" Dean asked, stepping into the master bedroom.

"I'm thinking so," Alexa agreed, looking around. "He comes home, wants nothing but a hot meal and his boo, then she walks in naked with a steak."

Dean's eyes widened. "D... do you think?"

Alexa giggled. "Don't get any ideas, sir. You're no miner..." she kissed her boyfriend's cheek and whispered in his ear. "A cop gets steak fries and pink nighties."

"Dude, that's awesome," Dean chuckled, baiting a giggle from his beloved. "You're the coolest. By the way, I hear grade school teachers get foot rubs and Kane Brown."

Alexa giggled. "I love the sound of that. I've kinda always wanted to own a house like this one day. Big, spacious, plenty of room for us and our babies..."

Dean smirked. "Big backyard for the dogs. Dad plays catch with his boys while mama teaches the girls how to plant flowers. Then I fire up the grill and make burgers for dinner. Put the kids to bed..." He started to trail off when Alexa locked her arms around Dean's neck. "...put a log on the fire. Put on a cheesy rom-com and snuggle with my wife. Slap her hands away whenever she tries to make sin. The good things in life, right?"

"Sounds perfect to me," Alexa said. She brought Dean to her level and pressed their lips together, sliding her tongue between his teeth.

"Ohhhhhh!"

Dean perked up. "Did you hear that?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

"Dude, what the fuck?" Dean exclaimed excitedly.

"I can hear it," Alexa whispered.

"Ohhhh! Shit! Ohhhhhh!"

"Sounds like the ghost is getting railed..." Dean muttered.

Alexa furrowed her brow. "Yeah. It kinda does."

"Ahhhhh! Braun, fuck!"

"Braun?" Alexa and Dean said at the same time. Dean chuckled wildly. "Braun? My fuckin' man!"

Alexa lightly slapped her hand against Dean's chest. "Let's go. I don't want to listen to Braun and Sarah have sex."

"Well... I mean, maybe we should too," Dean said as Alexa crossed her arms and slowly shook her head. "It's a good day and it's extra points to do it in public. I'm pretty sure an open house counts as public, right?"

"Nice try, but no," Alexa said, baiting a sigh from her fiance. "If you behave, I'll let you hit the 'hat-trick' tonight."

Dean sighed dramatically. "Fine. I suppose I'll have to settle with regular sex with my smoking hot future baby mama."

Alexa pecked Dean on the cheek, then followed him out of the room.

The attic turned out to be a huge letdown as well. AJ took the steps to at a time, ready for a scene straight out of Poltergeist or The Others. Instead, she just found a completely empty spacious area without any spooky-looking antiques or shadows that could be mistaken for a person.

"What the fuck, man?" AJ whined, throwing her hands up at her sides.

Dana looked around the room, a little disappointed herself. "I guess they completely re-did the whole house. I wonder what they did with the old stuff?"

"The storage locker they're rotting in is probably spookier than this bullshit," AJ grumbled.

"Hey," Dana lifted her shirt to flash her chest at AJ. "Better?"

AJ's face glowed like Time's Square. "Yeah. I think I can face some disappointment today."

Dana pulled her shirt back down. "At least we have the carnival later. That should be fun, right?"

AJ shrugged. "Yeah, but I dunno. I kinda sorta fucked up today."

"What do you mean?" Dana asked.

"Well, I know you're mad about the way I acted on the hike," AJ said. "I didn't mean to make you look bad. I was just... upset, I guess."

"I'm not mad at you, babe," Dana said.

AJ lifted her brow. "You're not?"

"AJ, I just showed you my boobs in a haunted house. Would I do that if I was mad?" Dana said.

AJ shook her head.

"Well there you go," Dana said. "I was thinking about Seth, that's why I wasn't talking when we got back."

"Why were you thinking about Seth?" AJ's eyes widened and her hands balled into fists. "If he touched you while Aussie tits is here..."

"He didn't, I promise," Dana assured, cooling AJ off for the moment. "I just wish he didn't act like we were nothing. Not just me and him, but you too. It kinda sucks."

AJ nodded. "I know what you mean. Toni's pretty cool, but I wanna stab her boyfriend. Repeatedly. Maybe with his own dick."

"But that doesn't mean I want him back," Dana pointed out. "I'm past that and I think you'd feel better too if you moved on. I know he fucked with both of us, but there's no point living in the past. You've got, what? One more year of school left? I have one more after this. Seth won't be in our lives forever."

AJ sighed. "Yes, he will. When Dean marries Alexa, they'll have people over all the time and I just know I'll see Seth there."

"Ok. Then focus on school and get the hell away from Seth as soon as you can," Dana suggested.

AJ dropped her head. "I... can't exactly do that."

"Why not?" Dana asked.

"Technically... I don't go to SU anymore?" AJ said.

Dana's jaw dropped. "You what?"

"Dude, I tried to enroll before I came back from rehab but the ass fucks in administration told me I missed the deadline. I told them where I'd been, but they wouldn't make an exception." AJ explained.

"How have you been affording rent?" Dana asked. "Did they take away any of your grants or whatever?"

AJ nodded. "Yeah. I lost everything. I've just been selling my paintings to dudes on eBay."

Dana sighed. "Do these paintings depict me in any state of undress?"

"Oh, absolutely," AJ said. "Me and you, you and me sometimes with Mike Wazowski, sometimes me, you, Mike Wazowski, and a bucket of nacho cheese... the internet is full of people who dig that shit, babe."

Dana shook her head and moved past her friend. "You are unbelievable, AJ. I can't with you right now."

AJ watched Dana storm down the attic stairs, wishing she hadn't said anything. Now with her ex pissed off at her, AJ felt like crawling up into a ball and hiding until everyone left, but she heard Alexa calling her name so she reluctantly descended the staircase to join her best friend.

Being partially "out" with people wasn't as bad as Charlotte thought it would be. She never once got a dirty look or hurtful comment from a stranger whenever she kissed Becky or held her hand. In fact, Charlotte spotted an older same-sex couple walking the grounds with their two young children, one in a stroller and the other skipping around and begging her moms for all kinds of snacks. Charlotte caught Becky looking too, but didn't bring it up with her. Sure she was more accepting to be more honest of her feelings with people she cared about, but she was far from wanting to be anyone's Mrs. or mom any time soon.

Becky and Charlotte stood together in the line leading to the Ferris wheel. The day was moving on and the sun was starting to set. Charlotte wanted to see if she could watch the sunset from the top, even if it was just for a moment.

Charlotte and Becky shared a giant bag of caramel corn while they waited their turn. The line was thankfully moving quickly, but Charlotte was happy to spend a few moments alone with Becky while the time lasted.

"It's been a good day," Charlotte commented, chuckling at the sight of Becky stuffing her cheeks with their treat.

"I agree," Becky mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Charlotte had heard the news about her father. She hated so many people for what was going on, her father taking most of that disdain. Nora tried calling Charlotte that morning, but she refused the call until her step-mom gave up. Charlotte felt a little bad for refusing the call, but she didn't want to hear her dad's newest wife cry about Ric's fuck-ups in life, especially when she was having the best weekend with a significant other she had in quite some time.

Becky and Charlotte stepped up next. They sat side-by-side in the cartridge as the carney locked them in with the safety bar. Charlotte and Becky giggled as they were wheeled back into the air when the wheel spun.

Charlotte beamed with joy when they stopped on the top. Overlooking the entire park, Charlotte could see their friends going about their days while the setting sun glowed a gorgeous orange and red behind the horizon. Charlotte scooted closer to her girl, then stole a deep kiss to her lips when Becky turned in her direction.

"Hey," Becky giggled under her breath, still getting used to Charlotte's open affection in the public eye.

"Hello, my dear," Charlotte cooed, offering another peck on the cheek. "You make me feel loved, you know that? I haven't had a sweeter person in my life than you and I don't want you to go anywhere."

Becky smiled. "I won't, my love. I'll stay right here as long as you want me to."

Charlotte smirked. "Forever?"

Becky chuckled. "Is t'at yer proposal?"

"Maybe..."

"Charlotte Flair!" Becky exclaimed with a laugh.

"Kidding, Bex," Charlotte kissed her girl on the cheek. "Too early for that. Maybe if you win me a stuffed panda I'll consider it."

Becky threw her head back as she laughed again. "Oh, in t'at case I'll do me best."

Both girls leaned in for another kiss. Charlotte pushed a little further and slipped Becky a taste of her tongue. Becky took the idea and lightly squeezed the inside of Charlotte's thigh, baiting a breathy moan into their kiss. Little to their knowledge, somewhere below a man with a camera snapped several pics of the exchange. Fearing he'd be spotted if he stuck around too long, the unnamed man hurried back for his van.

"Whatdidya get?" The man's partner asked.

"Lesbian. Ferries Wheel. Kiss," the cameraman chuckled.

"Fucking perfect," the second guy said as he put the van into gear and peeled out of the parking lot.

.