Chapter 8: Blame it on the alcohol

I started down into the frying pan that was cooking my eggs. There was already so much to think about. What happened to my dog? Will she change back to her normal self? Why is pennywise a clown? Is he going to kill me? Who is this guy, anyway? What do I do now? Why am I a magnet for the crazy ones? My inner Brain hasn't been any help. Currently, she had a sign up that said: "Closed for Maintenance." Useless lady brain.

Glancing over into the living room, Pennywise and Olivia were on the floor wrestling. I was struggling with enjoying their play time and hating it. On one hand, my date had stayed the night and is now playing with my dog on the floor. Adorable, right? On the other, my date was a scary demon looking freak show clown and was playing with my pitbull turned Hellhound. I let out a long deep sigh and looked upwards. Jesus take the wheel, I silently prayed.

"So, 'Penny Wise' was it?" I spoke up from the kitchen.

"No, no. Pennywise. Pennywise. One word. Pennywise. That's me" The clown got up from the floor and made his way to the kitchen. Olivia, following her new best friend, was fast on his heels.

"Okay, Pennywise. How would you like your eggs?" You would have thought I just insulted his mother with the look on his face. It was one of pure horror and disgust.

"BLAH! Gross! As if I could ever eat anything like that. Human food is awful."

Now I was the insulted one. I turned and pointed my spatula at him. "Hey, PEN," I challenged him. "I didn't see you complain about my cooking last night? In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw you eat ALL of the steaks I served you. I don't care who or what you are. Never insult the hand that feeds you." It was obvious I was getting more and more frustrated with my current situation. I mean how could I not?

Pennywise was grinning from ear to ear at me. "Oh, I won't complain about a lot of things that happened last night, sweet cheeks."

I turned back to my eggs, muttering under my breath the whole time. "stupid hormones... ignorant clown-boy..." After a few more minutes the food was ready. At this point, I didn't care if he ate or not. I choose to set the kitchen table for two. He was still a guest in my temporary house, regardless of how fucked up this whole scene was. I was about to sit down when I glanced at Olivia. Shit, do I feed her the food she had? Maybe she won't care? I pour 2 cups of her regular kibble into her food bowl and gave her the signal to eat. She walked up, sniffed the bowl and then sat down next to it.

"Well, fuck," I exclaimed. What do I do now?

"The hound needs meat, Quinn," Pennywise interrupting my thoughts. He sat crouched on the seat of the dining room chair, watching the exchange between me and the hound. "I don't know much about Hellhounds. What I do know is their diet is like mine. They need meat. LOTS of fresh meat."

"Alright, I think I can work with that." Going to the freezer I pulled out a 2-pound brisket I picked up yesterday. Opening it up and placing it down on the floor I gave Olivia the signal to eat again. This time there was no hesitation. I watched as my dog hunkered down and tore into the frozen meat. Pennywise started giggling and clapping excitedly. Great, now I'm going to have to buy a side of beef every time I need to feed her. I turned to my own food and sat down opposite Pennywise. I put a piece of the egg in my mouth and chewed but didn't taste anything. My mind was so numb to everything at this point. Would it be weird if I started drinking right now? I mean it is my vacation technically? Would a glass of wine at 6 am make me look bad? I glanced back at the clown.

Nope, fuck it.

I got up to pour myself more of the wine 'Phillip' brought over last night. I took a big gulp before bringing the glass and the bottle back to the table. "Ok, start talking clown. Let's begin with what you are and what you plan on doing with me?"

"Fine!" Pennywise huffed. He really did act like a child. "I can't really explain to you what I am. All I can tell you is I have been around for a very, very long time. Oh and I eat and consume the fear of my prey. But enough about me! Let talk about you!" He booped me on the nose. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you. Depends on what you are I guess."

"See that right there? You keep saying that but I'm not at all sure what the hell you're talking about. I'm a human. I have human parents. Helen and Brian. Nothing exciting about me. Just a girl who loves to dance and left at 18 to become a stripper. I keep to myself and I certainly have never been anything other than a human." I downed the rest of the wine in my glass and poured more. There was no reason for him to keep saying that. My life was boring before this. It had always been boring. There wasn't a reason for Pennywise to think I was anything different. I took another drink of wine, wishing for harder liquor.

"Now, peaches, I know that's not true. Even if you really don't know what you are I know you're not human. First off, I fucked you good."

I shot him a murderous look during another huge gulp of wine.

"Hey, I don't mate with humans. Gross. Second, there is no way, and I mean NONE, that a human could possess THAT!" Pennywise shot hit finger in Olivia's directions. She was currently snoring loudly and laying on her back with her legs in all directions. I let out a wine induced giggle and hiccup.

"Third, your scent is like something I've never smelled before. It's always there, always lingering. It doesn't smell the same as everyone else. The pure terror I inflict makes everyone sweet but yours," his voice became lower and huskier. He leaned in across the table and inhaled deeply at me, his eyes fluttering. "Let me put it in human food terms. You smell like freshly baked peach cobbler covered in handmade vanilla ice cream with freshly harvested maple syrup drizzled all over."

We stared into each other's eyes. His were blue again but this time they were a rich blue, like sapphires. I couldn't believe that this clown had just described me as a delectable baked good and made it sound sexy. I'm super flattered. And slightly turned on. Also, and I'm just guessing here, slightly intoxicated. Whether he was Phillip or Pennywise, no guy ever complimented me the way he has in the day and a half I've known him. Just my luck to find a decent guy finally and he's a supernatural being. Fucking figures.

"Was there something else?"

Pennywise blinked rapidly and looked away, "Ah yes, I saved the best for last." There was that grin again. Ear to ear and making me very uncomfortable. "No way you could be human because any human who drinks my blood would not survive for long afterward."

"Well, I haven't had any of your blood yet so I guess we'll never know."

"Oh, you sure about that, peaches?" Pennywise looked at me than the wine. Then back at me and then the wine. Over and over.

Then it hit me.

"You mother fucker!" I jumped up and dumped the rest of what was left in my glass in the sink. I stomped back for the bottle and drained it into the sink too. Unfortunately, there was less than a ⅓ in the bottle I had drunk so much plus last night. "Damnit, Penny! What the hell!"

The clown was on the floor rolling around and hooting with laughter. "Your face! AH HA, you should see your face!"

That arrogant son of a bitch! That's it! He is DEAD! I walked over and brought my foot back to kick him right in the stomach. Right before my foot made contact, Pennywise grabbed my leg. In one fluid motion, he pulled me on top of him and pushed himself off the floor launching us to the ceiling. A loud cry escaped my mouth as I realized that Pennywise had me pinned to the ceiling and was on top on me...under me? Whatever, we were in the air and nothing was holding us up! I wrapped my arms and legs around him for support hoping he wouldn't drop me.

Pennywise took this opportunity to inhale deeply from my neck. With a groan, he let out a huge breath in my hair, "ugh, peaches. What. Are. You?" I felt him vibrating again. He seemed to do that whenever he was aroused or complacent. And whenever I was in his arms.

It all hit me at once. The blood spiked wine. A supernatural sex god clown. My life-sized Pokemon dog. Being held against the ceiling and my ruined vacation. I don't know how I've held on this long. My emotions took over control by letting out a huge sob. I started crying like no other. This was the ugly cry to end all ugly cries. I just wanted to be told that is was all gonna be ok. It was just a bad dream and I wasn't in whatever nightmare my mind made up. Sucking in a huge breath and let out another horrible sob, I continued to cry on Pennywise neck. It surprisingly felt really good to just be held, questionable company notwithstanding. I wish I'd never left Portland.

"Shhh, shhh. Don't cry, peaches. It's all gonna be ok. I'm glad you left Portland. If you hadn't, I would never have known you existed."

How did he know I was thinking about Portland? Unless...

Another big cry left my mouth making me bury my face further into Pennywise's' neck. This caused him to hug me tighter.

"cc-can yy-you nn-noot r-read mmm-my mmm-mind pp-pl-ease?" I sobbed into him. The clown was rubbing the back of my head with one hand, comforting me like a child. The other was wrapped around my midsection. The gesture was sweet but my mind was still reeling. If the clown was telling the truth then I wasn't human. And if I wasn't human what was I?

Sniff. "Pennywise?" Sniff

"Hmm?"

"If neither one of us knows what I am, how do we find out?" hiccup

"Let's not worry about that now, sweet cheeks. Let's get you some rest. How about a nap and then answers later?"

hiccup, sniff, yawn "ok." I didn't even bother resisting. I had no energy to argue. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and never wake up. Pennywise was basically giving me permission to do so.

"Close your eyes, Quinn." I did as I was told. There was a brief moment where there was no oxygen or sound. Just the feeling of being held by my crazy clown-boy. Then the soft comforter against my back and Pennywise on top of me. He unwrapped himself around me and I was immediately taken back by how lonely I felt. I shifted to get underneath the covers and looked around for Pennywise. He was standing at the edge of the bed, looking lost in his own thoughts.

"Pen?"

"Peaches?" He looked at me with his blue cross eyes.

"Are you leaving?" I asked in a small voice.

"Do you want me to?"

"No." I really didn't want him to go. As crazy as it sounds, he was the closest thing I had to a friend right now.

"I have to go soon tho. I'm getting hungry. But I can stay with you till you fall asleep."

"Do you promise to be back later?" yawn

He nodded at me. The same way a child would nod if you asked if they wanted chocolate milk.

I held my hand out to him. "Come here then."

Pennywise wasted no time crawling into bed with me. And I wasted no time in snuggling up to his chest. We laid there, facing each other, my face under his chin because of his size. I was starting to calm down a bit and I know he could sense it. I felt the vibrations from him again but this time it was relaxing to me. Almost like falling asleep in a massage chair. Hm, I have to admit, this clown guy was starting to grow on me. Even if he did dupe me into thinking he was Phillip.

Um, technically, he is Phillip. Oh, look who decided to come out and join us. Go back in your stupid hole, Brain.

The last thing I heard before I drifted off was the sound of Pennywise's light chuckling and soft vibrations.