liveforthelittlethings - Thank you so much! It's something that bugs me as well, I can't believe all of Ginny's scenes were cut from the movie (including the scene where Chris and Knox talk to each other properly). It's probably the reason why I love reading DPS female AU fics. I'm trying to develop the female roles as much as possible and I'm so pleased that it's appreciated :)

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore, is winged Cupid painted blind"

- A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare

Chapter twenty-five - Cupid painted blind

Knox tried in vain to tear his eyes away from the couple, but Chris was a vision as she twirled, her smile lighting up the room as she danced with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Knox thought with a sigh.

"You love her, don't you" observed Jennifer, her voice pulling him out of his melancholy.

"Chris. You're in love with her" she repeated.

"I-err" he flushed, "sorry. I, um."

"She laughed merrily, "don't panic. It's okay, I didn't want to come here with a date either."

"You-you didn't?" He breathed.

Jennifer shook her head, her ponytail swishing, "dating has never really interested me much, to be honest. The girls are just trying to be good friends and they think they're helping so, I humour them now and then. Chris is a difficult person to say no to, she's too sweet. So, I can guess how you ended up here."

"Thank God" Knox broke into his first genuine grin of the day, "you're fantastic and all, but my heart wasn't in this and I've ignored you. I'm so sorry" he apologised.

"Don't worry, it's a relief to me as well" she assured him, straightening his crooked tie. "Now stop looking so nervous, and ask her to dance" Jennifer instructed, "it may seem tough to outdo the captain of the football team but it's easier than you think. Now go, I have friends to hang out with and a good word to put in for you. Good luck, Knox. You're a good guy. Don't waste that on girls you're not interested in." She chided, pushing him gently towards the dance floor, and after flashing one last encouraging smile, she was gone.

Knox took two steps forward. Gulped. And took three steps back before fleeing to the kitchen. If he was really going to do this then he needed to play this right. He needed to offer her a drink.

After all, dancing is thirsty work.

xxxx

Kathleen stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and tried to smile, but it looked false. Music pulsed through the locked door and vibrated through the floorboards; reminding her that this was a party and parties were supposed to be fun.

And it had been, until antler hat Bubba had uttered those words and ruined it all.

She hadn't realised that Thomas has been losing on purpose and since it had been pointed out, his other pretences had been magnified. It was like his secret twin had swapped places with him. The Thomas Baker she had enjoyed spending time with had vanished, replaced by imposter seeking approval at every turn.

The last table tennis match had been a disaster. A competition to see who could lose had enthused since he wouldn't be 'ungentlemanly' and beat her. Yet, the moment that she refused to beat him, he joked that she needed to be 'a good sport about it.' Ouch. After that she had been introduced to the football team, a rowdy bunch who had spent an hour recounting heroic sporting stories in front of their dates, basking in the glory of their past victories while the girls gradually lost interest. They had just begun a game of truth or dare when she had excused herself for a bathroom break along with several others who made the same excuse. Somehow, she knew that being caught up in that game would be a bad idea.

Kathleen sighed and smoothed down her deep blue dress, retied the sash and ran her fingers through her hair. With one last failed attempt at an enthusiastic smile, she gave in. Maybe the mystery punch could get her through the night, if she couldn't find one of her friends to distract her first. With her mind made up, she snapped the bolt across and exited the bathroom. Making her way into the kitchen she caught sight of a familiar, suited up, brunette.

"Knox!" She called his name while weaving through the tipsy crowd, but by the time she reached the makeshift bar he had gone. Shoving away the flicker of disappointment she inspected the punch bowel. The liquid had darkened and the pungent scent of alcohol had strengthened, she ladled a little into a fresh cup and topped it up with soda. Enough to soften the taste, but not enough to end up drunk. Suddenly, she was glad that she had followed Charlie's advice and eaten beforehand.

She had just taken her first sip when she heard her name.

"Oh, Thomas!" She turned, startled by his sudden appearance.

"So, this is where you ran off to" he chuckled, "for a second I thought you'd ditched me."

She laughed lightly, "that's me. Taking refuge with the drinks."

He grinned, "I'm glad I found you. The game is in shambles. Apparently, it was just a ploy to set up Jane Peters with my mate Chuck" he shook his head disbelievingly. "We need to find some other amusement; how do you feel about watching beer pong?"

"Why not" she shrugged, taking another sip.

"Then let me escort you to the tournament" he held out his arm and Kathleen took it, letting herself be led into the dining room. To her delight, Chris and Chet were there. Giving her hope that the next hour would be much more interesting than the last.

xxxx

Knox entered the kitchen, squinting at the sudden, harsh, overhead light which illuminated the room, unlike the dim lamps and coloured Christmas tree lights which set the atmosphere throughout the rest of the Danburry residence. He found himself surrounded by football players as he neared the beer keg. He contemplated going for the punch instead but he figured that beer was manlier, he was competing with the football captain after all.

He was in the process of filling his cup when one of the players grabbed his arm.

"Hey, you Mutt Sanders' brother?" the guy asked, drunkenly inspecting his face before he turned to one of his team mates. "Bubba, this guy look like Mutt Sanders to you or what?"

The second red jacketed boy spat some ice cubes into the sink and slurred, "you're his brother?"

"No relation" Knox shook his head apologetically, "never heard of him. Sorry, guys."

"Where's your manners Steve?" Bubba ignored Knox and pulled at the antlers stuck to helmet on his head. "Mutt Sanders's brother and we don't offer him drink. Here, go have some whiskey, pal." He shoved a full glass into Knox's other hand, looking expectantly at him.

"Yeah" nodded Steve.

"Whoa" Knox looked around for an escape but he was boxed between the players, the sink and the kitchen island. "I-uh-I don't really drink" he stuttered.

"To Mutt" toasted Bubba, seeming not to have heard him.

"To Mutt" agreed Steve, clinking his glass with both boys and causing whiskey to slosh over the side.

Knox took a deep breath and took a big gulp of whiskey, muttering under his breath "to Mutt." He blanched at the burning sensation in his throat and loosened his tie. He really was not used to drinking this much.

"How the hell is old Mutt anyway?"

"Yeah, what's old Mutt been up to?" The two players refilled Knox's cup along with their own.

"I don't really know Mutt" Knox tried to tell them again but they eyed the beer still in Knox's other hand and Steve lifted both of Knox's arms into the air.

"To Mighty Mutt!" He cheered.

"To Mighty Mutt" repeated all the players in vicinity before knocking back another drink. Knox followed suit, obligingly drinking his beer as well as the whiskey. He hurriedly dropped the empty beer cup into the sink as the room started to spin.

"Well, I gotta find Patsy." Bubba rubbed his bloodshot eyes, "say hello to Mutt for me, okay?"

"Will do" responded Knox unsteadily.

"Yeah, hell of a guy your brother Mutt" nodded Steve, following Bubba out of the kitchen. Knox grabbed a glass of water which had been abandoned on the kitchen counter and hastily exited the kitchen while he still could. He found a space on the sofa and collapsed into it gratefully, idly taking small sips of his water, which he didn't realise tasted odd. Too drunk to decipher the difference between water and vodka.

His head was pounding and the couples draped across either end of the sofa kept encroaching on his personal space. Wrinkling his nose, he began to get up but abruptly sat back down, rooted to the spot when he realised that the girl sleeping peacefully next to him was Chris Noel. He gazed at her in wonder as she slept, her face was peaceful and her cheeks flushed pink. He had never seen her face up close until now, he realised, as he traced the angles of her face and the slope of her nose with his eyes.

"God help me" he whispered as his gaze landed on her lips. He dragged his eyes away from her sleeping form and tried to look around the room, but his eyes were pulled back to her. Enraptured by her beauty he uttered the words "carpe diem" softly. Hesitantly, he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. Captivated by the golden strands. After a minute, her leaned over and brushed his lips over her forehead.

Unfortunately, it was the same moment that Bubba looked up from his card game and cried, "Chet! Chet! Look!"

Chet Danburry sighed, "what?"

"It's Mutt Sanders' brother!"

"Huh?" He turned in his seat and saw a horrified Knox leaning over his girlfriend, who was beginning to stir.

Chet leapt up. Chris awoke to see him storming over. Her eyes slid over to Knox who was frozen at her side. She jumped up in surprise.

"Knox? What-" she stated to ask but she was cut off by Bubba's cry.

"HE'S FEELING UP YOUR GIRL!"

"What are you doing?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. But before Knox could respond Chet was at her side, shaking with anger.

"What. The. Hell" he growled.

"Chet!" She warned, "Chet, don't."

"I know it looks bad" Knox said quickly, "but you've gotta-"

Chet tackled him to the ground.

The two boys rolled around on the carpet like animals. Knox struggled to break free while Chet threw punch after punch at him. Knox tried to block the blows to his face by raising his arms over his head. The violent smacks drowned out the chants of the gathering crowd. Knox attempted to kick his attacker away, but Chet was bigger, stronger and angry.

"Chet, no!" Chris screamed, "You'll hurt him! Stop it, leave him alone!"

"Knox!" Kathleen pushed through the crowd with Thomas hot on her heels, and they threw themselves into the brawl to separate the two. Thomas helped Chris to restrain Chet, while Kathleen helped Knox to stand, narrowly avoiding a badly aimed punch. Thomas wasn't so lucky, earning a bruised cheek from his captain who fought the restraints.

"Bastard!" Shouted Chet, ignoring Chris' pleas for him to stop and calm down.

Knox gingerly lowered his hands from their protective shielding of his face and stared at the blood, his blood, which had stained his fingertips crimson

"Oh, Knox!" Kat worried, "your nose is bleeding."

"Knox, are you alright?" Fussed Chris, abandoning Chet.

"Chis" snapped Chet, trying in vain to pull out of Thomas' vice grip on his torso, "get away from him."

"You hurt him!" She cried, anger contorting her dainty features as she heard him express his pleasure at the fact.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" repeated Knox in a daze

"It's okay" Chris rubbed his arm. Thomas finally released Chet but kept a warning hand on his shoulder, letting him pull Chris to his side.

"Next time I see you, you die" he fumed, glaring at Knox who gulped.

"I'd better follow him, I'm so sorry Kathleen" Thomas apologised.

"Go, it's okay. I need to look after Knox" she bit her lip as she slung Knox's arm over her shoulders to try and keep her friend upright, "you're lovely and I had fun but-"

"I know" Thomas nodded, "you don't like me that way."

"How did you-"

"You looked like you missed someone else" he smiled slowly, not his dazzling smile but a real one, an emotive curve of the mouth.

"I'm sorry" she apologised, barely registering the weight of his words as she struggled to support Knox's weight.

"He's a lucky guy, but if you change your mind" he shrugged, "give me a call."

"Thank you."

"S'okay" he turned and followed Chet upstairs, leaving Kat to get a half-asleep, likely concussed, seventeen-year-old boy, to the bathroom.

A task which proved to be just as difficult as Kat was concerned it would be. Where on earth was Nancy? Or Ginny? Why hadn't anyone else cared enough to help Knox, or help her move him? Nobody was coherent enough or considerate enough to even hold open a door, she fumed.

This party had been a mistake, she decided as she deposited Knox on the closed lid of the toilet, with his back against the sink to keep him upright. Kathleen busied herself by filling the sink with warm water and finding a clean flannel while Knox groaned, squinting in the harsh light.

"Where am I?" he moaned, "I feel awful."

"You're in the bathroom, honey. You were in a fight" she explained quietly "do you remember?"

He nodded slowly, wincing as she gently cleaned the cuts on his face and checked that his nose wasn't broken.

"Stings" he muttered, his eyelids flickering as he fought sleep.

"I know, I promise I'll be quick."

"Kat.

"hm."

"Kat, I-I think I'm-"

"You don't look so good, Knox" she worried. Stepping back to examine his face which was far too pale for her liking.

"No, I'm-I have to-" he began but he vomited before he could finish. It splattered down the front of her dress and all over the floor as she jumped back. Her nose wrinkled, and she used her bracelet as a hair tie, pulling her hair into a ponytail with more force than necessary and chucking a towel down on the floor to cover the mess.

"You know what" she muttered to a once more unconscious, but less pale looking Knox, "fuck it. I'm not cleaning this up. Let Chet do it." She used the wet flannel to clean her dress and wipe down Knox, who she left sleeping peacefully. Nobody in their right mind would enter the main bathroom now, she reasoned as she left him there while she searched for Nancy.

It was time to go home.