An- Another throw back to 'The Missing Month'. So as you will read, this is inspired by Halloween (which I hope everyone had a good one FYI). Another thing that just came to me and I decided to throw it in for various reasons (I'll explain a few at the end)
l.l.l.l
Jane was absently flipping through a month old issue of Cosmo, only half reading the article she was looking down at. In the background she could hear Erin attempting to explain the plot and concept of 'The Matrix' to those she was watching it with and Carla was banging around upstairs, attempting to find something.
"Okay, I'm totally heading home to change," Niori announced as she walked into the living room, car keys dangling in her hand, "I won't be more than an hour, so is it too much to ask that you'll be ready by then?"
Jane just looked up and stared at her blankly.
"What are you talking about now?" Erin asked from her place on the couch.
"You cannot tell me you forgot!" at more blank stares Niori made an exasperated groan, "Um hello, Delaney's annual summer costume party? She's only been having it for like four years."
Jane had honestly forgotten about it.
"Niori, in case you haven't noticed," Erin informed them, "anytime we take them," she gestured to the Fellowship members that were in the room with them, "disaster follows."
"Not even Erin!" Niori snapped, "You did not drag us to a town three hours away to go to a real costume shop and convince me to buy an obscenely expensive costume just for this party, especially when I could have thrown my own that was just as sweet."
Jane had forgotten about that part too, and now that she did remember she agreed with Niori; Erin had convinced them all to spend way too much on costumes.
"But explaining them is getting hard," Erin began, but Niori cut her off with a laugh.
"Erin please! This is the one day where we don't have to worry about that; if someone says 'Hey, that looks like Boromir from Lord of the Rings', we can say 'Yeah, isn't his costume great?'. You are coming, even if I have to tie you up and force you there. We always have a blast, and I am in the mood for a good party."
Before Erin or Jane could begin the protest, Niori was out the door.
"She really hasn't given us a choice has she?"
"Not if we want to keep our lives. I swear that girl is a force of nature when she wants something. We should probably go tell Carla. We stashed our costumes here right?"
"Yeah, so we could avoid our parents finding out how much money we blew on them. And because Carla's closest is huge…as has been recently proved when a bunch of characters from a book fell out of it."
"Won't the Fellowship be pleased when we tell them they can go out in their real clothes for once?"
By now Erin and Jane were walking up the stairs, but then a though occurred to Jane and she stopped short. The colour drained from her face as a type of dread seized her stomach.
"Oh my God…I bought an Arwen costume."
l.l.l.l
Erin sighed, wondering if Jane would ever come out of the bedroom. If Jane had looked horrible it would have made sense, but she looked completely fabulous; the costume looked amazing on her.
"Jane would you please get the hell out of there," Carla spoke in frustration.
"What if he recognizes the dress?" Jane's worried voice spoke through the door, "What am I supposed the say? I'm pretending to be the love of your life? What if he asks why? How am I supposed to answer that without sounding like an idiot? Oh right Aragorn, I'm totally in love with you and thought pretending to be Arwen would be a great idea."
They had tried to throw together a backup costume for her, but nothing had worked unless Jane wanted to go as a hobo (she didn't). So it was the Arwen dress or nothing."
And from the sounds of things, it seemed to Erin that Jane was leaning more towards the or nothing.
"Look Jane," Erin was reassuring, "men never wardrobe, only to think how a woman looks when it's actually on them. They never remember it once it's off."
"Not to mention that, unlike here, dresses like that are the norm in Middle Earth," Carla supplied, "it won't even be a big thing to them. Our costumes are going to 'shock' them more that yours."
Currently Carla was dressed as a classic pirate and Erin as Marilyn Monroe in her white dress.
"Just skip on the wig," Erin advised, "then you don't look all Arwenish."
"Hey guys!" Niori's voice called from the upstairs, "Coming down!"
"You know if you don't come out she's just going to force you out."
Jane groaned again and then the door did slowly open. A moment later Jane walked out.
"You look awesome," Erin said, hoping that it would cheer her up.
It apparently didn't.
"I so don't know why I haven't done this costume before," Niori's voice grew louder as she got closer, "I mean, my ass looks seriously looks amazing in it."
Niori finally reached them, and she looked beyond sexy in her French maid outfit.
Niori took one look at a very self conscious looking Jane and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Erin glared at her, and she did stop laughing.
"I am so sorry I talked you into buying that," Niori apologized, but not with a straight face.
"Let's just get this over with," Carla grumbled, marching past them.
"If it's any help, Aragorn might still be in so much shock at seeing me walk through the door in this that he might not really notice you."
To Erin it looked like Jane considered Aragorn not noticing her at all was worse than him realizing she was wearing a replica of Arwen's dress.
When they reached the top of the stairs, everyone was waiting.
"So exactly is the point of this?" Boromir asked, looking over them all.
"What you guys never have costume balls, or whatever they're called? Masquerades?" Erin asked.
"A what?"
Apparently not.
"It's a party where you dress up as someone else, or in Niori's case an excuse to wear something skankier than usual and get away with it," Carla replied, causing Niori to glare at her, "I'm a pirate, Erin's an old movie star, and Jane is A- wearing a pretty dress."
"That dress does seem so familiar," Aragorn said thoughtfully, trying to place it.
Jane blushed a deep pink, and Erin jumped into her rescue.
"It's one of a kind…so you couldn't have seen it before."
"Anyway," Niori spoke a little too loudly, calling all attention off Jane, "let's get out of here. We're moving past fashionably late and into just late."
l.l.l.l
"Oh my God! I thought you guys would never get here!"
At the sound of the voice, Niori turned; there was their friend Delaney, dressed as a witch, came walking towards them. She hugged the girls in turn and then looked at the others with raised eyebrows.
"Family from out of town," Carla explained with her usual lie, "is it okay we brought them?"
"Totally," Delaney replied.
"Everyone this is Delaney," Niori introduced them, "and Delaney this is everyone."
"And no one has practically seen you girls all summer," Delaney replied, "besides that brief appearance at the dance a few weeks ago. Where have you been?"
"Babysitting," Erin replied, jerking her thumb at the Fellowship.
"Wow, you guys are so pro with the costumes," Delaney exclaimed, "how cool is it that you managed to do the whole Fellowship of the Ring thing!"
Somehow all four girls managed to keep a straight face.
"And Jane," Delaney continued, gesturing between her and Aragorn, "what a great idea for a couple costume."
Aragorn looked confused and Jane blushed.
"I…ah…" Jane stammered, "going inside…for water!"
What that she bolted for the door and Delaney looked at them questionably.
"I'll explain later," Niori assured her.
"I'll see you guys later. Kevin just got here with more beer."
"What did she mean?" Aragorn asked when Delaney was gone.
"Never mind," Niori shook her head, making her way inside.
Inside were various people, most that she knew and some that she didn't. And there was more beer coming soon, which was always great. She made her way over to a table where a bowl of chips was located and grabbed a handful. The others dispersed in their own ways.
Someone slid in the next to her, and Niori turned, expecting it to be one of them; instead it was a guy she had never met…a very cute guy she had never met.
"Now I'd remember if I'd seen you around before," Niori smiled.
"Staying at the campground for the summer," he replied with the same smile, "and as far as I'm concerned, it's a shame we haven't met before."
"Well that's easy enough to fix; I'm Niori."
"Andrew."
This was turning out to be very promising.
"Niori."
This time it was Legolas's flat voice that drew her attention, and she realized that he was standing right beside her. He was looking at her intently while throwing glares over at Andrew every once and awhile.
"Hey man, sorry. Didn't know," with that Andrew walked away and Niori turned on Legolas in irritation.
"What the hell! You just killed any chance I had with him!"
Legolas had just acted all jealous boyfriend on her, and she didn't like it She hated it when anyone did it, and Legolas doing it made her uncomfortable; it made her wonder why he was doing it.
"Sorry," Legolas apologized, though his tone told her he was far from.
"Is there anything in particular you want?" Niori asked him, "or do you just want to mess up my love life?"
"Actually," Legolas replied, "I decided to be nice and get this for you."
He handed her a bottle, and Niori realized that it was a beer. She looked up from it to him in surprise. Then she began to laugh.
"You know me way too well."
"Your drinking habits are a constant topic of discussion," he replied with his own laugh, "it's not too hard to anticipate that you would desire one."
"Oh my God," Niori shook her head, "I still can't believe it. I love you so much right now."
It wasn't until she saw Legolas's startled expression did Niori realize what she had said.
"No wait! I didn't mean…it's not like…I mean…"
When the reply wouldn't come out right, Niori took a swig of beer and wished she thought before she spoke.
"Since I've now managed to make a fool of myself, I think I'm going to go tell Jane she's DDing."
Jane was absently talking to a girl from their history class and fidgeting with her dress.
Niori really did feel kind of sorry that she had pushed Jane into buying that costume. But it wasn't as if she could anticipate Aragorn falling out of Carla's closet three moths later.
"Hey," she said when she reached Jane and five seconds after the other girl walked away, "since I made an ass of myself and needed an excuse to escape, I'm telling you you're driving us back."
"Um, the minute you said the word 'party' I figured that one out. How did you make an ass out of yourself?"
"Kinda told Legolas I loved him."
"What!" Jane cried and looked down at the beer in Niori's hand, "you cannot be that drunk already!"
"I'm not drunk!" Niori snapped, "I meant it in the way I mean it when I tell you I love you; total friendship."
"Well it's a good thing it's only 'friendship'," Jane spoke again and nodded in the direction that Niori had just come from, "because if it wasn't someone would be moving in on your territory."
Niori turned to see what Jane was talking about and then her eyes narrowed. The person she hated most in the world after her family members, one Brittany Robert's who looked like she should have been an extra on Baywatch, was flirting up a storm with Legolas…
Her Legolas.
"Excuse me," Niori told Jane and then stormed her way across the room.
She only slowed down when she grew closer; she wasn't going to let Brittany see her seething.
"Brittany hi," Niori said in a forced friendly voice.
"Hey Niori," Brittany replied, equally friendly.
As she spoke Niori moved as close to Legolas as she could without touching him…but close enough that the desired 'back off' message was clear.
"Brittany you playboy bunny costume is so cute," Niori said, "I know I loved mine when I did it last year."
Niori was in a mood to be bitchy.
"Well you know me," the other girl replied without missing a beat, "I love taking something old and used and then making improvements on it."
So Brittany was in the mood to be a bitch too.
"So you two know each other?" Brittany went back to the subject at hand, "I had no idea."
Like hell you didn't, Niori was tempted to say, half the reason you're talking to him is because you saw him with me.
"We're tight."
"Well I was just telling him since he's new in town, I'm totally available to…show him the ropes."
At first Niori couldn't believe what she heard, because she knew the ropes Brittany was talking about had nothing to do with getting acquainted with the town. More like getting acquainted with her bedroom.
"I mean," she continued, getting nastier, "having someone as…experienced as you is always a great thing, but sometimes you want someone who can still discover some new things."
Niori was going to kill her. The only saving grace was that Legolas wasn't picking up anything but the surface of the conversation.
"What can I say Brittany? He likes experience perfectly find. He's someone who'd rather be shown the ropes opposed to teach them himself."
Niori almost added 'take that bitch' to the end of her sentence.
"Well anyway, I really have to go," Brittany turned her attention to Legolas flirtatiously, "if you change your mind, I'm sure Niori can get you my number."
"Fucking bitch," Niori cursed when she was gone.
Legolas looked somewhat startled.
"What? But you were both so pleasant to each other."
"She just called me a whore!"
"What?"
"Think back over that conversation real hard," Niori instructed.
From the way his expression changed Niori knew he got it.
"Exactly," Niori said.
"It seems that we end up meeting someone you hate every time we travel from Carla's house," Legolas commented.
"I must have done something horrible in a past life. That or the universe is determined to make you think I'm a-" she had meant to say slut, but she just couldn't, "…terrible person."
"Niori, it would take much more than the likes of that to make me believe you were a…terrible person."
His answer made her smile.
"You know what," she started but Legolas cut her off.
"Let me guess," he was grinning, "you're going to need another drink."
"Okay," Niori laughed, "that is just eerie."
"In some ways Niori, you're not very mysterious," then he offered her his arm.
Niori's eyebrows rose.
"Perhaps I wish to demonstrate how pleased I continue to be with your experience."
"You're evil."
"Only for you Niori."
"Well then," she said as she took his arm, hoping that Brittany was still in the room to see it, "to the bar."
Maybe this party wouldn't be a complete waste after all…
l.l.l.l
Once she began to realize that after this much time had passed Aragorn was not going to recognize the dress, Jane was able to lighten up.
To which Carla was glad, because Jane's bad moon had been dragging her good one down. By some miracle Carla was actually having a very good time; she was talking to people she hadn't really seen since school got out, and everyone was voting her costume the best (apparently they're not going by amount of skin showing this year, Carla thought). She was having a blast explaining her 'cousins' and coming up with the wildest things she could imagine.
"They're from this remote island off the coast of Wales," Carla was telling a friend, "and until a month ago we didn't even know they existed. Like a hundred years ago their great whatever grandparents decided to go all puritan and moved to the island, kind of like that movie 'The Village'. That's why they're all so old fashioned. Well in the last year this huge epidemic took out all of the others but them, and one of the elders came clean about where they were really from. Since no one was left they went back to the mainland and dug through old records. Turns out that my dad's side of the family is all they had left, so they came over here."
Her friend was listening to her wide eyed, believing every word.
Carla was having trouble not laughing. And she was having too much fun. Hopefully no one asked any of the others to confirm.
Jane on the other hand was looking at her like she was insane.
"Carla can I talk to you a minute?" Jane asked, pulling her aside, "what are you doing?"
"Amusing myself."
"More like acting like an idiot," Jane snorted.
"Hey, I'm not the ones believing it."
Jane couldn't really argue there.
"Okay Carla," Erin walked up, "why do I keep hearing about your crazy Amish cousins?"
Carla grinned "Puritans actually."
"You've got to be kidding me," Erin rolled her eyes.
Her grin grew.
"You realize you're nuts right," Jane commented.
"That's what happens when I'm stuck in a house with you people for a month. Especially when one of you is cranky most of the time because they keep throwing up."
The comment was directed at Erin, who automatically looked irritated and upset.
"I'm sick okay! I just have the flu!"
Erin said it so loud that the people around them turned to look at her. Her voice was also angry.
Carla was taken back by the outburst.
"Wow Erin, calm down. I never said you weren't.
"Good…because I am!" now Erin just sounded stubborn, "sick I mean!"
Carla looked over at Jane, who looked just as confused as she was.
"Right…"
"Can we go yet?" Erin asked abruptly, "I'm getting a headache."
Carla and Jane exchanged another look.
"Look Erin, I'm sorry if I said something that upset you…"
"Are we leaving or not?" Erin snapped.
"I'll go talk to Niori…"
Niori was currently on Fellowship duty, and for once she didn't look like she wanted to shoot herself because of it.
"Hey Niori," Carla spoke when she got to them, "I think we need to leave."
"What?" Niori asked in surprise, "Why?"
"Erin's kind of throwing a mini hissy fit; normally that wouldn't matter all that much, but since we're all living in the same house…"
"We'd have to put up with her," Niori finished, and then turned to the others, "okay guys, seems like we're leaving."
As they were walking back Niori sighed.
"You realize that history has been made today; we took them into public and no disasters occurred. And we're leaving early."
Carla was going to say something else when Aragorn spoke.
"Carla, why do people keep asking me what it was like to live on a remote island?"
l.l.l.l
An- So there were two real reasons I decided to write this (other than the Halloween spirit). One was that I wanted to show that Erin is beginning to realize that something might just be 'wrong' with her and starting to freak (which will lead to her buying the pregnancy test of course), becasue before it just kind of came out of the blue. And secondly it was just so much fun to write Jane mooning over Aragorn again. lol.
Cheers!