The Party Scene

Billy took a large gulp of champagne from his narrow glass and walked out into the garden.

"Evening, Charlottie," he threw on the way to the passing girl. People were slipping back and forth between the house and the garden. Billy walked around a kissing couple right in the middle of the stone pathway and approached the gates. Heath was standing next to them, thoughtfully smoking a cigarette with one hand in the pocket. Billy leaned over the hinges, craftily studying his friend.

"Waiting for the," Billy cleared his throat,"mademoiselle?" Heath didn't even look at him. Billy chuckled, shaking his head. His hand heavily landed on Heath's shoulder.

"C'mon, man, she'll be alright. Let's go." Heath reluctantly followed him inside. The party was at full swing, loud music literally blasting through the walls. There were definitely more people than the poor building could handle. Heath squeezed in through the dancing pairs, until his stomach finally hit the table. Breathing out in pain, Heath stared down at the white, plastic tablecloth and its glasses of champagne, some unknown appetizers, and fruits. Heath hesitantly eyed the suspicious refreshments, and instead grabbed a glass of champagne. Billy miraculously appeared behind his shoulder.

"Well? Feeling better?"

"Sorry, man, but I'm not staying here." Heath shoved the glass into Billy's chest and made his way out into the garden. Crouch's garden was considered its best in Gotham outskirts, being the largest and most intricate the poor villagers have seen. It was of its sort a labyrinth, decorated with multiple pavilions, benches, and an endless amount of tall trees and flowers. Heath chose a quiet spot in front of a small pavilion and sat down on the cold bench, resting his chin on his fists. He felt terrible. Not able to hold it longer, he swung his jacket over his shoulder and started his way towards the gates.

"You wouldn't tell me to come here just to leave yourself, right?"

Heath whirled around. Winnifred was standing behind him in a noir, silky shirt with straps with a Scottish plaited skirt and black tights. She was smiling. Heath exhaled in relief and quickly approached her.

"Freddie, you made it!"

"Of course I made it. I said I would." Winnifred smiled. Her eyes scanned over to his long sleeved shirt.

"God, Heath, you even ironed it!" Her eyes trickled back on him. Heath grinned, but quickly became serious, then looking back behind him, took Winnifred by both of her shoulders and moved her aside.

"Listen, Freddie, I don't care about Jack Browning and whatever he was up to in Maine," he quietly began. "I just want to see your gorgeous smile more often."

"Oh Heath," Winnifred shook her head, deeply touched by his words. "You worry too much about everything. I'll be fine." Heath saw how relief flooded her face and sensed how the heavy boulder rolls off his conscience. He gallantly offered his arm.

"If you would like, miss, I would escort you to the palace," Winnifred laughingly slapped him on the arm before taking it.

"If you will, sir." Heath grinned from ear to ear and led her inside. Winnifred's first reaction was to grimace and squeeze her ears shut.

"I thought this was a party, not a live interpretation of Dante's inferno!"

Heath leaned down up to her ear so she could hear him.

"Do you want to know a perfect cure to it?" Winnifred suspiciously glanced at him.

"And?"

"You live it." Heath grabbed her arm and pulled her right into the center of the dancing pairs. They whirled in a chaotic dance, making a full circle around the room. Winnifred hardly paid attention to the dance; she was bending down onto Heath's arms from the unstoppable laughter, which was constantly beaten from her chest by the unthinkably fast tempo and the fact that her feet were literally being chipped by the floor as she skidded on it. Heath seemed to be untroubled by either of the conditions, grinning as he led the dance. The loud drum bang indicated the end of the dance, and Heath abruptly stopped, holding Winnifred tightly from flying on the surrounding tables. Winnifred took the chance to topple on him, dying from laughter. Heath laughed along with her, glancing down at her.

"Oh Heath!" Winnifred gulped air, trying to make herself stop. Heath smirked and in the meantime picked up a glass of champagne from the plate that the waiter was passing around.

"Champagne?" Winnifred shook her head. Heath quickly drank it and shoved the empty glass into another waiter's hands.

"C'mon, the next dance is starting."

"No, Heath, please," Winnifred pleaded, but the calm music persuaded her to follow Heath's arm. Placing one hand on his shoulder, the other one clasped in his hand, Winnifred moved back and forth in the rhythm. Heath quietly hummed the melody into her ear. Winnifred glanced at him in slight surprise, and he grinned in response. Winnifred looked away again, listening to the music, unwittingly mouthing the lyrics. Heath's eyes traveled upwards on the non-dancing crowd. Billy raised his glass upwards in his honor. Heath quietly smirked and looked back at Winnifred. Her eyes smiled back on him.

"You look lovely," he complimented her. A rosy color filled Winnifred's cheeks.

"Thank you. By the way, whose idea was it?"

"What, all of this?"

"Yeah."

"Mine, of course. And Billy's. You know, the more fun the better." Winnifred chuckled, shaking her head.

"You guys..." Sammy suddenly appeared at their side.

"May I?" He broadly grinned, offering his hand. Winnifred jokingly glanced at Heath and allowed Sammy to take her by the waist. Charlotte meanwhile slipped out and took Winnifred's place in front of Heath. Heath wasn't very eager about the idea, but anyways went along. The tune changed anyway, going somewhere between pop and rock.

"So how's work going?" He asked, twirling Charlotte around. She somehow managed to shrug while doing so.

"Okay. A bit boring."

"Oh god," Heath jokingly frowned, lifting her up. "I wonder what happens with Freddie during the work day."

"Don't," Charlotte advised,"You can't imagine how happy she is at the end of the day." Heath chuckled and bowed.

"So am I. It was a pleasure to dance with you, Miss Lottie."

"You're not going to finish the dance?" Charlotte asked in surprise.

"Nope." Heath was already making his way to the tables. He knew Charlotte wouldn't be upset; she knew him long enough to learn that. Indeed, Charlotte just shrugged and quickly hitched up another dancer. Heath chose a more or less people free corner and sat down, watching the pairs. Winnifred was dancing away with Sammy, laughing at something he had said. Heath grinned and took a sip of his champagne. The dance soon ended, and Winnifred bowed to Sammy. Stepping aside, she searched for Heath with her eyes, the fun in her face gradually changing into worry. Heath quickly raised his hand. Winnifred still didn't see him. He stood up. She looked in the other direction. Winnifred saw him only when he was waving both of his hands around and calling her name. Apologetically smiling, she scurried to him through the people and finally plopped into the chair next to him.

"Sorry, didn't see you the first time."

Heath sarcastically snorted. A waitress bent over them. Heath didn't hear what she was saying, but assumed it was about the food.

"No thank you," he loudly said into the waitress's face, adding the shaking of the head as a reinforcement. The waitress seemed to understand him as she nodded and walked away. Heath relaxed into his chair, putting his arm on the back of Winnifred's. She was curiously watching the dancing pairs. Heath leaned down to her.

"I told you it'll be great," he slyly said. Winnifred snorted, but didn't answer. Heath meanwhile cupped his hands and quickly lit up a cigarette inside. Billy, not bothering to maneuver among people, shoved his way forward with his shoulders towards their table.

"Miss Lewly," The thin lips slowly stretched into a sly grin. "Came back after all."

"Mister Hardy, I did indeed," Winnifred smirked in the same tone. Heath leaned back on the wall, stretching his feet out.

"Resting?" Billy's eyes scoured the empty table. "With no drinks?"

"Billy, you know I try to avoid alcohol," Winnifred wired her face. He lifted his eyebrows.

"Avoid alcohol? Who sneaked three Heineken bottles from Samuel on the market?" Heath quietly chuckled.

"You don't get drunk from beer," Winnifred defiantly raised her chin. "I doubt you store beer in here."

"Well, we'll check out," Billy glanced behind his back. He snapped his fingers.

"Garçon!" The waiter passed by without even looking at them. Winnifred snorted into her fist. Heath bit into his cigarette to keep off that smile that threatened to spread across his face. Billy swore.

"Fuck this town and its illiterate inhabitants. Boy, I said!" The waiter glanced back behind his shoulder. Billy vigorously summoned him with his hand. The waiter calmly walked over.

"Yes, sir?" Billy picked up three glasses that were on his tray.

"Thank you," he forcefully said and turned back to the table.

"For you," Billy gallantly handed the glass over to Winnifred. She reluctantly took it.

"For you," Heath heavily sighed the smoke out into his glass. It puffed up into his face. Billy held the final glass in front of him.

"For me," he concluded. "For us all." The three curtly clanged their glasses together before drinking it. Winnifred drank only half of it, squeezing her eyes shut from the bitterness. Heath gulped it down. The corner of his lips slightly twitched. Billy's face didn't change as the bitter vodka went down his throat at once. Winnifred looked up at him with tears eyes.

"How..." She didn't finish her sentence, looking around to find something edible. Billy shrugged. His eyes twinkled.

"Practice, my dear, practice." Winnifred death glared him, before sighing, and reclining back into her chair. The band started a new song, more lively and energetic. Heath shoved the chair aside and almost got up, when Billy grabbed a bottle from some waitress and quickly splashed down some vodka.

"For our friendship."

"Billy, but we're not even friends-friends. I have no idea when your birthday is!" Winnifred helplessly noticed, sharing a helpless look with Heath.

"Buddies, at least?" Billy quietly chuckled, shaking his head as he poured the vodka into his glass.

"For us being buddies then." Heath rolled his eyes and firmly placed the glass on the table.

"Billy, we are not getting ourselves drunk today," he forcefully raised his eyebrows. That one transferred his eyes on Winnifred.

"And you Miss Lewly? Not today too?" With great difficulty, Winnifred shifted her eyes from somewhere behind Billy's left shoulder back to his face. She furrowed her brows, trying to concentrate.

"What? No, of course, not." Winnifred harshly answered and drank her portion in one gulp. Then, she rudely took Heath's full glass and drank it too.

"Freddie," Heath exhaled in half whisper of astonishment. Billy looked just as appalled as he was. Winnifred shook her curls and smiled. Her eyes wandered around the room.

"C'mon, the band is playing a new song," she pulled Heath by the arm right into the midst of the crowd. Heath tried to catch her gaze, but she kept on dancing. The band started playing some old, extremely familiar song that Heath knew, but never cared to find out the name.

"Freddie?" He tried, accidentally stepping on the foot of the girl dancing behind him.

"Yeah?" Winnifred glanced up at him.

"I thought you don't drink."

"I do."

"In large amounts I mean."

"Heath," Winnifred shook her head with a grin, moving her body to the rhythm."Since when do you care?"

Her pliable, miniature figure smoothly glided to the music. The people dancing near unwittingly turned around to look at her. The lightning unevenly fell on her, chiseling her cheekbones and eyes. Heath relaxed and held her arm high. Winnifred nimbly twirled, appearing right before Heath. She lightly placed her hand on his shoulder as they tilted back and forth on one place.

"What are they singing?" Heath asked in curiosity.

"How do I know?" Her clear, blue eyes shimmered. "It's French." Heath smirked and pressed her against him. Winnifred hugged him on the broad shoulders. Her eyes spotted a waitress with a tray passing by. Winnifred quickly waved her over and received the drink. Thanking the girl with a nod, she slightly backed away and gulped down the drink. Heath decided not to say anything. Breathing out, Winnifred hugged him again. Her fingers randomly played with the small glass in her hand. The light blinked on it. Winnifred's eyes narrowed. Her fingers tilted the glass at an angle. The light shone brighter, caught within the crystal. Winnifred directed it on the opposite wall. Small, light bunnies hopped on it. Winnifred slowly grinned. The bunnies hopped across the walls, down at the tables, scattered around the glasses on the waiter's tray, disappeared for a moment, then returned back on the opposite wall. Winnifred couldn't hold back a giggle. Heath heard her and pulled her away with a laugh.

"You little drunkard!" He whirled her around and tilted her back down. Because he was so tall and she, well, one of the shortest in the town, Winnifred's head was about millimeters from the floor. Winnifred slanted her eyes to the side. Oh dear. She could practically see the miraculously not smashed anti carefully crawling on the linoleum. Too close. Her eyes darted back on Heath, grinning into her face.

"Heath."

"Sorry," Heath pulled her back up. He wasn't able to hold back a laugh however.

"Lilliputian."

"How rude," Winnifred swatted him on the stomach. Her eyes mischievously narrowed.

"All right. It's on you, Gulliver." She suddenly wheeled around and tweaked in between Jacob and Riley. Heath, laughing under his breath, set out after her. But when he made his way through this classmates, Winnifred was already gone, lost somewhere in the enormous building. Heath blinked, trying to process the swirl of people in front of him and the lack of the little brunette. His brown eyes shadowed. Heath sighed, then began making his way though the crowd.

Winnifred laughed, splashing half of the vodka on her skirt. Her head felt as if it was stuck between two bricks which were mercilessly pressing on it, and her vestibule apparatus had clicked off a long time ago. Claire, Jane, and the other girl from the math department with a long name Winnifred just couldn't remember, and she herself were telling absolutely idiotic, inappropriate jokes for an hour and a half in...the dining room? Guest room? After a while, all the rooms became the same, also a result of great intoxication. And yet, Winnifred was having a time of her life. Never mind the next morning.

"And after he let go of my neck, we drove in his Lamborghini for all night long," Jane triumphantly finished, smashing her wine, well vodka in this case, glass on the table. The leg of the glass slightly cracked. Winnifred snorted into her glass, sending the vodka onto her nose.

"Hmm," Claire doubtfully smirked, pushing the round eyeglasses back on her long nose.

"Is that all? Not impressive." The other girl snored in her chair.

"What do you have?" Jane defiantly parried, swinging her glass. The insides splattered on the walls.

"Sex in the city?"

"I didn't have anything," Claire shrugged. Her bug eyes traveled over on Winnifred.

"I'm sure Winnie has something."

"I...do?" Winnifred frowned, trying to think of something. A big, black blotch stared at her from her mind.

"Yeah," Jane's eyes seemed to widen in circumference. "What's up with you and that cute boy from your class?"

"Who?" Winnifred didn't understand the question. Jane and Claire shared a knowing, a bit too conspiratorial, glance.

"You know, the blonde one," Jane slyly said. Winnifred quickly scrolled through her class.

"You mean...Heath?" Winnifred finally asked, deciding that Sammy is more of a red hair than a blonde.

"Oh, I don't know his name," Jane airily waved off. "I just know that he always hangs out with you." Winnifred simply stared at them for a moment, then burst in helpless, unstoppable laughter.

"You..you think that I have...anything...with Heath?!" Winnifred stared at the girls with teary eyes, leaning down on the table, it was so hilarious.

"Yeah, of course," Jane repeated in confusion, watching how Winnifred presses down on her ribs to stop the hurting, continuing to laugh in an uncontrollable laugh.

"Everyone thinks that," Claire slowly added. Winnifred, who took a sip of vodka at that moment to stop the hiccuping, spit the contents back out, breaking down in giggles.

"Oh my lord, you guys are so stupid," Winnifred leaned back on her chair, pouring what was left in the bottle into her glass.

"Wait, so you're not lovers?" Jane quickly asked. Winnifred sarcastically smirked at the intense worry sketched on her face.

"No."

"Not even dating?"

"Nope."

"And you never had sex with him?"

"Damn it, Jane, of course not," Winnifred slightly raised her eyebrows in amusement, unable to hold back the smile off her face and the thought "what a horrible idea" from her brain.

"Strange," Claire noted. "You seem very into him."

"We're friends," Winnifred emphasized with her hands, one still clutching the neck of the bottle.

"Friends. Okay? Now switch the topic before this," Winnifred warningly shook the empty bottle,"flies into your face." Jane twisted her lips in unsatisfactory smirk and placed her upper lip on the edge of the glass. Winnifred waited for anyone to say anything, but neither did. So she decided to go.

"Alright, I'm going," Winnifred said, standing up. Bad idea. Her world almost toppled off her horizon line. Claire waved her hand. Jane silently lit a cigarette. Winnifred tumbled side to side, trying not to knock into furniture and stay close to the walls. At one point, she almost trip over her own heels, hitting head first some sort of bookshelf.

"Fuck it, stupid bookshelf," Winnifred complained to herself, rubbing her hurt forehead and glancing up on the object of her displeasure. It was ten times larger than her, so Winnifred decided a swearing would be enough. No need to kick it or punch it in the side. Winnifred made her way out into the courtyard. On her first step, she ran right into a kissing couple. Apologizing and making her away around the angry guy, careful not to notice that Valentine Day already passed, Winnifred turned around face first into a bush. Apologizing to the bush as well, she strolled over in the labyrinth. Winnifred found the bench on a total accident. She literally walking right into it. If she didn't break her legs over that stone giant, she may have never found it. Lowering down, Winnifred kneeled her head all the knees, clutching it with her hands. Never will I ever drink alcohol again, Winnifred repeated over and over. Surprisingly, it kind of helped. The pain in the back of her head started to somewhat fade away. Winnifred squeezed her head tighter. Never will I ever drink alcohol, never will I ever drink alcohol, never will I ever drink alcohol, never will I...

"Freddie?" Winnifred jolted back up. Heath was staring at her from the corner.

"Heath," Winnifred smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder, her brown hair messing up under her palm.

"You know what would be my tombstone engraving: I TOLD you I was sick. Pretty good, huh?"

"Freddie," Heath shook his head, walking up and sitting next to her.

"How many glasses did you drink exactly?"

"A thousand," Winnifred leaned on his shoulder. "Maybe more. I lost count at fifty six."

Heath chuckled and hugged her by the shoulders.

"I see. Well, tomorrow you'll remember for sure."

"Oh joy," Winnifred mumbled without enthusiasm. Her eyelids bonked down on their own. Winnifred quietly yawned, just like a little kitten.

"I don't think I can make it back home," she said after a while.

"That's why I called Johnathan," Heath explained, as if to a little kid. Winnifred narrowed her eyes and looked up at him. He winked back.

"Ain't I'm smart?" Winnifred snorted and closer her eyes again.

Johnathan approached Crouch's estate. He has never been here, but it wasn't hard to find; The house was booming on the entire town. Johnathan, tossing his apartment keys up and down in his hand, walked through the gates. His blue eyes thoughtfully scanned the large building and its even larger garden. He wondered how he would ever find Heath and Freddie in this maze. Some guy with a tattoo of an ace on his inner forearm passed Johnathan. He gave off a strong smell of alcohol, but surprisingly stood quite firm on his two legs. Johnathan decided to use the moment.

"Excuse me, do you know where Heath and Freddie are?" The guy slowly turned to Johnathan. His black eyes scanned up and down.

"Are you their doctor friend by any chance?" The guy finally asked. Johnathan calmly waited, deciding not to answer. The guy nodded his head somewhere in a direction which Johnathan assumed to be north.

"They're in the garden over there."

"Thank you," Johnathan shortly said, walking past the guy and into the labyrinth. Billy chuckled and walked back into the house.

The guy was right. Heath and Freddie indeed were where he pointed to, except Winnifred was sleeping on Heath's shoulder, while Heath thoughtfully smoked it seemed a fiftieth cigarette for the day.

"Good evening," Johnathan sat down next to him. "One, like promised. You understand what a party you made for the entire town?"

"It's okay," Heath moved his left shoulder, unable to move his right.

"Freddie got drunk. We would've left earlier, but she fell asleep."

Johnathan nodded, thinking something to himself.

"You can stay over at my house. It's close, and I have duty at three anyway."

"Great," Heath carefully picked up Winnifred in his arms. "If you ever have trouble in anything, just know that I'm always here."

"Taken into consideration," Johnathan slightly smiled.

A/N Honestly, no comment for this one...:)))