I just want to clarify I've been stuck on airplanes and layovers for almost 24 hours now, and I'm not just binge-writing fic at the expense of my sleep schedule. That being said, this has proven to be wonderful for my motivation regarding my WIPs.

That being said, considering I'm writing all of this on my phone and have been for the past week: ow, my thumb.

Here's hoping I can keep this going after I get my laptop back. Just a few more hours!

Be kind and stay spooky, everyone.

-Inky


"That is not what I would have done." The Prince was amused, but kept his tone droll lest he let Angelique think she impressed him. She just smiled, pulling her claws from the panel in the wall. It sparked and smoked, and she let her hand shrink back to a woman's, checking her nails.

"Are you disappointed you couldn't do it first?" Already the din of mob paniccould be heard overhead; with any luck a whole trove of security guards would come down.

"Hardly." She rolled her eyes and smiled; he frowned, but it faded quickly. How he aches to be free from this prison; then he would give her reason to discard her smirk. "How do you intend to lure more than one officer close enough for me to harvest them?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something in time," she said, unbuttoning her jacket and setting it aside. "Humans do love a damsel in distress. I'm the meantime, why don't you tell me why you're missing a pin?"

She looked back at him, and this time he couldn't hold back the look on his face. "What?"

"What?" Angelique replied, innocent.

"What do you mean I'm missing a pin?"

Before she could answer, there were footsteps at the top of the stairs.

"Ah," she said with a scarlet grin, "we're close to halfway done."


John was quick to get Kirsty and Joey out of the building; within minutes of the outage there was an uproar outside, and securit was trying to assuage the frustrated crowd that everything would be taken care of and the exhibit would carry on after just a short delay.

Kirsty did not process any of it; she was gripping her notebook and shaking, blindly letting Joey lead her wherever. All it had taken was those two words - puzzle box - and for the darkness to descend and she was coming apart.

She could feel her uncle's visceral hand on her cheek, hear the Doctor announce his presence with words and wires.

She could see him, choking red from a single wound. Her fingers rubbed together, seeking a comfort that wasn't there.

Joey was trying to navigate Kirsty away from the crowd; her sister was shaking and it had started raining and the van had dropped them off for what was expected to be at least another two hours. Joey drew in a breath, looking at the sky as she rubbed her sister's back in the middle of the museum parking lot.

"Hey." She looked up and saw a woman, short black hair and short black clothes, holding an extinguished cigarette. "You need help there?"

"Yes," Joey said in relief, "my sister, she's-"

"Panic attack," the woman said, "I see them sometimes. I don't have a lot of gas, but I can get you somewhere quiet for her. That work?"

"Yes, thank you so much." Joey hugged her sister's shoulders and Kirsty let out a shaking breath. "I'm Joey Summerskill."

"Think I saw you on TV once," the woman said as she opened the door, and Joey coaxed Kirsty in with another rub on her shoulder and a murmur she'd be okay: "Terri. You looked hotter in the red skirt, by the way. I'll get her a bottle of water."


He could sense her. She was disappearing, but he could sense her; fire, tenacity, a delicious longing that he ached to expose and exploit.

The prince had never forgotten her in his slumber; even as his column consumed the blood and flesh of the unfortunate bodyguard who'd wandered down his senses were trained on her.

"Feeling better?" Angelique asked, and he ignored her for the moment to focus on the fading traces of Kirsty. She was older, he could taste that, but little else; he would have to wait to see her in person.

Oh, the thought was tantalizing; phantom hands twitched with need to grasp her, to pull her close and… we'll, the possibilities were endless, weren't they?

He just needed to get out of this prison, and work out where his pin had gone. He remembered a black and white photo, and a false Cenobite, and then…?

"Pinhead." He scowled at Angelique as his thoughts scattered.

"That is not my name."

"Forgive me, your highness," she said in a voice he knew meant she wasn't sorry at all, "but I needed your attention. Nobody else is coming down. Shall I try and retrieve the LeMerchand?"

"Let us wait," he responded, slowly returning to his deeper mindscape. "The guard had companions. Let us find them to keep him company first."


OW, my thumb. I'm calling it until I get my computer back.