Context: The night Jamie realizes just how much Cathy means to him.

(Written by Gina)

Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part II

The night was going great. In fact, it was going perfectly. Everyone was chatting, there were plenty of snacks to go around, and the atmosphere remained upbeat throughout the whole night. Jamie had even given everyone a grand tour of the place. ("And this is the bathroom, a room in which I bathe.")

In addition to the seven adults and two children who previously inhabited the flat, at about 7:00 two familiar faces had decided to drop by and say their hellos as well.

"Uncle Bob!"

"Hi there, Cathy!"

Cathy drew Bob into a tight hug, and he stumbled a little, wrapping his other arm around her for support.

"Woah now! I'm getting' old, you know!"

Cathy laughed, hugging him again before finally releasing her hold on him. Annie laughed as well, going to help her husband with his coat. "Oh, now don't say that," The two of them told him together. They giggled shortly after, grinning at one another.

Bob started to shrug his coat off his shoulders, and Annie helped it off, placing it on the almost full rack. She took her own jacket off, pulling Cathy into a hug. "Oh, and how are you doing, sweetheart?"

"I'm doing well." She grinned, separating. "How have you two been? I was afraid you'd not show up."

"Of course we'd show up!"

Denise had pulled Bob a chair from the kitchen. He lowered himself into it, patting Denise's hand which was on his shoulder to help support himself, resting his feet. He gave her a quick, "Thank you" and a one-armed hug.

Annie stuffed her gloves into the pockets of her jacket and turned back to Cathy. "We're sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner," she apologized with soft eyes. "We had to make a quick stop at the drug store, picking up medicine."

Cathy shook her head. "It's fine, I understand." She slung an arm around her uncle's shoulder again in another small hug. "I'm just glad you both could be here."

The two had proceeded on with their greetings, hugs and smiles being shared throughout the room and drinks being offered. Annie had been just as polite towards Jamie as she had everyone else, getting his attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hello, dear," she greeted with a smile. "Lovely place."

"Thank you, thank you, cheers." He smiled back as politely as he could. He couldn't help his formality – Annie was lovely and didn't look down on him, but that was just the thing. He supposed he wasn't used to being treated like "one of the adults" and to actually being taken seriously.

She pat him once on the shoulder and turned to start conversation with Joyce. He took a sip of his drink and scouted the room, watching the conversations around him. He caught Bob's eye and nearly dropped his can, sputtering a little. Bob's arms were folded and he looked stern, but his eyes softened a second after as he saw Jamie stagger for a moment before scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Bob gave him a nod and kind smile, just as Leanne tapped his shoulder and hugged him around the neck.

Jamie let out a breath, not sure if he had been holding it in or not, folding his own arms. But after a moment, he felt one of his arms being pulled out of that position, and he looked down to see Cathy wrapping it around her shoulders and hugging him around the waist. She sipped her drink, and after a second she finally looked up at him, acting as if she hadn't noticed him standing there. "Oh, hello." She smiled.

He chuckled and squeezed her tight, eliciting a small giggle from his girlfriend. He continued to watch her, even after she'd looked away. He smiled, his eyes following every tilt of her head and bat of her lashes. He beamed when she laughed, even if he had not a clue why she was in the first place. He chuckled to himself when she scrunched her nose in confusion. Even if she had a blank expression, he couldn't help but smile and kiss her forehead lovingly.

And just like that the party atmosphere was restored, as strong as ever. Most parties would need music to keep the mood livened, but with the overlapping of stories, and the exchanging of jokes, and the interruptions from the kids, one would have to try exceptionally hard to actually un-liven it.

But more on that later.

It was later in the night. Everyone was calm, chatting in their groups, eating a few bites here and there. Denise and Rodney had brought a small dog bed for their puppy, and Jamie just told them to leave it in his room. After convincing them that it was entirely alright with him, they complied, and they left the door open a crack in case she felt like coming back out. But altogether the night was nearing towards that calm, peaceful period where everything was just relaxed (not just because the excited puppy was now resting and not jumping at the guests' legs).

The only real "drama" so far was about twenty minutes after Bob and Annie dropped in. It was almost 7:27, and for the past fifteen minutes Daisy and Jack had been begging their father to let them go trick-or-treating. Stuart was always reluctant to allow them around town, even with him by their sides. But even with adults and street lamps to guide the way, he still hesitated to let them patter around at this hour.

"I just don't want you two separating and running off."

"But we won't!"

"We'll stay close!"

"Buddy system!"

Stuart sighed. He was crouched next to his children, who both had a hold on his arms and, with every sentence, tugged at his shirt sleeve, which pulled his shoulders with it. Leanne constantly offered to go with them, let Stuart relax, but while he trusted Leanne completely, he was still frightened to let them out of his sight.

"It's late; I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"Then come with us!"

"Yeah, come with us!"

Leanne had sensed a while ago that Stuart was getting tired and had a bit of a mild headache, and the last thing he wanted to do was run after his kids in the dark. But it was Stuart, and he wouldn't do anything that would upset his children – not even if only a little bit.

He continuously brought up his previous offers of simply dashing to the store and buying numerous bags of candy for them to eat. He'd even let them spend the rest of the night in their costumes. But the mere thought of ruining the tradition of Trick-or-Treating was pure blasphemy to his two dear children. (And sometimes even to his brother, who insisted on incessantly gasping from his place on the couch.) He was about to give in, allowing Jack and Daisy to go out and have their fun, pulling him with them, until a suggestion was made.

"Jamie and I could bring them around the building if you want." Cathy gave Stuart a small tilted smile, shrugging her shoulders, and placing her chin in her palm. Jamie smiled at her, mimicking her movement without shifting his glance, and she giggled, kissing his cheek.

"That's a great idea!" Leanne praised. "And – hey – I could call up Stacy and have one of her friend's mum's drop her off here, too!" She clapped once, her fingers intertwined in front of her face with a half-pleading smile.

Jack and Daisy seemed more than delighted with this idea, and they bounced up and down, rockiing on their heals, putting on their best shows to convince their dad to let them go. After a good minute, Stuart gave in, sitting himself on the ground and pulling the two of them close to him, kissing the tops of both their heads.

"Alright … you can go." Jack cheered and Daisy hugged her dad's neck, launching into talk about the candy she was going to get.

"But," he hushed them, "You have to promise me you're not going to get into any trouble tonight."

They instantaneously flung in with a defense, how they were always behaved children and how they would continue to be, before a finger to Stuart's lips sealed theirs.

"Now, I know you two will be perfect angels."

"I'm actually going as a fairy this year."

"I know you are Daisy, but I just need to hear the two of you promise, okay? We don't know the people here, so you need to be well behaved, you hear me?"

The two of them mumbled their promises, and Stuart smiled, pulling them to his side again.

"Oh, you know daddy loves you." He sighed. "But you know what else daddy loves? Snickers. And not any of that cheap bite-sized stuff, I want the king-sized good stuff, understand?"

All three of them laughed, and the kids hugged their dad with promises of the best candy they could find. Leanne's arms were folded, watching Stuart lift himself from the floor with a small grunt, straightening his back and hugging his kids another time. She couldn't help herself – she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he smiled at the pleasant surprise, shifting to hug her now. He pulled her to him tightly, restraining her arms to her chest, and she laughed, trying only a tad – through giggles – to shake him off of her.

Daisy and Jack spent the next five minutes after that trying to wrestle into their costumes while at the same time chatting excitedly with their dad about candy and other treats. Jack's cowboy costume took almost no time at all, while Daisy's dress just refused to stay in place. After cutting a loose string from the hem, it appeared that the pair were geared up and ready to go.

"Can we go now? Pleaaaase?" Jack tugged at Jamie's sleeve, just as he had to his dad, and looked at him with pleading eyes. Jamie chuckled, ruffling his nephew's hair.

"'Course, kiddo." He smiled. He looked over at Cathy, who was standing next to Leanne as she phoned Stacy. Cathy caught him watching her and smiled. Jamie grinned goofily at her, just to make her smile, and she laughed, covering her mouth so it wasn't loud enough to block out Leanne's voice on the speaker.

"Okay… Yes, of course… Alright, thank you sweety, see you soon… Love you, too…. Bye!"

She shut her phone and made her way to Stuart's side. "She said she was almost in this part of town anyway. She'll be here in a moment." She smiled.

Daisy and Jack groaned from Jamie's sides, pouting.

"In a moment?"

"But I don't wanna wait a moment!"

They fell to the floor, and Jamie pulled them back to their feet with a grin.

"Alright, alright, maybe you guys can just go now –"

Rapid knocking drew silence over the group. Denise and Annie's eyes both widened a little in surprise.

"Well that was sure quick."

Rodney, who was closest to the door, shrugged. "Would you like me to answer?"

Jack and Daisy looked at one another, excited, and ran from the room to retrieve their pillow cases. Another chorus of rapid knocking sounded, and Joyce hustled her way to the door, despite being in the back of the room and the farthest than anyone else.

"I'll get it!"

"Seriously, mum!"

"Oh shush you, I don't see you making an effort!"

"That's just because I –"

Joyce gave him a look, swinging the door open. "Oh really, won't you just hush a mo– "

Not even when it was just Jamie and Cathy had the flat ever been so silent. Everyone remained in their places, bolted to the floor, struck in a stupor.

Amy flipped her hair behind her back, adjusting her cowgirl's hat. She let out a "Brrrr!" and tugged at her denim skirt, pulling it towards her bare knees. If it was awkward for her being here, she wasn't showing it – and she must've been a damn good actress, too.

"Oh, I should've brought a jacket, shouldn't I? Oh silly me, thought I'd be in a bar all night or something. Wasn't expecting this."

"Yeah." Stuart breathed. Everyone was expecting him to continue, but he just stood there. He made a few attempts to move himself, but he wouldn't budge. Amy rocked on her heals, trying her best not to look Stuart in the eye, but instead casually inspecting the flat. But she eventually ended up running out of things to look at, as the walls were still bare, and she had to settle with catching Stuart's stare. It wasn't of longing or anything – it was just confusion.

She smiled sweetly, intertwining her fingers in front of her and rolling on her heals one last time. "Well, howdy there, Stu." She tipped her hat to him and giggled. He stared at her for another second before breaking away and wiping his face with his hands. He finally got his legs to carry him towards the door, where he stopped and folded his arms.

Jamie was mouthing something, but Stuart's back was to him. Though, Cathy could definitely hear a little of what he was whispering, from her place at his side. "C'mon, Stu, let her have it."

Stuart let out a large breath. His eyebrows were furrowed a little, and his fingers twitched. For a moment it looked like he was actually about to mouth off to her, scream at her, get out everything he should've a long time ago.

"Hi Amy." He whispered softly, burying his hands in his pockets.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother."

Stuart, without looking at him directly, snapped at him from over his shoulder. "Shut it."

"Oh, brother." His face was in his hands now and he chuckled a little. "No, literally,oh brother."

"Ignore him."

Amy chuckled, folding her arms. "I'll try my best." She eyed him over Stuart's shoulder from the doorway. "Happy to see me, are we?"

It was hard for anyone to determine who gave the eviler glare. Jamie – or his mum.

"Hey there, Amy." Joyce greeted, as sweetly as possible. "How have you been? Haven't seen you around lately." She folded her arms, glaring menacingly. "You're kids have been asking for you."

Though she tried her hardest to stay indifferent, Cathy could've sworn, even to this day, that she saw the slightest flicker of change in Amy's expression – her mouth twitch, her eyes soften . But the next thing out of her mouth kept Cathy from feeling all too sympathetic – In fact, quite the contrary.

"So Jamie," she started, not even taking her eyes off of Joyce. "You and that Cathy still on, yeah?"

"Yeah, and she's–" he drew a hand around Cathy's waist, pulling her into view, causing her to stumble a bit "–right over here."

Cathy looked nervously towards her boyfriend, who was smirking and slowly tightening his hold on her hips after every second that Amy stared at him. She looked for a split second at the blonde in the doorway, who had a look in her eye that made her blood boil for a small second. But Cathy was a reasonable young woman, especially with herself, and she knew how to calm herself down quite well. She took one of Jamie's hands in her own with a smile, intertwining their fingers and lifting their hands a little so they were plainly visible. He looked down at her and despite the obviously nervous, maybe even slightly frightened, look in his eye, he smiled at her, kissing her forehead.

Amy cleared her throat and Stuart shifted on his feet. "And how about you, Stuart?" she asked, one of her fingers in front of her mouth. "How's things between you and Leah been?"

Leanne had been watching from the sidelines for a while, but now was the time to step in. She sauntered from her spot, passing between Bob and Rodney, and making her way to Stuart's side.

"Engaged." Leanne smiled, softly grabbing Stuart's hand like Cathy had with Jamie.

This simple gesture drew a response from Amy, as she expected – though, not the response any of them had expected. At all.

She smiled.

In fact, she smiled to widely, and so sweetly that it threw a few of them off guard. But her eyes were cold, colder than before, and she almost chuckled, turning her attention to Leanne.

"Oh, that's wonderful." She commented, almost letting another laugh go. "I'm so happy for you both."

With her body still to Leanne, she directed her attention to Stuart. "It's cold out here." She commented. "Way too cold for a little old cowgirl like me."

"Be careful, Stu – Vampires can't enter a house unless you invite them in."

Amy rolled her eyes at Jamie's monotonous comment, sighing, before looking at Stuart once more. "Can I come in?" she asked kindly, batting her lashes.

"See, what I did just say?"

Stuart stepped out of the way, giving Jamie a look, just as Cathy slapped his arm.

"Ow!"

"Don't be so rude!" his girlfriend scolded. Though, he could've sworn, even for a split second, that she was smiling a little. He smiled back at her, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her forehead.

Just then, his mum swatted him on the arm just as Cathy had. Though, compared to what he usually got as a scolding from his mum, it was barely even a tap. And the tone of voice she used was more forced than anything.

"You need to be more considerate, young man!" she whispered to him. But when she thought no one was watching, she poked his arm, and he looked down to see her fist raised at his side. He grinned even wider than before, discreetly touching his knuckle to hers, and she smirked at him with a wink, crossing towards Denise and Annie. Cathy hid her snickered behind Jamie's back, and he grinned goofily at her again, causing her to giggle once more.

Amy stepped slowly into Jamie's flat with her arms folded. Every step she took made a click on the wood tiling, which rang through the entire room.

"So this is it, then?" She commented. It was a bored tone she used, but she did sound a little impressed.

Stuart snapped himself out of his shocked trance. He was still at the door, having not closed it yet, and Leanne was still by her side. Her hand was on his shoulder, rubbing along his back comfortingly. She hadn't said anything, letting him soak in everything himself. But he was processing it all now, and he closed the door lightly with a soft click.

"So, A-Amy," he began, slowly making his way to where she was stood in the center of the room. "How are you - … Actually, how did you – I mean, not too be rude, but how did you even get here?"

Amy sighed nonchalantly, grabbing an unopened can of pop from the table. "Oh, you know, my little invite to this shindig must've been lost in the mail, coz I never got the memo." She swirled her finger over the top of the can. She eyed Cathy, before she stretched her arm out all the way with the can in her hand, towards Jamie. "Would you be a dear and open this for me?" She stuck out her pinky and smiled sweetly, "I just got me nails done this afternoon." Jamie glared at her for a small second, but took the can regardless. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, hun."

"You didn't answer my question."

Stuart stood rigid in his spot. His voice was stern, and he was trying his absolute hardest to look her in the eye and to seem even a little bit welcoming. Bob, Denise, Rodney, Annie – they were all plastered together near the wall, each with different expression, not sure if they should interrupt or not. Bob watched Stuart, closing his eyes and sighing to himself.

I know it's hard, son. I know it is.

Jamie thrust the can back her, spilling some of its content into the crevices at the top, and she looked startled. "Oh!" she gasped. "Why thank you." She winked at him, taking a sip and licking her lips with a raise of her eyebrows.

Just then, small clicks carried from out in the hallway, sliding across the floor, until finally a small dark blur dashed into the room. Amy shrieked as something jumped up on her, spilling her soda a little on the floor. Denise ran straight for the excited puppy before it could lap up any of the spilled fluid, drawing her into her arms protectively.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Amy." She apologized sincerely, trying to calm the squirming dog. "She's new, still a bit jumpy, I really am sor –"

"You got a dog?" Amy's mouth twitched, and her hands were in front of her as if to shield herself if the dog were to make a jump for her hat. "Another dog?"

Denise blushed. "Well, Rodney and I got this one together." She smiled over her shoulder at him, who blushed himself and looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Oh." Amy stared wide eyed at the wiener dog, jumping at every wriggle the thing made. "Yeah, but she's still a puppy, so she's a bit wiggly, I know." Denise apologized again, restraining the animal from jumped at the large necklace on Amy's chest.

Amy muttered something like "get that thing away from me" under her breath. And for some reason, Jamie found his anger boiling at the comments. He couldn't handle his anger anymore, and he folded his arms and spat. "Yeah, we were thinking of naming her Amy, you know, because she's stubborn little bitch."

Denise, Leanne and Cathy all gasped, though – even combined – not nearly as loudly as Amy did. Her head snapped towards him, and her fist balled. Stuart was about to snap at Jamie himself, but a chuckle from his mum stopped him. He gave her a "please-be-the-mature-one" look and she waved a hand, blocking her mouth. Amy glared at her for a split second, before looking back at Jamie and tightening her fists. Cathy's mouth was wide open and she was in so much shock that all she could do was just watch.

"You are a child!" Amy snapped at him through her teeth, stomping her foot on the ground at the last word. He couldn't stop himself now, and his mouth just spouted as he advanced further towards.

"Well then that makes you a right pervert, now dunnit?"

"You little brat!"

"Oh, I'm the brat?!"

Cathy snapped back to her senses as her boyfriend got closer to the blond woman in the middle of the room. She ran to his side, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. She slapped him again, scolding him in whispers.

"Now what if the kids had heard you say that?!"

"Well they didn't, did they?"

"But what if they had?" she hit him again, a little harder this time, and he retracted. He folded his arms with a pout, and Amy, after watching him get punished, straightened her back, smoothing down her hair. She pivoted on her heal, facing away from the four bewildered figures in the back, one still keeping hold on a dog. (Who looked equally as shocked)

She glared once at Joyce again, who was biting her bottom lip to suppress a smile and waved back at her. She then directed all of her attention to her ex-fiancé. He didn't looked surprised or anything, but rather a mix of emotions – confused, sad, angry.

Blank.

Really, what was that blank?

"So Stuart –"

But he cut her off before she could continue with her vague, cool-chick persona. His arms were folded tightly, his hands gripping his arms so tight that the tips of his fingers were red. But other than that, he showed no sign of relative anger anymore.

"How," he began. "Did you get here?" he repeated.

Her eyed widened a little, and she grew nervous, intimidated under his gaze. She swallowed, folding her own arms over her chest. Her mouth was pressed together stubbornly, and she refused to look anyone else in the eye – not even Joyce, whose eyebrows were raised expectantly.

Stuart was going to ask her again to please answer his previous question, but before he could, the sounds of two pairs of running footsteps hit his ears and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"Dad, we found them!" Jack called, sprinting into the room and nearly toppling over as he stopped himself from slamming into his dad. "They were in the way bottom of Daisy's bag!"

Stuart tried to smile, tried to give Jack a casual, happy expression to match his, but the best he could muster was a soft sad look and a half smile.

"Dad, what's –"

"That's great, Jack."

The young boy turned his head towards the new voice. His eyes lit up, and he grinned widely, releasing from his father and meeting his mother in a hug. "Mum!" he cried, throwing his arms around her.

Daisy followed suit, equally excited. They hugged her so tight that she nearly fell over, staggering to the side. She steadied herself and with a short chuckle.

"Hey." She whispered simply. She hugged each of her children in each arm, pulling them to her, before separating.

"Mummy, you're a cowgirl!" Jack said, excitedly. "And I'm a cowboy! We match!" he exclaimed.

"How about that?" She laughed. Daisy jumped up and down at her other side.

"And I'm a fairy, mum!"

"Oh wow, sweety, that's a cute little outfit!" she grinned, following the hopping child. "Did you pick it out all by yourself?"

Daisy spun once, her dress fluttering out at the sides and sprinkling a little glitter on the floor. "Well, I was gonna go as a daisy flower, but then Leanne got me this dress!" she grabbed at the hems of it, hiking it up to show her mother her shoes. "She said I looked like a princess!" she giggled. "But I said it was more like a fairy!"

Cathy instinctively looked at Leanne first. For a moment she actually looked a little heartbroken as she watched Amy with a hand to her chest. But Leanne looked up at Stuart next, and her expression became even more sympathetic as she watched his own blank face.

Amy stared at her daughter for a long while, her smile slowly sliding off her face and disappearing into a thin, pressed line on her mouth.

"Well, you look nice." She commented. She brought herself back to a standing position, her arms by her side. Jack tilted his head in confusion and grabbed one of Amy's arms, shaking it about.

"Oh c'mon, mum!" he begged. His voice lowered to a whisper. "Smile."

Stuart was about to break in and pull his kids back to hug them – but before he could, he was surprised to see Jamie be the one to step in. He stepped over to Jack's side, removing his grip on Amy's arm and taking it in his own hand.

"Your mum's busy right now." He gave Amy a quick blank glance, and she gave him a brief small smile – Thank you – before glancing back down at her son, who pouted at his uncle.

"But hey – how about we go get you two some candy, eh?" He grinned and saw the pout wipe right off his nephew's face as he gasped in delight. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said, ruffling his hair, "Right now, kiddo."

Leanne's pocket buzzed just then, and she pulled out her cell phone. "Text from Stacy. She's actually almost here." She announced with a small, forced smile.

Daisy grinned from ear to ear, "Let's go Uncle Jamie!" she tugged at his shirt once, running over to the door. Jack followed her, stopping in front of his dad to give him a quick hug, before grabbing his jacket and meeting Daisy.

Jamie chuckled, following them without a second glance at Amy. However, when he got to the door, he did look back, but at Cathy instead. She was watching him with soft eyes and a smile on her face the entire time.

"You comin'?" he asked. She nodded, meeting him at the door and grabbing her jacket from the rack. After she had it over her shoulders, she grabbed Jamie's hand and smiled at him.

"Well, we're off." She announced to the group. There was slight awkwardness, but everyone managed to say their goodbyes. But Amy just smiled sadly at her two children, who were grinning and bouncing excitedly in front of the door.

"You better get going." She said softly, still staring off at them. "Almost 8:00."

They said a quick "Goodbye!" to the group and ran out the door. Jamie continued after the two, hurrying so he wouldn't lose them. Cathy lingered, smiling at everyone, before she shut the door behind her after one last look at Stuart and Leanne – even one directed towards Amy.

After the soft click of the door, similar to the one they had heard just moments ago, there was once again a silence among the remaining visitors of Jamie Bradley's flat. Stuart had his focus on the door out of the corner of his eye, but after a few seconds, he sighed faintly, looking back at Amy.

He was almost taking a back – she had, possibly, the saddest look he had ever seen on her face. Her eyes were red, a little puffy, but there were no tears brimming her eyes. Her mouth was open only a little, allowing a few shallow breaths. Her hands were by her side, and they continuously bunched up her skirt, then released it, then gripped it again. Stuart's eye softened, and his voice lowered to a whisper.

"Amy –"

"I saw your car." She whispered back. A few small tears built in her eyes, but she made no effort to blink them away. "Tyler and I were driving to the bar, but I recognized your car."