(A/N): We're back with Vi, Pip, Hettie, and Lou in 1966. I've gone through this chapter about a dozen times (literally), and I simply cannot focus in order to be able to edit it properly. I've done my best, but even so, if it's choppy or disjointed, now you know why. I'll probably come back to edit it at some point, when I can actually read words on a page/screen, but for now, this is the best we've got. If you're still reading this, at least you know the outline of what happens, and if not... well, I don't have to worry about it, do I?
Trigger Warnings: There's nothing explicit- or even referenced in this chapter, but a character does exist in this chapter whose actions in other parts of this story might be of concern. If you haven't already guessed who that character is, please check the end of chapter Author's Note to avoid spoilers.
January 16th, 1966
Vi
It was well past midnight by the time we left the club. The 'supervisor' bloke had ordered Sawyer to escort us out of the bathroom and back into the main section of the club, but even though he'd made it pretty clear he didn't want us here, he didn't actually do anything to deter us from sticking around- and I assumed it would stay like that, as long as we stayed out of their way. It was a bit of a Hail Mary, huddling in a booth in the hopes that if Evie did miraculously return on her own, we'd be here waiting for her, but as the hour crawled closer to one a.m. - Evie's usual hard cut-off point- we knew it was time to give up, and head home.
We had no idea how, but sometime after we'd left the bathroom, the strange men must have disappeared- practically into thin air, given that they'd apparently never exited the men's room; if it had only been Pip on watch- or hell, even Hettie and I, as well- I might've been able to be convinced we'd simply missed their departure... but Lou didn't miss things like that, and to be honest, I wasn't sure she'd so much as blinked this whole time. We knew they were gone when people started coming and going from the bathroom with no difficulty- and I say 'people', and not just 'men', because it appeared Hettie's beau from earlier in the night was correct, and people of all sorts were making use of the private room- and it was getting to the point where we were starting to believe there must be some sort of secret exit hidden somewhere within the men's room.
It was only through a considerable combined effort that my friends managed to stop me from rushing to investigate- after all, if those men had disappeared, and Evie and her bloke- and his wife, apparently- had disappeared, all within the men's room, then... maybe if we could find the hidden entrance, we'd find Evie. I expected Lou, and probably Pip, to be against the idea, but Hettie's reluctance surprised me; it seemed that the ease with which he'd batted her hand away had affected her confidence that we could deal with them- or maybe, she thought the chances of us finding Evie that way were slim enough that they weren't worth facing the inevitable wrath of those men, if they found us sneaking around in what could quite possibly be their lair. It was with great reluctance- and the reassurance that if there was a secret exit, it wasn't going to go away overnight- that I let them bundle me into a taxi cab, and begin to guide us home.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I made it less than thirty seconds before I started crying- into Pip's shoulder, since it was rather well-suited for that sort of thing- over the fact that typically, on a night where we'd managed to persuade Evie to come out with us, we'd need to take two separate cabs just based on the number of people. Tonight, Lou took the front seat- I think she knew I'd need the comfort Pip was so good at providing- and Pip, Hettie, and I crammed ourselves into the backseat; I couldn't tell whether it was actually a tight squeeze, or if we'd made it that way artificially, because they knew I would need the contact to ground me, and I'd sought it out automatically. I'd mostly managed to pull myself back together when the driver pulled up in front of the home Evie and I shared, but seeing the front light still on- the one Evie always insisted we leave on, before we left for the club- I started bawling again.
As quiet as we tried to be, I was glad we didn't really have to worry about neighbors; Evie and I had inherited our half of the property from our parents when they'd passed, but the other half of the semi-detached housing belonged to Ruthie- Mrs Powell- and luckily for us, she'd been mostly deaf for the last twenty odd years- not to mention the soft spot she had for Pip. Don't get me wrong, she loved Evie, too- liked all of us, in our own way- but Pip just... had a way with her. With most older women, to be honest. Even if she heard something worth complaining about, it would never become a real issue, as long as Pip was around- and Pip was around a lot. They all were. If the house was just a little bigger, I'm sure Evie would've asked them to move in by now, but as it was... well, they practically lived here anyway. Which is why, after paying the driver his due, Lou fished the house keys out of her purse, and made sure to beat us to the front door to unlock it.
It wasn't until she closed the door behind us, and the quiet darkness engulfed me, that I realised how much hope I'd been holding onto that somehow, she might be here. That Evie might've escaped, and made her own way home. I barely made it up the stairs, and I think the only reason I did was because Hettie and Pip were supporting me, physically as well as emotionally. I didn't get much further than that, though- I collapsed at the top of the stairs the second I saw the dark, empty room through Evie's open door, and knew for sure that she wasn't here. I didn't have anything left inside me to react when Pip scooped me into his arms, and I clung to his neck like a lifebuoy, even after he'd set me down in the middle of my sister's bed.
The rest of the night was quiet; they forced me to choke down some food and water, even if the mere sight of the meal Evie usually liked to prepare in advance was enough to set me off again, and Lou made sure I took my makeup off- made sure Hettie removed hers, as well, even if she was still combative enough to try to fight her on it. Pip only left my side once he was certain I was sufficiently distracted- and taken care of- and when he returned, he brought spare clothes for the rest of us with him. He must've gotten changed while he was gone because he was dressed far more comfortably, and when I peered up at him with watery eyes, he offered me my biggest, softest jumper- which, coincidentally, I was pretty sure I'd stolen from him, at some point. Lou was the last to change, probably because her outfit had been the least restrictive, but in the end, we were all in what basically amounted to sleepwear, stripped of beauty products, and curled up on Evie's bed. Well, Pip, Hettie, and I were curled up on the bed, Lou spent most of her time alternating between pacing around the room, and compulsively checking the window.
Nothing happened. All night, not a single thing happened- but that didn't stop us from jolting at every little sound, and rushing to investigate. Every little bump and knock, every car door closing or horn honking, even when we heard the odd owl hooting- it all made us hope that Evie was here. That she'd come home, that she was alright... and yet, by the time the sun rose, nothing had changed. Evie was still missing, it was still just the four of us, and we were, if anything, even more terrified and exhausted than we'd been the night before. The problem was, even if the coffee we drank helped stave off the exhaustion, there was nothing it could do but make the fear worse- and more than anything else, that was what was making this the most unbearable. Hettie, Pip, and I had managed to get some sleep, but I wasn't so sure about Lou; I think I'd cried myself straight into unconsciousness, and Hettie and Pip had fallen victim to the plush bedding, but none of us had gotten anywhere near enough sleep to make our mood anything other than incredibly dark.
Right as the clock struck nine, there was a knock at the front door, and it was the one thing all morning that didn't fill me with hope. Because for one, I knew with absolute certainty that Evie wouldn't knock on our own front door, and two, Lou had already alerted us to the fact that a man dressed all in black had been standing just outside of our front gate for the last ten minutes. We hadn't bothered to change clothes- there was no point even if we could've been bothered, because to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what the dress code might be for a situation like this. 'My sister was kidnapped by the criminal you're hunting, and you're almost certainly some kind of criminal yourself'- what does that call for? Smart casual? There was no right answer- so we refused to enter the conversation in the first place. But that 'conversation' wasn't this conversation, and as I pulled the door open, the man on my doorstep looked down at me like I was something far more interesting than I thought I deserved, right now.
"Ms Wright?" He asked, and even with the gentle tone, it was immediately intensely alarming- because this was what made me realise that not only had we never given the strange men from the club a way to contact us, they'd never asked for one... which meant they'd been confident in their ability to be able to find us again, and clearly, they'd been right.
Unfortunately for him, he'd caught me in a bit of a bad mood, so I immediately crossed my arms over my chest and snapped, "Cut the crap- you know exactly who I am. I don't know how you suspicious fucks found us, and I don't particularly care, as long as you help me find my sister- but pretending to be clueless isn't going to help you, here."
Surprisingly, he not only looked like he'd expected this reaction, but like he respected it- and after a second, he inclined his head as if in acknowledgement of my anger. "May I come inside, Ms Wright? This isn't something that should be discussed out in the open, like this." 'Out in the open', like he thought we might be in danger of being spied on, or maybe attacked. Well, I couldn't speak on the likelihood of an attack, but I knew Ruthie- Mrs Powell- would be coming out fetch the paper soon, so I suppose if I didn't want her to inquire after my 'gentleman caller' for the next three years, I'd better hurry this along.
"How do I know you won't murder us all the second I let you in?" I asked, mostly just because being difficult made me feel slightly better, and the corner of the man's mouth twitched up.
"You're a smart woman, Ms Wright- do you really think something as simple as a door would stop me, if I wanted you dead?" He had a point. "I'm no threat to you... and if you want to know what happened to your sister, I'm your best- and only- hope." Despite how desperate I was for information, I still hesitated. He seemed trustworthy... which was exactly why I didn't trust him.
I knew the others were behind me- or more accurately, hidden on either side of the door- but I couldn't look to them for advice without tipping him off that they were there, and I didn't want to take my eyes off of him anyway. In the end, shockingly, it was Lou that made the decision for me. "This is ridiculous," She growled, stepping out from behind the door frame, and the man on the other side of it didn't so much as blink. "Kill us or don't, I'm dying for a cuppa." And this was a good reminder as to why we always needed to make sure Lou got enough sleep.
Once she'd disappeared into the kitchen, I turned my attention back to the man, who simply arched a dark eyebrow at me as if expecting me to try to make an excuse for her behavior; when I merely shrugged, the corner of his lips twitched again, like he was amused, but trying not to show it. "Come in then, I guess- uh..." I hesitated, and he did smile, now. "You know, I don't believe you ever told me your name," I said pointedly, because I had the feeling he'd done so on purpose, and his clearly feigned contrition only confirmed that for me.
"Oh, apologies," He said smoothly, and the only sign that he'd noticed my unconvinced look was a slight crinkling around his eyes. "How rude of me. My name is Tarea- Tarea Hugar."
(A/N): Trigger Warning Spoilers - You've probably already noticed the last line, right above this, but if you somehow missed it, yes. Tarea Hugar exists in this chapter, and is presented as almost sort of... charming? If you find that offensive (given that he is an abusive asshole) please remember that before he was Elaine and Jay's abusive father, and Audrey's abusive husband, he was Audrey's 'loving' husband- and no one falls in love with someone that they know is abusive. Abusers hide in plain sight, and are often the last people you'd expect- and yes, are charming. I think it's important to show that, while also acknowledging that none of that changes his actions. I'm just now realising that the most triggering part of this chapter might be this trigger warning... hm. Oops?
~ Information ~
Hunters following them home invisible and staking out the house/Owl hooting = So, the Hunters didn't ask Vi for a way to get into contact, because they followed them home while invisible/disillusioned. They did some (likely highly illegal) investigating of the Wright's and Evie and Vi's friends, and basically staked out there house on the off chance that Evie might return home on her own (either Influenced to do so, or... if she came home after being turned into a vampire, in order to prevent her from tearing them all apart), or in case Jerremyah/Lisbet showed up. Vi and the others didn't think it was odd, because they were kind of distracted, and also, kind of hoped they wouldn't HAVE to get into contact with them, because they would've preferred (obviously) Evie to come home on her own, but worst comes to worst, they also probably thought they could've gone back to the club to find them, since they thought they went through a secret door in the bathroom to their 'lair' (/headquarters). Obviously, the Hunters that left just apparated out (like Lisbet, Jerremyah, and Evie did), and the ones that didn't snuck out while invisible when other patrons entered the bathroom. Vi says they heard owls hooting- this was the Hunters on watch (likely the leader guy, Roland) receiving a reply from Tarea, agreeing to show up in the morning.
Hail Mary = A reference to a Hail Mary Pass, which is a tactic employed in football, described as a desperate, last chance, against all odds, attempt to get a positive outcome. Basically, they knew it almost certainly wasn't going to work, but they had to try, because they were so desperate.
Cuppa = Cup of tea.
Lifebuoy = the ring shaped flotation device typically seen on ships or around swimming areas, otherwise known as a life buoy, life preserver or life ring. Apparently 'lifebuoy' is the most common British name for it, but I'm honestly not sure.
Smart Casual = Basically the earlier term for 'business casual'. I originally said business casual, but I got conflicting answers as to when that term was first used, whereas smart casual was apparently first used in 1924 (according to Wikipedia, so take that with a grain of salt, as always), and merged to form the term 'business casual' in the 1950's. You would then assume, from that information, that 'business casual' originated in the 1950's, and is therefore safe to use- and yet. There were sources saying it only came about in 1980's, so I figured it was better to just go for the earlier term, rather than try to figure that can of worms out.