Alexis Davis shivered as she made her way up the steps to Wyndemere from the launch at the base of Spoon Island. At the top she turned to her left and started down the path to the main house. The path was unusually dark, somehow all of the lamp posts had gone out the same time except that seems like far too much of a coincidence. She stumbled over a rock, rolled her ankle, but caught herself before she actually fell. She winced at the shooting pain in her left ankle and tried to trudge onward.
Hoo, Hoo, pierced the eerie stillness and Alexis jumped, came down hard on her left ankle and then lost her balance completely. Overhead an owl flew out of one of the trees. Why hadn't she just spent the night on the mainland at the Port Charles Hotel?
With another shake of her head, Alexis attempted to stand again and then gingerly limped a few steps. She decided that she hated owls, Halloween, and her life. What else was new?
As she limped along, she saw a light washing over her from behind. She tensed with fear but then she as the lantern came into view, she realized it was merely one of the stable hands.
"Miss Davis, are you alright?" Darius Mollenaux asked.
"I twisted my ankle, I didn't realize all the lights would be out," Alexis said tersely.
"I can help you up to the main house. I'm not sure what happened with the lights. They shouldn't have gone out like this. I know Arthur changed the bulbs with the time change last weekend."
Alexis had thought that it was almost too coincidental to be a coincidence but with that information she was almost sure of it. "I agree, did you see anything else unusual?" she asked.
"Well now that you mention it, Marco found a rowboat moored by the launch earlier. Your cousin instructed him to destroy it when he returned home. I'm not sure that was such a great idea because obviously someone came in that boat and they will need to get off the island somehow," Darius said.
"It's probably just some of the local teens. It's Halloween and this place does have a bit of gothic mystic flair," Alexis said. She didn't really believe that for a second though. Or at least not the part about local teens. She had a distinctive suspicion that the intruder had been pushing fifty and acting alone.
"That was what Cyrus said," Darius agreed.
XXXXXXXX
Zander Smith took another swig of his beer at the KAD Halloween Party and almost laughed at the irony that he was stepping into his brother's life. At least if you didn't look too closely, he was. Of course, Matt had been a member of KAD at Florida State, and he was just granted access to their parties as long as he kept the drugs flowing freely. That hurt a bit, more than he wanted to admit so he forced his mind down another track as he watched his girlfriend dance with her friends.
Sarah was supposed to be a black cat. He could see the resemblance, the ears and tail helped. But truth be told he had always found back cats incredibly sexy, and it was the basically poured on black lycra body suit that made the outfit, at least for him. Halloween was definitely his favorite holiday!
XXXXXXXX
It's only breaking and entering if you don't have a key, Scott Baldwin thought as he swiped a key card over the electric eye of the after-hours gate at Memorial Cemetery. There were advantages to purchasing a Mausoleum Plot. His father had purchased the Mausoleum Plot sometime in 1960 but it wasn't until after his mother's diagnosis that he had commissioned the Baldwin Mausoleum. Technically Scott's grandmother had been the first interred in January 1963 three months before his mother's death from Breast Cancer related complications in April 1963. Over the years it also had become the final resting place for his uncle, Dr. Thomas Earl Baldwin who had been shot by a disgruntled patient in November 1966 days before the court hearing that would have likely vacated his son's adoption by Dr. Steven Hardy; and then his grandfather, David Thomas Baldwin in 1972. His son with Lucy Coe was buried in an adjacent plot outside the mausoleum in 1989 after Lucy refused to allow him to be buried amongst Baldwins. His family was polite enough to not point out that it wasn't like they would want to grant Miss Coe a key anyway. Except in 1989, Scott suspected they would not have.
His wife Dominique was also not technically interred in the Baldwin Mausoleum as the concept of a crypt burial had invoked too many traumatic memories of her childhood being tormented by her father and uncle and the equally traumatic time with her first husband Leopold Taub. By then Lucy was their gestational carrier and had suggested that it would bring her comfort to have Dominique buried alongside their son. Dominique had thought that was a great plan as she would watch over their baby in heaven and Lucy would help watch over the child Dominique was forced to leave behind. Scott had forced himself to find solace in that. Or at least he had forced himself to find solace in that until Lucy decided that it was wise to expose Serena to one of Dominique's abusers.
Scott coasted into park just outside the Baldwin Mausoleum and got out of the car. He was a little surprised to see activity at the expansive Quartermaine Mausoleum further up the road. He had taken enough after-hours trips to his wife's grave to know that post sunset visits were not Quartermaine tradition. Had something happened?
As he made his way to Dominique's grave, Scott realized that he should care, his sister had become a Quartermaine after all. Unfortunately, his own life was far too much of a disaster for him to be able to operationalize that concern. So often he felt like that was the story of his life where Monica was concerned. He was the older sibling but so often his younger sister was both the settled stronger one and the voice of reason.
XXXXXXXX
Elizabeth Webber wiped a sponge over the counter at Kelly's Diner. The place had been deserted since at least eight o'clock, but they weren't supposed to close until midnight. Apparently, Ruby prided herself on serving hot food after most other places had closed. Or something like that.
Elizabeth's coworker, Tina Harding looked up from where she sat rolling silverware into napkins in preparation for the next day. "I figured you would be at some Halloween Party with your friends or something," she said.
Liz laughed. "That would require me to have friends," she said.
"High school friends can be a bit overrated anyway," Tina said.
"Now, see my grandmother would say that I just always want what I can't have. Or something like that," Liz said.
"Ok, don't take this the wrong way but is your grandmother an actual blood relation?" Tina asked.
"Technically, no, but she isn't really related to either of my siblings either and she doesn't hate them half as much as she hates me," Liz said.
Awkward silence ensued but somehow Liz appreciated that a lot more than if Tina had tripped over herself to insist that of course Audrey Hardy must love her.
"Well, at least with all the shifts you're stuck working at Kelly's you should have plenty of money to go away to college. Some people do well to blossom where they're planted, and some people do well to realize that they are meant to transplant. My foster father owns a florist shop, so he's got the plant analogies in spades," Tina suggested.
Liz laughed more genuinely than before. "So, I'm guessing coming to Port Charles wasn't your choice?" she asked.
"Actually, it was. Deaf education is a bit of a niche degree, but PCU is the best program in NY State, and I need to stay in NY State for my scholarship," Tina said.
"What scholarship is that?" Liz asked.
"Oh, since I'm a ward of the state and I graduated with a 3.5 high school gpa I can get tuition covered. Books, fees, and living expenses are another matter entirely but my foster parents paid for the dorm my freshman year and they help me out now with books and stuff," Tina said.
"That's cool, I guess," Liz said.
"They try, they definitely did a lot more for me than anyone else, but they aren't my parents and that is more complicated than any of us want it to be but it's kind of where we are," Tina said.
Liz was considering that when the bell on the door rang alerting her that they had a customer. Except it was Ruby's nephew, Lucky Spencer.
Despite her better judgment, Liz felt the usual fluttery sensation in her chest. It was embarrassing really. Lucky had made it perfectly clear that he only had eyes for Sarah, so she really needed to get over him and get on with her life. It was all perfectly logical, but also so hard! "Hi, Lucky," she said with a gulp.
"Hey," Lucky said as he slid onto a stool at the counter.
"So, what can I get you?" Liz asked.
"Is there any apple pie left?" Lucky asked.
"Of course," Liz said.
"I'll have that then with a glass of milk," Lucky said.
"I'll grab it," Tina offered.
"Is Sarah feeling any better?" Lucky asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't think so. She told our grandmother that she was up all-night puking," Liz said. Once again, she was sure that the distinction would be lost on Lucky.
"I was afraid of that. I knew she wouldn't miss the Pediatric Halloween Party otherwise. Please tell her I hope she feels better," Lucky said.
"I will definitely pass on the message," Liz said. She rolled her eyes internally. She got so sick of being the messenger.
XXXXXXXX
PCPD Lieutenant Joe Kelly followed his one-time partner, William Lavery, out onto his back deck. "So, I guess you're still hosting the PCPD Halloween Party," he said.
Will shrugged his shoulders. "Claire and the kids enjoy it," he said.
Joe just nodded. In his experience Claire Lavery enjoyed anything her husband suggested she should.
"You're settling back in ok though, right?" Will asked.
"Sure, right along with my foundation," Joe said.
The joke went over Will's head.
"I'm renovating a house over on Charles Street. Despite my grumbling, it's actually got pretty good bones," Joe said.
"That neighborhood is starting to turn around. Quartermaine money has a way of doing that, I guess. It's great to have you back though, especially since it seems like all the other decent cops of our era are determined to go to law school," Will joked.
"I knew there was going to be a but there," Joe joked.
The joke fell flat as the buried slight didn't seem to even register with Will. In the awkward silence Joe had to wonder if it was a bit unfair. His career in Port Charles had been painful, difficult, and from his father's death to his relationship with Heather Webber, there was just a lot to unpack. His time in the State Police force had given him the time and space to do exactly that and he was ready to return to the town which had always been home. "No, seriously man, it's good to be back. So, since you're still doing the Halloween Party does that mean you're still running the Poker Tournament?" he asked.
Will smiled. "Of course, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. You should come," he said.
"I'll add it to the calendar," Joe said. He would. He wanted to make things work in Port Charles.