Aim For More

Charlie was surprised when Chloe stepped beside her and a quick look over the woman told her that she wasn’t hurt or in any danger. “I’m good, thanks,” she said with a smile. The person she just helped thanked her and left quickly. Charlie wished she could have taken her to Sinclair’s, to see if she was in shock or anything, but in time like these, having a stranger enter the bar was not a good idea.

“Mister fluffy ears. We had a stuffed bunny emergency,” she said, taking the plush toy from her bag. “I was going back to Sinclair’s, what about you? Are you okay? You should come with me, it’s not safe out there.”

Chloe watched as the other person took off. It felt wrong to just let them be, but she knew there were other priorities she needed to attend to. Her attention returned back to Charlie. 

She smiled seeing the stuffed animal. “Oh, I see,” she chuckled. She admired the woman’s ability to parent even under stressful times. Nodding in response to the question she said, “I know. There’s a lot people think they can get away from now that the power’s out.” It was worrisome, but as long as none of the Sinclairs got hurt from it, she would leave those concerns for another day. “I had to grab some things from the office. Couldn’t risk someone breaking in and getting their hands on something they shouldn’t have access to.. But I haven’t figured out where I’m going now. If you’re heading to Sinclair’s though, I’ll go with you. I can't in good conscious leave you alone out here.” 

Abel wasn’t sure how he felt at that moment, seeing her again through the haze of intoxication and the ridiculousness of their attires, it disconnected him to whatever remorse the consigliere should be feeling…not that he felt anything like that often. 

He tilted his head to the side, eyes still on the woman as he quietly challenged her statement; Chloe wanted nothing from him yet her composure fell one too many times in the short amount of time that they’ve stood there. When she finished, the consigliere nodded.

“You’ve always been smart, smart enough to know that I’m not one for apologies,” 

“Because that would require remorse and I’d presume you’re incapable of feeling that.” she spoke dryly. 

It wasn’t as if she was looking for an apology from him. What difference did it make if he did? It didn’t. Wouldn’t. It wouldn’t erase the memory of what had happened. It wouldn’t erase her embarrassment for having trusting him so easily because she had thought he was cute. It also wouldn’t erase the horrible notion that she had found him attractive at one point. When it came to Abel, he’d always just be a giant black spot in her life. 

“Don’t worry. When it comes to an apology, I won’t hold my breath.” 

Elijah smiled cheekily at her statements. The way he had decided to go about life sometimes was purposely challenging, but only because it wouldn’t feel right any other way. The easy path had never been something he’d known growing up, so why start with it now?

“Hey, the more I wear this, the more authentic it becomes.” He teased, looking down at the costume that had become more dirty and tattered from the years. It probably was time for a new one, but he just couldn’t allow himself to part with it. Call it being sentimental.

“Titania….” He repeated the name, feigning knowledge of what she’d just said. It sounded like it was something that was meant to be obvious, but it completely went over his head. Queen of the fairies? He’d make a mental note to ask Priya about it later, she most likely would know.

“Well, goat lady or queen of the fairies, it’s a good look on you.”

It was difficult to believe that what he said was genuine. But then again, even if he was being a hundred percent serious, Chloe had serious doubts she’d ever be able to believe him. “If you say so...” Though it made her worry if there would come a time when the costume began to smell and Elijah used it to further his belief that it was for authenticity. 

She’d just have to make sure not to stand too close to him on Halloween days. 

“I guess I will take that compliment,” she chuckled defeatedly. “So aside from Monster Mash not being played, are you enjoying yourself?” 

The woman looked a little out of her element. Maybe she’d been forced into coming up here. That sucked, but it was all fake anyway! Luca enjoyed the haunted house the best, and that said a lot from someone who normally thrived in parties. The haunted floors were that good. 

“Shit, that’s creepy. The lights just went out?” Luca asked, half debating on walking towards where she’d come from. But she was unsettled, it seemed, and leaving her alone felt like a dick thing to do – despite not knowing the woman. 

“I’d be more than happy to escort you downstairs,” Luca said with a smirk. He was Romeo, after all. “Maybe buy you a drink. You definitely don’t wanna walk back downstairs alone. It’s creepier.”

Chloe nodded. Hopefully no other room she had to venture through would suddenly go dark like that one had. And while it had been her idea to go through the haunted house, she had only been brave enough to because she had company. She sighed. Shouldn’t have let go of Ben's hand, she thought. 

Being shown out of the haunted house sounded wonderful until the youngest Costello also made it sound like he was hitting on her. She resisted the urge to immediately say, “Ew.” Instead her brows furrowed and her lips turned down into a frown. “While I’d appreciate being shown the exit, I think I’ll have to pass on the drink, Mr. Costello.” 

Elijah grinned widely as he realized his exclamation and made Chloe jump. It was always entertaining to get under her skin a little. “If I’m not heard, then how am I going to make any change around here.” He nodded along to his own statement, taking a look over to where the DJ was picking the tracks. “And I can’t just go over there and ask. It’s the principle of the matter. They just need to know that it should be played tonight.”

Looking down at his costume, he looked back up at her and laughed. “Of course Zombie. I refuse to believe there’s a better costume out there. Everyone knows zombie’s are the creepiest.” 

Examining Chloe’s costume he attempted to figure out who or what she was. “And you’re a…. goat lady?”

Chloe let out a deep sigh, the one she typically used with Elijah. “You have quite a way of making things difficult for yourself. I sometimes don’t understand how you’ve managed yourself for so long.” Maybe she’d just request they play Monster Mash so that Elijah wouldn’t do whatever odd thing he’d end up doing to get his way. 

“I’m not sure if your costume is going to last another year... Have you ever considered getting a new one?” 

Another sigh. “Well at least that wasn't a weird answer... But no, I’m Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She's queen of the fairies.” 

Penelope glanced around the room before looking again at the young woman next to her. She could still see Chloe as a girl, running around her father’s feet. “Thank you. I’m having a good time which is,” There was a pause as she tried to find a word that fit just right. “-unexpected. Have you had a dance yet?” 

A smile of ease fell onto her face. Hearing Penelope was enjoying herself made some of her concerns disappear. “No, I haven’t yet. Not sure if I will at this point.” Dancing on her own hadn’t sounded appealing, and no one had caught her eye enough to want to ask someone to dance either. Her brow rose in slight interest and asked the question back to her. “Have you?” 

“My character,” he echoed, nodding slowly as Abel seemed to contemplate everything that she had said; Chloe was luckier than most, at least in his opinion, her entire family could have died that night. She lived at the cost of Abel being deemed a liability, and he had since worked extra hard to prove them wrong.

There was no indication of how he felt with the woman’s pointed words, and the consigliere idly unwrapped a candy before popping it in his mouth. Abel stared ahead, watching the crowd of people on the dance floor; it felt like a lifetime ago, his meeting with Chloe and after learning that she had since taken over her father’s job, the consigliere made sure to keep his distance when there was no reason for them to ever cross paths again.

“What do you want, Chloe?” Abel asked, finally returning his gaze on the brunette. “You want closure?”

What do you want, Chloe? 

A sarcastic laugh escaped her. “Why would I want anything from you?” She rolled her eyes. Violence wasn’t her thing, nor would she ever want to cause a scene, but slapping him across the face sounded like a good idea. Perhaps if this conversation wasn’t happening so publicly. 

"In the grand scheme of things, what you did to me means nothing to you, so I don't need a half-assed apology or an explanation from you,"she spat angrily. “Closure from you would mean nothing." She paused then, trying to compose herself before she got angrier. As she spoke, Chloe tried to keep her tone professional albeit cool. “I don’t want anything from you, Mr. Costello. In fact, I would be much happier not having anything to do with you ever again.” 

Location: Outside near Sinclairs Date: November 1st Availability: Open to all 

When the blackout happened, Jack was quick to get an escort for her and the kids. They were to go to Sinclair, who acted as a safe house at time. Heavy with security and ammunitions, it was a place where nothing could happen, or so it seemed. The kids were excited, seeing it as some sort of slumber party but Charlie wasn’t fond of it. They were lacking many of their things and when Mila complained about not having her favourite stuffed bunny, Charlie knew she would have to go home. 

She parked the car and was walking around the parking lot when she noticed someone that was about to be mugged. Taking the small can of mace she almost always had on her out, she didn’t hesitate in aiming straight into the person’s eyes. As the attacker left, Charlie extended a hand to their victim. “Are you ok?”

A blackout was turning the city into a much more dangerous place. Chloe recognized the woman across the way from her. Just as she was about to call out to her and check to see if everything was alright, she noticed her heading towards another pair of people. Her steps were careful as she headed in their direction until she heard a groan and footsteps falling away from where they were. She quickened her pace to find Charlie with a can of mace and put two and two together of the scene in front of her. 

“I know I should be impressed, but I hope you’re alright,” she said, looking at the woman in concern. Her gaze turned towards the stranger after assessing the Sinclair woman looked unhurt. “Do you need us to call someone for you?” She flicked her attention back to Charlie. "And what about you? I hope you're only out here for a good reason." 

“And that should spare you from everything?“ Abel quirked a brow and he looked at Chloe, finding her statement a reminder of the woman’s entitlement. There were those who were much younger than they have been who never had the luxury of complaining, and Abel had killed people more innocent than the Sinclair lawyer.

Abel managed to avoid killing her at that time, which he thought was a much better outcome than originally planned. But it was a long time ago, and pointing out how Abel deviated from his orders would only serve to annoy him as well. She was a means to an end, and a glaring reminder of his inexperience, and for some, his incompetence.

More than the lies, was it the trauma that got Chloe Rey so upset? The woman was whipsmart and her handle on legal affairs were well known. so if Abel understood her well enough, then this could be about her ego more than anything.

“People don’t die from embarrassment, Chloe,” not usually anyway.   

Was she arrogant enough to think so? Yes. Would she admit to it? No. Her eyes narrowed at him. “It just speaks to your character is all,” she shrugged, her gaze shifting away from him as she spoke. “The lengths you must be willing to go through now when you did that at eighteen...” The thought did sicken her and she’d be stupid not to be slightly afraid by it, but she wasn’t that naive college student anymore. 

All of them would get what was coming to them considering their everyday lives, but Chloe did hope she’d get to see what was coming to him. 

“I’m very well aware of that,” she said heatedly. 

She didn’t like that his presence got to her. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in danger since. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t dealt with manipulative jerks since. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t learned from her stupid and terrible mistake. But still, him having pulled the wool over her eyes had stood out the most when she looked back at the faults in her life. 

She felt foolish for being angry at him now. “Just like I’m aware you’ve done much worse that what you’ve done to me.” 

Maybe this was all Luca’s fault for standing so close to the damn door— but the halls were pretty narrow anyway. He likely would’ve been hit regardless. The woman was apologizing, but Luca simply waved a hand up absently. 

“It’s fine,” he insisted, voice slightly strained. He glanced up at her, forcing a smile (not a very convincing one, either).

A few moments passed, and Luca felt the pain subside slightly. He wasn’t comfortable by any means, but it was definitely tolerable now. 

“I’m all good,” he assured her. He’d survive. Luca could be a very… dramatic person, and it was surprising that he hadn’t decided to milk this out as much as possible. 

“How was it in there?” Luca wondered, looking past the woman. He hadn’t explored that room yet. It looked like she was alone which was a little surprising, considering most people tended to hate walking through these things alone. “I heard a chainsaw coming from one of those rooms over there, but no one’s supposed to be on this floor. So… fucking creepy.”

Now that she was looking at the guy she had accidentally hit with the door, Chloe realized she recognized him. It would’ve been impossible not to. 

“Well I’m glad you’re okay... I’m sorry again.” 

She glanced back at the door of the room she had come out from. “It was, uh... dark. I really didn’t stay in there too long and then the lights turned off.” There was probably something more to the room, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out. And now she wanted to just find an exit and head back down to the party. 

“Well that’s terrifying and makes me want to be up here on my own even less, “ she admitted. She looked around, not recognizing the area at all. “What are the chances I can find an easy exit out of this place?” 

Elijah was jamming out to the music that was playing, not caring whether or not he was in a designated dancing area. His zombie costume was seconds away from falling a part since it was the same one he’d been wearing every halloween for the past 10 years. If it works, it works.

The song ended and the next one began, another creepy sounding one to keep with the theme of the party. They’d all been fairly good so far, but he’d yet to hear the one that truly mattered.

“If they don’t play Monster Mash at all tonight, then this whole thing is a conspiracy!”

The volume of the voice that came from behind her made her jump. Turning and seeing Elijah made her roll her eyes and chastise herself for being surprised. “Was it necessary to shout that?” she chided. “I’m sure you could just find the DJ and request that song to be played.” 

After her nerves had settled, Chloe took in his costume. She gave him an amused look. “So zombie again? Didn’t want to change things up for once, Elijah?” 

Something colorful blocked his vision as the candy was refused, and when Abel focused on the partygoer, the expression on his face returned to his usual stoicism.

“Chloe Rey,” he greeted. How they managed to not bump into each other at the wedding was anyone’s guess, though Abel had an inkling that the woman had gone out of her way to avoid him.

The consigliere cocked his head, the proffered piece of sweet placed back in the pumpkin basket. 

“It was a job,” Abel reminded. It was just business, one that didn’t end up with unnecessary body count in his opinion. “You should understand that by now given your employers.”

Just hearing his voice brought back bad memories for Chloe. It was around the time that she got more involved in the Sinclair affairs that she discovered who Abel Wright was actually Abel Costello. Finding that out made her angry and embarrassed over the period in her life all over again. Seeing him now brought some of it back even now. 

“Abel Costello,” she said, echoing his name back. And she had been so good about avoiding him up until now. 

What he said next only made her irritation over seeing him grow. “And if I was where I am now and that happened maybe I wouldn’t have bat an eye. But I wasn’t. I was eighteen and had nothing to do with my father’s case, and you used me anyway. The fact that you can look at me and say that at least proves to me not having anything to do with you since then was a smart choice.” 

Chloe looked forward to going through the haunted house portion of this party, but there was no way in hell she was going in by herself. If it had been a year ago she’d have made Wyatt go with her, but obviously he wasn’t going to be her first choice for a haunted house partner. It left her trying to figure out who’d she want to go in with instead. For a second she had considered asking Penelope to accompany her, but she figured the woman knew enough about her and didn’t need to see Chloe cower in fear over the haunt. 

Her eyes scanned the party, looking for a familiar face. Who to choose...

A bright smile fell on her face as she spotted Ben across the way. Heading towards him, and making sure she wasn’t going to trip over her dress, she called out to him to get his attention. 

“Well look at you,” she grinned in greeting once she stood next to him. “I like your costume.” She glanced around, wondering if he was here with anyone before proceeding with what she had come around for. “You’re not busy now, are you? Because if not, I was hoping to convince you to go through the haunted house with me.” 

Halloween was arguably the best holiday, hands down. Luca took it pretty seriously - a lot of thought went in to his costumes. He never repeated the same one because why the hell would he? For the Fright Night event, Luca was dressed as Romeo from Baz Luuhrman’s Romeo + Juliet. It seemed appropriate – maybe even in poor taste, all things considered. But he’d been trying hard not to think about any of that. 

He shared a few drinks with a cute girl, danced through a few songs. For the most part, he’d been uninterested. The best part of Fright Night was the haunted house, and no one had been brave enough to go up there with him.

He wandered upstairs alone. The fifth floor was entirely empty. There were no actors on that particular level, which made everything… creepier. Luca walked down a narrow, dimly lit hallway until he reached the room at the end.

He thought he heard a noise. He could’ve sworn he heard a noise.

Right as Luca began walking forward to investigate, a door to his right was flung open, and the door knob conveniently struck him in the groin area. Hard. He groaned, leaned forward slightly as he cursed repeatedly beneath his breath.

“Happy fucking Halloween to you, too,” he managed, face twisted in pain, burning slightly red.

Chloe wasn’t sure where she had lost Ben in the haunted house, but he definitely wasn’t near her anymore. Now she was trying to backtrack in search of him, but so far nothing. It was not fun getting scared all over again by the same actors and rooms by herself. 

And now she was a little lost. 

Just as she was heading towards another door, the lights flicked off. “Oh, this is so not happening,” she groaned. Feeling around in the dark for the door, she prayed she didn’t run into something gross or someone part of the haunted house. An uttering of “nope” left her lips as she blindly felt for the door. When her hand finally found it, she let out a sigh of relief and quickly pushed open the door. 

Something stopped the door from opening fully and she heard a groan of pain. Her eyes widened as she spotted someone hunched over in pain beside the open door. “Oh god, I’m so sorry.” 

Location: Lincoln Hotel Open to: Everyone

Cassandra had already planned on how this evening was going to go for her. She was going to show her face quickly and then she would leave. There was no way that she was going to go through this entire night. She didn’t understand the idea of the party after all. Of course, life continued. Not everyone was involved in the happenings as of late. But most of the people at this party were and they all acted as if nothing had happened. As if a young woman hadn’t taken her life from her. As if her father hadn’t found his revenge by hurting her son. As if he wasn’t in prison. How was she supposed to pretend that everything was okay? She had perfected the mask that she was wearing when things went bad over the years. But how much more was a person able to take.

Her costume was doing its part. It was realistic enough to keep the people away from her and that had exactly been her plan. It would only make it easier for her to leave when she felt like it. So when someone did, in the end, decided to come closer, she opened up her mouth before the other could. “Are you enjoying the party?” Keeping the lead in this conversation was going to help her end it sooner than later.

There wasn’t anything in particular she wanted to say to the Costello matriarch, but she wanted to extend a friendly hello towards her anyway. Before she had a chance to do so though, the other woman spoke first. 

“I am,” she replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with these parties they hold each year for Halloween. I’ll be interested to see how they’ll top themselves next year after this one.” She hadn’t even explored the entirety of the whole place yet, but she hoped at some point. “How about yourself, Mrs. Costello?” 

Talk about an escape for the night. With everything going on, she’d made a promise to herself that as she donned the Poison Ivy costume, all of her troubles would be left at home. As she eyed the dance floor from her seat, she accepted a drink from the waiter graciously. The feeling of eyes on her was heavy, causing her to smirk slowly. “The vines won’t flower no matter how you eye them.” 

Chloe let out a laugh, hearing Penelope’s remark. “Well you look really amazing tonight, Penny, as always” she complimented. She took a sip of her own drink, walking up to where the woman sat and took a seat besides her. “Are you having a nice time? The Hawthorne’s certainly went out of there way to make this all happen, and it’s rather impressive.” 

Date: October 2019 - Fright Night Event Location: The Lincoln Hotel

To say Abel loved Halloween was an understatement. It was the one holiday that the acting consigliere allowed himself to relax out in the open, enough to get wasted and maybe laugh. In his youth, he would go trick-or-treating and some would say that he still did it well into his young adulthood. He was standing by the dessert table, holding a pumpkin-shaped basket as he snacked on a variety of candies while drinking liquor– it was his fourth glass, a highball, allowing his usual edges to be softened.

He was handing out sweets to anyone within arm’s length and who could say not to a six-foot-tall adult male dressed as Jack Skellington? With his blonde hair brushed back and face full of makeup, anyone who could recognize Abel Costello under his costume was too taken aback to decline, while those who didn’t were merely amused.

“Here,” he told a guest. “Take it,” he told another. “It’s Halloween,” he argued with another before smiling briefly that just made him look both threatening and endearing.

Tonight was essentially a night off for her and she welcomed it. Getting dressed up and seeing everyone else having a nice time was a good enough distraction to take her mind off of her workload back at her offices. 

There wasn’t anyone at the hotel she thought she’d have a problem with seeing. Even with all the bad blood with the Costellos, Chloe had no problem with making polite chitchat or being friendly with them if they happened to cross paths. But that was until she happened find herself face to face with one Costello in particular. It was one she hoped not to be near again ever after finding out who he was. 

Chloe frowned in distaste when he happened to hand her some Halloween candy. “No thank you. The last thing I’d want is something from you.”