bruised but not broken

He had been hoping to see Karen, especially in a happier scenario than the last few times they'd met. Sure, he had hunting business to talk to her about (he'd always have hunting business to talk to her about) but it would be nice to just chit-chat as one was supposed to do at a party. "Well look who it is! Karen McReid herself! Just the woman I wanted to see."

"The rumours are true," she replied, flashing a grin at him. It was almost impossible not to like Samuel Vaughn. "I don't know what I've done for that honour but you're welcome," she joked. "How have you been? Is Lee here with you?"

Okay, fine, going to a party like this was the exact opposite of laying low, especially given that a McReid was here. At least she was wearing shoes she could run in. "Karen," Hallie murmured. The other woman didn't look like she was planning on attacking, but looks could be deceiving.

"Hallie," Karen's voice was full of concern. She felt like she was missing half the story here - what had happened to her? And what was she doing here now? "What's going on?"

Lacy had left Mitchell to talk to some of the other husbands. She needed a minute away from everyone and the hot room. She smiled as she caught Karen with a cigarette. She had stopped smoking a few years ago, but sometimes smoked when drunk.

"My lips are sealed, I promise. Mitchell won't hear a word from me," Karen laughed as she handed Lacy over a cigarette. Lacy was Krys' best friend but Karen trusted their mutually assured destruction here to keep them both safe. "Oh my god, why do I feel like we're back behind the bleachers hiding from our gym teacher?"

Charlie had been watching her from the shadows of the ballroom, waiting for his moment to get her alone. He was starting to think that maybe she had given up smoking, when he noticed her sneaking out the back. With a smirk on his lips, Charlie followed her, but by the time he reached the gardens, some insignificant gnat had approached her–he couldn't have that.

There wasn't a lot that could shock Karen McReid... Charlie Emerson appearing out of nowhere, after 6 years, and throwing some poor guy around before compelling them to leave, made the list. Karen felt her breath hitch as she watched the scene unfold. She knew she shouldn't have let it happen, but she didn't move. It wasn't right, she knew that. After her mom's funeral, Karen had promised that if he ever came back, she would kill him. Back then, she would have killed any vampire. She had. Looking at him now as he turned, slowly - deliberately-, she realised that she hadn't meant it. She thought she had, but she hadn't.

Ethan had been outside getting some air when Karen decided to give him an actual heart attack. How long had she been there? He hadn't heard the door open nor did he hear the lighter she must have used to light the cigarette. Cursing under his breath, he released a small laugh. If he tried hard enough, maybe he could pretend they were back in high school. "Maybe if you spare one, I'll be inclined to look the other way."

"Deal," Karen laughed unexpectedly, handing over another cigarette from her extremely secret and low stash. If she tried hard enough, she could pretend they were back in high school. Probably behind the bleachers with the rest of the gang. She looked over at Ethan and tried her best to ignore the guilt. The silence was killing her, truly, but she knew it was her own fault. Without thinking, she blurted out, "It's so fucking weird seeing Felicity hosting this thing. She's like some Stepford Mom-ster."

Meeting your girlfriend's family wasn't exactly something Bruce excelled at, apparently. It had only been a couple of hours and already he was freaked at the idea of spending all of Christmas with two sisters that clearly were not fans. It was just his damn luck that when he stepped outside, yet another sister with beef with him was ready and waiting. "Who would I tell?" He asked with a shrug; it wasn't like he was going to rush to tell Krys. "You got a light?"

"What're you doing here, Bruce?" Karen had never been a fan of Bruce Parker and that would have been fine, really. Krys could do whatever she wanted. What happens on the road and all that... But then there was Ruby. And he knew there was Ruby. What gave him the goddamn nerve to ever step foot in their town again? She let the silence stretch between them, jaw clenched, before finally handing over her lighter.

Was Sarah surprised to see Karen outside, a cigarette in hand? Not necessarily. She knew how much the younger hunter had been through the last few years. Was she disappointed? Of course. A good hunter knew better than to do something as unhealthy as smoking. But Sarah did like Karen, wanted what was best for her, so she sighed and let out a begrudging, "fine. But just this one time. I mean it, Karen."

Shit, it had to be Sarah Matthews. Karen gave her a sheepish smile, looking down at the ground before nodding. "Yeah, I know. Thank you," she added, promptly putting out what was left of the cigarette. Karen hadn't seen so many other bloodline hunters in Havensdale since... Well, her mom's funeral. "How are you, anyway? I saw Julia was here too. Everything alright on your side of town?"

Laura hadn't been in town long enough to form any meaningful connections, and she hated that she was forcing herself into the lives of these people, but if she was going to have a fighting chance against Dina she was going to need some kind of support system. The McReids seemed like a good place to start. "We all have vices, that one's not so bad in my book."

"That is very generous of you, thank you," Karen smiled, relieved to see it was Lauren - no, Laura - Hunter and not someone who could rat her out. "I would never hear the end of it from my sister, you know? I quit ages ago and I'm kidding myself that this one doesn't count." She promptly put the cigarette out and turned her full attention to her instead. "Laura, right? I'm Karen."

"Gosh, you think it's okay and I'm not under dressed? Thanks a ton." Hallie reached out and snagged two glasses of champagne. "Here, a token of my appreciation." @havensdalestarters

Karen had heard through the rumour mill - sorry, the hunting community - that Hallie was MIA. No, dead. Presumed dead, no body. Her hair was different, right? But Karen felt her heart squeeze when she overheard her. "Mind if I cut in?"

"What a gorgeous party! Let me tell you, I know a few folks back in Manhattan who are seething that they aren't invited. I was telling Lee that. You've met Lee, right?" @havensdalestarters

Karen had taken Lila McReid's place in the community by default, but it didn't mean she was happy about it. That she was... well. Some shoes are too big to fill. The Vaughns were a pillar of the hunting community, and Lila had adored them. She waited, taking a steadying breath before she interrupted... "Hi, Samuel."

Okay. After all this time with it just being the two of them–having her all to himself–they were really going to tell everyone that she was back. On the one hand, Charlie knew that they couldn't keep this up–his late night trips to the kitchens were becoming too suspicious and Karen couldn't stay locked up in one room–but on the other, he knew that whatever they had right now would change. It might be nice to get his bed back, but he wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of coming in here and not having her scent wrapped around everything.

As he looked back at her, brow furrowed, she realised that his answer might be 'no'. She wasn't ready to face why the very idea of that made her hollowed out chest ache. The reasons behind Charlie's devotion to her now hadn't mattered to her. Whether he pulled her out of that grave because he had to - because he was obligated to - hadn't crossed her mind. Something she had said to him before that night... 'You keep them alive. If it comes down to it, keep them alive'. Maybe he was just keeping a promise. Her increasingly spiralling thoughts were stopped in their tracks when he nodded. An undeniable sense of relief washed over her. After tonight, everything would change.

"Or maybe you don't think of yourself highly enough." He retorted, not shying away from the challenge like she was. Charlie hated how defeated she sounded; she was stronger than this and he would damn well make sure she remembered that. No matter who this new version of her was, or would become, there wasn't a world in which this woman was weak. He watched her looking at him, searching for something in his eyes that he wasn't sure he could give, but he would fucking try. For her, he would try.

A ghost of a smile tugged at the edges of her lips at his retort. She wasn't ready to fight back, but she hung on his words. She imagined what she might say back before, when she was still herself. When she was alive. Was she alive? Her eyes closed, and she felt exhaustion seep back into her bones. Karen would stand by her decision, even if it made her heart ache. Even if the idea of stepping outside this room made her stomach turn. Charlie lifted her head back up, their eyes meeting again as she was pulled back into the present.