#wtscpiperrivers

It was the perfect arrangement for him. Gray didn't want another relationship, not a romantic, emotional one, after Penelope left. Piper didn't want commitment, just some fun. So the booty call situation they'd had going on over the past months left them both satisfied. It had started with drunken hook ups, perfectly fine, though Gray couldn't remember the majority of them. But now he was trying to sober up, so he didn't become his father, so hooking up with her at the club, after her shift, wasn't an option. Phone calls or texts worked just as well, though it meant that they'd switched from back rooms to houses. Breakfast included, sometimes. But it didn't matter. Neither was looking for anything more than the strange friendship they had.

Their current relationship was the reason that Gray had woken up on a Sunday morning, to find Piper still asleep on the other half of his bed. Their legs were slightly tangled, but it wasn't as though there was any strange cuddling, or anything of the sort. Nothing that made Gray think twice about anything as he slipped out of bed, heading into his adjoining bathroom for a shower. If she woke up, she knew the way to the guest bedroom, which also had an en suite bathroom, or could leave, for all he cared. She was welcome to stay as long or as little as she'd like.

He didn't check his bed to see if Piper was still there, instead going down to the kitchen in a rush to crank up the thermostat. It was freezing in the house, despite his having left it on all night. He suffered terribly from the cold. Then he went to find some sort of breakfast, greeting Sheldon, who followed at his master's feet as he went about preparing food. The dog wasn't whining, so it didn't occur to Gray to take him outside. If he had been, maybe the man would have noticed that there were two feet, give or take, of snow piled up outside, and none of the road plowed. Maybe he would have noticed that, for the time being, the residenst of the house were stuck there. As was their guest.

A few months ago, if someone had asked Gray to a ball, he would have said yes, despite his dislike of people. Dancing made it worth it. It was one thing that could always put a smile on his face, seeing as it was the one thing left that reminded him of good times with his mother, now that his rose bushes were uprooted, and his sister gone. But at this particular ball, Gray couldn't bring himself to ask a woman to join him in a dance, finding it hard enough to look at a woman without hissing, much less find one he wanted to dance with.

But by some miracle, from the corner in which he'd all but set up camp for the remainder of the evening, Gray spotted Piper across the floor. It was very likely that she was the only person in the ballroom who he didn't hate completely, and he quickly weaved through the crowd, deciding to make his way over to her. He was stuck for the evening, without even a glass of wine to make it bearable. It couldn't hurt to try this, though Gray was convinced it would miserably fail.

"Piper?" he spoke her name once he was within earshot, waiting for her to see him before he offered his hand, "Could I have a dance?"

Raymond didn't like this. Not one bit. He didn't know how the so called 'birds' had gotten that piece of information. He'd made sure no one in town know it. How some gossiping teenagers had found it was beyond him. Steeling himself, he spent a few minutes simply glaring at the door of The Underworld. He could hear the music behind it. The though of what was going on beyond them.. it made his hair stand on end. It wasn't that Raymond was shy or skittish around the thought of naked, or close to naked, women. Just.. he'd prefer to take a woman out for a few dates and get to know her before.. well, whatever the hell was going on in there.

Sighing, Raymond pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was like a band-aid, right? Rip it off and get it over and done with. Taking a breath, Raymond pushed past the door and plunged into the darkness and cheesy porn music. Frowning, he walked straight into the midst of it, skirting around every half naked woman in the way. He kept his eyes up, refusing to look past eye height. He needed to find Piper, explain the situation, get it over and done with, then get the hell out of there. Yeah.. that was the plan. Easy enough.

Scowling and looking far more on edge than everyone else around them, Raymond found the other 'customers' were avoiding him. He probably looked like he was about to punch someone's lights out.. He shook his head, scanning for Pip. What if she wasn't even there? He really didn't want to have to come back to this seedy hell. Everyone's attention was drawn to the stage, and for a moment Raymond peeked, praying Pip wouldn't be on stage.