Safe and Sane

Lex went down to the club early that evening, mostly so that she could wander around and get a better idea of what it was like without the Halloween festivities. While she was there she decided she'd look over a couple of lists just to satisfy curiosity. She went up to the front to pick up some copies and then found a place in the lounge to settle down and read.

The club had been transformed. The main room was no longer recognizable as a lounge; it had been made over with mood lighting and subtle decorations. On one end there was a huge buffet, the bar was open and tended. There was even room for dancing on a small wooden floor that had been laid down on the opposite end of the room. Scattered about were bowls of candy of all kinds.

One of the smaller lounges hosted traditional party games -- bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, even a table set up for carving small gourds and pumpkins. A few of the private play rooms on the main level had also been opened, set up for groups or exhibitionism, but as in previous year that wasn't the focus of the night. And, in case anyone had forgotten a costume or hadn't been able to find one, the smallest public lounge was being used as sort of a large wardrobe.

A large poster in the hallway announced the categories for the costume contest: scariest, funniest, the most creative, best couple or group, and -- of course -- the sexiest.

The weather had been up and down -- freezing cold, not bad, and, if the forecasters were correct, outright pleasant for the rest of the week. The crew at the coffee shop had given up trying to predict what was going to sell and had decided to just offer everything up. Hot, spiced, cold, chocolate. If you wanted it, you could have it.

Before Wednesday

Lex was already back in Jack's apartment by the time he got home from work. She'd gone domestic and washed dishes for him in her attempt to unearth his kitchen. By the smell of it she'd also cooked, at least according to the savory aroma that wafted towards the door. It'd only seemed suiting since there was nice dessert, and frozen dinners or hot dogs wouldn't do it justice. Lex had just finished setting the timer for another half-hour when Jack walked in.

"Jack!" She pointed a wooden-spoon at him. "I think I have a date on Wednesday. I also found a bakery with an art gallery, full of S&M pictures. I thought of you. Welcome home. Dinner will be ready in half."

Another morning at Strokes. One where Beth was, admittedly, being more careful than previously, thanks to the fact that her entire hand was bandaged up and she was limited to one, and at some point that was going to be a nuisance. Not yet, though, simple recipes, freezer stocks and Dotty's help meaning they weren't going to run short of cakes for quite some while to come.

It did mean she was slower, though, and she was still laying the plates of today's cakes out on the counter for display when the customer walked in. One she didn't recognise, and that was more than enough to summon extra warmth to Beth's smile. "Good morning! What can I get for you?"

The first thing Lex had done after buying the plane ticket out to Colorado was call her brother to tell him to pick her up at the airport. She'd given him a whole two day warning, although she'd left out the detail about having no return flight to NY and no intentions of going back for the long run. It was always better to surprise Jack in person.

Her flight arrived early and she had time to run and collect her luggage before tracking her big brother down. Lex dragged the cumbersome suitcase out to the curb and looked for his car. She spotted the vehicle and Jack standing next to it. No doubt he'd notice her unusual excess of baggage, but she didn't give him the chance to comment. She wheeled over quickly and abandoned her belongings on the sidewalk so that she could greet her brother.

"Hey there, stranger," Lex said before hugging him. The action involved jumping up into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and letting her feet dangle a few inches off the ground and she clung to him.