Who: Burton Guster & Caroline Forbes What: Matchup Where: Somewhere in town When: Friday afternoon Warnings: ridiculousness Status: complete gdoc Note: If you wanna see Gus in action, you can watch this.
Halloween was practically right around the corner which meant that Gus was testing out costumes. He and Shawn usually coordinated, but he wasn’t sure if they were going to this year or if he should figure out something with Martha or just fly solo. After spending a few hours in Spirit Halloween, he managed to piece together a reasonable facsimile of the Blacula getup he created years ago when Psych was working the case where they met Lassie’s wife and went to a vampire bar.
Since there were real vampires in town, he decided to head out in his costume and see if he could scare anyone with it. He was in complete denial that he looked more ridiculous than frightening.
Caroline had just finished up for the day at the school and was walking home. The beginning of the school year was always so stressful for both staff and students. Everyone was adjusting to being back on a set schedule. Plus, there were always students that wanted to switch classes and being a counselor, Caroline was in charge of making the switch as well as helping students pick classes. It was exhausting and the blond was looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine as soon as she got home.
Turning the corner, Caroline spotted Gus and the sight made her stop in her tracks. What the hell? It was clear he was trying to be a vampire, but Halloween wasn’t for a month. It was both amusing and weird. Being Caroline, she honestly couldn’t help, but want to say something about the getup.
Walking over, she paused in front of him, blue eyes taking in the outfit before speaking up. “That is certainly an interesting take on vampirism,” Caroline commented.
Gus bared his fake fangs and made a hissing kind of noise in response to her comment. “I’m walking the walk of a real night stalker,” he said, fully believing that this is how a real vampire would act, despite having lived in Madison Valley for two years and not ever seeing anyone dressed like he currently was.
“I won’t harm you, day walker,” he added, trying to make his voice sound sinister.
Okay, Caroline had to use every ounce of self-restraint to keep herself from bursting out laughing. A real night stalker? Was this guy serious? Luckily, he hadn’t come across Klaus; the original hybrid would have gladly shown him what a real night stalker was. On the other hand, Caroline merely found it amusing and nothing more. Even the weird hissing noise.
“Okay. First off, I’m pretty sure no vampires around here make hissing noises. We are not cats. Second, I am not a day walker,” Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. “But I’m pretty sure you are.”
It took a moment for the pretty blonde’s words to register with Gus. She said “we”. Uh oh. He immediately reached up and removed his fake fangs so he could speak properly. “Uh… sorry,” he said, hoping that she wasn’t going to suck his blood or anything.
“I guess you don’t remember Blacula.” So what if the movie was released five years before Gus was born? It was one he considered a classic even if he was one of the few who actually appreciated it for the cinematic genius it was.
Maybe if he would have run into any other vampire, he would have needed that apology followed by a whole lot of groveling. However, lucky for him, Caroline saw the entire scenario as a big joke. She wasn’t too keen on the hissing thing, but maybe the vampire he was trying to emulate actually did something like that. So, when he removed his fake fangs and apologized, the blond waved him off.
“It’s okay. I’m more amused than anything else,” she reassured him with a smile. “If I got upset at everyone who dressed up like a vampire, it’d make for a very long, painful eternity.”
At the mention of the movie, Caroline frowned, thinking for a moment if she had seen it, before shaking her head.
“I’ve heard of it, but I never saw it. Which would totally explain why I didn’t get the type of vampire you were trying to be.”
“You don’t really look like a vampire,” Gus said. Rather, she didn’t look like a stereotypical vampire so much as a… former cheerleader and homecoming queen. He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised though since people were from so many different places.
He pocketed his fangs and decided that he would need to find another costume. At least he had plenty of time. “I’m Gus.”
At his comment, Caroline laughed. No, Caroline knew she didn’t look like what people would consider a vampire to look like. And he also wasn’t far off in his description of her except for the fact she’d been Miss. Mystic, not a homecoming queen. Though, they were probably equivalent on some level anyway.
“I know I don’t, but I also don’t walk around with my fangs flashing all day either.” Her ‘true’ face did actually give her more of a vampiric appearance, but Caroline rarely showed that side of herself these days.
“But it’s nice to meet you, Gus. I’m Caroline.”
Gus was glad that she was a friendly vampire otherwise he knew this could have ended very badly, like when Shawn encountered that mean lady who ran the art gallery. “What do you do around here?” he asked, curious about what career opportunities might appeal to a vampire.
No, Caroline was nothing like Irina. Where Irina was cold and distant, Caroline was warm and friendly. The blond vampire was always open to making new friends, even ones that donned fangs and dressed like a vampire for Halloween.
“Oh, I’m a counselor at the high school,” Caroline replied easily. “It’s as close as I can get to my old job back home. Plus, I always like helping people.” And she liked to think she was a good listener.
“What about you? What do you do when you are not stalking the streets of Madison with fake fangs in your mouth?”
When she said she was a counselor, something pinged in Gus’s memory. “Oh, wait. You’re… Ms. Forbes, right? I work at the Boys Club and a few of the kids have mentioned you helping them.” All positive from what he remembered.
“Back home, I was in pharmaceutical sales and my friend, Shawn, and I also ran a psychic private investigation firm. What was your job at home?”
When he mentioned hearing about her from the kids, the blond beamed. She loved knowing that what she did had an impact on the students’ lives and that the impact was a positive one. After all, she knew how hard it was to be a teenager herself; she wanted to make sure the students at school had the support they needed to make it through those tough times in their lives.
“That would be me. I hope it was mostly good things,” Caroline replied brightly. The last part of her statement was teasing of course. His mention of a psychic private investigation caught her attention since she’d never heard of it before. Did that mean he was legit psychic?
“Psychic private investigation? So does that mean you are psychic?” Caroline asked before adding. “I actually ran my own school back home, so I guess it’s not surprising I gravitated to the same setting when I came here.”
“No, no, I’m not psychic,” Gus said quickly. He always tried not to outright lie about Shawn’s abilities here given that there were actual psychics around town. “Shawn’s the gifted one. My skills were more practical.” Like his vast knowledge of seemingly useless subjects that often came in handy to helping them solve a case.
Hearing that she ran a school at home didn’t really surprise him. It made sense that she would end up doing something similar. In the hopes of avoiding too many more questions about Psych and Shawn’s ‘abilities’, he flashed her a quick smile. “I ought to get going. It was nice meeting you.”
He paused and then added, “And thank you for not killing me.”
“Oh, cool.” Given Caroline knew a lot about people with abilities, it wasn’t surprising to hear about Shawn’s gift. Her friend Bonnie had powers that she’d once considered ‘psychic’ before she realized she was actually a witch. Plus, Caroline did run a school for the supernatural.
“And yeah, I should be heading home.” Caroline was looking forward to relaxing and having a glass of wine. When he thanked her for not killing him, Caroline laughed.
“You’re welcome, but I’m not the killing type. I’m a good vampire.” She offered him another smile and started back down the streets towards home. “It was nice talking to you.”