Morningstar Manor

Sterrin was standing in line in the Mocha sleepily shifting through her purse to find her cell phone that was suddenly ringing off the hook. "Hello?" she said in a sleep husky voice, and then her eyes shot wide open. "He did WHAT?!" She was quiet as she listened to the frantic voice of Declan's publicist and after she hung up, she burst out laughing loud enough to turn everyone's head.

Isabella sat at a corner table pouring over her date book. The lack of Sterrin was creating a bit of an issue with some of her clients, but Isabella was almost thankful she was gone. There was something just not - right about that girl. Sighing, she rubbed at the bridge of her nose and contemplated hiring more help.

Anastasia was sitting sideways on one of the couches with several fat packs of pictures in front of her. She'd printed out all the pictures on her many memory cards and was now shifting through them. It was a good distraction from everything else.

Sean had helped him to take the old '290 Fine Arts' sign down and Charlie had carried it upstairs to the work room. Now the sign was repainted and glossy and Charlie was carefully transferring squares of gold leaf to the new lettering.

A new start. Something to get excited about.

He heard movement in the display area and thought he heard a call, so hastily covered up what he was working on and went to the door.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Anyone there?"

Tristan was seriously late getting in from work tonight. It was two thirty and he didn't have any excuse to give Anastasia. He had an apology, but without calling her before hand he could understand if she was mad at him.

The apartment was quiet and dark, and when he went to his bedroom there was an Anastasia sized cocoon in the blankets. He undressed and slid into bed beside her, wanting to hold her but worried he was too cold to.

Anastasia stood in the garden, definately not dressed for the weather in a pair of dark jeans, black slouch boots, the tank top she'd gotten as a secret santa gift and a open cardigan. She was shivering and her hands were starting to go numb, but she'd get inside just as soon as she could stop camera ninja-ing all the pretty snow and ice that had settled in on the various fixtures in the garden. Hyperthermia? Pffft. Second fiddle to art.

Niles was feeling froggy today. He had plans with Kara for Christmas eve, no plans for Christmas day aside from handing out gifts to his friends, and that made him happy. Wearing a t-shirt that had been given to him as a joke (dark blue with the words "Sorry ladies, I'm gay" on it in white letters) and a pair of jeans, Niles headed down to the Mocha. He might get himself a coffee and then go buy himself a KISS pinball game for his apartment as an early gift-to-self. Fuck it.

Isabella sat in the Mocha slightly more tan and definately jet lagged in a black dress and a pair of leopard print shoes. She'd just gotten back from Hawaii with Micah and was hoping to have some time before they took off to NYC to see her mother to rest up. Stiffling a yawn, she flipped the page of her newspaper and conciously avoided checking emails on her iPhone.

Bea stood in the conservatory with Pippa in a vintage Catwoman t-shirt and a pair of jeans, trying to remind the puppy that it wasn't okay to poop in the flowers.  Ever. Nor was it okay to eat them or dig holes around them. Sighing, she pinched the area between her eyes and made a mental list of all the things she needed to do before Christmas.

Declan was in the ballroom, quiet as a mouse, wearing a black leather jacket, a black and grey scarf and a white v-neck t-shirt with a pair of jeans and smoking out the door to the outside. What? It was freezing balls out there and he needed a cigarette to go with the hot cup of Mocha coffee cradled in his left hand before he went back into the Mocha to finish reading the paper. Later, he'd probably do some last minute shopping for Jack and Sterrin.

Speaking of, Sterrin was up by the pool in a very tiny and pale blue bikini, lounging in the sun like a cat. She had masses of wrapping to do even though she'd only bought gifts for Declan, her mother, one or two for Jack and Leo, and one for Isabella. She wondered if she should buy a gift  for Max or even Trevor. Did sleeping with someone more than once necessitate a gift? Pondering, she flipped over on the lounger and let the sun warm her back.

Drew was in line in the Mocha fresh from the hospital and still in a pair of blue scrubs. They were comfortable, and after he had some tea, a cookie, and dominated this game of Bejeweled Blitz on his iPhone, he was soooo going to go upstairs and crash.

Anastasia sat across from her husband at a small table in Steer Heaven, laughing and feeling entirely good and maybe just a little drunk. It was fun, being with him like this again. And it wasn't exactly like how it used to be, but what ever was?

Connor, in the Lamb, had taken over the bar to give Molly the day off so she could...well, do whatever it was that needed doing this close to Christmas. He was alternately serving drinks and food and working on some lists of things he intended to order for the Lamb, bills to be paid, general stuff like that -- but ahhh, it felt good to be doing it in person instead of over the phone or online.

Sarah had ducked down to the Mocha for something sweet, her notebook in hand. She'd actually managed a few chapters on her book-that-wasn't-a-memoir-after-all, and it felt good to take a break from writing to face the world, even if it was still only inside the Manor.

Brian and his Grams were also in the Mocha, Grams looking pink-cheeked in her favorite dress and hat, ready to be taken out for a full day of Christmas shopping. Brian looked tired, probably because...he was. Late nights and early mornings at the lab were taking a toll.

Trevor in the gym, working out hard, working up a sweat. He was feeling strange, had to get out of the apartment that was too empty without his wife.

Gavin, on the other hand, was really out and about, sitting in the corner at the Lamb, nursing a Guiness and basket of fries. It was time, he'd decided, to get the hell out of that apartment, meet some people, get a life that didn't revolve around his brother...or anything else.

Annnnnd, finally, Elspeth was in the lobby overseeing some last-minute changes in the holiday decorations. It turns out some of the glass balls dangling from the Manor's oversized tree were too breakable, so she was supervising their replacement and the re-hanging of nearly identical ones in child-proof plastic.

Anastasia for once in what felt like forever, wasn't grading papers in the Mocha. Instead, she was sketching, which made her feel good. The pencil in her hand was well chewed and worn down to a nub, but she didn't care. Not as long as it kept flowing off the page.

Isabella sat on one of the big couches, frowning down at her date book. Had she double scheduled? She sure as fuck hoped not, especially if she was going to be taking some time off to go to Hawaii with Micah. Sighing, she shifted in her seat and went further back in the datebook and contemplated calling Daphne.

Sterrin stood in line, digging through her purse for her cell phone. Why didn't she have a fucking cell phone holder again? And this purse cost a few grand. Why didn't it have a pocket for her cell phone? 
Grumbling, she dug deeper, not wanting to miss her call.

Charlie was dividing his time fairly equally between gallery work and overseeing some of the things going on out in the Square. It was almost like old times, he thought as he ticked off another job on his list. They were tidying up, making everything spiffy, and on Thursday the ice rink, santas grotto and assorted stalls would arrive and be set up. He was tempted to use the word 'erected' but he'd be bound to say it in front of Mrs Temminck and get a case of the giggles.

The tree looked fantastic!

Elspeth was reading a magazine and nursing a pot of hot peppermint tea. She was also writing a list -- mostly of last-minute gift ideas -- Mr. Vision was so terribly difficult to buy for. He really was a man who had everything.

Sarah, feet up on an empty chair, had a thick paperback in one hand and a doughnut in the other. Both were gooey and decadent, and she was thoroughly enjoying each.

Gavin, on the other hand, was sitting by himself at a corner table, drinking black coffee and contemplating taking up smoking.

( Read more... )

She was digging for reasons to come here, she decided. She missed him and wanted to see him, but for some reason whatever had happened had put up some sort of mental flag that made her think she couldn't come to see him just because.
Taking a deep breath, she used the key to the apartment that she hadn't brought herself to give back yet and walked in.

Tristan and Anastasia hadn't been back to the Manor all weekend. The night at the cabin was something he'd needed and then they'd come here, to her studio. Now there were drop cloths over everything in the middle of the room. He was wearing a pair of almost new dark blue jeans and his skanks shirt that she'd given him. He was barefoot and had a paint roller in his hand. Paint splattered his clothes and toes and he couldn't be happier.

Tristan was driving. He didn't know the absolute destination, but he was following Anastasia's directions the best he could. It probably didn't help that he was distracted. His mind kept putting scene after scene in his head about what she had planned and nearly every single one made him grin like a fool. Then again, that could be because most of his imagination was trying to picture her entirely naked...

When she pointed to a turn he nodded but didn't slow down much. Instead he flipped up his emergency brake and slid around the corner. He laughed as control of the car resumed to a fairly normal driving behavior and they drove down a tree lined roadway. "Seriously Shug,what're you gonna do out here with me? I feel like we're walking on to a slasher flick setup."

Tristan was home early tonight. His father had called another "meeting" and it happened to be one he was dismissed from. After the tenth girl went into his VIP room, he stared feeling a little under the weather and Dave said that he could close up there. Tristan trusted his right hand man to run things, so went home.

He slid his key into the door and walked in, tugging his tie off and shrugging out of his jacket as he slipped his feet from his shoes.

He'd asked here here because he couldn't quite manage to see her whenever she came back to the apartment -- and he knew she did. And because no matter what had happened between them, they needed to talk. He needed to see her. So now he waited, nervous, at the table he'd told her to meet him at.

Anastasia sat at a table by the window wearing a pale yellow sweater that bared both shoulders and a pair of jeans. She stared out the window, not paying attention to the coffee or the donut in front of her. It seemed she thought more than she did anything else anymore.

Niles stood in line in a gray t-shirt that was inside out and a pair of busted jeans. He'd put the shirt on inside out on purpose, dammit. He'd decided that after the third person pointed it out. He was a big boy. He could dress himself.

Isabella stood in line in a deep v-necked red sweater dress and a pair of knee high black boots, her jaw firm. She'd had a nice weekend with her mother, but as soon as she'd gotten up this morning her father had started blowing up her phone which always put her in a bad mood. On top of all of that, she was going to have to reprimand Sterrin today. She didn't like scolding anyone or acting like a badass, but it had to be done.

Smith sat in one of the armchairs working a Sudoku puzzle. It was a complete waste of time, he decided. He should be doing research or working out or something, but instead he sat here, glaring at the sudoku section of the paper and letting his coffee get cold.

Bea sat at a table in the corner reading through a folder of legal papers concerning her comic. Apparently they wanted to make more Stiletto-inspired merch, t-shirts and dolls and stuff like that, which was fine with her. Someone had even expressed interest about making it into a movie, which made her laugh. They'd have to make it XXX rated just to do it justice.

Declan sat at a table, flipping through the latest issue of Smashing. He'd already seen and been involved in the process of putting everything in the magazine together, but he still liked to look at the finished product. Tugging on the black scarf around his neck, he flipped the page.

Olivia stood in line, texting her boss. Julian had decided a long time ago that he didn't like talking on the phone,  so all his orders would come down through text message. Olivia hated it. She missed the satisfaction of being able to raise her voice or hang up on him to convey her annoyance, but it seemed she was stuck thumbing out a five-minute paragraph that would have taken her 30 seconds to type on the computer.

Sterrin sat curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace wearing a white off the shoulder sweater dress and  a pair of brown boots, smiling wickedly back at Joy who was glaring at her. There was a gentleman sitting at the table in front of her that couldn't seem to stop staring, so she looked in his direction long enough to shoot him her best smile. She wouldn't date him in her free time, but if he wanted to make a move she'd be more than happy to give him her De Rossi card.

There was something in the hallway. Anastasia could feel it. It whispered to her, but she didn't look. She turned the TV up louder and louder and refused to look away. She knew how this went. Ignore it and it had no power.
Her head throbbed with the ability it took to keep from listening to it's whispers and she never once flinched, even when she could smell it. Even when it dropped the temperature so low in the room that she could see her breath in front of her face. Her first instinct was to run to Trevor and let him take it away, but he wasn't an option anymore.
She was back where she started.
Her hands shook and she shivered against the cold, but she stared straight ahead at the TV. The clock said Tristan would be home soon.

Trevor was at work, and Gavin was writing. Furiously, in a sweat, pencil ground down to a nub. It was good work, it was brilliant work, it was terrible. It was words, at least. Pouring out of him, making him bleed. He was drinking, too, a sip of whiskey every few pages.It helped him think. Smoking, too, even though Trevor hated the smell of it in the apartment.

He hadn't seen her much this week. Her studio was in need of work and he didn't fault her for wanting some alone time to think, so he'd stayed away. But when he woke up this morning he saw her shoes still by the door which meant she wasn't gone out yet. Or if she did she went barefoot.

When his stomach grumbled he went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and started cooking breakfast. He was in a good mood today and it couldn't hurt to make a good breakfast. Some eggs, french toast, bacon... His stomach grumbled as he got everything out and started the coffee maker too.

Anastasia was down in the Mocha again. It seemed this was the only place she'd been going aside from work. It felt normal down here, but that was likely because no one but Tristan, Trevor and Gavin knew what had happened. She didn't want it to be public knowledge. She couldn't stand the gossip and she didn't want Joy rubbing it in her face every time Trevor was seen out with whoever her was dating.
So she sat alone at a table in a corner, her sketch pad open to a blank page in front of her, and tried to pretend nothing was wrong. 


*******


Declan was also sitting at a table in the Mocha, except he had a large presentation folder open in front of him. One of his writers had turned in a piece on the rapid rise of a new drug called "Cheese" that was a combination of flu medicine and Heroin and as the writer had put it, was a "New Pandemic!"  To Declan, anything plus heroin meant that it was mostly heroin and not really a new drug at all. He sighed, wondering why his writer had wasted her time on this and was making notes in the margin.