Morningstar Manor

Roxy was in the gym, running on the treadmill as she contemplated Spencer and his working late. She knew he had the responsibility of the whole store, but feeling like second place didn't sit well on her shoulders. It wasn't like she was expecting a whole lot, just some time with him after work to unwind and relax... At least it didn't sound like a whole lot of expectations when she mulled it over in her head.

*~*
Logan was sitting on a patch of dirt in the gardens, not really doing much of anything. He had a trowel and a flat of pansies beside him and Appa was napping in the shade. A bit more out of place was the white envelope on top of his backpack. It was regarding college and for now, he didn't want to open it.

~*~
Travis was taking in the sights of summer as he sat in the Mocha, laptop open as he pretended to put the finishing touches on his final paper for art history class. Truthfully, it was done; he'd finished it at Macy's after they'd discussed several of the pieces he had to include. She'd helped him quite a bit and for that he was grateful because this art history crap was boring to him.

*~*
Eve had today off and decided to spend it by the pool. She'd already gone for a swim so her hair was damp, but her body dry. That was the advantage of comfortable loungers, she thought as her eyes opened and she moved gingerly, hoping she hadn't gotten sunburned while she'd napped. Satisfied at the non crispy feeling, she sat up and ran her hand through her hair.

~*~
In the mail room, Tristan was contemplating how incredibly wrong the contents of his mailbox looked. He'd separated the junk into one pile, bills and other correspondence into another and stacked the magazines. Currently the latest issue of Parents was layered between Smashing and Maxim... With a chuckle he added Cosmo and thought about how that should make Rhiannon laugh when he got the mail to her. Hopefully she thought it was funny.

*~*
"Oh thanks, you're such a doll." Erin said with a broad smile to the doorman as she juggled a tote bag of groceries and Amelia's leash. "Come on hun; don't trip over your ears now." She said to the dog as she tried to hurry along. Callan would be home soon - if he wasn't already - and she hadn't so much as started dinner yet.

~*~
In the garage, Chad was juggling his own groceries as he listened to the message on his voicemail. He sighed as it ended, and he dropped his phone in the process of trying to close it up. "Damn." He swore lightly. Not because he'd dropped his phone, nor because he had to put things down to pick it up, but because Logan's grandparents had requested to have him for the summer, reminding Chad that the boy would be going off to college soon and he'd be on his own again. Chad wasn't sure if he was ready for Logan to be gone.

Erin was walking out in the garden, leash in one hand and phone in the other. She'd let Amelia go wandering off, but within sight, as she talked to her father.

"Yes, Dad, I know. But I didn't want you to think I forgot about you. Especially not with tomorrow so close." She said, knowing it was always tradition for her to call her father for Veteran's Day. He might not wear the uniform any more, but he'd worn it long enough.

There was a long pause on Erin's end and should somebody be standing close, she'd be concerned about them overhearing. A quick glance around revealed that nobody else was out. Probably because it was freezing and if she wasn't walking the dog, she wouldn't be out here either. Then he said something that made her stomp her foot, completely offended by what was said. "No Daddy. I love him and it doesn't matter." Then she bit her lip to fight back tears as the voice on the other end of the line raised. "He makes me happy, that's all that should matter to you."

Amelia ran off, chasing something, but Erin didn't see. She plopped down on one of the benches on the path, feeling like absolute shit again. "Yes, Sir. I understand. Goodnight." She said, hand dropping as she pressed the end button on her phone. If it weren't a new one, she'd chuck it, she thought. Then she realized Amelia had run off where she couldn't see and got up to go after the pup, tear streaked face, sniffling nose and all.

Saturdays, in general, were somewhat lazy days. The day of the week most Manorites were bustling about, getting done what was pushed off during the week. In that nature, there were quite a few residents milling around.

Memphis had taken his basket down to the laundry, dumped his clothes in the washer and fled off to the game room where he set up the pool table.

Travis was sitting in the Mocha, attempting to study a video lesson for his ASL class.

Also in the Mocha, turning the pages in a book, sat Chad. He looked like he was reading. Honestly, he was thinking about several things.

Logan and Appa were playing outside, taking advantage of the piles of leaves.

Just down the hall, Erin was in the process of collecting her mail.

Roxy had taken off to the roof, to lounge about in the hot tub and have a bit of a lazy afternoon.

In the garage, Eli was scrambling to get everything out of the trunk. He'd gone out and gotten groceries, to include dog food, which was a pain in the butt to juggle.

Between the elevators and a truck, Tristan was commanding a moving crew, overseeing the process of merging his and Rhiannon's apartments. Some things were going to storage Rhiannon had set up, other things were being moved to a storage room at his club. He made a mental note to follow up with the TA within the next week.

"Oh 'scuse me." Eve said to one of the movers as she slipped past with a messenger bag strapped across her shoulder. Figuring she should probably stay out of the boss's way, she went off to the back corner of the lobby to open her laptop and check her calendar for DeRossi appointments.

Ashlynn was humming softly to herself as she ran on the treadmill. The gym was not a place she'd ventured to often the last time she lived here, but it was pretty nice and quite convenient now.

Since Spencer had done the laundry yesterday, Roxy was sorting out the mail today. She opened up the box to find a smaller box, opened that one and enjoyed one of the chocolates in the box while sorting.

--
Erin was out in the garden with Amelia. It was breezy and she had her hands in the pockets of her jacket as the dog wandered about sniffing at the ground.

--
Tucked away in the library sat Logan, coffee in hand and Appa under the table as he worked on a paper due for History. He kept mixing up the dates and names of these events and it was starting to irritate him.

--
Travis had his laptop in the Mocha, browsing between costumes and potential birthday presents for Memphis. They both landed on the same day and both required attention, which was not one of Travis's assets.

--
Ashlynn sat in the laundry room, cup of hot chocolate growing cold on the washer beside her. She had her headphones in her ears and was singing along to something in French.

--
Memphis, as usual, was out in the garage spending some quality time with Lucy. He had a bucket of cleaning supplies out and was currently buffing the wheels with a power buffer. A soft whirr noise filled the air as he worked.

Fall had finally come and the evenings were beginning to get cool. Which meant even more people than usual decided that a coffee in the evening was a nice idea.

Jack had just come from a long shift at the Lamb and was in desperate need of a coffee. So he got in line and sent a text to Declan.

Must have coffee. Want one?

***

JJ was already sitting at a table, sipping his coffee and looking through a car magazine. He'd had a long day at work, then a nice long practice with the band where he'd had that interesting encounter with the new bookstore owner. Now he had no more plans for the night and coffee and a magazine in the Mocha seemed as good as any.

***

Kara was headed to the Lamb but was also trying to fight off the cold that seemed to be going around. She'd taken a nap thanks to some cold meds and now needed a strong coffee to perk herself back up so was standing in the line for the counter.

***

Ruprecht stepped from the men's restroom and put a sign in front of the door that said Out of Order. He looked over the crowd of people and sneered a bit.

Memphis was out in the garage, looking over Lucy. He could have sworn there was a scratch on it the last time Travis had brought it home, but now it was gone. Something was either messing with him, or the boy had gotten it fixed. Either way, the scratch wasn't there now and Memphis was looking for evidence.

Travis had indeed scratched the precious red fender on Lucy, though his brother had taught him touch-up work at least. He'd fixed it out in Macy's driveway while she sat on the hood and talked to him. Once in the elevator he hit the button to take him up to the pool, though he was more interested in the roof, where Charlie had taken him previously.

Erin sat in the Mocha, curled up on the couch by the fireplace and reading a book. She was waiting for Callan to get home. He'd had some shoot to do at dusk and she didn't feel like being in the apartment alone since he'd taken Amelia with him.

Tristan was in the process of wading through business emails in his office when Dave tapped on his door. Once inside he handed Tristan a purple envelope and left again. Contemplating just exactly what this could mean, he set it aside. Picking up his phone he texted Rhi. When's the next baby appt again so I can make sure to go?

Chad was frustrated with the way everything had seemed to come down on his head. There had been another body found, a gruesome one that had been left for a while, and now the press had gotten hold of the story. He'd spent his afternoon taking turns being yelled at by the higher ups and being screamed at by worried City residents that called the station.

Logan had been down to get the mail and take Appa outside. He saw his father walk across the lobby as they came in. Knowing the look on his face, he decided it might be best to let him have space for a bit. But a nagging feeling crept over him and he headed off to Olivia's apartment. Things just weren't right around here and he was curious if she'd want to listen.

Roxy had been downstairs doing laundry this evening. Until the lights had flickered on her and gone out. Remembering what had happened the last time the lights flickered, she left everything where it was and went upstairs. From the lobby she texted Spencer to let him know she wasn't there anymore and went into the Mocha for some tea.

Eli was looking over some websites on his little laptop. It was a bit embarrassing for him, to be researching low sperm count and how to fix it, so he was in a back corner of the library. He kept glancing up periodically though, hoping that if somebody did come up to him, he wouldn't have to share what he was researching.

Memphis was in the garage, giving Lucy a bath while Travis carried their bags of groceries inside. While he was on the way past the elevators, Erin was on her way up. She had stopped into the Mocha and grabbed treats for later, so her hands were a little full. Tristan was on his way out, and had come down the stairs or else he would've held the door open for her. He ducked into the Mocha to grab coffee before work.

Meanwhile, Logan was out in the garden with Appa and contemplating what to do for dinner. He got out his phone and texted Chad, who happened to be in the mail room, to find out if he was on his own or if Olivia was coming to dinner. It was a safe assumption, Logan figured, after the third night Chad had come home after midnight.

Eli had been checking the mail as well and when Chad's phone sounded, he checked his as well. Finding nothing on it he shrugged and tucked it back into his pocket.

Callan had been out taking Amelia for a walk. Nothing weird about that as with the heat a lot of people were waiting until the sun went down to take their dogs out. He'd walked into a crowd of people going the other way and felt something. Something that made him sick. Something that scared the ever loving shit out of him. Not because it was something that could've happened to him, but because of Erin.

He was almost one hundred percent positive that whoever was doing all the murdering had just passed him in the street. He'd sensed the darkness, the evil, and felt for just the barest second, what one of those girls had felt like.

He hadn't turned around to go back home. Instead, he'd scooped Amelia up and headed toward the fire department. Obviously Erin wasn't going to be in any sort of danger right then, but he wasn't going to take any chances.




Summary: Callan senses a little bit about the serial killer, which causes him to worry about Erin. He goes to walk her home from work and along the way they decide they'll take advantage of her upcoming 3 day weekend by taking a road trip to the Carolinas.

Urquhart was leaning outside the door leading from the Mocha into the garden, coffee in one hand, cigarette in another.

Looking up at the clouds, adding some of his own, and making lists in his head.

Eli was still on leave, and on the phone with his boss. Out in the garden he paced as he squared away some appointments for paperwork, explained vaguely what he had in his plans and begged for an extension on his leave. Sure, he had the time, but he needed the approval.

~*~
Travis was down in the laundry room, trying to find a cool place to wait. The floor was hard, but it was cool, and he sprawled out on it as he waited.

~*~
Erin had finished he shit at work and was settled in to the Mocha with some iced coffee thing. This was her weekend off and she was planning for her and Callan to go visit her parents. She smiled, considering that they would be taking his car and a Porsche in her father's driveway would be a first. They couldn't say he wasn't good enough for her this time.

~*~
Roxy was in the mail room, getting the mail for her and Spencer. She looked over the envelopes, a little worried that something would come up at a different store and Spencer would have to sort it out again.

Decan stood against the wall in the garden, chain smoking and shaking all over despite the fact that he was standing in the sunlight and it was relatively warm outside. He'd gotten on the elevator intending to come down to the Mocha, and his descent from the eleventh floor where his apartment was hadn't stopped on the ground floor where the Mocha was located and instead had continued on down to the basement. When the doors opened, there had been nothing in sight, no one wating to get on, and for a long moment, the elevator hadn't moved no had the door closed. He remembered coming down here with Jack when he was introduced to that Goblin thing, and he had no desire to explore it again, with Jack or without. 

After a few moments of hitting a few buttons to random floors, just to get away from there, the elevator had taken off with a shudder and started a slow ascent back up. He watched as the floors ticked by, bypassing the ground level right away. At twelve there was a shudder and the floor display above the doors flickered at thirteen for a moment, and he felt his heart stop, but then there was another jerk and the doors opened at fourteen. He'd gotten off and taken the stairs down, as he figured he would be doing from here on out. 

He remembered what Jack had said about the thirteenth floor too.

Fuck. That.

She'd gone to work in the clothes she'd worn out to Callan's on Saturday, so she was wearing her jeans, a white tank top, and her uniform shirt, sleeves rolled up and front unbuttoned. Her attention was centered on the packet of paperwork she'd gotten from the Tenant's Association.

Actually getting it was one step closer to asking Callan about moving in. Getting it filled out was another, then turning it in was all they had left. Figuring she could fill out the parts relevant to her, she reached for a pen in her pocket and came up with nothing. "Freakin pen. Where'd it go?" She mused aloud but to herself.

Sterrin had gone home to pick up some things before heading back to Max's for the weekend, and had almost ran into Callan, who was drunk and stumbling, as Declan lead him by the arm out the door.

"I told you, Jack is fucking asleep," Declan hissed and Callan swatted his hand away.

"Don't give a fuck," Callan murmured, then turned and shot a dark glare at Sterrin before Declan led him to the elevator and got on behind him, presumably to lead him out of the Manor.

Sterrin shook her head and went inside, then directly to her room where she started throwing the things she would need in a tote bag. She was almost done when there was a light rap on the door.

"Come in," she said, knowing it could only be Declan. Jack never knocked on her door.

Declan came in, head down and looking sheepish. "What was that all about?" Sterrin said as she glanced up at him.

"I fucked up," Declan said on a sigh. "I saw Erin in the Mocha with someone, and he - saw it. I didn't tell him, but he saw what I was thinking about."

Sterrin sighed and pinched the area between her eyes. "He's not going down there, is he?"

"No. He left."

Sterrin nodded, then shooed him out the door before picking up her cell phone and calling Erin. Friend rules required that she give her a heads up.

The Mocha was hoping as it usually was in the mornings.

Max sat at his usual table, dressed in black slacks and a crisp white shirt, and went through his appointments for the rest of the week. He'd been a busy man and it was nice to be able to sit for a bit and enjoy a coffee.

***

Jack had a horrible hangover. He'd celebrated Cinco de Mayo in a big way and was now paying the price for it. Huddled in a corner of the Mocha he sat with sunglasses over his eyes and drank from a large mug of the strongest coffee they had.

***

Jason was taking a small break for another cup of coffee and leaned against the wall in the Mocha where he could see everyone. The workers on the roof were keeping him busy. The had contractors they always used of course but this job required more than the normal men and outsiders always made Jason twitchy.

***

Loki was bored. Bored bored bored. Which was never good for anyone involved. He was draped over his usual armchair but instead of reading from his usual book he was simply staring into the fireplace, the flames reflecting in his eyes.

Chad was throwing darts while he waited for his laundry to finish. Things had been a bit routine, monotonous, and that was starting to bother him.

Logan had holed himself away in the library to study for finals and not thinking about not going to his prom.

Memphis was bringing some groceries in from the garage. Enough to fill both hands and make the door a little troublesome to open, but if he needed he could handle it.

Erin had gone out to the gardens, laid a blanket down by the angel statue and opened up a new book. She laid in the sun reading until a shadow fell over her, then looked up.

Travis had gathered some things and gone into the Mocha. He was dreading the next two weeks and knew a little time to de-stress wasn't going to kill his grade point average. Or at least he hoped not.

Knowing that Harvey was better and Rhiannon was supposed to be resting, Tristan went to check his mailbox. He whistled as he sorted, then just shrugged at the purple envelope. It was about time... He thought to himself as he actually opened it.

Since today had been a nice day out, Roxy was coming in again from going out on a run. She'd stopped in the lobby to tie up her shoe when she felt a little dizzy and decided to sit instead of stoop.

Erin had spent the first couple days back from Greece only coming home to get clothes. It was quite nice to go to work, go to Callan's and be leaving from there to go to work again. The only downfall was, well the load of mail in her mailbox. She was sorting through a stack of enveloped on the table when somebody had paused beside her and she looked up.

"Hey sexy." She greeted Sterrin with a grin. "How was your birthday party?"

Erin didn't know where Sterrin was staying, so she left a small red box at the desk for her. Inside was a necklace and matching earrings, along with a note. Sterrin,
Hope you have a happy birthday, love. Call me later and tell me how the party went.
Erin

She'd done some packing, checked the weather reports for Greece, and managed to get through half a book before she realized something. There was an almost full gallon of milk in her fridge that wouldn't survive two weeks. Supposing she could send it over to Niles for at least Lola's sake, she decided to take it to him. At her door she noticed the manila envelope containing her photo shoot proof that she said she'd take over too. It was probably the last thing he needed or even wanted around, so she left it behind.

Barefoot, but wearing dark blue jeans and a black wrap around top, near full gallon of milk in one hand she knocked on his door and wondered if he was home.

Erin had seen the fliers promoting the pool party. Figuring it was kinda convenient that she'd just gone bikini shopping with Sterrin she wondered if Callan would be interested too.

Grabbing her phone off of the counter, she called him to ask.

Erin made her way down to the lobby at one, as planned, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a green tank top. It was the day to wear green, after all. She spotted Sterrin easily and smiled as she walked over. "Hey hun. Ready to head out?"