Who: Harlow and Reid When: Early evening, Monday, June 25 Where: Seaview Status: complete
Point Pleasant was everything Harlow expected it to be. Small, cozy and outwardly beautiful. Beneath the surface, she felt the thrumming magic in her blood, pulsing with promise. Beneath the magic was something dark. Dark and hungry. Harlow wanted to bathe in it. Reid was driving, which gave Harlow a chance to really observe the area that passed by. Cute little houses, white picket fences, the smell of the ocean nearby. It was such an unassuming town, one that held so much power. It was thrilling, arousing in such a way that she very nearly gave into the urge to slip her hand into her jeans to get herself off.
As they turned down a narrow street that would lead to their new home, Harlow arched a pierced brow at the sight of the ferris wheel in the distance, peeking up over the trees. “Well, that looks like fun,” Harlow said, drawing Reid’s attention to the sight.
Reid was having incredibly mixed feelings about arriving in Point Pleasant. He hadn’t been there in a long time, and it had been the site of such drastic highs and lows in his life, it was hard to even know where to start sorting his emotions out. Guilt was definitely a factor as he drove them past the turn off to get to his parents’ house. Reid hadn’t told them he was coming back to town yet. He didn’t want to see them yet, but he knew word would get out fast once he started running into people he’d known. He would feel even worse if they heard he was home from someone else, so ... he knew he needed to call them. Just not tonight. Tonight was for him and Harlow.
It was a little strange, to see her in a different environment than the very limited ones they’d inhabited for months now. Especially since this was his hometown. Like two worlds were colliding in a way that was oddly exciting. They had purpose here, Reid felt like he was on a mission. It was invigorating, but also terrifying and enraging and depressing and all manner of things.
Harlow’s question drew him out of himself a bit and he blinked as he followed her gaze. “Huh,” he murmured. “Guess there’s a carnival in town. We’ll have to check it out. The ones I’ve been to here are kinda hit and miss.” Reid focused on what was around them more as they pulled into Seaview, looking for the lot number he’d been given as their new place.
Harlow knew Reid's mind was elsewhere. They were back in his hometown, where his brother had died and his family still lived. He had gotten comfortable in the mountains, isolated with Harlow's sisters. Now they were out in the world again, where his pain could sneak back in and control him. But she wasn't going to let that happen. She was here as much for Reid as she was for Reese. Seaview itself was a tad bit depressing, but it would work for what they needed. "There," she said, pointing to the trailer on Reid's left. She was ready to get out of the car and stretch her legs a bit. "Do you know anyone who lives around here?"
Seaview was just how Reid remembered it -- he’d walked through it before, just like most everyone else in town. He’d had a couple of friends who’d lived there off and on through the years, so he knew it wasn’t a dangerous place to live, just run down and poor. It had been the most affordable place to rent, Reid just hoped the trailer was in decent shape. He turned to park in the tiny gravel driveway, shaking his head. “Not anymore, I don’t think,” he said. “I knew a couple guys in high school who lived here, but they’re probably gone now. But who knows who’s moved in since then.” Reid parked and gave her a smile. “It’s kind of a place to land when you fall on hard times, around here.”
Harlow hummed in her throat as she studied the trailer. Then she looked over at Reid and smiled in return before leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. "I guess we're breaking tradition then." Because they certainly hadn't fallen on hard times. Harlow pushed open the car door to slip out. She was eager to check out the new digs and see what they were working with. The thrumming of magic seemed stronger out here and Harlow let her gaze roam over the tops of the trees nearby. Oh yes, this town was going to be a lot of fun. Once they got their bags inside, Harlow was ready to tell Reid what she had planned. "I like it," Harlow said, looking at Reid. "This is going to be good for us."
Reid’s family had never been rich, but they’d always been middle-class comfortable, so they’d never had to live in Seaview. Coming here with Harlow felt a little like going undercover for him, since nobody would think to look for him here. Until it got out that he was back in town, anyway. If that would even be newsworthy to many people. He would find out, he supposed. Reid followed along and carried bags -- a task that was much easier after the months he’d spent chopping wood and doing chores around the house in the woods -- giving a cursory glance around as he set stuff down in the living room. The place was already furnished, thankfully, and while it was a bit run-down looking, it was cozy enough. Reid gave Harlow a little smile, relieved that she didn’t immediately hate it. He stepped in closer, slipping an arm around her to pull her in against him so he could press a kiss against her head. “I think so too,” he agreed. Reid gave her a little squeeze and then took her hand and stepped back. “Come on, let’s check out the rest.”
Harlow knew that she would miss the space and privacy that came with living in the mountains, but she would get used to this. And it wasn't as if they would be here forever. When Reid took her hand, she let him lead her through the rest of the place. There wasn't much else to see but she was glad to see the bed was a decent size and the plumbing in the bathroom looked fairly new. "I'll put some protection around the place tonight," Harlow told Reid, walking over to the bedroom window to open the blinds and let some light inside. "I can make it that no one can find us here, if that's what you want." She knew he was jittery about seeing his family again, and it was bound to happen, being in such a small town. But she could ease some of his worries if he wanted her to. Harlow was itching to use her magic here anyway, aware that the town's energy would only enhance it.
At first, Reid had harbored some reservations about living with Harlow and her “sisters,” but then he’d gotten used to it and actually came to love the sense of family and community that came from living in the little enclave of witches. Now he wasn’t sure how it would be living without them. He hoped that Harlow wouldn’t be unhappy here with just him. They were there for a purpose, of course, so there would be things to occupy their time, but still. This was his first time living alone with a partner, and he thought it might be hers too. At Harlow’s offer, Reid wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. “I have no doubt that you can, but I dunno if I want to go that far,” he murmured as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He gave it a bounce or two to test the mattress -- it at least didn’t feel like it was decades old. “I need to talk to them soon, I can’t just hide away here for long, and somebody’s gonna see me and tell them.” It wasn’t that his parents were bad people or anything, it was just so hard to see them after everything they’d all gone through. Reid knew he had to face it eventually, he just needed a few days to settle in first.
It would be an adjustment, living alone with Reid without her sisters, but Harlow was confident that it would work out. He was as much her family now as her coven. Harlow walked over to Reid and slid her hands through his hair. "Give it a couple of days. Once you're settled and comfortable again, you can go talk to them." She had no idea how his family would react, or if Reid would be happy to see them. But they couldn't let anyone in this town deter them from what they were there to do. Harlow would at least put enough protection on the trailer that no one who caused them harm could get through. She already assumed the O'Reilly witch had done the same to her home, but Harlow could work around that. "No pressure from me, at least. But I would love to see the rest of the town. You want to wear a disguise?" Harlow grinned, brushing her thumbs along his jaw. "Baseball hat and sunglasses?"
Reid’s hands found Harlow’s hips as she came closer, and his eyes shut briefly at the feel of her fingers in his hair. He was addicted to her touch, and she always seemed able to settle his nerves with just some petting. He nodded a bit as she voiced his thoughts, completely unsurprised that Harlow knew that was what he needed, then chuckled a bit. “Roll around looking like the Unabomber, hood up, shitty mustache,” he murmured with a smirk. Reid leaned in to kiss the spot between Harlow’s breasts. “I’ll give you a tour though ... were you thinking now?” He tilted his head up a bit to look at her, his lips still close to her body. Reid kind of hoped she didn’t mean tonight. They’d just escaped the car, it would all be easier to see in the daytime, and dusk was approaching ... plus Reid wanted to settle in.
Harlow laughed low in her throat, already imagining Reid wandering around with a fake mustache and glasses. That would draw more attention than if he just went around town as himself. "We can settle in before the tour," Harlow said, slipping her hands back into his hair. She loved soothing him, reminding him that she was the only one in his life who could. "That was a long drive. Maybe we can order some food, unpack and just get used to our surroundings. I want to put some protections on the place too. And... I think we should talk about what we plan to do here." Harlow needed to make sure they were both on the same page. It would be easy to roll up to the O'Reilly house and wreak havoc, but Shayna Mae was a witch and Harlow knew it wouldn't be that easy. She wanted the woman to suffer for what she did to Reid.
His hands slid around to cup her ass for a brief moment as he nuzzled her again, but he didn’t let them linger there, aware that they actually had stuff to accomplish before they got too wrapped up in each other. Or he got too wrapped up in her, more accurately. “That sounds good,” Reid told her as he sat back a bit, aiming a little smile up at her. He only had the vague notion that they were going to get revenge -- Harlow had told him she had a plan, and he trusted her completely. Reid knew there wasn’t much he could contribute except pointing her in the right direction, but she was right that they should be aligned on whatever was going to happen. “Delivery options around here are basically pizza, burgers, Chinese or Thai food ... any of those sound appealing?” They could get the mundane shit out of the way first, he figured, and maybe talk about the plan over dinner.
Harlow smiled down at him. "Thai food sounds pretty good," she said. When they were out and about, they could stop at the store and stock up on some food. She never minded eating out with the circumstances called for it, but Harlow definitely preferred to cook at home. "Since you know the right places around here, why don't you order and I'll start getting our stuff unpacked. I feel like if I leave it too long nothing will ever leave our bags." If they were going to be living here for a while, they needed to get properly settled, and the first step was unpacking. Harlow knew this stay was temporary, but she still wanted it to feel like home for both of them. Her magic thrived when she was comfortable and that included her surroundings.
Reid knew that to him, ‘home’ would be wherever Harlow was, for as long as she wanted to keep him in her life. He hoped that would be indefinitely, but Reid also knew that things could change on a dime, and he could never fully bet on anything. Life was cruel that way. He was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted though, that was for sure. For the moment, he focused on settling in with her. In spite of this being his hometown, it took a bit of Googling for him to find the number to the Thai restaurant. Once Reid had placed their order, he pitched in with unpacking, a little amused that all of his clothes only took up one dresser drawer and a few hangers in the closet. He hadn’t really taken much to North Carolina in the first place, half expecting to drive himself off a bridge after another failure at finding help. It was funny how life worked out.
He generously tipped the delivery guy when he showed up, then started laying everything out on their new-used kitchen table. “I dunno how close it is to real Thai, so don’t judge it too hard if it sucks,” Reid told Harlow with a little grin. “It’s white-people-in-a-small-town Thai, I guess. I remember it tasting pretty good, at least.”
Harlow was happy enough to get her clothes and toiletries put away. She had brought more clothes than Reid but she felt like that was because she simply owned more than he did. It was cooler up here than in the mountains, but summer was summer and Harlow liked to show off some skin. Once the food arrived, she was starving and ready to eat, even if it was white people Thai food. "What, you mean people in Maine aren't cooking authentic Thai?" Harlow asked with a smile as she moved to sit down at the table. "It smells good, so that's something. Tomorrow we'll buy some food and if I can find the right ingredients, I'll make you really good Thai food later." She reached out to start opening the containers. "Where was your favorite place to eat when you lived here?"
“The owners might be Thai? Or at least Asian, I don’t remember,” Reid admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “But it’s definitely tailored to rural white people's taste.” He sat down too and started to fill up the paper plate in front of him from the containers. He was hungry too. His smile was slightly embarrassed at Harlow’s question. “Uhhh ... probably Dino’s. They do pizza and easy Italian stuff. But I was mostly hooked on the pizza.” His diet had improved greatly, living with Harlow and her sisters, seeing as how he’d lived primarily on junk food since he’d been a teen. Reid was in full support of shopping so Harlow could cook, he’d gotten used to actually eating well. Now that there weren’t multiple women to kick him out of the kitchen, maybe she could teach him some things so they could rotate cooking duties. “There are some actually good restaurants around though, it’s not all junk food.”
Harlow could understand the owners changing up their food to appeal more to the white crowd. But authentic Thai food was delicious and Harlow decided she would make some for Reid soon. "Dino's pizza," Harlow repeated before taking a small bite of the food in front of her. It tasted fine, thankfully. "We'll go have some this week. If you're up for it." She knew Reid was anxious about being home, but Harlow figured the sooner people knew he was back, the better. She just wasn't going to push him into it until he was ready. Eying him, Harlow had to admit he did look a lot healthier now than he had when they first met last winter. His body was still lean, but he had some muscle and there was color in his face. He smiled more. Once Harlow had realized she had been fated to meet Reid, she had taken it to be her responsibility to save him. And while there was definitely progress, there was still more to do. "I want to tell you what I have planned for Shayna Mae... it's not for the squeamish, Reid. If you have any reservations, I need to know about them. Once it starts, there's no going back, do you understand?"
Maybe it would be strange, taking Harlow to the places where he grew up -- the places where he did so many things with Reese. But Reid still wanted to do it. Like he could show her more of who he was by showing her his hometown. He didn’t yet know if he would introduce her to his parents, that already felt mortifying for some reason, but the rest of Point Pleasant ... he wanted Harlow to understand it. Maybe she was uniquely positioned to understand it. He’d been chewing when she brought up Shayna Mae, and Reid’s jaw slowed as he listened. He knew how serious this was going to be, even if he didn’t know the details yet, and his heart started beating harder as he swallowed. “I understand,” he murmured softly with a nod, his expression somber as he looked at her.
Harlow wanted to see more of this town because it was where Reid grew up... not only that, but it was entwined in magic. There was darkness permeating here and it was difficult not to want to wrap herself up in it. "I want to gather some more information on her family," she explained. "Because we'll be taking them from her first. She has two brothers and her father is still living, but I want to make sure they feel the consequences of her actions too, before it's all said and done. That's the easy part." Harlow paused to take another bite of food. It was pretty good, for white people Thai. "But for Shayna Mae... there's a demon that witches can conjure with blood magic. It's called the Ultio. Its only purpose is to hunt down its intended prey. Even the strongest witches can't destroy it. Once we set it on Shayna Mae... she's finished."
Two brothers and a father was far more family than had been taken from Reid, but he couldn’t look at any of this logically. The depth of pain he’d been drowning in from losing his twin couldn’t be compared to anything else. He was sure Shayna Mae cared about her brothers, but there was no way that care measured up to how much he’d loved Reese. He twisted his fork in the noodles in front of him as he listened to Harlow speak about the demon, some twisted sort of excitement curling in his gut. “Are we ... is the plan to kill her family first?” he asked quietly, his tone neutral for the moment. “Or are we taking them away in other ways?” Reid felt no hesitation inside about setting a demon on Shayna Mae, but killing three extra people who hadn’t actually been involved in Reese’s death in the beginning ... he wasn’t sure about that yet. Not that he didn’t want them all to suffer, but that didn’t have to mean they all died, did it?
"Death is too easy," Harlow said simply. "It's only one quick strike. We want her to see them suffer while they're alive. Family is important to witches... well, most witches. Once she realizes their misfortunes are her fault, it will be too late for her to do anything about it. She took Reese from you just like that." Harlow snapped her fingers. "But we're going to take her family from her slowly, and painfully. And then we'll take her life. That won't be a quick process either, because I know she'll put up a fight and that's exactly what we want to see." There was excitement and anticipation racing through her the mere prospect of performing sacred, dangerous blood magic. It was only heightened by the knowledge that she and Reid would be avenging his brother. Reid would finally get to see what Harlow was capable of, and that would bind them even more firmly together.
Reid found himself nodding along, slightly relieved that they weren’t going to just murder Shayna Mae’s family ... but he didn’t mind making them suffer. God knew he and his own family had suffered greatly with Reese’s illness and then his death, so it was past time to pay that forward a bit. Reid thought he could even help in causing them problems, with his hacking skills. Hadn’t one of her brothers gone to prison? Reid couldn’t remember exactly, but he would find out. He got his own rush of excitement at the prospect of killing Shayna Mae herself, though, like a rush of bubbles through his gut. “And this demon ... after it's done with her, it's just ... done? Like it goes away and doesn’t target anybody else?” he asked, his gaze still steady on Harlow’s face. He definitely wanted revenge, but he didn’t want to put Harlow in any danger to get it, so he really hoped she knew what she was doing with this kind of risk.
Harlow set down her fork and folded her arms on the table, completely focused on Reid now. She knew she needed to explain this thoroughly so Reid truly understood what was going to happen. Dealing with demons was a complicated thing and she needed Reid to be prepared for what was going to come. "The Ultio is a demon that can only be summoned by witches, using the blood of the person seeking their revenge, in this case... you. There are sacrifices to be made to control a demon like this. You'll be witnessing everything it does to her." Harlow bit back on admitting that Reid would be experiencing Shayna Mae's fear and pain, afraid that it might turn him off from the idea. They could talk about that later. "As long as it kills its target, it returns to where it came from. It won't target anyone else... unless they attempt to get in its way. It will not rest until it kills who it's meant to kill."
One of his brows lifted at the news that this whole thing would require his blood, but it didn’t make Reid shy away from it. He trusted Harlow with his life now, and that included every drop of blood in his veins. Even if it ended up killing him, it would be worth it to know that Reese’s death would be avenged. “I was about to ask how we would know it was working,” Reid murmured with a faint smile. He wasn’t sure how he would get to see it all happening, but he had to admit he wanted to witness it. That bitch deserved to suffer, and Reid wanted to taste it. “That’s reassuring though, I guess ... Have you done this before?” His gaze was steady on her as he asked, no judgment in his tone, just a keen sort of curiosity. In his mental vision of her, Harlow was dark and dangerous, but in a way he found endlessly appealing and even sexy. He wanted to know if she had killed anyone before, and he hoped she trusted him enough to tell him.
She wanted Reid to be reassured, to know that she would take care of everything, even if things went sideways. There was no reason to shy away from Reid's question, because he had lived with Harlow and her coven long enough to know that they delved into dark magic more often than not. So Harlow nodded while picking up her fork to eat some more of their dinner. "A couple of times. It's not something I took pleasure in. It was something that someone else wanted. This is different, because it's for you, and it's for Reese. I want you to know that I know what I'm doing and when we leave this town, no one will ever know what happened to her."
He felt another surge of excitement in his stomach. Getting revenge and getting away with it scot-free sounded like a pipe dream, but Reid was learning that it was entirely possible. Thanks to Harlow, he was going to get his chance to balance the scales again. “Do you think she’ll know what’s happening?” he asked, slowly twirling his fork between long fingers as he continued to look at her. She was so petite and beautiful, but there was a hard fierceness under her skin that the soft parts of him wanted to cling to and learn from. “Like is this demon a kind of well known thing among witches?” Reid was sure he sounded stupid asking, but he really didn’t know much about how witch society worked. Did they share spells between covens like recipes? Were there common books? Or was it all just piecemealed together by each individual witch?
"She may." Harlow shrugged. "I think most witches are aware of its existence, but few would agree to conjure it. There are consequences to dark magic, especially blood magic. Not many witches are willing to put themselves on the line for a stranger or for money. So it's possible she'll recognize it, but it's also possible she's never been introduced to the kind of magic I grew up around." Harlow set her fork down again to reach over and brush her fingers along the hair above Reid's ear. It was exciting to have a lover who trusted her so implicitly. Who looked at her with admiration instead of revulsion when he learned her secrets. It inspired Harlow to show him more, to take his hand and pull him into the darkness with her. "Even if she realizes what's happening... she won't be able to stop it."
It made Reid wish that he knew more about the O’Reillys and the kinds of magic they used, but they probably kept that kind of thing close to the chest. He would have, if he’d had that kind of power. As it was, Reid didn’t tell many people at all about what he could do with a laptop and a wifi connection. Harlow knew the gist of it, but even then he hadn’t gone into a lot of details yet. The soft touch felt nice, and Reid turned his face a bit to brush his lips against the inside of her wrist. “Good,” he whispered against her skin, eyes closing briefly. “I know it might not be part of the plan ... but I want her to know what she’s dying for. That it’s karma coming back for her.” Really, he wanted to hear Shayna Mae grovel and apologize and beg, then stomp on her face, but he knew that might not be feasible.
Harlow nodded. "She'll know. We'll make sure she knows." To most people, it would have probably been disturbing to know how attracted Harlow was to Reid, especially when he talked about avenging Reese. Reid would be an active participant in Shayna Mae O'Reilly's downfall and Harlow found that to be incredibly arousing. "Once we're settled here, we'll start finding out what we can about the family, about where they live and what kind of magic we're dealing with. We won't leave until we know Reese can move on peacefully."
His attraction to her was undeniable, but there was far more than that between them now. Harlow made Reid feel in ways he hadn’t ever experienced before, and he was hooked on her now, body and soul. The confidence in her voice sent a rush of warmth through him -- she really cared about this, about giving him closure and helping him put Reese to rest the way he deserved. Reid set his fork down and pushed his chair back enough to slide out of it, shuffling forward on his knees to hug Harlow around the waist and nuzzle his head to her chest. “Thank you,” he murmured. He’d already said it and he would say it again, but Reid didn’t think she would mind. He meant it every time. “I owe you everything.”
Harlow's hands slid into his hair as soon as he was close and she leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head. "You don't owe me anything. I want to do this for you, and for Reese. You both deserve closure." And while they were taking down the O'Reilly family, Harlow could get to know this town a little better. Find out its secrets and see just how much of it she could take with her. Reid wouldn't fully understand the magical pull she could already sense here, but now that Harlow felt it, she wanted to know more. "Want to finish up here and see how big the shower is together?"
There were those incredible feelings again -- if he had to owe somebody in life, he was glad it was somebody who said he didn’t. Reid felt a debt to Harlow already, but he didn’t view it as a bad thing. He was going to pay her back in love and devotion because he wanted to. He was hers now, and he had never felt more content with anything else in his life. Reid lifted his head and grinned before he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Yes please,” he murmured, smiling again. He pulled away and returned to his seat to finish dinner, even though his stomach felt half-full of anticipation of everything to come. Maybe it was fucked up that summoning up a vengeance demon was the same flavor of excitement as fucking his girlfriend in their new home, but Reid didn’t care. He was happy and looking forward to the future, and he was going to ride that feeling for as long as it lasted.