Who: Stephanie Aldrige [Medusa] and Dalton LaRue [Gaston]. When: Sometime soon after THIS. Where: Dalton's mansion in Seattle, Washington. What: A surprise. Rating: Possibly R.
When working, Dalton was happy. Laughing, even. But whenever he was in his office, he faced the sad thoughts of going home to his empty house. Ever since Stephanie had left, the place just wasn't the same. He had never minded the emptiness before, possibly because he used to live the life of a scandalous rogue. But now, as he sat in the window seat of the room he'd seen Steph in so many times, he felt as empty as the mansion.
He used to scoff at the people who told him that he'd be lonely in such a place. He used to sneer at the people who asked when he was planning on settling down and making the house a home. At that time, his idea of 'settling' was placing a mounted deer head above his fireplace. Something clearly had changed within him. Looking around, this place did not feel like a home. It felt like a drafty, lifeless place where a man would go to get drunk and pass out in his clothes.
Dalton smirked slightly, taking a sip of water from his champagne glass. "Since when did you become so overdramatic?" he asked himself. He didn't want to feel this way. He just didn't really know how to change it. He couldn't force Stephanie to come back. And he didn't want her to pity him. But he missed her smile and the way she'd laugh as he chased her from room to room. He even missed her angry face.
With a sigh, he got up from the seat and went into the massive lounge. He looked around for something to occupy himself with and settled for the piano that he couldn't really play. Sitting down and setting the glass on top of it, he let his fingers flutter over the keys as though he was Ray Charles. He even closed his eyes, thinking that might help. At times like this, he wished he'd paid attention in music class.