Willow Creek

Holiday celebrations when he'd been alive were run like a clock. It was Virgil's chance to shine and show off what he possessed. Despite the dysfunction that went on behind closed doors, when it came to the holidays or any kind of dinner party, Virgil never missed an opportunity to be extravagant. As a child, William grew to resent such gatherings so in the subsequent years after his rebirth, William didn't have much cause to continue celebrating despite the efforts of his Maker and his lover. In recent decades, however, William was trying to make more of an effort to remedy the remaining years he'd missed out celebrating Yule. While he declined to participate officially in the Secret Santa event, he had thought of another who might be disinclined to celebrate as much as he. The vampire hoped to bring a smile to the woman's usually bittersweet expression. ( Read more... )

In the few years since Ashley's return, Vernon's health had improved considerably. However, for the shifts where she got stuck at the diner all day made her think of getting a dog a few years ago to keep Vernon company when Ashley couldn't be there or Georgina. Rusty, as he'd be aptly named, had been a great improvement in their lives and become just like another family member. The property of her grandparents, like the rest of the houses on the block, butted up against a vast field that had yet to be discovered by a developer and torn up for housing. If that ever happened, and that was looking less like an if but a when thanks to the construction of Kingston's latest project, she would certainly miss the field that woman and canine emerged from but she'd be glad for the neighbors. Ashley may have been born and raised a small town girl, but she'd grown to love New York City. Plus, it would be a bonus to get people here who didn't know her family history. ( Read more... )