Chapter 24
Bash
The week leading up to the Halloween party was crazier than usual.
It was all hands on deck when it came to setting up the clubhouse exactly to Seph’s specifications.
After a long day spent obeying the woman’s orders, Fiona and I crashed into bed, exhausted.
As she lay on top of me, I twirled one of her red curls around my finger, and she sighed.
“Sorry about all the work, baby. I know Ma and Seph go a little overboard with Halloween. If you’re feeling burned out, just tell me. There are plenty of people to help them out.” Moving my hand from her hair, I cupped her chin, tilting her face up so I could see her expression.
“Don’t you dare! I’m having so much fun. We never got to do anything like this growing up,” Fee replied as a sadness flitted over her eyes.
We spent the evening like that, with Fiona telling me about what her Halloween experiences were like growing up.
She wasn’t complaining. There was a fond look on her face as she recalled the amount of candy she and Atlas managed to con out of people.
How they always offered to help work the school party so they could get first dibs on the best prizes and snacks.
I was glad she had him, that they had those happy memories, but I wanted her to have more now.
She fell asleep on top of me, but sleep eluded me.
My mind kept turning over everything she had told me.
I want Fiona to have everything. I want to give her anything she had ever wanted or could want.
With that thought in mind, I gently slid Fiona off of me, and made sure she was still sleeping soundly next to me in bed.
Sitting upright, I grabbed my phone and thought of an idea.
Growing up, there was a nearby farm my parents always took Charlie and me to for pumpkin picking.
A quick Google search showed that, not only was it still up and running, but it had expanded to include a corn maze and other Halloween-themed events.
I only had vague memories from childhood, and hadn’t been back in years.
The idea of seeing it through Fiona’s eyes was exciting, and soon, I had a Halloween day planned just for her and me.
All that was left to do was call Charlie in the morning to negotiate a new time for her and Fee to meet to get party-ready.
I set my alarm to vibrate and deliberately slipped out of the house before Fiona was awake.
Stopping by Sugar two oddly shaped pumpkins that Fiona insisted we get, plus leftover treats.
Once inside, I took a quick shower before getting dressed in the shirt Charlie had provided.
At a quarter to nine, I decided to head over to the clubhouse.
When I got inside, it was no surprise to see that Reaper and Seph had gone above and beyond when it came to the party setup.
They had transformed the main floor of the clubhouse into a gothic ballroom.
There wasn’t a bare corner in sight. The walls were covered in a mix of black fabrics, some in heavy velvet others, sheer and billowing.
Dispersed throughout the room were striking arrangements of flowers the color of blood and midnight, while candles floated from the ceiling. More bouquets and skeletons were artfully placed throughout the room.
The shirt Charlie gave me was a simple black tee with the Batman symbol on it.
I had it on under my cut, curious as to what it meant for Fiona’s costume.
Images of Fee in a Catwoman’s black leather bodysuit flashed through my head, or maybe, she would dress like Harley Quinn or Batgirl.
Whatever she wore, I was excited to see her.
Looking around, I was by far the most underdressed partygoer at our table.
I was sitting with Reaper and Seph, who were dressed like Bonnie and Clyde.
Reaper was holding court in his pinstripe suit, jacket off, but still in his suspenders and fedora.
He had a cigar in his mouth and a large prop gun at his side.
As promised, my father was dressed as a pirate. His definition of sexy included a billowy shirt unbuttoned to his stomach, with carefully styled hair and mustache. Let’s not forget his eye patch or the toy parrot on his shoulder.
Mom looked like some sort of sea witch. Her black dress reminded me of something from Pirates of the Caribbean, and her hair was decorated with shells and starfish. She had a belt with a sword on her hip, and was carrying a jug of rum, which both my parents had started dipping into a bit early.
“What a lovely sea witch yer make, me dear. Maybe you’ll let me check out yer lower decks tonight.” Dad waggled his eyebrows at the stairs that led to the bedrooms.