Chapter Text
January, 1970
"Three! Two! One! Happy new year!" The Mistress declared with excitement. "God, I can't believe it..."
"Hooray.." Alice said half assedly.
"Are you tired?" The Mistress wondered.
"She's been awake for over twenty-four hours, of course she's tired." The Warden said. He was sat on the floor, in front of the couch where Alice sat.
"Damn, how did you know that?" As she talked, the Mistress went up to the window to look at the fireworks.
"I told him." Alice said. "Wanted to give myself a challenge, I haven't been awake for this long since I had my old job."
"All right then." The Mistress barely paid attention. "Wow, those fireworks sure are somethin'! You guys should come over and watch!"
Alice sighed, then got up and watched the fireworks with the Mistress. The Warden joined in. "Hey, by the way, have you guys seen the twins?" He asked.
"They're outside. Wanted to watch the stars, apparently." The Mistress told him.
"Thanks. 'Cause I can't find them and SOMEONE chewed on my door, and it sure wasn't Jared this time."
"Those guys are creepy." Alice said. "One time one of them punched a hole in my door and the other crawled through it."
"Hey, don't be too judgemental." The Mistress put a hand on Alice's back. "I'm sure the customs are different in....." She hesitated, "...Europe?"
The Warden sighed. "I don't care, they can't keep getting away with this!"
He left the room with determination but was stopped by Charise as soon as he got to the hallways. She appeared to have just come back home.
"Where's Jared?" She asked.
"He's in the bathroom throwing up." The Warden responded before leaving to go outside.
"What?" Charise looked very concerned, her eyes damn near welling up. She knocked on the bathroom door conveniently next to her. "Jared? It's me! Are you OK?"
She could hear him retching. "I..I'm fine, sweetie...." More vomiting.
"Did you have seafood?"
"No.."
"Too much sugar?"
"No.."
"Anything spoiled?"
"No.."
Charise was quiet until she figured it out. "....Alcohol?"
"....Yes.."
Charise sighed. "Oh, J... My sweetheart.. Come out.."
"Not now." Jared retched again. "I...I'll be out soon...."
Charise leaned on the door. Her suspicions were true. Her Jared had been out drinking again. His support groups failed him over and over and he'd inevitably fall back into his old habits. It was a deadly cycle, in the literal sense.
She couldn't bear to see him like this.
Jared opened the door and wiped his mouth.
"Oh, sweetie..." Charise held his hands in hers.
"I'm sorry..." Jared sighed without looking in her eyes.
"J...."
The couple were shoved aside by the twins. "Excuse us." One said. "We have business to attend to." Said the other. They went into the bathroom together and slammed the door.
Charise kissed Jared on his forehead and led him outside. She sighed. "Let's just slow down a bit, OK?"
The Mistress saw the couple leave through the front door. She got up and followed them, opening the door just as Charise closed it. "Hey, where are you guys going?" she asked.
"Jared just needs some fresh air." Charise told her. "That's all."
"If you say so." The Mistress shrugged. She went back to the couch.
Alice had a coffee mug on the table and took a sip. "Did you see the vomit on his face?"
"What?" The Mistress sat on the couch next to Alice's chair.
"He had vomit under his mouth. He's been throwing up."
"Huh... Didn't notice."
"The man's a drunk, isn't he?" Alice asked bluntly.
"Well..." The Mistress hesitated a bit. "Charise has told me that he has some...vices.."
"I knew it." Alice took another sip of her coffee. "Seen him steal cigarettes, too. almost feel sorry for him."
"Almost?" The Mistress raised an eyebrow.
"He's got some way to keep himself together. That girl of his."
"Right.." The Mistress said. She sighed and looked away. "I miss Bruce." She murmured.
"Bruce?" Alice turned her attention back to the Mistress. "That guy you talked about, before...." She didn't continue the sentence.
The Mistress nodded. She looked just as uncomfortable as Alice. Both women knew what the other was thinking. They had never talked about that kiss since it happened, and it seemed they both came to a mututal silent agreement to never speak of it again. Neither wanted to open that can of worms, especially when there was a risk of someone overhearing.
Alice cleared her throat. "I'm. Uh. Glad that he has someone..." She said averting her gaze.
The Mistress only let out a small "Yep." to respond.
They sat in uncomfortable silence. The two women knew they had something they needed to talk about, but neither of them would want to break that unspoken agreement. It would ruin their friendship - or whatever it was - and make things ten times more awkward than they already were.
Thankfully the awkward silence ended, as someone knocked on the door.
The Mistress got up from her seat and rushed to the door. Standing at the door was Nova.
"Oh, Nova! How are.."
The Mistress was interrupted. "Did you read the paper?" Nova asked. She looked like a mess and her voice was weak.
"No, why?"
Nova got inside. She closed the door and pulled out a newspaper from her jacket. She gave it to the Mistress, whose relaxed expression changed to worry. "Oh my God.." She said.
Curious, Alice got up. "What's going on?" She asked just as she stood next to the Mistress. The headline read: "Homosexuals Burn Down Gas Station"
"That's got to be Ash, right?" The Mistress said. "It had to be!"
She read further: "Witness claims to have seen the arsonist carry another individual away - a stocky, black-haired caucasian of indeterminate sex. It is unverified, but assumed, that they were in cahoots."
"Holy shit." The Mistress mumbled. "Bruce?"
She kept reading: "Witness claims the trouble began when the gas station cashier called the two "pansies""
Alice looked sceptically at Nova. "Why are you here to tell her this?"
"Because she wouldn't know otherwise, at least if she hadn't read the paper. Which she hasn't."
"No, no. Why are you here?" Alice questioned. "Couldn't you just call her?"
Nova scoffed "She wouldn't believe me!"
The Mistress chimed in before Alice could retort. She stood between them. "Girls! Girls! Let's just start from the beginning...." She turned back to Nova. "You were saying?"
"My point is, these guys could be Ash and Bruce! We need to investigate." She squinted at Alice. "Unless your new fling objects."
The Mistress laughed with a hint of discomfort apparent on her face. Alice crossed her arms. "I'll..I'll talk to the others!" The Mistress said. "How about you guys wait in the living room and I'll talk to them?"
The two agreed and sat on separate ends of the couch.
After a moment of silence Alice spoke up: "I'm not her "fling", you know." She insisted.
"I was just trying to get her attention, don't get upset." Nova didn't avert her gaze from the psychedelic paintings on the wall.
"Whatever."
The Mistress soon returned. "Charise agreed, at least. As long as we divide into groups."
Alice shrugged. "The van would get cramped, I guess."
"Who'll be with who?" Nova asked.
"Don't know. We'll talk later, the guys are at work right now. They'll be home in a few hours." The Mistress sat next to Nova. She put a hand on her old friend's shoulder. "Stay as long as you like."
November, 1968
A letter slipped in from underneath a door that had seen far better days. A pale hand picked the letter up and opened the envelope. The man to whom the hand belonged read the letter:
"Bruce! Merry early Christmas! I can't write any more letters until '69, so enjoy this letter in the meanwhile.
We're flat broke at this moment. I hope you understand.
You know I support your decisions more than anyone else, I don't want to come across as scolding. But the Mistress misses you. A lot. Since you left she's been acting strange.
Still, I support whatever reason you may have for leaving this place. It's Hell on earth, and I would know. But please come back one day.
I've kept your whereabouts secret for months now, but I think you're gonna have to spill the beans eventually.
Good luck with the new medicine, make sure to shave once in a while.
- Ash
A bag with a razor was taped to the letter. Bruce detatched the bag and put it aside. He put the letter in a drawer full of more letters.
He had to admit, what Ash said made sense.
But what about the Mistress and the Warden? Since she left Bruce for the Warden everything has been so uncomfortsble when Bruce was involved. In a way he felt betrayed. Like he and the Mistress' history meant nothing to her.
Still, it wasn't like the breakup was malicious, the Mistress was polite and all, she was happy to stay friends, but it still hurt.
Even then, it had been so long. If Bruce came back now they'd all be mad at him for leaving them.
Better keep distance.
Then it would all be fine.