Episode 738: Shake It Off

Avalon stopped in her Pippi Longstocking getup, and smiled for a moment as she observed the scene, for the first time in awhile, the future wasn’t looking so bleak to her. Until a cat-suited Lila saddled up to her.

"So," the redhead said, "I’m thinking our first order of business should be to set a firm wedding date."

Ava actually didn’t dislike Lila anymore, her best friend’s wife had grown on her overt he years, and Ava knew Lila sincerely wanted to do a good job in planning the wedding, but Ava herself, was not yet prepared to plan the wedding.

"The first order of business," Ava corrected, "is for me to take care of the store tonight, now is not the time for wedding talk." It would be the time though, someday. She swore it, for now, she just wanted to put it out of her mind.

Bas, in full Dracula regalia, dropped handful after handful of mini chocolate bars into his niece’s bag, his eyes on Avalon and Lila on the other side of the store, his heart praying they’d make some progress.

"Are you sure you’re supposed to give me this much?" Tansy asked, good kid that she was, she would worry about him making a mistake.

"I’m allowed to spoil my niece," maybe not to that degree, but what was done was, done, if they had more kids come in, he’d find some mints or something, "after all, I did make your parents drag you here when you’d probably rather trick or treat with your friends."

"I don’t mind it here." Tansy adjusted one of the sheer blue sleeves of her Elsa costume, looking weirdly forlorn for a kid who’d just hit the chocolate motherload.

Bowie strolled over to his eldest son. He placed a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, the boy dressed as a fifties greaser, the closest he was willing to get to a costume. "Thanks for coming along with us, Jess, but it looks like Ava doesn’t need filler anymore for her event, so if you want to catch up with your friends for a bit before curfew, go ahead, just don’t get up to any trouble, okay? Halloween isn’t a license to be an idiot."

"Nah, I’ll stay, I’m good," Jesse said, just as he spied Caroline and Charlie walking into the store. He couldn’t believe Charlie had actually brought her. Apparently, Charlie didn’t have a clue about his intentions towards Caroline. Charlie truly considered him a friend now. Jesse did his very best not to feel guilty about that.

Episode 739: Since You Been Gone