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escritoireazulWhile this was not the third story I wrote for Trick or Treat, it is the third Roswell fic, so I thought I'd post it in that order. Trick or Treat had a community challenge where participants tried to make sure everyone in the exchange had at least two gifts. (It didn't quite work, unfortunately, but I know people are still writing stories even after reveals.) As a part of this, people kept posting updated lists of who was without a treat. I had some extra time headed into the weekend, and went looking at prompts (again, I'd already been through a couple times already). This request leaped out at me; the friend who introduced me to Roswell absolutely loved Tess, and had lots to say about the way fandom often hated her back when it was airing. I'm glad I had the chance to write a little story about her.
I absolutely hate this title, but could never come up with a better one.
Title: This is Halloween
Author: escritoireazul
Characters/Pairings: Tess Harding, Kyle Valenti, Maria DeLuca, Liz Parker, Isabel Evans (Tess/Kyle, Maria/Michael, Liz/Max, Isabel/Alex)
Rating: General audiences
Word count: 800
Written for:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lionessvalenti for Trick or Treat 2015
Read on AO3
Summary: Tess finally celebrates Halloween.
“You’ve never celebrated Halloween?” Maria asks. Tess shakes her head, smiling a little. She hopes it looks happier than it feels.
“Nasedo didn’t like Halloween.” There were many things he didn’t like, and many things he strongly believed which, now that she’s interacting with the others, she knows bound him and his actions in ways he never even realized. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Kinda is,” Liz’s eyes are wide and her smile bright. “A rite of passage.”
“For you.” Tess’ voice is soft, but Liz’s smile doesn’t falter.
“It’s not too late for you, either.”
Tess shrugs, and the talk turns to classes. Lunch is almost over anyway.
#
Tess is reading, stretched out on the couch, when Kyle comes in. She moves her feet, and he flops onto that end of the couch, doesn’t stop her when she tucks her feet under his thigh. Her toes are cold, and his legs, even through his jeans, very warm.
“Liz talked to me today,” he says. She turns a page, waits. “She thinks we should throw a Halloween party.”
Despite herself, Tess smiles, carefully marks her place with her finger, shuts the book, and meets his gaze. He’s watching her, almost eager – no, definitely eager, excited, and it makes her chest grow tight.
“Your dad won’t mind if we pack your house full of drunk high schoolers?” she asks, and he laughs a little.
“Yeah, no. But maybe just us –”
Us.
He’s still talking, but all Tess can hear is that word, echoing. Because he knows what she is, and she’s a part of “us,” and Tess still can’t believe she’s welcome here.
“—horror movies?”
Kyle’s waiting expectantly for an answer. Tess blinks, then beams at him. “Yes,” she says, “everything. All of it.” It doesn’t matter that she’s not sure what all he suggested. She trusts Kyle. She trusts him.
His smile gets real big, a little smug, at that.
“Come on,” he says, and practically jumps to his feet. He reaches down for her, offers her his hands. Tess drops her book, wraps her fingers around his, lets him pull her to her feet. His hands are very warm, and, for a moment, she lets herself cling.
#
Decorating the house – their house, she lives there too, and sometimes that thought is so strange she has to stop whatever she’s doing and remind herself of the choices she’s made and the lessons she has decided to ignore – is an absolute blast. Kyle climbs a ladder to hang fake spiderwebs and purple and orange lights from the roof; while he’s struggling with tangled strings of lights, she changes the bushes into monstrous shapes and repaints the front door black with the sweep of one hand. Kyle sets up a scarecrow to sit near the door, lurking in the shadows; Tess makes its face horrific when he’s not looking, then makes it move when he faces it again. He shrieks, and she giggles, and then he chases her around the yard for awhile, shouting outrageous threats, until they’re both breathless and filled with laughter.
Isabel, Liz, and Maria bring great golden pumpkins to decorate. They spread old newspapers across the kitchen table, put on music (Isabel has multiple cds of Halloween-themed music, because she is ridiculous like that, and Tess gives her a hug, surprising both of them), and settle down.
“No powers,” Liz orders. Tess raises her eyebrows, but Isabel laughs and hands her a strange little knife that’s not really sharp enough to do much at all.
“Trust me,” Isabel says. “It’s much more fun this way.” Her grin goes sly, and she adds, sotto voce, “We can always fix them after.”
#
It may be more fun to shove that little knife into the pumpkin, but it is hard work, impossible, and nothing Tess tries turns out.
Still, it makes her laugh, and Kyle trades pumpkins with her, and in the end, crooked faces or not, she has fun.
#
Tess expects things to get all couply fast at the party, because it’s just the eight of them, and things get pretty couply at the best of times. But Maria and Isabel exchange stories about their favorite Halloweens as kids, and the guys and Liz come up with grosser and grosser ideas for Halloween treats, and Tess never once feels excluded.
They settle in to watch a couple movies (Halloween, of course, because Tess has never seen it, and it could not be more fitting, and Nightmare on Elm Street because Isabel loves it best). Tess ends up squished on the couch between Isabel and Kyle, sharing caramel popcorn heavily spiced with hot sauce. She licks stickiness from her fingers and can’t stop grinning.
Kyle puts his arm across her shoulders halfway through the first movie. Tess leans into him, comfortable, content.
I absolutely hate this title, but could never come up with a better one.
Title: This is Halloween
Author: escritoireazul
Characters/Pairings: Tess Harding, Kyle Valenti, Maria DeLuca, Liz Parker, Isabel Evans (Tess/Kyle, Maria/Michael, Liz/Max, Isabel/Alex)
Rating: General audiences
Word count: 800
Written for:
lionessvalenti for Trick or Treat 2015Read on AO3
Summary: Tess finally celebrates Halloween.
“You’ve never celebrated Halloween?” Maria asks. Tess shakes her head, smiling a little. She hopes it looks happier than it feels.
“Nasedo didn’t like Halloween.” There were many things he didn’t like, and many things he strongly believed which, now that she’s interacting with the others, she knows bound him and his actions in ways he never even realized. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Kinda is,” Liz’s eyes are wide and her smile bright. “A rite of passage.”
“For you.” Tess’ voice is soft, but Liz’s smile doesn’t falter.
“It’s not too late for you, either.”
Tess shrugs, and the talk turns to classes. Lunch is almost over anyway.
#
Tess is reading, stretched out on the couch, when Kyle comes in. She moves her feet, and he flops onto that end of the couch, doesn’t stop her when she tucks her feet under his thigh. Her toes are cold, and his legs, even through his jeans, very warm.
“Liz talked to me today,” he says. She turns a page, waits. “She thinks we should throw a Halloween party.”
Despite herself, Tess smiles, carefully marks her place with her finger, shuts the book, and meets his gaze. He’s watching her, almost eager – no, definitely eager, excited, and it makes her chest grow tight.
“Your dad won’t mind if we pack your house full of drunk high schoolers?” she asks, and he laughs a little.
“Yeah, no. But maybe just us –”
Us.
He’s still talking, but all Tess can hear is that word, echoing. Because he knows what she is, and she’s a part of “us,” and Tess still can’t believe she’s welcome here.
“—horror movies?”
Kyle’s waiting expectantly for an answer. Tess blinks, then beams at him. “Yes,” she says, “everything. All of it.” It doesn’t matter that she’s not sure what all he suggested. She trusts Kyle. She trusts him.
His smile gets real big, a little smug, at that.
“Come on,” he says, and practically jumps to his feet. He reaches down for her, offers her his hands. Tess drops her book, wraps her fingers around his, lets him pull her to her feet. His hands are very warm, and, for a moment, she lets herself cling.
#
Decorating the house – their house, she lives there too, and sometimes that thought is so strange she has to stop whatever she’s doing and remind herself of the choices she’s made and the lessons she has decided to ignore – is an absolute blast. Kyle climbs a ladder to hang fake spiderwebs and purple and orange lights from the roof; while he’s struggling with tangled strings of lights, she changes the bushes into monstrous shapes and repaints the front door black with the sweep of one hand. Kyle sets up a scarecrow to sit near the door, lurking in the shadows; Tess makes its face horrific when he’s not looking, then makes it move when he faces it again. He shrieks, and she giggles, and then he chases her around the yard for awhile, shouting outrageous threats, until they’re both breathless and filled with laughter.
Isabel, Liz, and Maria bring great golden pumpkins to decorate. They spread old newspapers across the kitchen table, put on music (Isabel has multiple cds of Halloween-themed music, because she is ridiculous like that, and Tess gives her a hug, surprising both of them), and settle down.
“No powers,” Liz orders. Tess raises her eyebrows, but Isabel laughs and hands her a strange little knife that’s not really sharp enough to do much at all.
“Trust me,” Isabel says. “It’s much more fun this way.” Her grin goes sly, and she adds, sotto voce, “We can always fix them after.”
#
It may be more fun to shove that little knife into the pumpkin, but it is hard work, impossible, and nothing Tess tries turns out.
Still, it makes her laugh, and Kyle trades pumpkins with her, and in the end, crooked faces or not, she has fun.
#
Tess expects things to get all couply fast at the party, because it’s just the eight of them, and things get pretty couply at the best of times. But Maria and Isabel exchange stories about their favorite Halloweens as kids, and the guys and Liz come up with grosser and grosser ideas for Halloween treats, and Tess never once feels excluded.
They settle in to watch a couple movies (Halloween, of course, because Tess has never seen it, and it could not be more fitting, and Nightmare on Elm Street because Isabel loves it best). Tess ends up squished on the couch between Isabel and Kyle, sharing caramel popcorn heavily spiced with hot sauce. She licks stickiness from her fingers and can’t stop grinning.
Kyle puts his arm across her shoulders halfway through the first movie. Tess leans into him, comfortable, content.
