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wednesday-woeful-addams · 1 year

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Woeful Reckoning 2/5

Summary: Wednesday torments Vincent Thorpe with a little help.

Masterlist

Ao3

Notes: This had hallucinations, spiders, dead crows and a character basically having a breakdown. If these things trigger you, please take care.

xxx

Wednesday finally had everything together, everything she needed to start the torment of one Vincent Thorpe.

First, a tail on the man, so she called her uncle Fester.

"You have his schedule?" she asked him

"Of course, my little fly trap,"

"I want you to tail him, but wait for my signals, alright?"

"Of course, dear,"

"I mean it," It was always good to make sure with her uncle. He could be a little too eager sometimes.

"Yes, my deadly little protege. I will be completely at your command," said her uncle, a chuckle coming over the connection, "Oh, this is going to be so much fun, the two of us working together,"

Wednesday allowed herself a smile. She never could help it with her Uncle Fester.

"Goodbye, Uncle Fester," she said and hung up.

xxx

Vincent was sitting in his study, answering emails, when the lights flickered and then gave out.

"What the hell?" he said to himself.

Lights didn't just go out in places like the ones he resided in. He paid good money for everything to be in tip-top order.

Vincent waited for a minute or so to see if they would come on on their own. Nothing happened. He let out a frustrated sigh and got up. There wasn't any staff here since it wasn't on his larger residences. He'd have to check for himself what was happening.

Except, when he rounded the desk, the lights came on again.

Glad for his luck, he shrugged and sat down.

Probably just some small fault. He would check on it in the morning.

xxx

Second, Wednesday had to cut off his connection to information on his son.

"Remember, this should not get to Xavier," she told Enid and Biance, "That would ruin the whole plan,"

"But you do plan on telling him, right?" said Bianca

"Of course," she told them. Both girls raised their eyebrows at her. Fair. "I will tell him once I have given the man a bit of a breakdown,"

More eyebrow-raising. This time it was more amused than judgemental.

"You know he deserves it," she told them.

There was nothing either of them could say to that.

Vincent did deserve it.

"We'll be discreet," said Enid, "Well, as discreet as you can be while spreading gossip,"

xxx

Sean Orlav made his way across the quad, spotting a few of the 'secret' nightshade members having a whispered discussion. From the few bits he could hear, they were gossiping. He smiled. Some of the older vampires didn't like what the nightshades had become, but Sean didn't mind it. His version of the nightshades had done good work, but not everything had to be serious. These kids would have enough shit to deal with once they hit the world outside of these walls. What was the harm in letting them play secrets?

However, as he passed by them, another one of their comments made them stop.

"Speaking of the rich parents, have you heard about some of them paying people in the school?"

"What do you mean?"

Interested, Sean quickly ducked into an adjoining hall to listen.

"Well," that was Bianca, "Rumour has it that someone's been leaking information about the students for money. Apparently, it's so parents can keep an eye on their kid, but it's still creepy,"

"Oh yeah. Definitely. The principal should do something about it,"

Sean's heart sank. Had somebody found out? He wasn't being paid, and he was only talking to one parent, but rumours started somewhere.

"It has to be one of the vampires, right," Sean thought that it might be Ajax, "I mean, some of them are older and are around the younger students a lot,"

"Wow, that makes sense,"

The group started moving. Not wanting to give his location away, Sean also slipped away.

He had a phone call to make.

xxx

Vincent finally picked up the phone the third time it started going off in ten minutes.

"You know Sean," he said, impatience seeing through. "When someone doesn't pick up their phone, it usually means you should stop calling them,"

He had been dealing with his power flicking in and out all day and couldn't find the cause of it. It wasn't even in the whole house at the same time. If he didn't know better, he would have thought there were ghosts turning his lights on and off.

"I can't talk to you about Xavier anymore," said Sean, words coming out in a rush.

Vincent raised his eyebrows in surprise. What the hell?

"Sean, where is this coming from?"

"I just heard some students talking about someone getting paid to talk and give information about the kids to their parents and-"

Oh, he had to be kidding.

"Sean-

"-I'm worried somebody might have found out and-

"Ok, Sean-"

"I have worked way too hard to now be-"

"Enough, Sean!"

Vincent heard heavy breathing as Sean got himself under control.

"So you're telling me," said Vincent, pinching his nose, "that you're worried cause you heard some kids gossiping,"

"Well-"

"Sean," said Vincent, "It's just gossip. Probably just a coincidence,"

"Yeah, okay, but what if the rumours spread and they actually start investigating and-"

Vincent took a deep breath.

"Sean, please listen to me,"

Sean stopped again. Vincent let a few moments of silence pass.

"Are you listening, Sean?"

"Yes,"

"There is a 99% chance they are just rumours," Vincent told him, "And if they do ask you anything, we aren't doing anything wrong. You're an old friend. Teenagers are unpredictable, and I wanted someone I trust to keep an eye on my son. I ask you how he's doing, and you answer. It's not a crime. You aren't doing anything wrong,"

"Right," said Sean, "Right. But they're probably just rumours, right?"

"Of course, they're just rumours,"

"But if somebody else is doing it and they investigate-

"Sean," said Vincent, exasperated

"Right. Right," Sean took a deep breath, "Right. Thanks. I have to go now,"

"Bye, Sean,"

"Bye,"

Vincent threw the phone on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He was starting to think he had been infected with some curse. The day could not get any more annoying.

Just as the thought crossed his mong, the lights flickered and went out again. Vincent groaned and resisted the urge to throw something against the wall.

There was a knock at the door, and a dark head peaked in.

"The lights seem to be out in the whole house, Mr. Thorpe," said his normie assistant turned manager Jenna, "What would you like us to do?"

Vincent sighed. Might as well throw in the towel. He could work somewhere else for once. It wouldn't hurt too much.

"Go home. Tell Darius and Shameem that they can leave too. I'm going to the penthouse,"

"Are you sure you don't want one of us with you, sir? Just in case,"

Vincent smiled. Jenna, like his outcast manager, Darius, had been with him since the start of his career. They tended to worry.

"I'll be fine, Jenna," he told her, "I didn't always have you all running circles around me,"

Jenna smiled, "Whatever you say, sir,"

She turned around, closing the door behind him. He sat up to reach for the phone when the dizziness hit.

He only had a few seconds to situate himself back in the chair before the vision hit.

Vincent was sitting on his childhood bed. His father was leaning over him, trying to tuck him in.

"Just one more time, Papa?! Please!"

His father chuckled.

"Just one more time, son,"

The walls around him rippled, and colourful butterflies started to dance around him.

"Goodnight, son,"

"Goodnight, daddy,"

The vision ended, and Vincent was back in his study.

What the hell had that been? His visions were usually in response to a question or a situation he was wondering about. It was how he served his clients. Why was he being shown his childhood? The only thing he had been thinking about these days was the flickering lights.

He tried to think harder about it, but it only worsened his post-vision headache.

Oh, hell. It was probably nothing. Most likely an odd response to Sean's unexpected phone call. He might be one of the most capable psychics around, but the visions were never going to be an exact science. It had been a nice memory anyway.

Time to head to the penthouse. A strong drink while looking over the city would most likely fix his mood.

xxx

Sean Orlav was passing the empty choir room- well, the supposedly empty choir room- when his keen ears picked up the whispers of a student and the principal. He slowed down outside the room, leaning against the wall and listening in.

Despite Vincent's reassurances, Sean had to admit he had been on high alert, and this seemed suspicious.

"I wasn't sure if I should tell, but I am pretty sure that somebody has been leaking information for money. They're saying it's one of the older vampires,"

Sean bit his lip. Shit.

"Thank you for your concerns. I will, of course, look into these claims as swiftly as possible,"

Not needing to listen to any more of the conversation, Seam slipped away and went straight to his dorm room. There was another email waiting for him from Vincent, sent just a few minutes ago.

Good, he was probably available for a call.

The man picked up on the first ring.

"That was oddly quick. You never answer with a phone call,"

"They told the principal. There will be an investigation. Vincent, I can't do this anymore,"

"Sean-"

"No, Vincent. You are putting my future in danger by insisting on this," he pleaded.

"I made an investment in that future, Sean. I really don't think it's in jeopardy," There was a bite to the other man's tone now. He was getting angry.

"Don't you understand? I just can't risk it. I know this was a friendly little favour I did for you, but now it's becoming more than that, and I can't risk myself, Gina and Deeksha like that, even if you are supporting us financially.

"And if I cut off that support?"

Sean squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He couldn't believe it. Just like that, he was going to lose one of his biggest supporters, who he had thought, had also been one of his oldest friends.

"Then I guess you're not the man I thought you were," he bit out and hung up the phone, tossing it on the bed.

He lay down and wondered how he would break the news to his partners. They were going to be devastated.

If a few tears slipped out, he was the only one there to see it.

xxx

Bianca peeked out of the choir room and then nodded her head to the other people inside.

"Do you think it worked?" asked Enid

"Thing will know soon," she told them

The two new students looked at them hopefully.

"Did we do good?" asked the boy, "I've never shifted for so long before. Still new to the whole thing,"

"You both did great," she told them, smiling warmly but being mindful not to seem too friendly, "We shall have both your nightshade ceremonies later this week,"

The girls smiled happily and hugged the shell-shocked boy. They would have to work on self-confidence for that one. The girl, though, that one already showed potential.

Bianca was quite happy with her new recruits.

Both her and Enid's phones chirped. They shared a smile at the text. It seemed like Sean had taken the bait.

xxx

As soon as Vincent got off the phone, regret set in. He hadn't meant it. The last few days, nothing seemed to be going his way. The flickering seemed to have followed him around the place. The visions of his parents had become common, and while the memories were nice, they were quickly putting him in a depressed mood.

The lack of sleep was catching up to him. His three managers and assistants were starting to notice as well.

Call him back. Set it right.

The voice sounds like Emmaline. His son's beloved godmother. It was funny how years later, he would still hear her as a voice of reason.

Vincent redialed the number, and thankfully, Sean picked up

"What do you want, Vincent?" he asked harshly, "Thought I wasn't useful anymore,"

Vincent winced. Yeah, he deserved that.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into the receiver, "I shouldn't have said it. I didn't mean it. I want to help you succeed,"

"Then why did you say it?" Sean asked, "Cause that hurt, Vince,"

The vampires' voice was hoarse with tears, and Vincent was reminded that their slower aging did not merely apply to their physical bodies. There was a reason vampires took so long to settle in clans. Many of them got stuck in their 'twenties' era.

"I'm sorry, Sean. I really am," he said, "I snapped. It's been a weird few days,"

"Everything okay?" the vampire asked

Vincent's heart constricted.

You don't deserve the concern. Now that sounded like his previous guardian.

"Everything is fine," he told his friend, "Just the usual, you know,"

"You sure?"

"Sure," he said, "I'll let you go now. We'll look at places this break, okay?"

He could almost hear the smile in Sean's voice, "Okay!"

God, he was lucky Sean was so easily forgiving.

"Bye, Sean,"

"Bye,"

He turned off the call and leaned back in his chair. Well, that was one thing that would keep him awake at night.

A knock at the door drew his attention.

"Enter," he called out.

The room to the study opened, and one of the maids came in holding a package.

"This was left to you. Seems like fan mail,"

Vincent gestured for her to set it down in front of him. Once the parcel was placed, the maid left him to it. Vincent was intrigued. he wasn't usually the kind of celebrity that got fan mail. But the ones that came from normies were sent to the office where he took clients. Only outcasts and some normies that he knew personally would send something here.

He opened the package and nearly shrieked in terror.

It was a spider.

Sure, a fluffy plush spider. But still a spider. Body made of two black balls, eight durry legs and, to beady yes, nestled among some white fur.

It would be cute if Vincent weren't deathly afraid of spiders.

Using a pen, he carefully closed the flaps of the box, picked up the box with shaking hands and placed it in the lower drawer. He would get someone to move it later.

xxx

Third on Wednesday's list was scaring the man with presents. Which, if the picture of the spider plush was to go by, Uncle Fester had already started.

"Come on, Wednesday," Xavier called out, "We're ready,"

She looked up to see the group of classmates waiting on her. They were supposed to be finding a list of plants for their botany class today. The winning team got to pick the subject of their next project.

"We've been partnered again," said Xavier, giving her a bright smile. It was good to see him feeling like himself again.

"Just don't fall behind," she told him

He chuckled and saluted her, "Yes, ma'am,"

Wednesday rolled her eyes at his antics but let him fall in step with her anyway.

"By the way, I've worked up to keeping three birds synchronized," he told her, "Wanna see after classes,"

She thought about it. Why not? She told him that much.

He grinned again, "Great!"

xxx

Vincent had barely woken up when he felt himself falling into a vision.

His parents are on the floor. Blood splattered everywhere.

A weak whimpering sound. Xandra.

His little sister was still alive but also covered in blood. Barely hanging on.

"Xandra, come on, Alexandra, stay with me!"

His sister just coughs, and more blood comes out of her mouth.

Something shifts within the vision, and suddenly there's no one in his arms. It was a bit disorienting. The blood was gone, and so were the bodies. The place looked pristine, as if everything had been cleaned up with chemicals.

Something shifted behind him, and he turned to see a little boy standing behind him in the doorway, wearing a look too serious for his little face.

A very familiar little face.

"Xavier," he said. Instead of answering, the boy ran away from him, disappearing into the hallway.

At this point, the vision was now controlling him instead of the other way around. His parents' home had never been large, but in the visions, the hallways seemed to stretch on forever, taking his child further and further until he seemed to be swallowed by them.

"Xavier!"

Vincent comes out of the vision with a jerk, years of practice keeping the screams trapped in his throat.

What the hell had that been?

His hands were still shaking, so he clenched them together to stop them. A few deep breaths later, he felt ready enough to get up and go to the kitchen. There, to his immense relief, he found Darius pouring himself juice. The man was always good at talking to him after a bad vision.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Darius asked him, "Bad vision?"

"It was about Xavier,"

"Oh?" said Darius, setting down the juice. His eyes dark eyes searched him. Whatever he found there must have been upsetting because he pursed his lips and came around the island to take Vincent by the arm.

"Come. Sit down," His friend told him. Darius led him to the couch and handed him the glass of juice. "Drink up,"

Vincent took slow sips of the beverage, allowing the taste to bring him completely back to the present.

"Describe it to me," said Darius. Despite himself, Vincent smiled. Unlike his visions, his friend would always be predictable.

"It started in the house again..."

Darius listened intently as Vincent explained the particularities of what he had seen, his arm gradually making it around his back.

"Your parents did not die like that," said Darius, frowning

"No, they did not,"

"Neither did your sister,"

"No," said Vincent, "Which is why I said it was about Xavier. The others just seemed to be characters with similar faces. I mean, in real life, my sister didn't even make it past her first birthday,"

Darius pondered for a minute.

"Listen, I'm not an expert, but that does not sound like a complete vision. It sounded like an omen. You know you can't take it too literally,"

"I know," he muttered, "Also, Xavier was a small child. I'm pretty sure he was wearing the clothes he wore to Emmaline's funeral, which is another thing that does not make sense,"

Darius pursued his lips, "I see,"

"What," said Vincent, narrowing his eyes, "What is it?"

Darius shook his head, "Nothing important. Just wondering how you know it was the outfit from the funeral?"

Vincent still felt a little suspicious but let it slide. It was probably just the leftover feelings from the vision.

"He hasn't exactly attended a lot of funerals at that age, Darius,"

"Right," said his friend, "Listen, do you want me to cancel your-"

"Oh no," said Vincent, straightening up, "I'll quickly shower, grab a bagel and go,"

"Vin-"

"I have visions all the time, Darius,"

"Not about your son," he said, looking disapproving

Vincent shrugged, "It's fine. I can't cancel last minute. I have a reputation to keep,"

Darius sighed and held up his hands, looking resigned as he got up to finish breakfast. They'd had this argument many times before, and Vincent always came up on top. He didn't know why Darius still tried.

Still, the omen had shaken him a bit. Maybe he could ask Sean-

Shit. No, he couldn't.

He'd shoot Xavier a text as he went for his appointment. It was fine.

Vincent got up, shook off the last bit of anxiety leftover from the vision and went to get himself ready for the day.

Later, bagel in his hand as he sat in the car, he got a call from Shameem, telling him about some resources she had found for Vincent's current writing project.

In his excitement, he completely forgot about texting his son.

xxx

Vincent was running late. Vincent was running very, very late. He barely stuffed a muffin into his mouth and took off. Once he got to his car, he got another rude awakening.

His tires had been slashed.

Vincent groaned. Why? This was what he got for parking outside.

No matter, he would call another car and check the security cameras later.

Once the day was over, Vincent looked at the video feed and, to his dismay, could not figure out the perpetrator. The man was hooded and hunched and very visibly wearing gloves.

"No dice?" asked Jenna.

"None," answered Vincent, "I guess from now on, I'll have to be careful about where I park the car,"

"I'll be heading back then," said Jenna, "Anything else before I go?"

"You're good," he told her, "have yourself a good night,"

"Good night,"

After she had left, Vincent opened his emails and one he was at the end of his list, and he opened up one to Sean just from force of habit. He paused before he could type anything.

Right, he couldn't do that anymore. It was the end of the week, so it was when he should have asked Sean for an update, but that was out of the question. His mind went back to the omen he had gotten earlier in the week, and his palms started to sweat.

Maybe just one quick email or text. What could it hurt?

Don't do it, Vinnie. It's disrespectful. Emmaline again. He hated it when his consciousness took her voice.

Well, Sean was out of the question. What else could he do?

Vincent thought about it. He could text his son. They didn't do it a lot. They both lived in their own worlds, but a simple question wouldn't be too odd. Just a quick 'how are you, son' wouldn't be too alarming, right?

Deciding not to overthink it too much, he sent a quick text and headed off to sleep. Xavier would probably see it in the morning.

There was a notification waiting for him when he got back. A quick 'I'm good' and a thumbs up from Xavier.

Huh. It was after midnight. Shouldn't the boy be asleep by now?

Then again, he remembered his own days as a student. Late nights were common among teenagers, especially those in boarding school. It was fine.

xxx

Xavier stared at his phone screen to see if he would get anything back, but nothing. His dad had read his response and then left it at that.

Maybe he had just wanted a quick check-in. He had realized it had been too long since he had spoken to his son and wanted to assuage his guilt.

Finally, he shrugged and put the phone away. He knew his father. There was nothing more to expect. He took another look at the crow in front of him and sighed. A part of him wanted to abandon the project. Who knew if his father would appreciate it at all? However, a bigger part of him wanted to finish what he had committed to, not to mention his friends had all been very encouraging.

First, it had only been Wednesday and her blunt-to-point critiques and encouragement, but then, eventually, there had been Ajax, Bianca, Yoko and even Enid and Eugene. Ajax had even watched his four crows take flight with Wednesday the day before. He'd kept it from the rest of them. The amazement on Ajax's face had made him want to keep the others as much in the dark as he could. All they knew was that there would be flying crows.

He couldn't wait to see their faces.

Even if Vincent Thorpe didn't appreciate his son's birthday present, he knew his friends' reaction would be more than worthwhile.

xxx

Vincent Thorpe opened the package left on his desk to find something swallowed up wrapping tissue. Intrigued, he reached in and instantly regretted it. A sharp pain went up his finger as it was trapped in something hard. He quickly pulled out his hand to find a-

-a mouse trap. What. The. Fuck.

"What the fuck?" he shouted incredulously.

His receptionist poked her head in, "Everything okay, sir?"

She looked at the trap and then at his red face and quickly shut the door. A minute later, Jenna came in to see him trying to get the trap off his finger. She assessed the situation and grinned.

"At least it's not a fluffy spider," she said

"Haha," Vincent muttered sarcastically, "Help me get it off,"

Since Jenna wasn't the one currently wincing in pain, the process of it went much smoother.

"Should we be worried?" asked Jenna

"Don't," said Vincent, "It's probably just a prank,"

"A mouse trap?" said Jenna, "I don't know, Vincent. Sounds like more than just a prank,"

"Don't worry about it," he told her, Relaxing back in his chair as he massaged his finger, "Really. It's probably nothing to worry about. Now, am I still on for the interview tonight?"

"Yes, you are," said Jenna, "Just a few more, then we'll head back to New York. You have a client waiting there,"

"Wonderful," he told her, "Tell the assistants to get the car well in time and make sure someone stays with it. I don't want another slashed tires incident. There's been two already,"

Jenna frowned, "Don't you think it's becoming a pattern, Vince,"

"Jenna, leave it," he told her, "It's probably nothing,"

"But-"

"Jenna," he said, letting a little bit of warning seep into his tone. "Just the car, please,"

Jenna pursed his lips, "As you wish, Sir,"

Vincent sighed once she left the room. Sir. She only called him that when she was upset, resorting to being overly formal. Darius did the same, except he would refer to him as Mr. Thorpe.

No matter. He had a job to do. No amount of mouse traps or slashed tires was going to stop him. He had been doing this much too long to be cowed.

xxx

That night, he was going through a box of his new printed books when pain shot up from his hand to his arm. The pain was so blinding he couldn't help the shout that he let out, nor the tears that prickled at the back of his eyes.

Darius, it seemed, was still in the residence because he popped in as vincent started to try to get the trap off.

"Hey, I heard- oh wow, that one looks bigger,"

"That is because it's a rat trap," Vincent bit out, still trying to control his functions as he got assaulted by the pain, "Help me get it off. I think the finger is broken,"

Darius fiddled with the contraption, and finally, finally, it gave out. Vincent wrapped his finger in his other hand, trying to stave off the pain. It reminded him of the time Gomez had tripped him in the forest. The other boy had profusely apologized, but it hadn't fixed his broken ankle.

This was the same type of pain.

"I definitely think it's broken," he told Darius

"Hospital?" asked Darius

"Hospital," said Vincent

Later, after Vincent's fingers had been splinted and Darius had called their assistant, his friend threw himself on the couch beside him.

"Well, she says that she was sure the package came in intact. Maybe someone who carried it-"

"I carried it myself," said Vincent, "I found it open just outside my office. Some of the staff have permission to open certain packages. I figured one of them had opened and it but hadn't wanted to enter the office itself,"

Vincent's main residence was a massive townhouse in New york. There was also a penthouse and his residence in LA. Not to mention the office spaces he rented. His agent/manager Jenna, Darius, the publicist, any lawyers, security personnel, assistants and their assistants frequently travelled between residence and offices and had access to pretty much everything that wasn't his private office or study. It had never been a problem before. On the contrary, it created a great workflow for everybody. Most of them had been with them for a while and frequently worked out of both his residences and office spaces and appreciated the trust he had in them.

It seemed, though, they had finally found a con. Someone had obviously taken advantage of the lack of set people in one place and slipped inside to plant the trap.

"Well, shit," murmured Darius

"Get one of the assistants to check the sheet," he told Darius. The sheet in question was where everyone on his payroll put down where they had been and what they had been working on. "It will at least tell us who was here. Maybe someone saw something,"

"Vincent," said Darius, taking on a serious note, "Maybe it's time to contact the police. Slashed tires and traps so close together cannot be a coincidence, which means that this person is escalating. We need to contact the police,"

Vincent sighed, "I don't want to be stuck here, Darius,"

"Vincent-"

"All of this happened in LA," he said, "We're going back to New York the day after tomorrow. I'm sure it will die down once I get there. Whoever this is will lose interest,"

"Vincent-

"I'm not letting this ridiculousness interfere with what I do," he told Darius. His manager looked like he was about to argue. "It's final. I mean it!"

Maybe he put more force behind his words than necessary, but it made Darius back off, so he didn't regret it.

"Well, in that case," said Darius while standing up, "I'll see to the last of your itinerary,"

"Thank you, Darius,"

"Your Welcome, Mr. Thorpe," said Darius, quickly walking out before Vincent could say anything else.

Great. The dreaded Mr. Thorpe.

xxx

Vincent slowly walked to the front of his house, Jenna and Darius right behind him. After the last couple of weeks in LA, he was ready to collapse in bed and maybe just sleep in the next morning. As he trudged up, passing the around the bush his friend always made fun of him for, something clamped around his leg, making him shout in pain and fall over.

"What the hell," said Darius, rushing over, "What is- is that a bear trap?"

Sitting up, Vincent looked over. Sure enough, there was his leg, clamped inside a bear trap. A fucking bear trap. Darius knelt beside him, trying to keep him from moving too much.

"Go inside, Jen. Call 911,"

Jenna nodded and turned towards the house before stopping dead in her tracks.

"Uh, guys,"

Vincent followed her line of sight and froze. For the first time since this whole thing had started, he actually felt fear.

Waiting on his doorstep was a crow.

A dead crow.

xxx

Later, after the hospital and the bear trap and sending Jenna home with security, Vincent sat at him with two detectives. A small, round friendly Detective Bernard and the taller, more serious Detective Logan.

"So the person has caused bodily harm," said Logan, "Obviously, they mean business. Though I have to admit the escalation is a bit off. Bodily harm usually comes after threats. Any thoughts on that since you are the one being targeted?"

Vincent stayed silent until Darius nudged him. He explained as shortly as he could how it might have started in New York. The flickering lights, the spider plushie. "Harmless unless you know me,"

"A plush spider?"

"I'm an arachnophobe,"

"A severe arachnophobe," added Darius, "I wouldn't be surprised if this person tries to scare you to death with them,"

Vincent shuddered. Yeah, he'd rather be skewered to death.

The slashed tires in LA pointed to the knowledge of his parents dying of a tire blowout gone very wrong almost four decades ago, and the traps pointed to him having been watched very closely, especially the bear trap.

"I have a habit, my friends laugh at me for it, but I always make sure to step around the bush. Nobody else does that since it's off the path. That's where they put the trap,"

"And the crow?"

He once again explained as simply as he would about the manifestation of his abilities and how very few people knew about it, and those who wouldn't go around telling people.

If the detectives were skeptical, they didn't show it.

"Could it be someone from your circle?" asked Logan

Vincent smiled, "Oh, trust me, they would be much more direct,"

It wasn't even a lie. They were very few outcasts that would go to this trouble, and Vincent was pretty sure he hadn't pissed them off. The others-well- the others would show up with a knife and plunge it in his throat.

xxx

"I'm cancelling your appointments for the next few days," said Darius

Like hell.

"Absolutely not," growled Vincent

"Not a negotiation," said Darius

"Dar-"

Darius sighed and pinched his nose. "Vincent, did it occur to you that, at the moment, you have a splinted finger and a pretty pronounced limp and bandages? Your PR team cannot spin this to look good for the type of appointments you have in the next few days,"

Vincent quietened. The man had a point.

"This is why I keep you around, I suppose," he told his manager.

Darius snorted and shook his head. "You're going to be at the penthouse. We'll send some extra security. Work on whatever Shameed has collected for you,"

"Okay,"

It was only for a few days. He could still type.

xxx

Vincent and Darius went to pick up some of the notes Shameem had left in the office.

"Now remember, I am allowing you to take some phone calls but if you go against any of the rules I have made for your relaxing days, so help me god, I will siren song you into-"

"Alright. Alright," said Vincent, jiggling the door open, "I hear you,"

"Good," said Darius, turning the light on, "Because let me tell you-"

The man froze as he looked into the room. Vincent followed his line of sight to find another crow lying on his desk.

He sighed. By now, the fear of finding the crow on his doorstep had worn off. This time he was just annoyed.

"This one doesn't slow down, does he?"

Darius merely shook his head and took out his phone, most likely calling one of the detectives.

xxx

Vincent had thought that a few days of quiet would do him good. He should have known better. Sitting still never suited him. It made him too anxious to do anything.

By the second day, he felt like he was going out of his mind. The pain was starting to hit him full force and was not making things better.

The visions had started again. He had just had his fourth one in three and a half days. Every one of them involved Xavier as a child. He didn't understand. He hadn't been around the boy since the break. Why was he having the visions?

Maybe because of the stress of the whole situation?

God! He hated this!

On a whim, he picked up his phone. Looking for something to do that didn't involve working, he found himself scrolling through his text conversation with his son. It was pretty sparse.

Maybe a quick check-in would assuage his mind and stop these visions.

V: Hey, Kid. How're you doing? Any ideas for Cupid's Ball yet?

The valentines dance, usually held at the end of February, was another dance the school went all out for. Xavier would definitely be going.

The reply came a few minutes later.

X: I'm good. Going to wear maroon to the ball. How are you?

Vincent went to type, but the phone slipped because of his splint. He could just answer and stop texting, but he found that he wanted to keep talking to his son. Especially after the events of the last few days and especially after all the visions of him disappearing into halls and, on one memorable occasion, being swallowed up by a tree.

He typed the next message out more slowly.

V: I'm fine. Can I call you?

The answer was instantaneous.

X: Sure

xxx

Xavier stared at his phone. Why did his father want to call him? They were text people. They texted. And even then, only when necessary.

Was something wrong?

He didn't have too long to ponder because the phone started ringing.

Xavier picked up the phone and tried to make his voice as clear as possible.

"Hey, Dad,"

"Hey, Kid," said his father, "Sorry about that. My fingers aren't up to typing at the moment,"

"What do you mean 'aren't up to typing'?" he asked, "Everything okay?"

There was a small lull, and then, "Oh yeah, definitely. Just had a bit of an accident with a door, so now I have a splint. Darius has me out of the office for various reasons,"

"Ah," Xavier was glad that there was at least one sane person his father listened to.

"Anyway, I just wanted to check in about your powers quickly. Have the exercises you learned over break been working,"

Yeah, that made more sense. Once they had realized what was actually going on with his dreams, his dad had paid good money for a soul walker Shameem had picked out. The man had been able to give him a few strategies to return to his own head while asleep.

"Oh yeah, it's been going good. I still wander at night, but it's easier to come back, and there are no murders going on, so there is nothing too terrifying around. The scariest thing I witnessed was this guy planning his dance proposal. There was a lot of pink and a lot of glitters. I stayed longer than I probably should have,"

There was a small silence.

"Is it a bad thing that I kind of want to hear about that,"

Xavier chuckled.

"Well, there was a board, of course,"

"Of course," said his father

The conversation was better than he had expected it to be. Nothing about the usual-

"And how is the new therapist?"

There it was.

"She's good. I like her. Hopefully doesn't end up dead,"

"Well-" started his father and then interrupted himself, "Wait, Xavier, why am I hearing the wind in the background?"

"Uuuuh," said Xavier, "Cause I'm in the shed?" he said slowly

Another pause.

"Wasn't good sleep on the soul walker's to-do list. You have classes at eight in the morning, Xaiver,"

And that was his disapproving tone again. Though, Xavier found he didn't mind it so much. The conversation had been good so far, and didn't every normal parent tell their kid to go to sleep before-

"Holy Shit! It's almost midnight. How did I not get caught,"

"I feel like I should say language," said his father, chuckling, "Go to sleep, Kid and remember to keep doing those exercises,"

"Bye, Dad,"

"Good night,"

Xavier ended the call and stared at his phone, a smile spreading across his face.

A good conversation with his father was a nice surprise for sure.

He turned to the sketch of the crow. Maybe there was hope for his birthday gift after all.

xxx

At breakfast, Wednesday found Xavier in a good mood.

"Apparently, my dad's been kicked out of his office because of some accident. We talked since he had the time. It was nice,"

More than nice, it seemed. Though, with how absent Vincent usually was, a small, normal conversation probably seemed like a lot.

Wednesday pondered. Maybe there was some hope for Vincent 'the idiotic father' Thrope.

xxx

"Eugene," said Wednesday, sitting down next to the boy, "You can speak to bees, correct?"

"In a sense," he answered

"Does that extend to arachnids?"

Eugene shook his head but then smiled, "But I can put you in contact with someone who can. My cousin is a fan of yours,"

Wednesday smirked, "Lovely,"

xxx

Once Darius had lifted his ban, the first thing Vincent did was head back to his townhouse. He had missed the place.

"You know, most people would like a few days off," said Darius as they made their way to his study.

"Not me," said Vincent, "I like my work,"

"Don't I know it," said Darius, "Remember, it's Jenna's birthday in a couple of weeks,"

Vincent nodded as he opened the door, "She's already asked me to pay for a girl's trip with a couple of friends,"

"Right, but I thought we could-"

The phone beeped. Vincent picked it up, quickly reading the notification. It seemed he had a lot to catch up on.

"Are you listening?" asked Darius.

Vincent was startled out of his thought process, "Uh yeah-yeah, something about Jenna's birthday,"

Darius sighed, "I know better than to talk to you when you're like this. I'm heading out. We will discuss this later,"

Vincent waved him off. With another sigh, Darius was heading toward the door. Vincent heard the door open, but it didn't close. Looking up to see, he found his friend frozen in the doorway.

"What is it?" he asked, standing up.

"Um-well, I think this person really hates you," said Darius, eyes still fixed past the doorway, "And you should stay there. There are spiders,"

Vincent's heart nearly leaped into his throat. "Spiders?" he whispered.

"Spiders,"

Maybe it was a morbid fascination, but Vincent couldn't help but walk to stand just behind Darius. The sight in front of them made his heart beat faster, and sweat broke out all over his skin.

There was an enclosed ten-pocket tank of tarantulas sitting outside the door. Each one was in its own little habitat, crawling and creeping around the edges.

Vincent tried to speak, but nothing came out, so he swallowed and tried again.

"Close the door,"

Darius closed the door and turned to him.

"That wasn't there before," he said

"No, it wasn't," said Vincent

"Vinnie, somebody was waiting here,"

Vincent had no idea what to say to that.

xxx

"I'm going to call the principal," said Darius.

Once they had dealt with the detectives, Darius had driven back to the penthouse where Vincent was now sitting, nursing a drink in his hand.

"Probably a good idea,"

"You should tell Xavier yourself,"

"We are not telling Xaiver," Vincent insisted

"But-"

Vincent slammed the glass down.

"I said no, Darius,"

Darius straightened, "Fine. I will call the principal then. Please just stay here,"

Vincent snorted and leaned back. Where else was he going to go?

xxx

The next day, Vincent picked up the phone and reconnected with the client he was supposed to see the week before. Something about a hidden key their grandmother had left behind. It had been one of the easy ones, the grief and desperation making them all give off energies and emotions. Not to mention they were all outcasts, so there was no skepticism among them. He had already spent time around them and had some of their items. He would have to spend some more time among them, stay the night, and he would have his answer.

He was returning a call from them, discussing his previous visions of their grandmother, when Darius showed up unannounced. He did not seem happy.

"I think that will be all for today, Ms. Waller. One of the assistants will email you to schedule something,"

He turned to his friend after putting the receiver down. The man looked livid.

"Why am I hearing that you're going back to work for the Wallers,"

Vincent sighed, "Because it's my job, Darius,"

"Really, Vincent? Really? There's a stalker following you around. Shouldn't you be taking it easy, staying inside,"

"For how long, huh?" he said, "I'm not going to put my life on hold,"

"And what about the rest of us, hmm? Are we supposed just to sit here and worry about somebody following you around? You never take one of us to your client calls,"

Vincent waved a hand dismissively, "You know it messes up the energies,"

"Oh, and all this isn't?"

He stayed silent.

Darius let out a frustrated breath, "Please, Vincent, Please,"

Vincent looked at him. He didn't seem to be backing off.

"Fine," Vincent told him, "But I won't stop working on my research,"

"Of course," said Darius, "Soul walkers, right?"

Vincent looked away. "Yes,"

"Hmmm," said Darius, "Have you had any more visions of little Xavier,"

"A few," he lied. There had been more than a few.

"Have you called him?"

"The principal says everything there is fine,"

Darius gave him a look that said more than his words ever could. He was good at that.

Vincent relented, "Not since that day,"

"Right," said Darius, "Should I even bother?"

Vincent stayed silent. Darius left the room.

The ensuing quiet felt more than a little suffocating.

xxx

Vincent was reading through everything Shameem had put together about soul walkers when the lights on the apartment shut off. Cursing, he stood up, hoping against hope it was a normal power surge instead of whatever the fuck his stalker had going on. Turning on the flashlight, he carefully opened the door of his study, only to be pulled into a headlock.

Vincent struggled, but the assailant had the element of surprise. There was a prick in his neck and a cloth on his mouth. Once his limbs grew heavy, he was dropped to the floor. From the light outside, he could see a figure moving around with a humming sound coming from it.

As he passed out, his last thought was that the voice and figure seemed very familiar.

Vincent woke up disoriented, wondering why he was on the floor. As his head cleared, he instantly reached for his phone. The lights were back on, and the whole house was silent.

He saw the time. He could not have been out for more than 30 mins. He needed to call someone.

As he looked at his phone, he noticed something in the reflection.

Looking up, he nearly screamed. Right on top of him, there was a circle of dead crows just hanging from there downwards, beaks open towards him.

Vincent swallowed his screams and called Darius.

"I'm gonna need you to come here,"

xxx

Vincent stayed in the hotel room for a few days but insisted on returning home. The townhouse had been one of the first purchases he had made that had been something he wanted instead of something necessary or something just to get by.

He could never bring himself to stay away from it for long.

"And anyway, what does it matter where I stay? This person is going to come in anyway," said Vincent

"Vincent, you cannot tell me you're not a bit worried about it,"

Ha. What would worry get him?

"Just let me get to the stuff Shameem brought for me,"

Darius sighed, "Fine,"

xxx

There was a text from Xavier. Vincent should answer, but he was in the middle of reading an interview Shameem had conducted, so he ignored it.

A minute later, the phone rang. Vincent absentmindedly turned it on.

"Hey, son,"

"Oh, hi, dad," said Xavier, "I wanted to talk to you about next month,"

"Next month?"

"Next month, yeah, it's this semester's parent-teacher...

Vincent's eye was caught by a particularly interesting passage, and lost what was being said over the phone.

"-and, um-dad, are you listening?"

Vincent glanced back at the phone, "Right. Sorry, Kiddo, I'm just a little busy. Another time?"

A pause, and then, "Yeah, sure,"

If Xavier's voice sounded small, Vincent didn't notice.

Wednesday, who had been eavesdropping, definitely noticed. And she was not happy.

It was time up the game.

The last thing on her list was nightmares.

xxx

Vincent was walking through the forest when he felt a peck at his head. He touched his head and looked up in time to see a crow flying away. As he watched, the crow circled back and came right for him. As the bird got closer, it seemed to multiply until Vincent felt like a wall of crows was hitting him.

He was still drowning in a whirlwind of beaks and feathers when the sky split open and-

Vincent was sitting up in bed, breathing hard.

What the fuck had that been?

Vincent was very good at telling the difference between visions and nightmares, which had definitely been a nightmare.

God, this stalker was really screwing with his head.

xxx

"I just wish I knew what they wanted," said Vincent as they got ready for Jenna's birthday party. She was going to make a girl's trip with her close friends and then see her family, but everyone at the office had decided to have a little party for her with drinks, snacks and cake.

"Maybe they just hate your shows," said Darius, but his voice lacked the usual humour that would come with a statement like that.

"Haha," Vincent played along anyway, "Very funny,"

Once they got to the place, they paid their wishes to the birthday girl. Darius went over to talk to some of the guests while Vincent took a seat in the corner, not at all feeling up to his usual social self. Most of the people there were employees anyway. They would understand.

As Vicent sat with a drink, he felt the start of a vision coming. He set the glass down and leaned back.

Hopefully, Xavier didn't get swallowed by another tree in this one.

An ancient tree.

A box.

A bed.

And just like that, it was over.

A hint. Vincent had been putting away the thing for the Waller clients before coming here. Obviously, it had caused the vision.

The box and bed he had seen before, but the tree was new. He discreetly looked around for Darius. When he found his friend immersed in a conversation with Jena, he took out his notebook and slipped away.

After writing it down, he called Ms. Waller, explaining the vision and discussing the implications.

"The tree is the answer. I can feel it. Your grandmother was a witch. Was she not connected to the earth? An ancient tree would make a great hiding place, not to mention give wood. Look through her old pictures. See if you can find it,"

He clicked off the phone and turned around to go back into the party, only to find Darius watching him disappointedly.

"You lied to me," said Darius

Vincent winced, "No, it's not like that,"

"Sure," he said, "Let's go back in,"

"Dar-"

"Not now, Mr. Thorpe," said Darius, "We'll have this conversation after the party,"

His tone was so icy that Vincent had to shrink back. They both spent the rest of the night avoiding each other.

xxx

Vincent and Darius made their way up the townhouse steps in silence. There had been no words during the carr ide over either.

Vincent could not remember the last time he had seen his friend this upset, this cold around him. If he was being honest, it was scaring him a little.

"Darius-" he said as they got inside.

Darius held up a hand as he moved into the gallery. He hadn't taken off his shoes or his coat yet.

"How little do you think of me," asked Darius. "No, really," he said as Vincent stared incredulously, "All I asked is to leave the more psychic part of your job alone unit we least know what this person wants, but no, you decide to make a call during our friends birthday party,"

"I had a vision, Darius. I can't always control them. You know-"

"So write it down!" said Darius, "Write it down and ignore it, for God's sake! Instead, you made a phone call! After you said you would drop the work!"

"Darius, come on-"

"No! No, Vincent, you're an addict," he said, waving his hands in the air. By now, they had migrated inside, and Darius was taking advantage of the space to pace around.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Darius laughed coldly, "What do you think it means, huh? YOU. ARE. A. FUCKING. ADDICT. I mean, I can't even say workaholic. You've blown right past that. You're addicted to this"

"Darius-"

"No. No. No!" said Darius, "I told you I was worried, and you obviously didn't care enough to put the phone away for a birthday party. Don't even get me started on your son, Xavier! Your CHILD! You couldn't even make it to his jail cell,"

Now Vincent could feel himself getting angry too.

"I explained that to him,"

"And how long did it take him to believe you, hmm? Maybe he would have understood more if you didn't skip every opportunity to see him. You are so addicted to your powers and abilities that you can't even find the time to have a proper conversation with the boy,"

Darius took a deep breath.

"This needs to stop. You need fucking help, Vincent. Right after we get rid of this stalker of yours,"

Vincent laughed, the voice coming out hollow and cruel, "An addict, huh? Need help, huh? Need I remind you that this addiction is what pays for your annual vacations and the very expensive condo and vacation house you keep?"

Too far, Vinnie. Emmaline again.

Darius stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. Then he started laughing hysterically. In the back of his mind, Vincent noticed that they laughed the same when they were angry.

"You absolute asshole," said Darius, biting out every word. "You think I'm here because of the money I make, really?"

Vincent should say no, should apologize. Instead, he crossed his arms and stared.

"You know you are such an ass sometimes, Vincent. I am your friend. That's why I'm around, but God, you are a shitty person sometimes, not to mention a shitty dad. You wanna know why you keep seeing Xavier in his little funeral attire? Because that is probably one of the last times you paid proper attention to him. The day he almost died."

Darius shook his head. "Emmaline would be disgusted. Considering what you psychics and witches know about the afterlife, probably is disgusted,"

Vincent had had enough. "If I'm so horrible, why the fuck are you still here?"

Darius's shoulders slumped, all the fight going out of his stance. He smiled at Vincent sadly.

"That's a good question, Mr. Thorpe. Don't worry. After today, that changes. You can deal with all of this on your own from now on,"

The slam of the door echoed in Vincent's head for hours afterwards.

xxx

That night Vincent dreamed again.

The butterflies flew around him. He ran after them, fascinated by their impossible colours. Nature didn't create them. They only ever existed in his father's imagination.

"Not too fast, Buddy. You don't want to fall,"

"Okay, Papa,"

However, as he ran, it darkened around him. His father wasn't there anymore, and he was in his adult body again. The butterflies stopped in the air and started to morph.

Vincent screamed in terror as he recognized the shape those butterflies were taking.

Spiders. Giant spiders.

Vincent turned around and ran. Behind, he swore he could hear their legs scurrying as they went over the leaves to catch up with him.

His dread built as he ran, the woods narrowing until he could feel the spiders getting closer and closer and-

Vincent woke up in a sweat, heart pounding in his ears.

Great. Now, he was dreaming of spiders.

xxx

Still tired from the night before, Vincent nearly screamed in frustration as he felt himself falling into another vision. He plopped himself down at the breakfast table and then-

The first he noticed was Emmaline across the dark room, holding a little toddler Xavier. Vincent smiled and went over, except he hit a glass wall. He called out over and over again, but neither seemed to notice. He banged on the wall, but they didn't notice that either.

Just kept on giggling in their own little world.

Vincent came back from the vision feeling drained.

This was just getting ridiculous. He needed a distraction.

When has that ever worked, Vinnie?

He ignored Emmaline's voice in his head.

xxx

Vincent woke up to see a spider dangling over him. He screamed and swatted it away. He turned over and another spide and then another.

His whole bed was covered in spiders, crawling and creeping with their long legs.

He opened his mouth to scream but-

Vincent woke up to a scream trapped in his throat.

It seemed to be becoming a normal occurrence.

Vincent thought about the dream. He sometimes had visions in his sleep, so he had gotten very good at telling visions from dreams. This was definitely a dream, but something seemed almost deliberate about it like it was put there just for him.

Ugh, this whole stalker situation was going to drive him mad. There hadn't been anything since the day he'd been knocked out, but that didn't mean anything. These days if he wasn't working, he was waiting for something else to drop in. He had cancelled most of his appointments. The only clients he had at the moment were, thank god, the Wallers. He also worked on his research on soul walkers, having taken over some of Shameem's load as well.

God, maybe Darius had been right. Maybe he was an addict.

No. No, he would not think about that.

He would not think about Darius being gone. Or that fact that Jenna hadn't called. Or the fact that Xavier most likely-

Yeah, no. Not thinking about it.

xxx

Vincent woke up in a sweat, the nightmare still flashing behind his eyes.

Huge black legs, a large furry body, and blood-red beady eyes.

These nightmares were becoming coincidental, almost like-

-Like somebody put them there.

Shit.

Somebody was sending him nightmares.

This was more than just a simple stalker. Psychic madness was an actual ailment, and giving someone nightmares like that could mimic early symptoms. If other psychics thought that he had psychic madness, he could lose his whole livelihood.

Shit. Who hated him that much?

The only good thing was that this person was definitely inexperienced. Someone who knew what they were doing would not have been discovered so early into the game.

At least he knew there wouldn't be any more presents. The person had moved their torment to the dream world.

xxx

Xavier was in the shed when his phone rang. It was his dad, so he ignored it. His father ignored him, too. He figured he could return the favour.

Except the phone wouldn't stop ringing. After the second time, it went to voicemail. It pinged with a text.

Xavier begrudgingly checked it and frowned.

called me please it's urgent.

Huh. That did not sound or look like his father's usual way of texting.

He called back, and it was picked up at the first ring.

"Hey, Xavier," said his dad, "Listen, I need to talk to you about something urgent,"

"Uh-sure,"

His father quickly explained his stalker situation, leaving him shocked.

"So why did it suddenly become urgent? Has he hurt you?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm fine," said Vincent, "I told your principal about it a few weeks ago. You're safe there, but this person has taken to attacking from afar so just put on the amulets the principal gives you and be vigilant for anything weird in your dreams, okay?"

"Yeah," said Xaiver, "Okay. Are you sure you're okay, Dad?"

There was a pause. Vincent Thorpe never paused. It made Xavier nervous.

"I'll be alright, Kid," he said, "You take of yourself, okay?"

"Okay,"

"Bye,"

"Bye, Dad,"

Ending the call, Xavier stared at his phone for a few seconds and then started putting his things away.

He needed to talk to somebody.

xxx

Wednesday was sitting and eating with Bianca and Enid when Xavier came up to them, plopping down beside her.

"Hey, Xavier, what're you-oh wow, you do not look good!"

Enid's exclamation made Wednesday look up, and sure enough, the boy did look upset.

"What's wrong?" asked Bianca

"Apparently, my dad has a stalker,"

Both girls gave Wednesday a hard stare.

"He won't give me details, but I'm worried, you know. I mean, he can be a distant asshole, but he's still my dad and-"

The more Xavier talked, the harder the girls stared at her.

Wednesday sighed. She was definitely going to have to deal with them later.

After giving Xavier the right amount of platitudes and reassurances, they sent him off to see the principal. As soon as he was gone, Bianca and Enid rounded on her.

"Addams," said Biance, "What the hell have you done?"

Wednesday stayed silent.

"Roomie?" asked Enid, a bit of a warning in her tone.

Wednesday sighed and relented. "There might have been some traps and slashed tires,"

"And?" prompted Bianca

"Spiders and dead crows,"

Some more staring.

Wednesday huffed, "I've been sending him nightmares, alright?"

Both girls stared at her with wide eyes.

"I don't know whether to be disturbed or impressed," said Enid

"Both is probably the best option," said Bianca, "But Wednesday, it really wasn't supposed to worry, Xavier. This has gone too far if the notoriously distant Vincent Thorpe is looping his son in,"

"Or maybe it's going the right amount," said Wednesday

Bianca sighed, "Either way, you will have to tell Xavier eventually. Maybe do it before he panics too much.

"Give me two more days," said Wednesday, "Then we'll end this,"

xxx

The first time noticed the scuttling creature was when he was shaking hands with a grateful Ms. Waller. He had been right about the tree, and now he had some very grateful clients on his hand.

As he said his goodbyes, homemade pie in hand, he saw something move from the corner of his eye. It almost seemed like a daddy long legs. However, as he turned, it was gone.

Vincent shook off the uneasiness. He was in someone else's home. Spiders were pretty normal in many homes. He was just being paranoid because of the stalker.

As he drove back, he noticed something in the review mirror, something hanging, but when he looked again, there was nothing. Feeling even more uneasy,e he quickly turned the ignition and drove, not daring to look anywhere that wasn't the road.

A part of him knew he was being irrational, but there was nothing rational about phobias, especially when you had someone out to get you.

Once he got home, he put his coat and shoes away, looking at himself in the hall mirror. There seemed to be something in the reflection. A thread of-

There!

He turned around, but there was no dangling spider.

Vincent took a shuddering breath.

God, was he really going insane? Maybe the stalker actually wanted to give him psychic madness.

He went to his liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of his best stuff. He usually tried not to drink too much since it messed with visions, but god, he did not want to think straight at the moment.

So, for the first time since his teenage years, Vincent opened the bottle and started drinking without a glass.

This won't help, Vinnie.

He ignored the voice.

xxx

Vincent was sitting with his in the first, playing with butterflies. Xavier was laughing, happily pointing to the different colours.

Suddenly there was a deafening crack of thunder, followed by blinding lightning. Once Vincent could see again, his son was gone. He frantically looked around and found him standing behind him, wearing his Nevermore uniform. His complexion was plate, his hair limp, and his eyes seemed to be vacantly staring ahead. As Vincent watched in horror, a swarm of spiders started to climb him.

He wanted to go to his son, wanted to scream and cry, wanted to help him. But he was rooted to the spot words caught in his throat.

Vincent stood there and watched as the swarm of spiders swallowed his son whole.

xxx

This time Vicent couldn't have stopped the screams if he tried. And he didn't try.

"Devil in Hell," he muttered while sitting up. His torturer was getting creative.

Vincent had fallen asleep while drinking, so now he had a hangover to be content with. Bleary-eyed, he looked at the clock. Almost lights out at nevermore.

On impulse, he picked up the phone and sent a quick check-in text to Xavier.

His answer came in with a picture of dinner, meatloaf with a side that looked like -yup, mushed peas.

Miss. Addley must have been upset with the students. She was usually very good with feeding them things they actually liked.

Rubbing his face, he trudged to the bathroom. He had left his make-up on, so now his face felt all gritty. Taking it off would probably make him feel better. He could order a pizza after that. Be unhealthy for once.

Though with his current luck, the pizza guy would just try to murder him.

As he came to the mirror, he noticed a bump on his cheek. He poked at it. It seemed to poke back.

What. The. Fuck.

As he watched in the mirror, the pimple-like thing popped, and a small, thin leg popped out. He watched in fascination and horror as another leg popped out, parting his skin more.

A spider was coming out of his skin.

His heart was beating hard enough to run through his entire body, he was becoming covered in sweats, only short breaths making it through his lungs.

A spider was crawling out of his fucking skin. He could see the horrible image though it didn't feel-

He couldn't feel it.

Remember what you learned.

That was his great-grandmother's voice. Elizabeth had been his ancestral guide. He still heard her sometimes. Everything he had learned about psychic attacks came through his mind, and he hastily covered the area the spider was coming from. He couldn't feel anything there.

A week illusion. A beginner's illusion.

Which meant-

He hit the lights and instantly looked at the corners. He spotted the figure right beside the towel rack. It only remained there for a few seconds and was mostly obscure but enough for Vincent to discern a few things.

It seemed his tormentor was a short woman.

xxx

Vincent put together everything he knew about his tormentor together. The flickering lights, the intimate knowledge about his fears and his non-relationship with his son, great breaking and entering skills.

God, that almost sounded like a-

Oh shit.

Oh shit. Oh shit.

The timing of the psychic attacks coincided with Nevermore's out-of-class times. The person had not hurt his son. They were obviously powerful but young.

God Fucking Shit.

Vincent had a hell of a night in front of him.

xxx

Vincent woke to an itch along his skin. He sat up and looked at his arms to find them rippling and bubbling. Ths skin started to tear, and out came huge tarantula legs. Vincent started to scratch at his arms.

He knew it was a hallucination, but his rational mind refused to cooperate. All he could feel was horror. He scratched away until blood was on his nails, but the spiders kept coming out of his skin.

Remember. You prepared. Elizabeth again.

Right. Right. He had prepared. He knew who he was looking for.

He closed his eyes and ignored the faint itching.

If an actual tarantula were coming out of his skin, it would be much more than faint itching.

Vincent carefully gathered all his mental strength and reached out.

xxx

One minute, Wednesday had been enjoying watching Vincent break apart over the fake tarantula. The next, her hallucination was trapping her in place.

As Vincent began ignoring the attack, Wednesday would feel her power being drained. There was a huge surge of power, and then something pulled her. Being dragged forward, Wednesday could only sigh. She had been found out.

It seemed she wouldn't get her two days after all.

xxx

Vincent's surroundings rippled, and he found himself standing within a huge blue otherworldly space.

His personification of the dream world. In front of him stood his unwanted guest.

White and Black clothes, long braids and a dead-eyed stare. Exactly as she looked in Xavier's paintings.

Vincent would have been ashamed of being bested by one so young if he hadn't known the power that lay in her blood. As it was, he found himself impressed.

She spoke first.

"Greetings, Mr. Thorpe,"

Vincent couldn't help his smile. She was such a good mix of her father and mother.

"Greetings, Miss. Addams"

#wednesday netflix #wednesday addams #xavier thorpe #vincent thorpe #tw child neglect #tw death mention #tw dead animal #tw spiders

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