Tracy

029:

Upstairs the atmosphere was quiet and reserved, not what either Tracy or Raine had expected. Tracy had told him to be ready for anything from a riotous party to wild orgies. She didn't have a very high opinion of the Hollywood set. But it seemed that the young men involved were not going to party tonight. After the Polar "Thrash" as Austin called it, and a scrumptious dinner prepared by Austin's chef, they'd settled in to a horror flick in the background of a fairly decent game of Risk.

Bridget and Julian had not made an appearance during the hot tubbing or the dinner, but came waddling up the stairs from the basement, sleep befuddled and love drained, with relaxed smiles on their crinkled faces. They didn't want to play the game or watch the movie, but were content to drink wine and munch crackers while watching the others.

Conversation swirled sometimes hilariously, other times competitively, with Tracy, the most tenacious if not the most competitive completely engrossed in her tactics and therefore unaware when the doorbell rang raucously. Austin glanced at Richard and Sabrina and got up slowly checking his watch.

"Expecting someone?"

Richard shook his head as Austin went to flip the outdoor light switch. Through the glass he could see several bundled figures, one wearing Thorburn Marley's face surrounded by white and gold fur. When he opened the door, looked perplexed to say the least as it was after midnight, the threshold occupants burst into a riotous and obviously intoxicated version of Jingle Bells.

This brought the Risk takers to the top of the landing overlooking the main entrance, and Austin had no choice but to step back and allow entrance, his blue eyes rounded in annoyance. His guests had certainly had a few drinks, but no one was acting inebriated, foolish, or immature at this point, and several of his more prestigious guests did not drink or take any form of recreational drugs at all.

Casey Crandall was in the immediate crowd, closely followed by his very sallow and wasted girlfriend. Austin bit his lip uncomfortably. Casey glanced up to see the ones looking over the railing at him, and he waved. "Tracy, baby! Come on down! It's a Pepper's Reunion!"

Tracy stiffened noticeably as she recognized now, several of the engineers, the head engineer, and a couple of house guitarists along with her nemesis, and his pregnant girlfriend. Beside her Bridget crowded in, and looked down with rising annoyance.

"Casey! It's after midnight!" She called.

"Bridget, my love! How good to see you, and Jules, too, see I told you it was a Pepper's reunion!" He started up the stairs to the landing. "Aren't you going to invite us in for cocoa? It's what you do when you have carolers."

Richard Mann, the more street wise of the two friends, moved to block the stairway effectively and whispered on his way, "We'll get rid of 'em real quick." To Tracy who hadn't moved.

Casey made it to the top and literally swayed drunkenly against Richard's well- toned physique. Richard's hand out to steady him wasn't exactly permissive. His eyes were not as intoxicated as Tracy had first thought either. Richard was not going to be bullied.

"Why did you come here?" Tracy hissed over the ledge. "You shouldn't be here. You're stoned out of your mind, and----." Raine's hand squeezed her arm and she glanced at him in rising agitation.

"Let Austin and Richard handle this, it's their place and their party." He escorted Tracy back to the living room and placed her strategically behind the kitchen counter out of the way, but still able to view the proceedings.

Richard and Austin and their dates apparently weren't quite sure what to do with their fifteen or more guests, and so eventually they did gain access to the main rooms. Tracy busied herself setting the tea kettle on the stove for hot water. She'd be damned if she offered them any more to drink, but as they came into view, she saw many of them, including Casey already had Styrofoam cups with straws. She could only imagine what was in them.