A/N so, everyone's probably forgotten about this story, and that's my fault. I just haven't been able to form the story in my head, having said that this chapter is probably going to suck, but I figure if I push though maybe I can get back on track? Hopefully a few of you out there still have some interest and are kind about how rusty I am.
And on we go.
Harley stopped at the corner of Locks street and adjusted the cat ears headband on her head, her 'boyfriend' if that was the right term? Had mentioned in passing that the party she was about to walk into, was a costume party. She was not a 'costume' person, but there wasn't a force on earth that could make her act like a jerk around Locks peculiar family, she'd spent her life in the company of bikers and criminals and wasn't easily intimidated but, Locks mom and aunt blew that record.
Jackie and King were what most scared young women aspired to be, they wore their flaws and mistakes likes badges of honor, not allowing them to diminish them but, only to enhance who they were. For bad or good what they had gone through made up who they were now, and Harley wanted that too. She was also growing more than a little fond of Lock…. fond probably wasn't the right word? There was something there she didn't understand? The incapacitating attraction she totally got, it was more how when she was with him, she felt like she really was the person she claimed to be.
He solidified and gave truth to the illusion of her, and it gave her confidence and comfort, like – she wasn't just pretending to be who she wanted to be, like she was that person? And that made her feel hope for one of the first times in her life.
But all that aside – she still wasn't a costume person, and she felt like a moron wearing cat ears and black clothes! And this outfit was a step up from her original one, which was a nametag that said batman, she'd realized what a lame cop out that was and did what she could to step up her game just a bit, the cat had been born.
Taking a deep breath, Harley set out walking again towards the party, she could already hear it before she could see it, the din of so many people all talking it once with loud music playing as a back drop, it was enticing and scary at the same time. as she got nearer and people came into focus she began to scan the knots of people for Lock. As she saw more of the guests for the burning as she made her way to the epicenter (the Rockwall house) her costume was put in starker contrast to the other people's efforts, she also noted absently that 'rubber clad dominatrix' was a much more popular choice then she would have guessed.
After passing by a group of elderly people from down the street who were dressed as the characters from I love Lucy, Harley heard her name called. Turning towards the voice her jaw and stomach dropped simultaneously, it was Lock with Ruby perched on his hip as she'd expected, but what she hadn't expected was to be met with the sight of her deceptively well-built boyfriend wearing nothing but blue jeans and a brown leather vest. She was blinking rapidly while she worked to adjust her brain to the sight – which was a lot harder than one would have thought – and also work out what he was supposed to be dressed as? She took a closer look at Ruby and the tiny girl gave her the clue she needed.
Ruby was dressed in a tiny pinstriped baseball uniform while chewing on a tiny foam bat, and one of her bright blue eyes had a black circle painted around it. A laugh escaped Harleys lips as a smile took them over, he'd dressed he and his sister as a warrior and one of the baseball furies! She wondered for a second how he'd gotten that choice past his mom? Perhaps it was how damn cute Ruby looked in her outfit? But whatever the reason she found herself having more trouble than she'd thought she would looking away from the bare chest she was presented with.
Shaking her head and reminding herself she wasn't a braindead salivating pervert (usually), she managed to say words, in English even! For which she was very proud of herself.
"hey, you two look great" she said as normally as she could manage.
"thanks, I'm glad you made it" Lock said with a smile she could get used to.
"figured skipping it wasn't an option after the invite I got from your mom" Harley said with a wry smile, Jackie hadn't left a lot of wiggle room for a polite decline of the invitation to the burning, it was more along the line of a royal summons, and again Harley wondered how the tiny woman pulled that off with such ease?
"oh, it totally wasn't, but ya know – some people still fight against the gravitational pull that is 'Jackie'" Lock told her as Ruby watched them curiously.
"how does that work out for them?" Harley asked with a raised eyebrow
"poorly" Lock said simply
"shocked I am not" Harley told him dryly
"there are worse things than being in her orbit thought" Lock murmured as if to himself, and Harley saw a slight shadow pass over his sharp gray eyes.
She could still only guess at the origin of it since she didn't yet feel comfortable asking him about how he had ended up as the son of these people, she was smart enough to know whatever had brought him to them probably didn't involve rainbows and puppies, no, here there be dragons.
"where are they anyway?" Harley asked in a blatant attempt to change the subject away from whatever it was that still caused him pain.
"over by the stage, Rockwall's playing later but they're not the only band on the roster, and King apparently 'doesn't trust people she knows', so they're all hanging around making sure no one does shit they'd have to clean up after" he explained in a normal tone again, having clearly decided not to let his brain ruin the day with its memories.
"let's go say hi" Harley suggested, and walked after Lock and Ruby as they made their way through the crowd of people talking and eating off paper plates loaded to capacity, while kids of varying ages ran around with painted faces clutching balloon animals. princesses with tiger faces, superman's who'd been zombified rushed past them with the skill exclusive to children, and Harley couldn't help but grin – it was like nothing she'd ever seen before.
"mom!" Lock yelled, literally 'over' the crowd, since most couldn't match his height. Without hesitation, Lock took hold of Harleys hand to keep her with them as they broke a path through the denser crowd around the stage his uncles had constructed, and thankfully didn't notice how she reacted – overt she could handle, subtle made her heart beat out of her chest, maybe there was something wrong with her?
When Lock had successfully gotten them through the crowd Harley stopped when he did and felt her jaw drop yet again – did everybody grasp this costume thing better than her?! Locks parents were watching them with smiling faces while dressed impeccably as bonnie parker and Clyde barrow, she was a little envious that the slightly older woman could pull off so many different styles with no effort, but she was also smart enough to recognize Jackie as one of a kind.
"hey sweetheart!" Jackie called happily and hugged Lock and Ruby as best she could before turning to Harley with that 1000-watt smile "I'm so glad you came Harley! And I love your costume" Jackie told her genuinely, which Harley couldn't really believe.
"uh, it's just a headband…" she replied awkwardly
"honey, I've had to make small talk with no less than four guys wearing nothing but a sock and claiming to be 'the invisible man', trust me when I say your headband is worlds better" Jackie informed her seriously
"that sounds unpleasant" Harley noted dryly
"the burning has its drawbacks like any other event, but there's nothing else like it" Jackie said with a beatific smile
"true, I've never actually seen a dude dressed as ginger from Gilligan's island making balloon animals before, and Lock said there's bands playing later?" she asked curiously
"that there are Locks special lady friend!" a jubilant male voice called to Harley, she looked towards the owner of the voice and laughed, Locks uncle Kick was striding forward smiling at the activity all around and seemingly unconcerned that he was wearing nothing but a polka dot skirt and a pair of mouse ears?
"what are you supposed to be?" Lock asked curiously, while trying valiantly not to laugh.
"well I WAS Minnie mouse! Until certain hulking Irishman that shall remain nameless, thought it would be fun to spray me down with grape soda for absolutely no reason" he said with a huff of indignance "the skirt and the ears were all that came through unscathed" he explained
"it wasn't for no reason you tremendous pain in the ass!" Connor yelled irritably as he joined them, giving Kick a dangerous scowl
"I am as innocent as a new born babe!" Kick cried defiantly
"you are no more innocent than I am English! You threw up in my drums! Not ON- IN! I had to use a tooth brush to get them clean you inconsiderate crossdressing mouskateer!" Connor bellowed
"it was an accident!" Kick defended loudly
"you're both idiots" Max informed them in his low voice upon joining the small group by the wooden stage.
"that's rich coming from the king of costume cop-outs! That's the best effort you could make for such a special occasion – a t shirt that says 'costume' on it? This isn't just any burning man, this is where we announce that Lo-Oomph" Kick was stopped abruptly in what he was saying by his cousin appearing out of nowhere and smacking a hand over his mouth.
"pay no attention to the man in the Minnie skirt people, his mind has been irrevocably damaged by the 70's" King drawled angrily
Realizing he had almost said something he was clearly not supposed to, Kick shot them a sheepish smile and scampered away to check on the event as fast as his yellow high heels allowed him.
"why do we put up with him?" Max asked curiously
"his good points out weigh the bad" King said loyally
"easy for you to say, he's afraid of pissing you off" Connor retorted irritably
"aw, Conner" King cooed mockingly "you're all afraid of that" she pointed out truthfully, and no one could argue it. She glanced at Lock and Ruby and smiled widely "that's fantastic!" she said taking in their outfits.
"I don't quite get it?" Jackie admitted with a small frown, she was aware her daughter was downright adorable in her little old timey baseball uniform, but she wasn't sure what her kids were supposed to be?
"it's from that movie 'the warriors', remember? Locks a warrior and Ruby's one of the baseball furies" Max explained
"was that the movie about all the gangs that I fell asleep during?" Jackie asked, trying to recall what they were talking about
"that would be the one" Hyde confirmed with a small loving smile.
"well even if I don't really remember it – you look great honey" she told lock sweetly, but Harley saw her eyes dart towards the exposed scars on Locks chest and stomach that the leather vest couldn't cover, and she knew, she knew that Jackie didn't really give a damn what he was wearing, but that he wasn't ashamed of what usually hid under his t shirts. If he could let the world see it, it meant he was beginning to heal and move on from it.
"what are you supposed to be King?" Lock asked his aunt curiously, she was dressed as an exaggerated version of her usual punk rock self
"I'm what people think of when they hear 'punk rocker'" she explained with a shrug
"and we have the cop out first runner up" Hyde said with a smirk
"yeah well, dressing up isn't really my thing dude, I'll leave that to those better suited" she said without a hint of remorse
"and Connor?" Lock asked turning to his terrifying uncle (until you got to know him)
"I'm snake pliskin, and Mad is well – Mad Max" he said grinning down at his small son dressed as the road warrior, who was currently reaching for his tiny best friend so far out of reach in Locks arms.
Lock noticed Mads efforts right away and set Ruby down in the grass so they could have a babbling conversation that only they understood.
"Kingsley!" he heard a male voice shout through the crowd almost maniacally, growing tense, Lock stood protectively in front of the two playing children and Harley. A fact she didn't miss, and found kind of sweet in an unneeded way.
King turned towards the direction her name had been yelled, just in time to catch the blur of a person hurling themselves at her in a rambunctious bear hug, Lock only had time to catch a flash of sun bleached blonde hair before the human missile was locked around a laughing Kingsley, he relaxed when he was sure she knew and didn't mind the person latched around her.
"still wild" she laughed fondly as she untangled herself from the newcomer.
"can't be any other way King" he replied with a matching wild laugh,
And then he pulled away enough from King for Lock to get a good look at him, and he froze in shock just as the wild man's eyes fell on him and recognition dawned.
"Sherlock?" he asked with uncertainty, the face was familiar, but the boy he'd known was over a foot shorter and skinny as hell from irregular meals, not the towering teenager he was seeing now at a definite upwards angle.
"hey Jay boy…how've you been?" Lock greeted him nervously, he may have idolized Jay back in Venice and he sure as hell owed his survival to him, but still, being faced with a part of his past was throwing him for a loop.
King looked back and forth between the two "explain" she demanded calmly of them both
"knew him back in dog town -we all did, he used to hang around the zephyr shop talking a mile a minute about the most random crazy shit ever, like – weird for a little kid to know kinda stuff, we nicknamed him Sherlock and let him hang around and learn to skate" jay answered with a shrug, not offering up the story of what he'd done for the poor kid he'd never expected to see again, but he felt a certain relief to find the little skate rat still alive after all.
"you grew up with the Z boys and never thought to mention it?" King asked him archly
"tried to forget dog town" Lock muttered uncomfortably "besides, I didn't know you knew them"
"Lock, there aren't a lot of our kind around, it's usually safe to assume we all know each other at least in passing, hell, one of the bands playing tonight is fronted by Jim's little brother mike" she told him with a grin.
"shit" Lock murmured blankly, trying hard not to panic at having his traumatic past dumped on him out of nowhere.
And then she was there, putting a small comforting hand on his shoulder while placing herself in front of him just as he'd done to mad and Ruby.
"nice to meet you Jay, I'm Sherlocks mom Jackie" she introduced herself sweetly, but with a clear protective glint in her eyes.
"right, new mom, got it. Impressive trade up Sherlock" jay grinned with a teasing tone, but he meant what he said.
"thanks" Lock said with a frown, he had no idea what the proper response was for what jay had said?
Jay nodded while he adjusted to the odd situation he'd found himself in, it was like seeing a ghost – and not just because they'd all figured the kid hadn't survived living on the streets alone, it reminded him of those days when his own life had been simpler and his friends were real. Shaking the morose thoughts from his head the wide grin reappeared on his face.
"come on kid, let's see what you got now" he said with a challenging smirk and tilted his head to the plywood ramp some kids were already on, trying desperately to look cool even while they wiped out gloriously in front of their hero.
"uh, I haven't really skated much lately Jay" Lock hedged uncomfortably, this wasn't exactly true – he skated all the time, just not in front of anyone, especially the girl he'd just started seeing, and he couldn't really handle the thought of wiping out in front of Harley.
"aw Sherlock, that's adorable" jay said in a falsely sweet tone and tilted his head to the side while he observed the tall young man "you thought it was an invitation, have you forgotten the shop rules? When we let you hang around – "he left it for Lock to finish
"you do what we say" Lock finished with a nostalgic smile, and took the board jay offered him much to the surprise of his new family around him, it was possible he mused while walking to the ramp, that he'd neglected to mention his long-time hobby?
Oh well, he was fairly sure his new family wouldn't make too big of a deal out of it….