It was the middle of the night. Jason was probably going to kill her for being out at night alone. But she had to get out and think. She had been doing that a lot these days. This town so many years before it had been where she had grown up. Best friends with the Oxfords throughout school. Now she was one of the black sheep. All because of something her father did to her years back. It was no stranger that Victoria was the daughter of a Mafia Don growing up. She was young, innocent, and naive. Those were crimes now?

Then she had been married to Bobby and messed up all the things with Jamie and Jamie had caused a huge uproar in the town along with the entire Oxford clan. Right. 5 years she spent playing the dutiful wife while they lived in Winterley. She had been hated at home and in the house. Then she had fallen in love with him just before they left. It all played through her mind as she sat near the edge of the water.

Winterley had some of the worst years of her life. New York had the best years. She was back and wanted more than ever to go home to New York City. She would rather be a face in a large crowd, then singled out in groups of only just a few. Skipping a rock across the water she closed her eyes and counted backward from 10, even numbers only. She was alone with only her thoughts. A chance to clear her head?


<Tag: Charlie O'Brien>

Funny thing about being a ghost. You had a lot of free time on your hands, especially with him because he still had no idea where to even start about finding out why he had yet to "cross over". So still he did figure that out, Charlie had a lot of time. Usually his days were spent roaming around town, reading the paper, maybe listening in on a conversation or two and catching his soap operas. But that was during the day, at night things were quiet. Like usual he hung around the bar and made sure they had no problem closing before starting on his nightly walk, Veronica called it his patrol, which in a way she was right because way back before any of them were alive he did walk these streets at night when he was the sheriff. Those were the nights when every star would be out and non of that stupid light pollution blocked natures beauty. 

Charlie stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the sky, one thing he had always liked about winter was how the sky always seemed to be so clear. He sighed, for anyone watching him it might have seen weird that no cloud formed around his head like most people, or it was weird that an old man was out when it was cold outside, usually they were the ones complaining about the chills. He started walking again, his eyes glancing around as he moved, so far everything was good, that was till he turned the corner and sensed something nearby. Living beings were nothing more than a bunch of warm energy, while things like ghosts were colder, he stopped walking and turned around towards the person he was feeling, it took him a moment but he finally saw her down by the lake. Curious as to what she was doing out this late he decided to investigate, he vanished from where he stood on the street and reappeared about six feet behind Victoria, focusing his "blessed powers" he made made it so he could kick a rock and get her attention in an attempt not to spook her. "Ma'am you do realize it's late and also cold outside.." he said the faint traces of his once prominent Irish accent coming thru, "Everything alright?" he asked not moving any closer to her. 

Victoria heard the rock roll behind her. She heard a voice but she didn't see Charlie just yet. "Bryan?" she questioned. Since Victoria had been little she had always called him Bryan. Honestly, she had no idea where she had picked it up. She sighed when he mentioned it was cold. "I'm like Elsa, the cold never bothered me" she stated as she skipped a rock across the lake though this one was more in furious anger for a moment. It came just after him asking her if she was alright.

"Define alright, because I am pretty sure the word is operative to normal" she stated. Though to be honest this town things were far from normal to her. Victoria didn't want to talk about it; but she needed to talk to someone. "I still ask myself why I came back, maybe alright could have been used a few months ago when life had itself mostly together" she stated. Tears were evident across her face but she tried to keep them out of her voice and not look at Charlie. Victoria hurt for Jason and the children. Nathan was picking on the twins in school among other things. They were all family for crying out loud.

Charlie tried to place where he had heard the name Elsa...it sounded familiar but the last person he had known who had been named that died seventy years ago. So it must be something from tv or a movie. Kids these days were always changing their favorite terms, it was hard enough for him to keep up with everything in the papers. Charlie moved closer to the lake, not making a sound even though he walked. "Define alright, because I am pretty sure the word is operative to normal" he could tell by her tone that she was upset, "I still ask myself why I came back, maybe alright could have been used a few months ago when life had itself mostly together" 

"Everyone returns for one reason or another, this town has a funny way with people." he replied as he looked out over the lake, "I've seen plenty of people leave and never return and I've also seen people leave promising never to return only to end back here." He had remembered the day Victoria left, the whole town had been antsy and he hadn't liked it, Charlie looked over to Victoria, "It may not seem like it now, but everything will be alright one day. I can promise that." 

Victoria was quiet listening to Bryan she always had. When he was finished with his words she looked towards him and sighed. If only she could sense the emotions on a ghost; but she couldn't they weren't living. "I never wanted to come back. Jason and the children they don't want to be here." she picked up a rock and hurled it hard again at the water. She then tucked her legs up under her and started rocking back and forth.

"I can't talk to Jason about things; I don't want to upset him.. He's going through enough already he doesn't need my burden on top of his own" It wasn't like she kept things from him but she just didn't express herself as much as she comforted him. She bit her tongue and just let the out pour of emotion out when she thought no one was looking.

She looked up towards him. "This town has every right to hate me. I hid a marriage to my best friends ex for years back then. A marriage I didn't want." she took a breathe. "All that has changed. I love him and I don't want to see them treat him like this. They turn their back on him because of something my father forced on him years ago. Is the town that shallow that they haven't moved onto something different in 15 years? This is my family and I will be damned if I let anyone hurt them" her voice was agitated but it was just an out pour of emotions that needed to come out. "We get judged for what people do not know" she stated a little more resolved but still rather upset.