Nicole and Tom

"I'm going" Tom stated simply. He had stopped cradling his wrist now, but from the way he rotated the joint at his side, it was clear that it was still bothering him. Also still clearly bothering him was his bruised ego, judging by the way that he glared at yourself and Matt, as if challenging you to say something.

You didn't dare say anything, but of course, there was someone else who did.

"Then I guess I should go with you," Nicole said, "someone has to keep you safe after all." It sounded almost like she was joking, mocking Tom again, but you could tell she was being sincere. Tom rounded on her again, frowning down at her, but he didn't say anything straight away. He could threaten Matt and yourself, or intimidate you into silence, but he couldn't exactly do that to the sub 5 foot girl Nicole without making himself look like a real psycho.

"Fine," he huffed, before trying to regain his cocky composure, "but if you really wanted some quality time with me, there are easier ways to get it."

Nicole rolled her eyes, before smiling impishly. "You know, you're right. Lets hold hands." She reached out towards his sore wrist again, only for him to hurriedly flinch away. Everyone laughed at him once more, and you yourself were still chuckling as you straightened your cape on your shoulders and stepped away from the window.

"Alright, me and Matt will come with you then," you said, harkening back to the original plan of sending all three guys, only to be shot down.

"Why?" Tom snorted derisively.

"I can take care of myself, John," Nicole stated snootily.

Something paranormal had to be happening. The sum of all your fears had come to pass. Tom and Nicole were in agreement with each other. So taken aback by their accordance were you, that you declined to pursue the argument any further.

"Okay," you raised your hands, "we won't come with. The two of you can look after each other."
To be honest, you had been hoping that you wouldn't have to go. It was cold out there, cozy in here, and a space on the couch beside your crush had just opened up. Curling up by the fire with a sweet kitty seemed a lot more appealing than romping around in the dark.

Matt seemed to be feeling similarly, because he made no effort to tag along either. Looking at Nicole in her little green dress, however, you felt like you had to do something.

"Here, you can have my cloak, Nicole," you offered, untying it from your neck. Her pale thighs were already pressed tightly together beneath the hem of her very short dress, a few minutes outside with nothing else on would soon see them blue and covered in goosebumps.

Your friend took it with a smile. "Thank you John," she said, "but I think I'd rather have Matt's coat," she added rather pointedly, turning an expectant eye to the terminator that was still stood by the window.

At the sound of his name he stopped looking outside, meeting Nicole's waiting gaze with a blank stare. "That's too bad," he shrugged, wrapping his duster tighter around himself, "I think it's getting cold in here and I'd be chilly without it."

The resultant glare from Nicole was far icier than the room ever could have been, forcing a knowing chuckle out of Matt. "Kidding, here," he said, shrugging it off his shoulders and handing it to her. Nicole snatched it from his hands a little tersely, perhaps she'd had enough male teasing for one night, but Matt's smile didn't falter.

Sarah was smirking at his antics from the couch, and that busty mermaid was enough of an audience for him.

One arm after the other, Nicole slid into Matt's coat, the sleeves falling over her hands and it's length running down to below her knees. It was frumped up with loose material around her shoulders, and she had to nearly wrap it double around her waist to make it snug. All in all, it was a less sexy look than her low-cut short-hem dress had been, but definitely a more practical one. As she cutely pushed the sleeves up off her hands again, it looked like she was wearing her dad's coat.

Once she'd rolled up the sleeves to her satisfaction, Matt took the chance to joke again. "Do you want the shades too?" He asked, taking them off and holding them out to her.

"Hmmmm, let me think. Do I want sunglasses at night? No, I think I'll manage," was Nicole's reply, positively dripping with sarcasm. Another little smile from Sarah provided Matt with more than enough honey to offset Nicole's tart venom.

While Nicole was wrapping herself up like a gift, Tom had made his way out the door, forcing her to jog briskly after him to keep up. You followed, ready to see them off. When Tom opened the front door, you felt it in an instant. Even without being in the hall yet, the cold air wrapped around your legs like tendrils, forcing a hiss from between your teeth. Still walking, you retied your cloak around yourself as you stepped into the hall.

Tom was already on the drive, gravel crunching under his shoes. "Hey, slow down," Nicole called after him, bustling across the driveway in quick steps, the stones shifting under her little feet sounding like crunching cereal. On the porch, you stood to watch the two foolhardy adventurers leave. To your left, Sarah, Miranda, and Matt, filtered out to join you.

Tom was almost out of the light from Sarah's house headed towards the treeline, when another earsplitting noise captured everyone's attention again.

*FWEEEEEP* rang from your left. You whirled to look. One foot stepped off the porch and landed awkwardly on the driveway. Heads turned. People whipped around where they stood. In your chest, your heart pounded like a drum.

You thought you had been snuck up on by whatever horror had made the first noise. Instead, you saw Sarah with her fingers hooked into the sides of her mouth. Since she couldn't talk, the little mermaid had apparently seen fit to whistle.

Adrenaline was still circulating through your system from the shock, so when Sarah pointed animatedly to the right of where Tom and Nicole were headed, you had no idea what she meant.

Fortunately for you, Miranda (who had been stood closer to Sarah but seemed nonplussed by the sudden outburst), was able to translate.

"Oh," she said "she means if you're heading for the road then you should take the cycle path. Right over there." She joined her friends gesticulating, extending a slender arm still clad in lycra to point in the same direction as Sarah.

Leaning out from the porch to look, you saw an easy to miss gap in the black skeletons of the trees. A sliver of amber streetlight snuck through the bare limbs, and you could see a glimpse of asphalt bespeckled with light and dead leaves.

The path stretched in two directions parallel to Sarah's house, one of them presumably leading towards the main road. Presented with such an easier course, Tom and Nicole naturally opted for it. Because she hadn't gone as far as Tom across the driveway, Nicole was ahead of him, something that she seemed happy about as she marched on with her head held high.

"Thanks, Sarah," she called out in gratitude for the directions. In the brief moments she was busy saying that, Tom redoubled his pace to overtake her, and Nicole turned from the house again to jockey with him for position. It seemed like the two of them were going to turn who was taking the lead into an extension of their argument. Like vying racers, they bumped and brushed shoulders with each other as they passed through the gap in the trees, hushed voices of insult or argument echoing back to you through the chill night air.

Once they were on the path, reduced to brief glimpses of movement through the trees, you turned to Sarah with a question on your mind.

"Sarah," you said "when were you going to mention the secret, not-at-all-scary, direct path to us?"

"Yeah," Matt chimed in, "if it were me, Tom, and John, going, would you have said anything?"

Sarah blushed under your combined scrutiny, looking like she was at a loss for words despite her vow of silence. In lieu of an answer, she shrugged her shoulders silently. The way that motion made her big breasts bounce in her tiny bra was distraction and apology enough to mostly mollify you both. When she next folded her arms beneath her bust and shivered theatrically, jiggling her boobs like two sculpted desserts, all was forgiven.

"You must be freezing," Matt laughed, wrapping his arm around her snowy shoulders as smoothly as he could," let's go back inside."

The two of them lead the way back to the living room, with you and Miranda bringing up the rear. Behind you, you closed the door, but didn't lock it. If Nicole and Tom came back hypothermic, you didn't want them being trapped outside longer than necessary (at least, you didn't want Nicole trapped outside like that.) Besides that, if you and Miranda were to be in the middle of something, you'd hate to be distracted from your activities by having to go open the door.

Right next to you, Miranda rubbed her own arms for warmth, her long brown hair that smelt of spring flowers nearly on your shoulders. "Do you think they'll be alright?" She asked, her shoulder bumping yours.

You wondered if she meant "alright if they find the source of the ominous noise" or "alright together." The former, you couldn't speak to. If they met aliens, then all bets were off. The latter, however, didn't worry you. Nicole really could look after herself, and even though Tom was a sleazebag, you didn't think he was the type to pose any danger to Nicole.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," you answered. As you spoke you leaned towards her, drawing your face a little closer to hers and wrapping an arm around her. "Right now, I'm just worried about getting warm. Any ideas on how to help with that?"

Miranda smiled coquettishly. "Well, I think getting back by the fire might help."

"I might fight you for the seat closest to it."

"Try and fight a cat for the fire and you might get scratched," she laughed, "maybe we could share?"

Smiling at the thought, you follow the terminator and the little mermaid into the living room, but some of your thoughts are preoccupied about what Miranda said. "Nicole and Tom will be totally fine," you try to convince yourself, but you still wonder just how their trip will go.