need you more than i want to - cheflotte

After the merger was announced, Winter had convinced Autumn to host the annual Halloween party at their house. They had plenty of room, and Autumn's choice of decor was already on theme, complete with a black cat.

Charlotte finalised the last few details on her costume before heading out to her car. She drove in her converse, afraid to damage her heels on the pedals. She swapped shoes quickly after she pulled up outside and grabbed the bottle of red wine along with her purse, crossing the long drive to the front door.

Charlotte knocked a few times and could hear the music thumping from inside. She knocked again, the door pulling open to reveal Autumn in a black catsuit. Char swallowed loudly.

"Oh! Autumn... wow. You look..." Autumn raised one eyebrow, causing Charlotte to stutter. "You look amazing!" Autumn nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Thank you, Charlotte." Autumn stepped aside to allow Charlotte to follow her into the hallway. "And you've come as?" She gestured at Charlotte's long coat. Charlotte chuckled, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Oh, I wasn't sure what to come as. But I watched the film the other day, so..." Charlotte unzipped her coat and shrugged it from her shoulders, revealing a dark green minidress complete with plastic vines wrapped around her arms and thighs. Autumn looked away for a moment, slightly embarrassed at the effect her coworker was having on her.

"Poison Ivy. I have to say, I'm impressed." Charlotte nudged Autumn with her elbow as she moved past her to hang up her coat.

"By the colour of your cheeks, I'd say you were more than impressed, Mrs. Fortune-Knight." Charlotte teased, handing Autumn the red wine before turning on her heels to make her way into the kitchen.

Reece, Marjorie, Winter and Deliah stood in the kitchen chatting. Deliah poured another wine for herself and Marjorie and gave Charlotte a small wave.

"Hey, Char! Wine?" Charlotte nodded enthusiastically, checking that Autumn was still following her with the fresh bottle. Autumn set the wine down on the kitchen island and Deliah read the label. "Ooh, fancy!" Charlotte winked.

"So is this everybody?" Charlotte questioned. Autumn shook her head, pointing over to where Chef stood, back against the mantelpiece. She held a tumbler glass in her hand, swirling a dark liquid and a few ice cubes around slowly.

"She hasn't said much. I'm surprised she came at all." Winter mused, his eyes following Autumn and Charlotte's. "I'm glad she came though. I don't think she gets out much." Charlotte took a sip of her wine, nodding slowly.

"I'll go and say hello." She moved past Autumn and crossed the threshold into the living room. The lighting was much darker, Chef's figure casting a shadow against the wooden floor. "Hi Chef." The older woman looked up quickly, her usual scowl softening slightly when she realised who had approached her. Her lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Charlotte." Chef acknowledged, her eyes moving back towards her glass but stopping when she saw the vines adorning Charlotte's arms. Chef let her gaze linger for a moment before looking up at Charlotte's face, then moved down over her chest and to her midriff. She lifted her glass slowly, taking a small sip as her eyes trailed down over Charlotte's legs and heels. Charlotte yearned to blush under the woman's gaze, but held her composure.

"Finished looking?" She teased, taking a sip of her own drink. Chef scoffed, rolling her eyes in dismissal.

"Just wondering why you're wearing such a silly costume." Chef spat, taking another sip of her whiskey.

"Of course. And you've come as yourself, I assume? Do you have your whole 'scary enough as I am' monologue ready?" Charlotte took the time to actually look at Chef now. The older woman had on black dress pants and a black satin shirt, the top few buttons open, revealing her freckled chest. "Oh..." Charlotte muttered, noticing the fake blood splattered across Chef's neck. "You're actually in costume." Chef nodded, moving her ponytail to show Charlotte the two bite marks etched into her neck with eyeliner and eyeshadow.