Partner in Crime (a Locke and Key GabexOC fanfic)

Perfect Summer

After making up with Gabe, I was relieved to hear that Dodge was gone, for real. The only weird part was that Ellie seemed to disappear around the same time, and poor Rufus had to move to his aunt and uncle's house. Although I was worried about what happened to Ellie, I was looking forward to this summer.

Gabe had decided not to go back home so he could spend time here with me and finish the movie. We spent all of our free time together, watching horror movies, trying to teach him how to cook, and Gabe watching me fail at every dance he tried to teach me. The only time we seemed to part was at night, where he would somehow disappear by dark.

Eden, however, had changed miraculously, inside and out. Her hair took on this edged-look, and her whole persona became dark. Although she was still sweet to me, she became extra nasty to everyone else. She seemed to target my siblings with any insult, and they became the center of her jokes. Another new thing was that she was hungry. All. The. Time. I thought it was maybe stress, but knowing Eden there was nothing new in her life to stress about.

I spent my summer also getting into a new hobby; photography. I was still very new, but I found it to be very relaxing. My walls were filled with pictures of my family, Eden, and of course, Gabe. He was quite photogenic with the faces that he made, and he quickly became a center for most of my work. He tried to pick it up with me, but became bored easily and left it to me to take the pictures, and for him to be in them. It was the perfect summer.

.....................................

I slipped on the brand new black-tool dress I bought for the movie premiere and curled my hair, which had grown quite a bit over the summer. Tonight was a big night for the Savini Squad, and I wanted to support them in any way I could.

I heard a little knock on my bedroom door, and Gabe  entered. "Do me a favor, warn me when you look this good. It isn't fair to a guy like me to be dating a beautiful woman like you." What a suck-up, but I love him.

"I think it's the other way around." I kissed his cheek as he grabbed my camera from my vanity.

"I can't let you forget this, you'll complain all night without it."

"Hey, you like the photos I take. After all, they are mostly of you." I defended while linking into his arm.

"What can I say, I'm a piece of art."

"Mmmh, more like a piece of work."

"Ouch!"

...........................................

We soon made it to the theater, which seemed to be filled with people going to the movie. I couldn't believe the crowd, but I'm sure it had something to do with Scot. Speaking of Scot, I hadn't really seen him all summer, him and my sister had some sort of falling out. They were distant, and since Scot quit his job at the ice cream parlor, we hardly ever interacted with him.

This was the first time I had ever seen the full movie, as I wanted to be surprised, so I was excited to be sitting here, with my boyfriend, watching the movie he was starring in. The curtain opened and the lights dimmed, then the movie starts.

What must have been close to the end Gabe looked back to where Eden was sitting, and decided that we needed more popcorn. "Can you grab some napkins too? My hands are full of butter and I don't want to wipe it on my dress." I whispered while a few people gave me some odd looks, and I returned the favor.

"Yeah, no problem, I'll be back in a bit." Replied Gabe as he kissed my head. I don't know how I managed to find the perfect boyfriend, but here he was, in front of me, and he was everything and more than I could desire.

The movie was a masterpiece, but I was getting a bit curious as to where my boyfriend had disappeared to. I was going to go find him, but I found that mom was getting up, so I asked her to let me know if she saw Gabe. "Of course, hon. I was just going to see if that young man behind the counter was single. Your sister could use someone that sweet, even if she did just break up with that boy who scoops ice cream."

"Mom, they were never officially together."

"Sure, Lennon, sure."

..............................................

The movie had ended, and the theater was clearing out. I went to find my mother, who had a bewildered look on her face as she was staring at Gabe, who had a smirk on his face. "Hey, where did you guys disappear too?" I questioned, wondering why they didn't return.

"Oh, well, I got us another popcorn, but I knocked it over. Luckily, your mom helped me pick it up." It sounded like he was lying, but I pushed it aside as it seemed to be a stupid thing to lie about.

"My clutz, what would I do without you?"

......................................

The after party was very extreme, to say the least. I had already taken two shots, and honestly, I couldn't remember what was even in them. I wanted to find Gabe to bring him to the dance floor, but when I did, he seemed to be in his way out the door. "Hey, you want to dance?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling too good, I think I'm going to head out."

"Do you want me to come? I make a wicked chicken noodle soup."

"I really don't want to get you sick. Here, I'll call you in the morning, and if I'm feeling better, we can spend the day together. Then I can try your soup." I could tell that wasn't all that was bothering him, but I didn't want to push it.

"Alright, but let me know if you need anything. I'll just be here, consuming my weight in alcohol."

"You better be getting a ride home, and watch your drinks, these teenage boys are pervs. Oh, and if you drink to the point where you black out, I'll be very disappointed in you young lady." He lectured while heading to the door.

"Man, what did I do to deserve you. One of these days, you're going to end up being a serial killer and I'll know it was to good to be true."

"You have got to stop watching true crime. The other day you thought that cashier was a future killer."

"You can't tell me I'm wrong!"

"Goodnight Len, I love you."

"Love you too. Feel better!"

.........................................

After consuming more unknown mixers, I somehow ended up at home. I was currently puking my guts out, and after sobering up a bit, I grabbed my key out again. After taking a few breaths in, I thought it was about time that I returned the key to its hole. After turning it in, I could feel the memories attached to it. I now felt whole again. I showered and looked over the pictures I took of the night, then decided it was time for bed.

I tossed and turned for a while, before finally falling asleep. Instead of making it through the night peacefully, I was plagued with a nightmare. Something more was coming, something bad. A battle-like scene played, and the target called themselves the Lockes. It showed how the black door was discovered, and how dangerous it could be. Another scene came in, but it was a darkness. The door. The sea caves. Ellie. I suddenly awoke, drenched in sweat. I knew then that this wasn't over, that the end of the key war was not finished, but just starting. And like all things good, this perfect summer had come to its end.