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"I'm sorry--dead people are coming back and you didn't think to mention that ... I don't know, when you first heard about it?" Max looked at her incredulously, like it was something she should've mentioned maybe earlier than their worst case scenario had come true. "And you've seen Mary? Danielle, what the fuck?" Max began to pace, thinking of the implications this could mean for them and Allison. The sooner they had taken care of the Sandersons, the better, and if she'd told him about seeing any of the sisters earlier, maybe Winnie wouldn't have even made it Earth-side again. He groaned in frustration, wishing she'd decided to confide in him earlier. "Of course you have to. We don't know what kind of revenge those witches are going to be seeking on us. They could put curses on adults, we have no idea." She should've been afraid, but Max didn't want to force her out of her job. The thing Dani was probably best at was disagreeing with whatever Max had to say. "You can find another job you like, one that the Sandersons don't know about! It's not that hard. You can work at here with me, even. You spend so much time here you might as well get paid for it. And, the new guy kind of sucks, and as much I hate the idea of nepotism, I'm willing to set it aside for your safety, because I love you so much."

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Dani raised her shoulders as her expression turned to one of confusion for her brother who expected her to have the answers to his questions. The redhead was surprised to have gotten as much information as she had when staring down the barrel of the gun at the magic shop. While neither of them said it they knew who the other was within seconds and played it cool enough to get through the conversation. "I doubt it, doesn't seem like they're the type to do it so publically. Winnie's way too calculated for that shit." It wasn't her motive or at least Dany didn't think so, still trying to determine what could've brought back the witch in the first place. "Do you think they opened something? Way too many people that are supposed to be dead keep coming around or at least that's what the hot goss is at the shop." There had been a few cases where someone came in claiming they saw the dead but now it was Dani who had seen a ghost from her past. "I mean not today...." Her voice faded off, realizing she'd been caught in her own secrets. "I might've seen Mary around town a few times but I didn't wanna freak you out if it was nothing." She offered a smile in the hopes he didn't blow a fuse like she was expecting, knowing secrets between them were frowned upon but having a fair share of her own. "Wait, what?" Dani's expression changed to one of annoyance, her eyebrows knitting and lips thinning. "I can't just quit. I actually like this job and I'm not scared of them. They can't just make me into soup anymore or you know, whatever way they like their kids cooked." The girl's arms folded over her chest as she looked up at her concerned brother. "I'm not running away."

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It wasn't Max's idea to spend the holiday at the hotel. If they were going to run into their least favorite sisters, it would probably be here. He would much rather be home, celebrating with his sister and his girlfriend (if he could call her that now, it was still sort of unclear), but it had been both of their suggestions to keep an eye on the Sandersons on their most dangerous and vulnerable night of the year. Unluckily for Max, it landed him here. But, at least, he was here with his two favorite people--and, apparently, two of his least favorite people as well. "No sight of the redhead, though, right?" he clarified, peering over her shoulder. Max let out a laugh: ever since the Halloween they'd met, no day had ever seemed particularly normal. "Not if you and Dani could help it. I wanted to hand out candy," he reminded her. "But, you're right. It's better that we have eyes on them rather than letting them wreak havoc on the good citizens of this island. Not that I'm sure we can do much to stop them, but, at least we'll know they're not stalking outside of my apartment, seeking revenge for bursting them to smithereens."

- timeskip -

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They were finally here and they were finally together. It had been long awaited, everyone wondering when they would find their way back to one another. Dani had mentioned it enough that Allison eventually told her she needed to accept the fact they were moving in different directions. As it turns out, the pair weren't on such varied paths after all. On another 31st of October, the blonde was beside Max, feeling as though they'd come full circle but it wasn't that simple. The very women who had nearly destroyed them over a decade ago were back and Allison had started wondering if it was their resurgence that brought these usual abilities. For the first time in her life, she was keeping her hands close to her body, as if afraid something could emerge without her even knowing. While a part of her wanted to be as far away from this event as possible, the other wanted nothing more than to be there getting to the bottom of what had been going on. "That's two," the blonde said quietly when she caught sight of the second sister. Allison's eyes were peeled waiting to see the final Sanderson and the one she believed could hold the answers to her questions. "You think one year we'll have a normal Halloween?" She asked once her gaze fixated back on her date, arms comfortably wrapping around his shoulders.

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Max believed his sister, regardless the mechanics of how the sisters had come back. The many questions she had were all valid: it wasn't Halloween, there should be no way how they could come back as though nothing had happened. And, she really was on the lookout to get to Billy, they would have to find him, and quickly. "No, no, I think they had some shit going on long before we knew them. Figures that she's still pissed." The Sandersons had never been known to let go of a grudge, no matter how old, which meant that the Dennisons and Allison were fucked. "Do you think it has something to do with the borders being fucked with? Wasn't there a shitstorm at that festival, or whatever?" They were way out of their own league, having to deal with the witches roaming free for who knew how long. According to what he'd read, back when they'd summoned the sisters, they'd only been allowed to survive for a night. Now, who knew how long they'd be around. "You didn't see any of the others, did you? I wonder if she's alone, or if they came in a package." Max paused, huffing at the sight on his watch of how much longer he'd had left in his shift. "You can stay here, if you don't have to get back to work, until I get off. Actually, maybe, you should consider quitting, if you think she recognized you. We can't have the other two just showing up now that they know where you work," he argued, sincere. Maybe it was dramatic, but it was the precaution they had to take if Dani wanted to stay safe.

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Little did her brother know the bomb she was about to drop, Dani hurrying him with good reason. They had escaped the grasp of the Sanderson sisters once and expected to never need to do it again. This time they weren't children, a meal waiting to be devoured but she couldn't shake the fear that came over her once she fully realized what had occurred. While at the shop she'd been able to maintain her composure but now that Dani had reunited with her brother she'd gone off the rails. "Literally like she has been sleeping on ice since then," the redhead said in regards to the witch's appearance. "She wanted to find a hex for Billy, you don't think he would've done anything, right?" While Dani wouldn't expect their vampiric friend to have set free the woman he hated one could never be too sure. When it came to magic it could be a domino effect and set off without anyone even knowing. "How is it like even possible for them to come back without the candle?" She shook her head, knowing these were answers she wouldn't be coming to at the moment. "All I know is it was her."

[maxximillions]

<3

[maxximillions]

There were only two people who could acceptably, and would realistically, burst into this particular record store. And, from the moment he heard his name being called at the desk, Max knew exactly which of the two it was. With a near silent groan to himself, he made his way from the back room to the counter, hoping someone hadn't died, or he wasn't being pranked. "What, Danielle?" he asked exasperatedly. "What could be so dire that you pulled me from my stock sorting?" His frustration was quickly replaced with shock as a name Max thought he'd never hear again was uttered. As much as he didn't want to believe that it was true, sightings of Mary and Sarah hadn't been mistakes--their sister had to have been soon to follow. "Oh, fuck me," Max blurted under his breath, his head flopping into his hands as he leaned against the counter. "Fuck, dude. What did she even look like: the same? Also, I thought we got rid of that motherfucking candle. There's no way some asshole could've lit it this time--it's not even Halloween." How the hell the sisters come back, now all three of them, Max had no idea, but he did know that they were exponentially fucked. It had been one thing surviving their wrath the first time, but now, the Sandersons knew who they were, and they couldn't have been happy.

who: @maxximillions where: put your records on

She was going to fly off the hinges if she didn't tell someone stat about what had just occurred at the magic shop. The words kept almost slipping out before she'd even gotten to his work but Dani wanted to say it in person so Max could see this was a serious matter. That's why the redhead had sprinted down Main Street in order to tell her brother as soon as possible. As the girl skidded to a stop in front of the cashier her knuckles were already rapidly pressing down on the bell to ring for service. "Max, Max, Max, Max," she repeated looking around the corner as her brother emerged from the back of the establishment. "Hurry up I have like big, mega, super massive news and I'm going to burst if I have to keep it in any longer." An exaggeration but he could at least walk a little bit faster or so Dani thought. It wasn't until Max had made it to the register where she knew no one would hear that the words were finally freed. "I just saw Winnie Sanderson at the magic shop," the girl blurted, her voice lowering exceptionally when uttering the name of the witch.

[maxximillions]

Her answer had been an unexpected one: Max had thought she was going to whisk back away to whatever she was doing off the island, without him. He would've considered it this time, but only after the deep regret that had come with not following her the first time around. Instead, Allison was going to stay, and beside being obviously grateful were feelings of shock and relief. At the very least, he could take the time to figure out what he wanted to do, whether it be find a job off the island or simply hope for the best once they'd gotten there. There was no rush now, only time to think on exactly how they wanted to go about this, together. "Okay," he breathed in relief, his head nodding at what she'd implied. "Yeah, no, we can ... however long you need. There's a lot I need to figure out around here, too, before picking up and moving, so, I--I'm really glad you're gonna be here for a bit." Max placed a kiss to her forehead before pulling her close to his chest. "Whatever happens, I love you, okay? I mean that, seriously. And whatever the whole spontaneous combustion thing is, or means, I'm not ... I won't chicken out again. I might be, like, half a brain, but one and a half are better than just one, right?"

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The blonde gave him a look, not needing to say anything when her face said it all. One thing she was certain of was that Max wouldn't be dying alone or at least not in this lifetime. Whether or not it would be her that made sure of that was to be decided but Allison didn't imagine a life without him now that she'd gotten him back. They always seemed to find their way back to one another. Before she was even able to speak up he had beaten her to it and Allison didn't mind listening to his side of their story in their time apart. It had actually been nice to hear that he'd felt the same way as her, unable to replace what they had built together with anyone else. No one had ever come close and the blonde knew now that no one ever would. "I-I don't know," she admitted. With the changes that had been happening to her lately, Allison was coming to accept this could be the only place to find answers. After all of her searching, she'd come back to the Isle where it all started and something felt complete when she did. "There's a lot I still need to figure out here, especially since I've gone all Human Torch and everything." Allison attempted to joke but the reality made her laugh teeter off quicker than it started. "It might not be so bad sticking around Echo for a while..." Her voice trickled off but her eyes took over as they met his hopefully saying what she hadn't.

[maxximillions]

"You don't know that," he protested, narrowing his eyes at her before giving a disapproving tick of his tongue. "No, you know what--I know you're wrong, because any time I'd even tried to date anyone else, all I could think about was you," Max admitted. It'd been impossible to move on while the thought of Allison one day returning to the island was out there. Had she come back one day, and he'd been with someone else, his heart probably would've shattered. Instead, he'd spent the time alone, hoping, praying, both that she'd come back, and that she'd still want to be with him. "Is that, uh ... what you were planning on, if the borders open back up? You wanna go back out there?" he asked, reluctant in his question. It felt reminiscent of the same way they'd started to fall apart a few years ago. They were different now, though, and maybe, this time, he could be convinced that what was out there was worth more than the comfort of staying. But, the last thing he wanted was to ruin this, now that he had the first taste of Allison back the way he'd wanted her for years. "We don't have to get into it now, like, all the way, I just--I wanted to know, for sure, if that's where your head was at."

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The blonde gave him a look of surprise for a moment before the smile food over her features. It shouldn't have been something he questioned after what had happened she understood his disbelief, only further proving to her that it was something she needed to say. They had been in each other's lives again but not in the capacity that she now presented to him for them to go back to the way they once were. "Oh shut up, you were never going to be alone forever you drama queen," Allison responded from his chest, giving him a quick glance before rubbing her head deeper into him as if she'd found her favorite place once again. As he gave her the reasons why she might've wanted something else the blonde stayed comfortably in his touch and a smile grew on her face while knowing very well none of it was true. There had never really been anyone else, not after she met Max and now she'd found her way back to him. "You are a lot more than the record store guy to me." The blonde pulled back then so that she could look at him as she spoke, coming up to brush a thumb across his cheek. "You're the bravest, funniest, and best guy I know. All my travels did was remind me of that and how I wished I could've shared them with you." More nights than he knew when she'd reach over to his side of the bed to only be disappointed at another night alone.

[maxximillions]

"Really?" Max blurted, the singular word all he could manage while his mind was currently racing between the last time they'd seen each other, the first time, and now, including every moment in between. So much had changed, but the one constant that remained was how badly he'd always wanted exactly what she was offering him now. He'd feared since she'd come back that he could never get her back, or prove that he was even worthy of the person she'd become while he felt so stagnant. All of that was too sentimental for him to even say when Max's heart felt like it could leap out of his chest, run a lap around the street, and still keep him going. All he could do was quickly kiss her again before she could change her mind, still in disbelief that he could do that again and not ruin everything. "Oh, my god, I thought I was gonna be alone forever," he breathed in humored relief, pulling the blonde into his chest as Max let out an unbridled laugh. "Yes, please, to all of it. I'm--I just thought, like, you were gonna come back, and be this incredibly cool, well-traveled version of yourself, which you are, by the way, but want nothing to do with me, the record store guy who's ... still here. I didn't want to make a move, or anything, 'cause I was afraid you'd realize all of that yourself, and, I don't know, maybe I'd make things weird forever. So, thank you, for proving my crippling anxiety wrong."

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Maybe it had been too forward, Allison remembering the move she'd made that fateful night when it all started. For a second when they thought they were free, she opened herself up to him and now faced the same problem with uncertainty of what the future held. Even though she'd been researching, this was the first time in years that the blonde had no idea what was to come and nothing she'd studied prepared her for this. For the first time, the magic she was chasing was her own which were answers she never intended to seek. It brought her to realize there was only one thing she was entirely certain of which was (and always had been) Max. "That's never been what this is," the blonde assured him along with her hand coming up to cup his cheek. "It's always been you." Allison searched for the right words to say. The last time they'd been this close was when they said goodbye, words that had left a bitterness on her tongue since that day. "I don't know what's going on with me or what's going to happen but I know I want it to be spent with you. I've lost too much time already and I don't want to lose anymore," she confessed, her eyes flickering up to meet his as they hung in the balance.

[maxximillions]

"I'm sorry--that's all you have to say? No sorry I traumatized you for life, nearly killed you and your loved ones ... nothing?" he sputtered in disbelief. Leave it to one of the Sandersons to feel absolutely no remorse for what they'd done to him, Allison, and Dani way back when. If it weren't for the way he'd become so pissed off by her lack of memory of the worst night of his life, it would almost be funny. Except, instead, Max wanted to shake the woman into apologizing for practically fucking up his entire psyche for the rest of his life.

The only upside Max could find in all of this was that, at the very least, the worst of the three was still missing in action. From the legends, and what he could recall, Winifred had been the most powerful of the sisters, and the most vengeful, too. For now, he and Allison could bide some time researching how to get rid of Mary and Sarah while they were still without the redhead. "Yeah, I've seen Sarah--she hit on me. Which, y'know, is weird, considering you all probably look the same as you did ten years ago." As for his mild offense toward her, Max could only be grateful she hadn't hexed him right then and there. "Okay, you know what I mean. Normal for Allison. Like, plain, run-of-the-mill human. As in, can watch television without fear of having to buy a new one because she's torched it. Now, can you do that, or not?"

It was like a light switch had been turned on, memories from years ago of the young boy and a cat and a young girl and an even younger girl came flooding in. Suddenly Mary could connect the puzzle pieces that had been missing from the large picture she was trying to paint. "Oh, that's how I know you! I was driving myself crazy trying to figure where I've seen you before." There was barely even time to feel pride in figuring that out before the kid started going off again.

"I'm as confused as you are to why I'm here, I thought it was over for us and we'd never see another light of day but suddenly I showed up one day without my sisters. I found Sarah, maybe you've seen her around, she likes to be around men. But Winnifred is who's been missing. If any of this was someone's doing, it was likely hers. She was the more powerful one of us all." That was as much knowledge as Mary had, truly. Figuring out what had happened to bring them back hadn't been her most urgent concern but it was up there! She was just hoping Winnifred would've come to let her in on that kind of information. "Also, 'back to normal’? That's quite rude of you to say, I'm as normal as you are. I put my shoes on one foot at a time, just like everyone else. I'm sure your friend Allison is as normal as we can come."

[maxximillions]

Steve "Strike Out" Harrington Stranger Things 4

[maxximillions]

There was a hesitation in her answer that Max wasn't sure how to take. Maybe he'd overstepped by asking to stay; they'd hardly gotten back on the right page as friends, nevermind thinking that something more was in the cards. Her answer was taking far longer than he'd anticipated, but his lips remained sealed before he could talk his way out of this one. He hadn't been able to shake the striking self-sabotaging he'd fallen victim to one too many times, including with the girl currently leaning on him, literally. Allison's head lifted, and there was a hesitation in her gaze, like she was trying to decide what exactly to say. Though she didn't say much, there was a clear answer in her lips, one that had taken Max by surprise. It was strange to have had practically no foresight to getting exactly what he'd wanted in the years since they'd left each other. As much as he could've kissed her until he was breathless, Max only broke away briefly, to be sure this was no mistake. To have just a taste of her again, without knowing how long it might last, felt like a kind of torture he wasn't strong enough to endure. "Wait, are you--are you serious? Are we doing this? Because I want to do this, like, more than anything, you have no idea, but ... I can't if it's just--if it's only gonna be tonight, I, uh, I don't think ... I don't know if I could handle that."

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Allison leaned into his touch, accepting the comfort she so desperately needed when she dialed his number in the first place. While most of the time she had been the tough one who never let this sort of thing get her worked up this was an entirely different storm. Right now she needed him and felt that there was no one else she could trust with these strange happenings. The blonde didn't want to push the boundaries of their newly rekindled friendship but a part of her had never let go of the life she left behind. Now that this had fallen into her lap she worried about the future more than the present. Allison's eyes reached to meet Max's, her head on his shoulder while his words bringing out a stifled sigh. Sometimes she forgot what she'd looked like through his eyes and even now when the blonde wished to disappear he made her feel as if she could figure out anything. While he continued talking, her mind didn't follow, only catching some of the words but getting lost on his lips. The question had been the first sentence Allison had followed entirely since her eyes had fallen victim to his facial features. "Yeah, I'd like that," she started in an attempt to bite her tongue from the things that rattled out next. "But you don't need to sleep on the couch." Her voice was soft as the blonde closed the distance between them that had been strung out over miles and years, silently praying he still felt it too.

[maxximillions]

If things had been different, Max could've kissed her, despite being in the middle of the biggest crisis they'd had in years. It wasn't the right place, or time, to start that back up again--they were finally in a good spot, as friends. Instead, he opted for placing what he hoped would be received as a friendly arm around her shoulder, his fingers brushing lightly where the fabric of her sleeve turned to skin. "You are, to me," he mumbled, the last he would say on the topic of his ex's perfection. "It has to be because they're back, I think. I don't see how it could be anything else, right? I don't know if they did something years ago, and it's just flaring up now, or if ... I don't know, this is a recent thing, them wanting revenge." Max gave her a shrug, feeling suddenly helpless. Had he been researching with her all this time, maybe they could've been prepared for something like this. "Do you want me to stay with you for the, uh ... for the night? I don't mind, y'know, sleeping on the couch, or the floor, wherever. Just so someone's here, if this happens again, or if you have a bad dream, or something." That was a perfectly reasonable excuse for spending more time with her, he thought--it was for her safety, which was more important than anything right now.

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Everything was changing in a matter of moments. While she'd known some things were strange they hadn't been all that different than usual, she did research magic after all. That being said, now that she was experiencing the very things she studied it was a whole new ballgame. His words made her heart swell. Even if they weren't together anymore, Max knew what she needed to hear, and having his support was all she could ask for. This was normally what he wanted to stay far away from but he'd jumped in when she needed him most. "I'm so not but I don't mind you thinking I am," the blonde said while biting into her lower lip to keep herself from overspeaking. Allison wasn't one to get caught up in the moment, but right now she found herself stumbling. After all these years he was still the only person she wanted beside her at a time like this. "You think it could just be because they're here?" The blonde thought for a moment, trying to remember when it had all started. "I think I had the first dream last Halloween, I didn't think anything of it then. As for the other weirdness, it's only gotten worse in the last few months. Do you think they did this?" The wheels were turning now, rising from his shoulder so that she could start to connect the dots. "Thank you for being here," Allison said after a moment of silence, finding his eyes after telling herself to not get lost in them again.

[maxximillions]

It was almost insulting, that the woman couldn't remember completely fucking up their lives. The one night Max wanted to forget in its entirety kept creeping back in, and Mary couldn't even recall who he was. The idea that maybe he shouldn't have come in, guns blazing, to accuse a woman who could severely worsen his life of what she'd done wasn't the best did cross his mind for a fleeting second, until Max's mind was reminded of Allison and the real reason why he'd come here. "Excuse me, you and your sisters were the ones who fucked us up in the first place. I thought we'd gotten rid of you, and now, you're back, and Allison can burn holes through the wall," Max pointed out, folding his arms over his chest defensively.

As he saw her expression soften into trying to recall what she'd done, Max continued to grow impatient. Did she really think he was that stupid, that he'd pick the wrong witch to accuse of something this severe? "No, no, you definitely did this. Or, maybe it was one of your sisters--I don't know. Did you, like, hex us, or something, that night? Or, put some sort of spell on now that you're back here? Lady, I'll do whatever the fuck it takes to get her back to normal."

“What I did? I can assure you I have done nothing to anyone!" While it was a complete lie that harm hadn't been caused in some way by Mary's past experiments, she had no memory of cursing anyone lately or one having such an effect that would be traced back to her, therefore his pointed claim did nothing but anger her. She didn't think her work to be that sloppy that any random man could stop by and spot it out. "How presumptuous of you to make such an accusation when all I do is keep to myself. In fact, it is brave of you to come into my establishment and point the fingers at me when you have no proof from what I can see." Mary really did try to reference back to meeting anyone and hexing them with anything that would signal red flags for any witches in the area, but she couldn't think of anything. In fact she'd love to point him in the direction of the very witch that did so that she could get the stranger off her back.

In the distress of trying to figure out if she did, in fact, do something, Mary did happen to remember that innocent people don't go around denying accusations as rapidly as she might've. A bit of oversight on her part but it wasn't something she couldn't hopefully mend up this late. "Not that I can do anything to anyone anyway, I'm just a mere fortune teller. If something happened to her then all I could've done was warn her about it. It's not my fault she was destined to have something unfortunate happen to her."

[maxximillions]

Before he could say anything else, Max had to set the record straight: “Nothing is wrong with you, okay? You’re perfect,” he asserted, positive in at least that much. No matter what happened to her, he wouldn’t ever leave her side—even if that side scared the shit out of him. As she dropped to the bed beside him, he froze, still in the shock of her head on his shoulder while he attempted to process the rest. Even that would be enough for him to freeze, nevermind the rest of her questions. “I’ll be here.” It was enough that he knew would be perceived as a promise, especially when his past had been riddled with flaking on the serious shit with her and his sister. This wasn't something he could ignore like he had done in the past, and after letting them down every day in the past, Max wouldn't be able to stand himself if he did that again. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because they’re back that you’re experiencing this? When did all of it start? Is this the first time?”

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Allison hadn't expected to feel guilty for having not told him, never wishing to worry him with things of the magic variety. That was the very thing that tore them apart and if now she was directed linked she feared the worst. He was reacting better than she'd expected, knowing the sight was difficult to explain and alarming to most. "I didn't think it was anything, not like this anyway." In fact, she'd assumed the strange dreams had come from the re-emergence of the women from their past. After seeing Mary she had been unable to get the images out of her head but it turned out to be far more complicated than their witch trauma. "What do you think is wrong with me? Am I cursed? Did I come into contact with an object that possessed power?" The blonde plopped onto the bed and her head fell onto his shoulder in synch with her letting out a heavy sigh. Their closeness wasn't something she'd intended to push but knew for certain the comfort he brought. "Will you help figure out what's going on with me?"

[maxximillions]

Ever since Allison had come to him with the development that she had been able to set her television aflame, Max knew they had to act quickly. Neither of them knew what the hell was going on, but he was determined to figure it out before things were out of their hands. To choose which of the Sandersons to approach about the blonde's situation wasn't as hard as he'd expected to be--Winifred was the scariest of them all, and Sarah wouldn't let him speak without attempting to flirt with him, so, Mary was the easy answer. What was more difficult than that was going without telling Allison, but that was a later problem Max couldn't quite see through his shock and panic.

Though it had taken some research to pin down her location, Max practically walked into Mary Sanderson's establishment with guns blazing, ready to figure out what had happened to Allison. He hadn't been expecting the greeting and offer for his fortune to be told, a gesture that mismatched how aggressive he'd planned on being with the woman. "No, I don't--what?" he sputtered, staring at the woman in confusion. "I'm here because of what you did to her--to Allison. Not for a ... I don't believe in that stuff."

closed starter for @maxximillions location: mary's workspace/home

If Mary could watch tv all day she would, she probably could if she could remember spells to help her out with the mundane tasks of every day life. But alas, she had to work to afford food and cable. Regardless of how much time she could spend in front of the tv, it never failed to ruin her mood when a customer came in right when a show was getting good. Today was no exception, the customer walked in right before a secret was about to be revealed and it had to be paused for someone she had a feeling she'd seen before but at the moment, she could only mistake for a past client.

Mary didn't think too much of it, she'd seen plenty of people by now. How was she supposed to remember the very person who brought her and her sisters back years ago without Winnie's help? The perplexed stare he gave left her uneasy, as if he were onto her intentions. She didn’t like sitting in discontent, it never did her any good so she was certain to address her problems immediately. "What's that look on your face? You never seen a beautiful fortune teller before?" It didn't help that she was also still annoyed that her tv time was interrupted so her patience was being tested. "Are you here for a reading or not?"

[maxximillions]

"You've been having dreams?" he repeated in frustrated disbelief. He supposed he couldn't really blame her for not telling him sooner, given his reluctance toward anything witchy in the past, but Max had thought he'd made it clear enough that he was at least willing to try to help, now. "You could've told me," he added, hoping it was more reassurance than anger that came through as his voice calmed. Letting out a sigh, he relayed the events she'd recounted in his head over, trying to make any sort of sense of this that didn't end in this being Allison's fault. There had never been any indication that she'd been cursed, or anything, in the years since that first Halloween, but things could've changed now that the sisters were unfortunately back. It wasn't like her television was ridiculously outdated, or that they generally combusted into flames on the regular, in Max's experience. As much as he feared something like this might happen ten years ago, it didn't make facing it now much easier, especially when he had a feeling the two were in way over their heads, beyond just research. "I don't know, Alli, I don't think ... I can't think of a way that this wasn't you," he admitted quietly.

༝༝༝ 🎃 ༝༝༝

Allison was equally aware that what she presented was absolutely insane. That's why she'd called Max, knowing that he would be the only one who wouldn't think she was absurd for thinking such a thing. Even she failed to find the words to describe how it had all happened but the sensation from it still pricked at the tip of her finger. As he took a seat on her bed she tucked her hands against her body with crossed arms, suddenly feeling strange having them out so thoughtlessly. "No, not like this," the blonde started to explain. "I had been having those weird dreams and they were about things like this. Things I could do, things I saw that hadn't happened yet." What she thought was a mirror of her day job had actually been a peek into what was to come. Allison wondered if this thing had been in her all along or if it was the Sanderson's convincing her of what wasn't real. "Right before I called you. The remote was glitching again and I just wanted to change the channel so I pointed it at the tv, I guess a little aggressively, because that happened," she said gesturing up at the melted television. "I threw my glass of water on it to stop the flames but there's no way it just... spontaneously combusted, right?" Allison knew the answer, hoping that if someone else said it then she'd actually be able to believe it.

[maxximillions]

Reluctantly, Max accepted her hand, his apace slow as he followed her into her room. He hadn't been this way in years, the past times having been for a different purpose completely. Now, he felt like she was leading him to something he didn't want to see, and, upon first look at her wall, he could tell his suspicion had been right. His eyes glued to the wall, he avoided Allison's gaze as he accepted what she was trying to tell him. She hadn't burnt it with a candle, or with another freak accident--she'd burnt it herself, probably with her own two hands, from what it sounded. He nodded slowly to himself, before finally meeting her eyes in acceptance. Unlike the Sandersons, he couldn't run from her--he loved her, no matter what she'd done, or what she was capable of doing. Allison would never hurt him like that. "Okay," he said finally, stepping back to take a seat for this one, on her bed. "You've never ... nothing like this has ever happened before, has it? This is the first time?" Max clarified, before hitting the hundred other questions that flooded his mind. "And when did this--the wall, when did you do this? Today?"

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The duo had been through more than one life-changing experience. The night of their first kiss even took place between defeating child-eating witches. That's exactly what she feared tonight as she looked into her apartment which was still hazy from what had occurred. This was everything he was against but there wasn't anyone else she trusted this with. Allison quickly nodded to affirm she was all right after his initial concerns. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she'd been hurt, knowing that would bring forth a different type of fear. "Yeah, I'm okay. No break-ins or anything." This problem was less straightforward but somehow that made it just as terrifying. She didn't know what to do about this in the same way she'd know her next steps if someone had actually broken in. "Kind of. I'll show you," the blonde said while taking his hand to lead him into her bedroom. This wouldn't be the first time but usually, it was under drastically different circumstances. Allison paused in front of the door to take a breath before opening it to reveal her television now hanging crookedly burnt to a crisp on her wall. "I think I did it, I think it came from me.." Her voice trailed off but her eyes didn't leave Max, fearing his response to the sight before him.