ext_20824 ([identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 31_days2012-05-23 02:43 am

[May 23] [Perry Mason] Calculated Control

Title: Calculated Control
Day/Theme: May 23rd - A flame in two cupped hands
Series: Perry Mason
Character/Pairing: Florence (OC); important mentions of Vivalene (OC) and Hamilton Burger
Rating: T/PG-13

Part of the "Missing Scenes from The Broken Ties" series.

Takes place probably between chapters 8 and 14.


By Lucky_Ladybug


Florence was the more quiet of the two sisters. She stayed in the background, allowing Vivalene to work her plan as she saw fit. She had to admit that it was advancing well, despite the setbacks. Nevertheless, she felt that Vivalene underestimated her opponents. And she was quite certain that it would be Vivalene’s undoing.

What Vivalene—and perhaps Hamilton and Paul—had forgot was that it was Florence who had originally wanted the Forbidden Box, Florence who had gone to all manner of devious lengths to acquire it from the Petersons’ home, and Florence who had determined to use it. But then Judge Heyes and his men had got in on the act and Mr. Vann had brought Vivalene on board. And instead of being subservient, as they had wanted her to be, Vivalene had taken charge and made the entire scheme her own.

Florence had been annoyed but had allowed it. Vivalene was green and only saw things in shades of green—money, emeralds, and jealousy and envy. Florence, on the other hand, had heavily studied the Forbidden Box and all of the intricacies associated with the curse. She knew things that Vivalene did not know and had never even thought to ask.

One thing Vivalene had devised as the plan went on and as Hamilton and Paul continued to disrupt every aspect of her black magic was how to eventually rid herself of Hamilton Burger for good. She fully intended to use an infamous and cruel enchanted death spell on him. And like all death spells, only true love would break it. In this case, the true love of the friendship bonds between Hamilton and the others.

The catch was in how Vivalene had twisted everyone’s memories so that they would hate Hamilton for things he had not even done. And Paul had never liked him to begin with. She was certain that they would all detest him so much that they would only be upset over someone dying in general. It would not seriously shake them for Hamilton Burger specifically to be dead. And that would not break the spell.

It also would not break the original spell, the one that had caused this mess in the first place. She had altered the terms so that Hamilton’s death and his friends’ love for him was bound up with the shattering of that curse. That way she would have a back-up plan if she could not kill Tragg. It was more delicious for her that way, anyway. She had nothing against Tragg, but she had everything against Hamilton Burger.

But Florence was certain that Hamilton’s friends would come through, that they would rally around him and unwittingly manage to save his life and break both spells with their grief. And if that happened, there was another catch: the person who had activated the spells would be stricken with the enchanted death and remain in a coma unless someone cared about them enough to break it.

Vivalene did not know about that risk. And frankly, Florence did not intend to tell her.

It was more convenient for Florence that way. Being more controlled in her scheming would pay off in the end. She would have the Box all to herself.

After all, Vivalene would be comatose. And no one would be around to use true love and wake her up.

No one like that even existed for her.