Michael saw the thumbs up from the manager as the opening DJ started to settle his tracks and pack up. The overhead music played a standard Euro-House music as the dance floor started to clear as people took the break to go to the bathroom or bar to get a new drink. The set up on his end was already mostly done so the thumbs up was simply a signal that he could get started whenever he wanted. Considering how many times he had done this the signal might have been a gunshot for the beginning of a race. No more than twenty seconds later Michael had his laptop up in front and his new tracks loaded and ready for the crowd.

He pressed enter and as the track began to pick up the whole club seemed to explode. It didn't take long for people to realize who was turning the tables and like a wildfire the crowd again jumped to the dance floor. Over the past several years Michael had become one of the most sought after DJ's in the greater Florida club scene. He was constantly being asked to move on to bigger and larger stages; however, to him the tables were a place to relax and not a place where money and fame were achieved. He started doing it at his high school radio station where he fell in love with making music. From there it was amature gigs and plenty of work to get where he was now. Still it wasn't the only thing that was his identity. In 12 hours he was supposed to teach a class section at university of Miami where he was studying Archaeology as a grad student.

The music was now completely encompassing the club. The heat of the dance floor proving to Michael that his music was being enjoyed, experienced, and electrifying the club. The night continued as more came to dance. Everyone had already texted, tweeted, and posted about Michael being at club Fayth. If Michael was outside he would see a long almost a block long with people still lining up to get in. When the night started to come to a close Michael stepped down from the stage when the climax of his track was hitting. It made it so few saw him leave as he went to the club owner. The two were friends as they shared a few jokes while walking to the rear exit. "A good night. Seems to me that exclusive rights to your shows would be worth a lot of money."

While he was friends with the owner Michael was getting tired of him constantly trying to anchor him into a exclusive performance contract. "You're like a broken record Sam. Something I don't work well with. Just give it a rest. I already spin at your place twice as much as I do anywhere else. You see a jump in numbers for a week after I spin here so I think you will do alright. You own almost ever hot club in the city." Michael was now back in a hallway with Sam who was walking with him along the VIP section of the back area. Opening the door and seeing his scooter right where he left it Michael put his helmet on and said his goodbye to Sam. The drive was no more than ten minutes as Michael lived in the warehouse district which was heavily populated with clubs and a vibrate party scene. It was also right near an amazing cafe that was perfect for any grad student who had a half dozen papers to grade before Tuesday.

It wasn't the FBI or the CIA. Those hacks from fed and state moved too slow and had too much red tape for what she did. She told him once that it was less paperwork and more money-- that's about all it amounted to for her-- but he knew better. He knew the real reason why they ended up in Miami so soon after the last job went bust. Zero moved the ice pack off of his jaw where she had slugged him hard. Squinted at his refection in the mirror, and winced. Not pretty.

Maybe he should think about retirement.

"Hey, ugly." she said, in what he might consider an affectionate tone, "I'm going down to the cafe. Do something useful and find us a place to live will ya'? We might be here a while." She paused at the doorway and scrunched her eyebrows together, "Zero? Something wrong?"

"No more."
"Huh?"
"You heard me Deblin, I want out."
"Not this again. Look, if it's about the money--"

"It's not about the money. It's about you." he braces himself as her green eyes widen with confusion. That didn't fool him either though. In fact, he had the sinking feeling this had been her plan all along. Fine. Even if it was her plan, he still wanted this to happen. "It's about you treating me like I'm a liability. So... s-so you can just take your stuff from this motel room and go elsewhere." He hated how his voice stumbled, it was supposed to be his final declaration, dammit, he was supposed to be the boss of this moment.

"Fine. If that's really how you feel..." she said softly, "but just know, Zero. Whatever they're paying you, it's not worth your life. "

"What are you talking ab--"
"Drop the act." she says flatly. "It's not working."
"I seriously don't think you get what this is about."

She holds up a cellphone. His cellphone. Zero watched her type in the number to unlock it with a bewildered expression. 9-8-7-2-0--- .. Her thumb hovers over the number 7. She stares at him a moment as if deep in thought. Mumbles something like 'fuck', under her breath when he doesn't make a motion to react. Taking the device between her fingers she slides the battery case open to reveal...

Shit.

"See? It's just a regular cellphone. You're losing it, kid."
"Zero-- I.. I'm really sorry... you have been acting strangely lately and I just thought that.. "

Tick. Tick. Boom

---

---

It's dark when I wake up in the hospital. Whatever Zero hit me with wasn't enough to kill me-- I do a body check-- and then scowl. I'm fine. Zero wanted me alive so that I would chase after him. They clock says I've been out almost a day. I look over at the night stand. And sure enough. Flowers. Daises (my favorite). I rip the envelope that came attached to them and yeah, it's from who I thought it was. I read the note out loud. "Dear Deblin: I want to fuck you."

Only the letter left out the word "I" and the part about him wanting to. Still, it was pretty damn obvious.

There's the sound of shoes- women's non-slip size eight- shuffling outside of my door. I look up and a nurse comes in surprised to see me sitting up and smiling (I slipped the note under the mattress). "Hold on, I'll see if she's awake-- Oh! You're up? Good. Looks like there's a young man named Michael here to see you..."

Michael was sitting in the waiting room with his leg bouncing up and down like a jacked up kangaroo. He wasn’t always the best with hospitals. Bad memories start to creep into his mind and he was even worst at pushing them away. A woman sitting nearby glanced back at Michael and gave him a look that warranted some sort of response. “It’s been a sort of crazy night.” He said and then looked away.

He couldn’t stop his eyes from rolling. After all what he just said was likely now in the running for biggest understatement of the year. The last several hours were spent at the hospital, but it was the 20 minutes before those long hours that were some of the most horrifyingly exciting moments of his young life.

When he had gotten to the café the several regulars all greeted him with a smile. It was a hidden gem of a café which had amazing service provided by the two staffers. They were both more than competent and Michael wasn’t oblivious to how cute they both were. Still he liked them more for their ability to handle the eccentric clientele more than their looks.

His regular spot next to the window was open so he plopped down and pulled his laptop out. From there he started his normal routine of grading papers and winding down from the night at the club. A cup of hot chocolate found its way over to his table no more than a minute later. It was his regular order and they always treated him well. Michael was somewhat confident that one of the baristas had a crush on him.

Later on in the night was when it got hectic. One minute everything was pretty normal. Quiet in the café with a drunk or two walking past shouting about how amazing the world is. The next minute a somewhat sizable explosion rocked the second floor of the building across the street. The resulting panic was what you would expect. Most people in the café went outside to see what was going on while Michael went to check on his scooter which was parked under the building. As he did this someone asked for him to help.

Before he realized it he was running up the stairs following someone shouting about helping people get out. Looking back at this Michael could see as plain as day just how stupid this choice was. Still the results made it clear it was the right one. Upon getting to the second floor he found Ashley Deblin lying on the ground near what looked to be a blown out part of the wall. Rushing over Michael could already hear the sound of sirens getting close.

He opted to stay with Ashley while the paramedic started to work on her. He wasn’t sure what happened, but he might have lied and said he was someone closer to her because a few moments later he was in the ambulance with her to the hospital. There he waited while the doctors did whatever it was they did. He spent most of the time thinking about his past times in hospitals as well as the whole experience of tonight.

When that got to be a bit much he tried to pull his attention to something else and that led to him thinking about Ashley. He had only know her for a few months but she had made an impression. He was sure that was something she had a habit of doing, and it wasn’t just because of her red hair. She seemed wicked smart and also wholly witty with plenty of personality. The only thing that wasn’t really clear was where she spends all her time. Outside of her vital responsibilities at the university no one really saw a lot of her.

“Michael was it?” A person said after coming out of the back hallway. This had the man stand up and look to the person for an update on Ashley’s condition. “Firstly I want to say that overall she is okay. The paramedics were able to see that there was no major damage and that she is going to make a recovery over the next several days.” The doctor then looked back and asked if Michael wanted to go and visit. He simply nodded in response and followed them into the back rooms.

After walking into the room Michael felt a wave of awkwardness fill his entire brain. What was he actually doing here now? He knew Ashley was okay and that was more or less the main reason he was in the waiting room. He could have just been happy with that and then left. Still there he was standing in the room with Ashley looking like she had just had an even more dangerously exciting night than Michael.

Completely put on the spot and having no idea what he should do Michael did what he always did in awkward situations and deflected with humor. “So when people say they are going to blow it up in all the dance songs I don’t think the slang means to do so literally.” He then scratched the back of his neck and then gave a sort of personal laugh to the joke. “Good to see you awake Ashley.” Michael added after a brief pause.

I remembered clear as day one hot summer in Hokkaido, Japan, and the geisha Tsukiko's words of wisdom:



Micheal was a great guy. A kiss on the cheek and a few false tears from me were all it took to seal the deal. Things played out pretty smoothly, by the end of it the hospital agreed to let me go home with him in the morning. I waved Micheal goodbye and gave him what I thought to be a sad, feeble smile.

This was the lie that I told:

"I don't know what happened..."
Fan closed.
"My parents? Oh god, Michael--Please don't make me tell them. My mother and father, they're really old and can't take the stress of traveling cross-country to come see me. I feel fine. Mostly. It's just the mental shock... "
Fan open.
"...the police? I already explained to everyone that I can't remember anything about the explosion...maybe... the water heater in that motel was bad.."
Fan closed.
"I don't really have a place I can stay. Everything I brought back from studying abroad is gone... I'm s-scared..."
Fan open.
"I'm surprised you came to visit me... Y'know I've always thought you were a really nice guy...Now I know it's true."
Fan closed.
"R-really? You...you'd let me stay with you? I don't know what to say aside from thank you. Thank you so much. I'll be out of your hair in a week, I swear. I just need to gather myself up and figure things out..."

---

The next morning:

"What?"

The nurse's eyes bulged in surprise. The patient gave only slight pause at her arrival but then continued counting. She was puffing on half a cigarette-- cussing something fierce about the number Zero while doing handstand push ups. Naked. Her hospital gown had been carelessly tossed aside over the face of the muted television. "Miss-- you really should be resting! And there's no smoking in the hos--"

"Did you wash my clothes?"

"...Yes and there is something I have to ask you about that..." the nurse watched as the young woman curls her knees into her chest and rights herself. Takes a few deep yoga-breaths, and then sighs. The nurse purses her lips in anxiety.

When the patient speaks, her eyes narrow as she flicks the cigarette into the waste bin without looking, her voice is light and casual and does not match her burning gaze. "Yes. I do suppose you will have some questions about that... Have you told anyone?"

"No. I think when you find as many knives and guns strapped to one person as I did you that it would be pretty stupid to tell," the nurse wrings her wrists and then continues "I don't want no trouble-- I have a son who's in the green berets so I understand how these things can be."

"Green Berets? Nice. I've dated a few fellas with the uniform. Decent guys." she points to a thin scar just below her waist "Until you stop returning their calls."

The nurse swallows hard and then for the first time takes a good look at the girl. After the initial shock of her extreme nude workout, she notices just how banged up her body really was. Part of her torso had been wrapped in gauze to cover the majority of the bruises and cuts, but still she could see older markings. Most of them were harder to spot with her pale complexion. But they were there if you looked for them. Thin ones... Round ones... A few darker ones that looked like burns. There is no Ashley Deblin in our medical records...

"I trashed it all in the lake. I don't know who you are or what you do but since you remind me so much of my Charlie, I'll let it slide this once." she watches as the young woman's eyes widen incredulously; something maternal sweeps her and she adds "I also have a daughter who's older now. I figured you'd be about her size, too." She deposits a yellow sundress with tiny green flamingos printed on the front.

The patient smiles "I like you..." she reads the nurses name tag, while eyeing the sundress poker-faced, "Donna...I really like you. But really... what did you do with my guns?"

Donna replies sweetly, "They're in the Okeechobee lake!" she waits patiently until young woman is done swearing in what sounds like a few different languages before adding "Oh and dear, your boyfriend is at the front desk waiting for you--"

"He's not my-- Ah. Yes... Sorry." she clears her throat, runs a hand through her hair and quickly pulls on the sundress. "Thank you, let him know I'll be right out"

"You have to be in a wheelchair until you are off hospital property. It's the rules."

"Don't push me, Donna."

"She was crying!" Michael shouted into his cell phone. His tone and body language could speak volumes about the kind of lecture he was getting, but more important than that it was a lecture he asked for. There were things Michael was good at. Spinning records as a DJ, teaching a classroom of college students about archaeology, and remembering family holidays. To counterbalance that there were also things he was horrible at and dealing with a woman who was crying was at the top of that list. He had seen Ashley last night and after a somewhat uncomfortable hospital visit involving some crying he had somehow been roped into hosting a wounded grad student.

"Well at least she is cute. Plus you helped rescue her from a building explosion. If that doesn't get you some action I can honestly say you are hopeless." Eric said. Even though they were talking through cell phone it was obvious he was shaking his head. Eric was a good friend of Michael who he had met at a grad school social function. He had tried to describe specifically what his area of studies was, but every time he did it just ended up confusing Michael. From what he could gather it has something to do with fish. "I mean I am not saying you should throw yourself into that situation right now. Probably be best to let her heal up first..."

"You are a true gentleman and scholar Eric." Michael said. He then saw Ashley's nurse walking towards him and quickly said goodbye as Ashley herself came out and into the waiting room. "Shouldn't you be in a wheelchair or something?" Michael asked. He looked at the several bandages and medical evidence across Ashley's body and then over at Donna. The nurse looked weary and even nervous, but Michael caulked this up to her being over worked like nearly every nurse in assistance. He thanked her for her help and watched Donna quickly exit like a bat out of hell. It would have been preferred that she stay because now it was just Michael and Ashley which meant an awkward silence was about to cascade down on them.

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

Desperate for something to say Michael remembered why he had called Eric in the first place. "I was able to get a second bed. Nothing fancy, but I am set as far as sleeping arrangements." He looked sheepish and proud which basically meant he was putting up a fake sort of confident front. "I also figured you would need to move some of the things that survived the gas leak explosion so I emptied a few drawers. I wasn't sure what you would want to take so I thought maybe you could call a friend and get them to bring some of your stuff over." Michael quickly realized he was starting to talk due to nervousness. "But really shouldn't you be in a wheelchair?" He asked as they finally started to leave the waiting room and walked out of the hospital.

His purple scooter was parked right near the entrance up by the sidewalk. He walked over to it and then pulled his helmet off the handlebars and then onto his head. he clicked it into place and then realized just how stupid he was. "O shit." He said in a clear articulate voice. "Ashley I completely blanked." Quickly getting off his scooter Michael took his helmet off and stood there feeling like a forgotten penny. "I can fix this." Holding up a finger and pulling his cell phone out he quickly flicked the screen and used his taxi app to hail them one. No sooner was he done he got a call from a cab who told him they would be there in a few minutes.

An extra bed, empty drawers, and then he mentioned me ought to having be in a wheelchair. Twice. "...I thought maybe you could call a friend and get them to bring some of your stuff over..." he was saying. And then when we had made it out of the hospital: "O shit...Ashley I completely blanked...I can fix this." he said something about a cab. I suppose I should have been a little more facilitating. Micheal... The poor guy seemed nervous about something. I smiled and nodded once in a while to give the impression that I was listening. I'm a really good listener...

Once, I piped up with, "I wouldn't risk anyone going back to that place... I'm sure I've got enough grant money left to go shopping for a weeks worth of clothing tomorrow." After I scour your place for bugs and rig it for alarms while you sleep...

"Tomorrow?" he sounded a little unsure and then his eyes widened as my bottom lip wobbled. "Oh, right-- I'm sure I've got an extra shirt or something..." he said some more things and made a joke or two about having to clean up on my behalf. More things. More words... More...

Zero...I know you're still here in Miami. I can feel it... And when I find you, pray I have a gun or else I'll--

"Ashley?"

"I'm sorry." I reached across from me, set my hand on top of his and then looked him dead in the eyes, "You were saying something about music?"

"Yes, in fact I... ....DJ ... nightlife... ... but between that... ....grading papers... ... do you.... nice... very friendly... ... found him on the side of the curb... allergic to them?"

Four years I've trusted you, and you're going to pull this on me, now? I'm not going to hold back. Count your breaths Zero, they are numbered.

"Yes." I said after I noticed he was waiting for me to speak.
"Really?" he frowned.
"I mean, no." I corrected.
"Oh! Good. Don't worry he's old and loves just about everyone."
"Great" I replied automatically "When do I get to meet him?"
"Looks like this is it. Top floor, Boon's inside waiting for us."

Wait, who is Boon?

---

"Boon is a dog." I hissed, "You didn't tell me Boon is a dog."

The ugliest dog I have ever seen in my life comes bounding to greet us with short yips and heavy breathing. It sort of looks like it could be a pug, but mostly likely a mutt. Rat dog. I grimace. That's what it reminds me of. Micheal smiles at me and it's only then that I notice both of my arms are gripping his, tightly. "Funny, Ashley." he says and then gently pries me from his arm to reach into the cabinet. When he pulls out a jar of dog treats, he motions for me to watch "So far he can only do one trick. Sit. Sit, Boon..." he commands the dog, "Sit-- no, no over here." Micheal laughs and then assures me that his dog isn't normally 'like this' and that 'he's old but sharp' and more words... more words...

I'm busy staring down the dog.

This is my house bitch. it said to me. It sits there panting. Without even having done anything physically challenging... Just there... panting... pretentiously...maniacally...
Used to be. Now it's mine. To make a point I move closer to Micheal and reach out to put an arm over his shoulder.

Boon begins to growl. When I'm sure Micheal isn't looking, I cross my eyes and make a face at it. Boon begins to go crazy. Barking and popcorning up and down on weak hind legs. Micheal kneels down and begins to pet the little fiend and eventually it calms down.

Smug, bug-eyed bastard. We'll see who he's petting between the ears eventually. Give a day tops, Boon. There is a sudden sharp pain in my ribs. Make that a few days...

Micheal mentioned having to grade papers. I assured him that it was fine with me and that I'd probably take another nap or have a look around the place if he didn't mind. It was nice in an urban bachelor pad sort of way. It all amounted to one large open space with furniture that designated the living areas. Yes. Just about everything was satisfactory and I offered to pay for pizza around noon while we both made a day of studying and lounging around. I skimmed books from his shelves (Or rather, I checked behind spines for hidden microphones), I took a nap in front of his television (Checked between the cushions), and even helped him grade a few papers (searched his desk when he wasn't looking).

---

Night time:

"You seem more awake at night" I noted.
"You, too." he said.

We looked at each other a moment. As if deciding on something. I don't get it. What's he looking at?

The place was a mess, its normal status, and Michael had been given all of an hour to make it look livable. Sadly all that meant was his dirty clothes were correctly located near his hamper. He had tried to explain this to Ashley as they walked up the stairs to his loft apartment. "Really the whole thing is location. I work in the archives department as you know and its warehouse is only a few blocks from here. Since the professor and the university joint own the property they said they would like someone to live close by. I volunteered since my other job has me in this part of the city at night. Easier commute." When Michael opened the door his dog Boon was already running to the front door and wagging his nub of a tail.

"Shoot I forgot to tell you about Boon!" Michael said quickly. "This is Boon. I've had him for a for awhile now. He was abandoned around here awhile ago and I sort of backdoor cared for him till I had the money to house him permanently. He isn't much of a guard dog though. More a host dog really. The way he defends the home front is with a barrage of licks. You aren't allergic are you?" Michael stood up after petting Boon and then looked back at Ashley He saw a visible uncomfortable woman standing where Ashley used to be. "It's nice to come home to a friend." He said with some amount of sympathy. "You will get to like him I promise." He then walked deeper into the apartment. "The empty walls are a work in progress. Professor said I could do whatever I want with the place so I have been working towards making rooms. Nothing fancy. Just wouldn't mind seeing the toilet from the kitchen."

The two reached the kitchen which was stocked, but minimally so. The fridge was full sized and when he opened it Michael beamed with pride at the fact that it was a fridge stocked by someone who knows how to cook. "I'll have to go to the store to get a few things now that I have a guest, but other than that you should look forward to a full cooked meal." The rest of the tour took a few minutes as Michael cleaned while he talked and walked. By the time it was over there was a few tarps up around the bathroom and bedrooms so that a little bit of privacy was allowed. Still Michael made a mental note to put a few extra hours into working on the place over the next few days. "I guess we should get you settled..." He said cheerfully.

After a few more hours of cleaning and a walk with Boon later Michael settled down and started to get some school work done. He became focused and really started to get things done until his stomach started to growl. He glanced around the floor and didn't see Ashley until he called out to her about making dinner. A nearly silent grunt seemed to be all he got. He took this as an agreement. He cooked for a few and ended up with a well rounded lemon chicken meal for the two of them. They ate while Michael started to grade papers. Ever so often he would toss a bit of food to Boon who would inhale the piece entirely. He looked at the clock and saw that it was time for most of the world to get to bed. Thankfully he wasn't one of them.

The minutes continued on their march to the past until the weight of the time started to play with the light outside. From experience Michael could always tell when it went from late to really late and it had to do with the different type of darkness that settled in. He stole a glance over towards Ashley and began to think about the situation as a whole again. Now that he wasn't in a hospital or traveling he found the whole thing entirely weird, strange, and above all bizarre. For the first time the conversation seemed to start with her saying something.

"You seem more awake at night." She said slightly out of the blue.

Michael looked up from his chair where he had been learning back with his feet against the desk. A stack of papers that had been graded was now finally taller than the ungraded stack. Looking back he saw her moving about and still definitely aware. Looked at her again before finally replying. "You, too." He then leaned forward in his chair and had all four legs on the ground. His own two supporting his weight as he stood up. "You a night owl as well?"

Adopting an ugly dog...
Taking me in...
Cooking...

So basically. She thought, he's the type of guy my grandmother would have liked to see me with. It was almost too bad she had her sights set on someone else. Deblin arched her back slightly and smiled. "Night owl? Yeah, definitely-- but just to enforce that fact, wanna go for coffee?". She'd been coming off as the sullen and quiet type for sure-- and probably could keep that up because of her injuries and 'trauma'. But honestly, the night hours automatically focused her. By two in the morning she would be sharp as a rifle. And then maybe around six AM she would slowly taper off and become dead to the world.

They went to the cafe and they sipped at pair of steaming cups. He smiled after a moment of watching her fiddle around with the umpteenth packet of creamer and said: "Have some coffee with your bucket of cream?" She looked down into her cup guiltily, but then tasted it and decided it was worth the embarrassment of having adding at least some sugar. She liked sweet things. He grinned.

Nice smile.

Suddenly a pang of alarm hit her. Wait no. Not nice. Easy girl. Easy. Remember the reason you're in Miami to begin with. And remember you still have to pin that fucker Zero... Deblin coughed and then said, "So, anything interesting happen on campus?"

His eyes lit up and for about an hour or so they chattered away about what she had missed while she had been away. Turns out a lot. What a few months away from studies could do to a girl. Urgh. I'd better start cracking open the books...Actually... "Hey Michael? Will you let me sit in on one of your classes? Y'know as an audit..."

"Michaellllll. Oh, we've missed you since last night are you okay?" asked a Barista in pink lips and smokey eye makeup-- she dawned an apron but otherwise, sported shiny club gear under. Deblin was suddenly very interested in the contents of her mug and ducked her head. The less people knew about her and the connection to what happened in that motel, the better.

"Some of the other girls and I haven't seen you spin at the club down on 13th st in a while..." she pouted and then leaned over "we miss you" she added in a baby doll voice. From this angle, Deblin caught a good eyeful of exposed hip-- and a little crown tattoo just were the side of the apron didn't cover. The woman poured more coffee into his cup.

Deblin squinted at the tattoo. A king's crown...Why is that familiar? The two of them exchanged some words and then when she left the table Deblin's eyes were left lingering after her. Michael arched a brow. Yeah... I guess that did seem a little lesbian of me... Meh... "So... she ... seems nice?"

---

"He cooks? Yikes. You guys should just have sex now and get it over with."

"Yikes..." Deblin looked cautiously over her shoulder, making sure she wasn't being over heard. "Yikes, doesn't even begin to cover it, Garth. He adopted a stray dog...just what in the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

"... Look if you don't want him, send him over my way--- please."

"I'm fairly sure he doesn't play for your team, bub."

"That's too bad."

Deblin thought about this a moment, and decided she disagreed. "He's a nice guy. I feel bad for duping him like this-- and saying that. I'm going to need a few things delivered in the morning..."

"Sure thing sweetheart. Guns and panties it is!"
"I'm serious G., what Zero pulled back there--"
"No. That little bitch is already going down. Relax, I was just thinking that while you had a moment alone with Saint Michael there..." his tone trailed off suggestively.

"Not this time." Deblin waved over across the room at Michael and motioned to him that she'd be just another moment. She had waited patiently for him to slip into the men's room before she made her way to the pay phone.

"Still got it bad for your mystery guy, huh?"
"He's not a mystery, he's an enigma."
"No honey. How you wear your hair in the morning to the office, that is an enig--eni... you get the idea. Shit. It's way too late over here on the west coast. I'll have your parcel delivered to you 8 am sharp. You ready to memorize these coordinates?"

Deblin closed her eyes and pressed a hand to the side of her mouth. She liked to rehearse the information out loud and didn't want to run the risk of someone reading her lips. Got it. 8 am ... Sheesh that was early. She guessed she'd have to sleep early or not at all in order to get there in time. She hung up the phone and then strode over to Micheal who was busy carting their trash over to a bin.

"Michael... I'm sorry. I've kinda had a change of heart... mind if I sleep in? I wanted to get an early start on tomorrow."

The change in scenery was good for Michael as they went to the coffee house for a break. They left Boon after he seemed to put Ashley on edge. He made a point to let him sleep on the top part of the bed tonight as payment for not taking him along. Usually this meant Michael was going to wake up covered in dog tongue, but it was a small price to pay to keep everyone happy in the apartment.

A few cracked jokes at each other’s expense had the mood pretty good from Michael’s perspective. They were both smiling and believe it or not regular eye contact was now almost achieved on regular bases. Michael was good with people as far as dealing with them, but Ashley had been a tough nut to crack. She seemed to be like the tide as she would rise and fall. He figured this was some sort of thing with her so he quickly accepted it as a quirk.

The mood was somewhat sledge hammered into oblivion with the introduction of the new barista started and made her way over to their table. Her name was Vicky and she was the kind of gal every mother warns against. Thankfully Michael was good at seeing the red flags himself. Vicky was the kind who enjoyed the spot light. She had what could only be described as a fully desirable body, something Ashley seemed to admire as well.

The problem with Vicky in Michael’s opinion was her personal skill in finding horrible boyfriends. She seemed to have a thing for the bad boy. More than once her then boyfriends would wave a gun around like a money clip thinking it would get them everything they wanted. More often than not this would in fact work; however, sometimes there were much bigger hitters in the clubs and they would be firmly removed. Vicky usually saw this as a good chance to upgrade and start dating one of the guys who threw her ex out.

This contestant pattern made Michael constantly wonder why she would hit on him. He had none of the characteristics she seemed to enjoy other than the respect thing. While her ex’s respect seemed to mostly be from a fear or power stance his was more or less an artistic. He smiled when he remembered one of Vicky’s favorite lines she would use when Michael was DJ’ing. ‘What else can those fingers do?’ She would ask while working and dancing near him on stage.

“Well things at the university have been taking a bit more of my time than normal. Michael then started to talk about some of the things he was working on. His face would brighten and he would start to talk with his hands almost as much as his mouth. Quickly after he realized Vicky didn’t seem all that interested and he jumped ship on the conversation by telling her he would try and make it back to her regular club soon.

When she left Ashley made a comment that couldn’t have been written better for Vicky. Her tone and pause was the perfect balance for the words chosen. “I guess you could call her a coworker…” Michael said with his voice somewhat trailing off. “She is a dancer at one of the major nightclubs in the district. I sometimes DJ for fun and her club is one of the ones that is stupid enough to keep inviting me back.” He was somewhat embarrassed to talk about his hobby.

“Anyway I wouldn't really recommend you learn her birthday or favorite color. Like most things in that scene they seem to change daily and above all will never remember yours. A weird group seems to culminate to that music. I guess I can’t talk too much since I am the one making it. Still funny to think about I guess.” Michael took a sip of his coffee and then nodded to Ashley’s. “You know Hot Coco would be sweeter. You can get whip cream with it as well. Since you like sugar it seems. Also yea, sitting in my class should be fine.” Michael wasn't going to admit how surprised he was, but he was happy she seemed to want to learn something about him. Considering how people like Vicky saw his field of study he was somewhat hungry to find someone interested in it outside of his fellow Archaeology nerds.

A short while later Michael excused himself to use the bathroom. As he walked back there he felt someone follow him in. “Look buddy it is a single occupan…” He was cut off when the body pushed him against the wall and turned him around. “Woah!” he said and saw a large guy looking back at him. The man didn’t have the whole threat look on, but more seemed worried or restless.

“Hey I heard you said you were a DJ and that you might know where to get some extra happy for the scene…” The guy was asking about drugs. Something Michael had zero interest or tolerance for. The guy had made the mistake of asking about it, but also made the bigger mistake of pushing him in the bathroom to get his attention. Dealing with this would be best done with a little force.

Michael pushed the guy against the wall and threw his wallet open and closed it really quickly. “Yea they call me DJ COP.” The guy’s eyes went huge. “And I can only assume that you are saying you want to know where you can buy that new song Happy, because if you meant the slang for one of the new street drugs I would have to arrest you.” Michael had done the trick a few times. It always worked considering the people who knew him would never ask about drugs.

The man quickly removed himself from the back area allowing Michael to do his business. When he returned he saw Ashley was on the phone right outside. He paid for their coffee and a muffin which he started to eat as he walked outside to join Ashley who was just starting to end her phone call. He wasn’t one to pry. He assumed she was giving her family a call considering how serious her face was. When she hung up she brought up the idea of them going to bed.

“Sounds like a good idea to me. After the night you had last night I’m pretty sure you were supposed to take it easy.” They walked back to his loft and when they got in he showed her to her bed area. He had thrown some sheets up so she had the room to herself. “I will warn you though. If you turn the light on Boon will be able to see a clear silhouette so might be best to learn to dress in the twilight.” He gave a friendly smile as he heard all of his guy friends yelling at him in his head. “I’ll promise to be aware of the same thing of course.”

Michael then exceeded himself from the room and headed back to the kitchen where some of the dirty dishes had been left on the ground for Boon to clean. He put them in the sink and started to clean them while Ashley seemed to get ready for bed. When the dishes finished he took Boon and headed to his own bed near the back of the large space. He turned his light on,having already forgotten about the warning he had just given Ashley, and after changing into his PJ bottoms he remembered he hadn’t really given his new roommate anything to sleep in.

Looking around for a shirt he grabbed his normal bedtime shirt. On him it was a little big, but on Ashley it might as well have been a sheet or small blanket. He shouted over to Ashley before walking closer. “I’ll just toss it over.” He said and then threw his shirt over the top of the sheet wall. “Night Ash.” He said giving the very unoriginal nickname a go. Michael then went to his own bed and got dressed followed by turning the light off and letting Boon climb up next to his pillow for a good night’s rest. Well at least for the next 4 hours that is.

---

When he woke up he saw that his alarm was only a few minutes away from going off. He always hated it when this happened. Still the clock showed the time 8:56 and soon enough ticked another minute over. When he rolled over he was instantly set upon by a siege of licked. "Awww come on Boon you promised!" Michael said with a light laugh. He struggle to get up, but found the strength after Boon started to lick him again. Standing up and looking down at his pajama bottoms he saw they were as baggy as ever while he made his way to the bathroom. A splash of clean water and a quick use of the toilet had him mostly awake as he reached the kitchen. He tried to stay quiet in case Ashley was still asleep while Boon seemed to park himself right outside of her 'door' which was where two of the sheets met like a tent doorway.

He was saying, “I will warn you though. If you turn the light on Boon will be able to see a clear silhouette so might be best to learn to dress in the twilight...I’ll promise to be aware of the same thing of course... I’ll just toss it over...Night Ash.”

The concept that we might be able to see our silhouettes dressing and undressing had not occurred to me and I had to wonder for a moment if I had misjudged him. He's either ridiculously chivalrous...or a total pervert. The latter of the ideas had me stifling unexpected laughter. I undressed and pulled on his shirt--feeling light and springy inside around the dark hollow parts I didn't want to look at--Jesus, he even uses fabric softener...the good kind. Somehow I knew Garth was snickering from inside his cushy corner office back in California.

I fell backwards and stared into the sheet-walls. I kinda wished they weren't there. Sharing a bed made sense for several tactical reasons. Numero Uno: I could keep an eye on him. Should he ever try something funny I'd be able to reach right over and---... and....

I shook my head. Number Two: In the case of home invasion there would be one less bed for me to try and maneuver around in a fight. Yeah. Sounds legit. And Number Three: We could take down the sheets that created blind spots. Not that they were too bad... They were raised high enough so that I could spot ankles and feet walking by if I needed to. Which brings me to Number Four: Should he ever try something funny I'd be able to--- wait. No... No, I've already been over that one.

---

8:00 A.M.

The keys were inside the bulb of a lamp post down on 17th. I thumbed it carefully, feeling a bubble of hope build in the pit of my stomach as I entered the post office box. What would they give me this time? It was sort of like Christmas in the way that I never really knew what I was going to be given-- but I always knew that each and every single item had a purpose, even if they appeared to be utterly useless.

For example, consider the following: A few years ago, my target had been one who I would remember as 'Joey The Dentist'. A terribly nervous fellow with ties to several brutal murders of young female patients. Upon arriving to the UK empty handed, so as not to seem suspicious while traveling, I phoned Garth and asked for supplies needed to make the hit... "Sure thing, pretty lady," he answered sweetly. That time all I received was a condom and two tickets to ride the London Eye. Useless, you say? Yes. Yes it was. Actually-- I had pissed off G. by skipping out on some paperwork. He screwed me over hard on that one (As for Joey, I ended up having to suffocate him with the rubber...and P.S. the Eye was not nearly as wonderful as they had made it seem in the pamphlets).

As I inserted the keys and received the relatively small box, I racked my brain trying to think if there was anything I had done recently to piss him off, because let me tell ya' Hell hath no fury like a gay man's vengeance. It was smaller, maybe about the size of a shoe box, but it was also weighty. Glancing at the clock I figured it would be best to open it back at the house where I could open it before Mr. Perfect woke up and probably would offer to make breakfast.

I grimaced. Had I really just referred to him as Mr. Perfect? Mockingly, so. But still. "Head in the game, Deblin."

---

8:40 A.M.

I had made it back into his apartment quiet enough that he didn't seem wake up. Good. Ducking behind my sheet wall palace, I changed back into the shirt he lent me and sat cross legged on the bed with my parcel, crossing my fingers for the keys to a military tank. A girl could only dream, though.

Here's what I got:
A cell phone (Untraceable, the standard)
A credit card (Ooo, platinum...)
A Glock (Thank you, Lord.)
Four Bullets
Keys to a Toyota Corolla (Fancy? No. Discreet? Yes.)
More condoms (though I suspected by now that it was included for sentimental reasons. Fuck-you-very-much, Garth you old Queen).
A wad of stripper bills (ehm, that is to say, they were all singles)
And lastly, two envelopes. One labeled "Robert" and the other "Michael".

I hesitated. I hadn't asked for Garth to pull up Michael's file, and I knew he wouldn't have included it simply to jerk my chain. Then again... only one way to find out. I began ripping at the corners of the envelope when I heard the window slide open....

A tall, shadowy figure carrying a sack stepped into the room. I rolled my eyes. Of all things, a burglar. I shoved my box of goods into the corner, and resisted giving a small sigh. You sure picked the wrong place to rob, buddy. I didn't even bother to take the Glock, I wouldn't need it. The man was clearly not a professional with the way he moved around the furniture clumsily and bumped his shin on every corner. I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Helloooo" he whispered, "You must be Ashl--"

Fwump.

"What's in the bag you got there, slick?"

"AHCK! S-Stop-- that's my thfffooaaat!"

"Tell me who do you work for--"

"Michael! Help! Miii--ARCK!"

"Shut up."

We both froze a moment as we heard Michael say somewhere from his bed: "Awww come on Boon you promised!". I tightened my sleeper hold on the man as we froze in position while Michael made his way to the bathroom and flushed a moment later. The stupid dog even missed that I was a few feet away in the shadows. Boon you idiot... What if this had been an actual hitman? There goes your career as a guard dog... I felt the man's frame go slack in my arms. Fainted. But I knew not for long.

"MICHAEL GET HER OFF ME!" he screamed so suddenly, for a split second I marveled his ability to fake passing out.

The lights came on, but not before I could release my grip and press myself to the corner of the wall. I tried to look as innocent as possible. The sack that the burglar had been holding had spilled open on to the floor: Rocks. Or technically, fish fossils.

"What the-- Ashley are you alright?!"
"Ashley? What about me?" Eric protested, turning to face me for the first time, tall lanky and terrified.
"You came in through the window" I stated, attempting to sound shaken with fear rather than anger, which was how I really felt.
"I always come in through the window. Tell her Mike." Eric holds up his hands and makes a cross with his fingers...squints at my shirt (or rather, Michael's shirt) and then takes the time to flash a thumbs-up to Micheal. He mimes the word 'Nice'.

Michael was making his way to the bathroom when he thought he heard something come from Ashley's side of the loft. He shrugged and headed to the bathroom where he was about to do what every man did in the morning when all of a sudden he heard a very familiar voice use a very unfamiliar tone. “Eric?” he called out as he rushed towards Ashley’s area.

When he reached the section of the place now occupied by his friend and temporary house guest he saw an unmistakably awkward situation in front of him. To his left was Eric. Looking a quarter dead, a quarter polo wearing jerk, and half terrified. Opposite of him was Ashley who seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable. Michael’s thoughts first went to his house guest. “Ashley are you alright!?”

Eric started to stay something which garnered a response from Ashley. Michael didn’t hear it as he was now fully focused on what was laying on the ground in front of him. The two others in the room seemed to be waiting on Michael as Eric started talking about how it was normal for him to come in through the window. “Both of you shut up.” Michael said looking very serious. He rarely used the tone he had just flexed, but it was necessary.

“Eric are those Acanthodian fossils?” Michael was pointing to the bag that was partially spilled and the fish fossils that had spilled out from inside. He walked over and started to pick them up carefully. He seemed to hold it in his hand and then suddenly changed visibly. He put the items back in the bag and then picked it up. He stared daggers at Eric and spoke. “I don’t care if these are plastered copies. Use the damn window from now on.”

Michael then turned to Ashley. “The doctor said to not do any heavy activities. If you thought it was a burglar you should have shouted out. That was stupid. Both of you are a couple of idiots.” It was very unlike the normal Michael that everyone knew it loved, but it was hardly a shock to Eric. After all he was one of the few who knew just how much Michael loved the past. Eric shot a look at Ashley and then shot a moronic thumb up to his friend who was already starting to turn and walk into the living room area.

The first to follow him was Eric who, before he left the area gave a long look at Ashley, was already starting to do damage control. Before he opened his mouth he patted Michael on the back a few times. “Look buddy I know fossils aren’t your area of study. A guy like you in the Archeology department is all about human remains and the like, but did you actually thing I would bring real fossils hundreds of millions of years old over to your place…?” Eric was not happy that Michael seemed to pause and think about the question. “Asshole.” Eric muttered with a sly smile as he made his way over to the coffee machine.

Boon promptly plopped down near Ashley and began his now common panting staring contest with the young woman. He would simply lie on the ground and pant while looking up at her. Michael told her it was because he wanted some petting. Still this time he seemed to make it more obvious as he scooted closer to her. He was quickly ignored as she went about her business of dealing with the current situation.

“You remind me of that ‘Caress Me Down’ song from Sublime” Eric said seemingly have desided to just throw the little event under the bridge. “That whole part where he talks about her having that Kung Fu grip or whatever. Seriously did you really just come out of the hospital?” Eric was a bit talker and Michael had learned to enjoy the soundtrack that his friend came packaged with. He also enjoyed poking fun at him.

“I would make fun of you but I always got beat up by girls in school so no shame here.” Michael then mussed. “Looking back on it I think Lara might have had a crush on me. Isn’t there something about girls beating up boys they like at that age or something…” Michael was talking to the group with a smile, but it wasn’t from the silly story. He was completely wrapped up in looking at the plaster copies of the fossils Eric had brought.

“I still don’t know why don’t switch over to Paleontology.” Eric said while shaking his head. He then looked over at Ashley. “They guy gets all sparkly eyed for some rocks, but doesn’t bat an eye when a troupe of girls in lingerie walk past in a night club. What made you pick Archeology over Paleontology anyways?” He seemed to be having a normal conversation now as Eric stated to lift the coffee maker and pour himself a glass.

“I love history. The way we learn from it and ignore it is amazing. The real versions of these plaster copies are hundreds of millions of years old. That doesn’t put you in a state of awe I don’t know what will. I picked Archeology because of the connection to us. Looking at tools that, thousands of years ago, was the height of human achievement it’s too cool!” Michael was starting to look like a kid at a county fair. He realized Ashley was in the room and quickly seemed to calm himself down.

“Anyways why are you here Eric? I thought you didn’t have anything going on till the afternoon?” Michael nodded to his friend who started to pour another cup of coffee.

“Dude. You asked me to bring those over a week ago. I just finally got a handle on them and figured I would deliver them.” Eric then grew a devilish smile and looked from his friend to Ashley. “Plus I was hoping to sneak in and find only one bed in use.” This comment seemed to make Michael spill as he was pouring his coffee. “Then I remembered who I was thinking about. The day this guy beds a woman just might be the day those fossils spring back to life.” Michael laughed and took a swig from his cup.

Michael seemed somewhat loss for words at his friend’s comments. He finally managed to express some amount of protest. “We aren’t all the Casanova wannabe like you are Eric.” He then realized he was addressing the wrong part of the comment and quickly backtracked. “I mean that isn’t what is going on here. Ashley asked if she could stay and I said yes. There wasn’t any alternative motive for either of us.” Michael looked to Ashley for some confirmation as if it would help sell the whole situation as a normal thing to Eric.