Rye looked at the pot in front of him on the stove, already half filled with ingredients and steaming. He should have had the thought that just crossed his mind about an hour ago when he started the process of making the soup, but he had been preoccupied with seeing his family again and spending time in their presence. It was getting pretty late, and Rye swayed back and forth to the music playing from the kitchen speaker as he tried to figure out what to do, but one hand was in the middle of pulling chicken from the bone and his other was soon to join it.

He absolutely hated phone calls. He knew it was a necessary part of life but reading text was just so much easier. His comprehension over a phone call was shit and he always had to ask people to repeat themselves. But alas, his hands were going to be busy and he needed to ask Danny this question before he proceeded.

He used his free hand to scroll through his phone and pick Danny’s contact, tapping the call option. He continued humming to the music as he waited for Danny to pick up but frowned when the call was answered, Danny's heavy breathing on the other side. Huh.

“Yo, everything ok there bro? You're sounding like an asthmatic.”

More often than not Rye called when it was something important so the likelihood of Danny not picking up was unlikely because he knew how his best friend got with his anxiety. He was planning on calling him when he got back home but he didn’t expect things to get so heated. After kissing Marco’s neck and the back of his head, running his right hand through his lover’s hair, Danny listened to his phone go off. Subconsciously, the Italian boy reached for the phone and answered it, making sure to slip his right hand in front of Marco’s mouth, “Just… in bed, man. Just… sweating. I’m okay.”

The curly haired man tried not to pout, knowing it would do no good with the video option turned off. Danny was a horrible liar. The way he spoke changed, the way he texted changed, the way he moved changed if you were actually looking at him. Danny was telling the truth right now, but he was keeping enough unsaid that his voice had dropped into liar territory.

"Just…sweating," he repeated slowly, crinkling his nose. "My man, you sweat like daily on your runs. You have headlocked me into your sweaty armpit before," he continued his task while trying not to think about how weird this behavior was for Danny, dropping the chicken pieces into the pot before going back to repeat the task once more. But, this was his best friend. Whatever Danny's reason, Rye would fall back and give the other man the benefit of the doubt. "Tell the truth, you're all gross and pale from being sick and you're embarrassed to show your face, even to lil' ol' me. I get it, I've seen you without your beauty sleep before and frankly it gave me nightmares. So I guess you're really protecting both of us here, you're always so thoughtful," he rambled, hands keeping busy with the soup as words fell from his lips at a rapid pace. "Anyways, I realized I didn't know how many of you guys were sick and I'm making soup, I'm using the twelve quart pot but I can bump it up to the twenty quart if needed. I should've asked before I started but you know me. At least I always get extra ingredients too."

There was a light chuckle on the end, not coming from Danny, causing the Italian boy to pull away from his phone and hush something (someone). Going back to the phone, hoping Rye’s hearing disability would be in his favor, Danny gave a fake cough and breathed, “Just me, right now.” Yes, Danny was lying and part of him knew Rye was aware but telling his best friend at this moment that his family was falling apart and he went to give closure to his ex, which led to him being on top of him now was a handful to say. At the time he said he couldn’t pick Rye up, he had just left the house with Natalia and was heading over to the Castillo-Brady house. “I will eat all the soup though.” Danny reassured, his breathing was no longer heavy, which meant he was slowing down to focus on Rye.

Rye's stirring slowed down after the muffled noise that came before Danny's response, the suspicions he'd been trying to push away all but confirmed. He had no idea who Danny was with, but he was definitely not sweating because he was sick. Shaking his head, Rye covered the pot as if cutting off his own bubbling thoughts.

"Okay, I'll hold you to that. I'm coming over tomorrow morning bright and early. We can chat, catch up on everything I missed, I can kick your ass in a game of Mario Kart," Rye took in a breath before continuing, "and of course you can tell me about this little friend of yours." Because he couldn't, he couldn't let Danny off entirely scott free, not without a little barb to remind the other man that he isn't stupid and that he is only letting the incident slide in the present moment. "'Til then, get some rest. Good night. And goodnight to you're mysterious friend too."

The other side was silent. It was clear that Rye had stunned his best friend. Stuttering, Danny eventually spoke, “Y-yeah, okay.. See you t-then.” And then the line went dead.

The following morning, Sunday morning, Danny feigned sickness so he could skip out of Sunday mass. His family didn’t care either way since each of them were heated/upset for obvious reasons. Plus, they all went to Italian mass for the babies’ baptism yesterday. He did his weekend duty. First, he visited his mother, Danny came out distraught but brought his head back in the game. Rye was coming over! While Marco was in his bedroom setting up Mario Kart because that was of the things Rye demanded, Danny was downstairs preparing a charcuterie board. He was no chef but he could at least cut fruit, meat, cheese, as well as place nuts, chocolate, crackers, and dips on a board. Nina taught him how to make it look aesthetically pleasing and absolutely to die for.

After the phone call, Danny panicked. He dragged Marco out of the house and they went grocery shopping at Walmart, since that was still open late at night. He needed to give Rye the proper welcome back party for three. On top of snack foods, he decorated his bedroom with lavender, pink, and white streamers, lavender, silver, and gold balloons, and a glittery gold sign that said ‘welcome home’. The marble cake might’ve been overkill but he got cake too.

As swift as a cheetah, he rushed upstairs to put the charcuterie board on the small fold up table (with a lavender table cloth on it, of course) he placed by his window. He even went out of his way to adjust his whole room so there was more floor space. Danny’s bedroom was a combination of a sports maniac (focused on basketball mostly), a Jordans fanatic, with a burst of geekdom, which happened around junior year. Marco basically opened the gates for Danilo to get into Marvel and funko pops.Hearing the doorbell, Danny pulled Marco up from setting Mario Kart, pulling him in a deep kiss before rushing downstairs. In front of the entrance, straightening his posture, inhaling in, and then out, he opened the door. With a wide, childish grin, he greeted his best friend, “RYE! Hey, man!!!”

Rye grinned at Danny, forearms supporting a large Tupperware container with enough soup for several servings. His earbuds were hung around his neck and there was a fast paced funk beat pouring from them now that they were out of his ears.

"Danny! I missed you so much dude, there was no one to tell me random sports facts that I'll never remember or remind me to take a breath during my rambling. Savta Miriam is great and all but she doesn't give off jock best friend vibes, y'know?" Rye greeted as he stumbled through the doorway after his friend, already feeling his shoulders relaxing in his presence.

“Yeah, it’s really good to see you. You have no idea how much I missed you.” It’s true even if Danny bailed on Rye the night prior. “Sorry about last night. I’ll explain… but first, let me take the soup from you. I’ll get some bowls ready. You can head upstairs. How’s that sound?” Without waiting for a response, Danny tugged the tupperware out of Rye’s hands, taking initiative so his dear friend could see the surprise he prepared in his bedroom as soon as possible. The air started smelling like smoke and soon after the oven started going off crazy. Danny came to realize he burnt the goddamn cookies. “Yeah, go upstairs. I’ll be there soon!”

Rye laughed at Danny's plight as the larger man rushed away to the kitchen, following his orders and heading upstairs to his bedroom with a parting shot of, "This is why we can't have nice things, Belmonte!"

He was shaking his head fondly as he threw the door open, only to catch his breath at the setup in Danny's room. The other man had decked the place out in his favorite color, even going as far as to get a banner and his favorite cake as well, by the looks of it. He had no idea how early the Italian man had to wake up to get this all ready, but he felt a bit of vindictive pleasure at the thought of him scrambling madly to set this up.

"Okay, I see you Belmonte, you sentimental, cheesy son of a bitch. You're forgiven." He said to himself in a tight voice, eyes going a bit misty at his friend's efforts. He let his eyes wander across the rest of the decorations before his eyes landed on Danny's bed. Or rather, the person on Danny's bed.

"Oh, uh, hey man! M…Marco. It's, uh, been a long time," Rye fumbled, suddenly off balance by the other presence. "Did you help with this? It's pretty dope dude."

When Danny ran off after giving him the best kiss since…the last time he kissed him like that, Marco had taken it upon himself to make sure everything was perfect. Mobility was limited for him and especially since he had been exhausted since last night, he made sure Mario Kart was set up on the Switch, the three controllers set up perfectly in front of the desk the TV rested on. As the upbeat sounds of the title screen played in the background and Marco heard footsteps come towards the room, he moved as fast as a crippled lion, and took a spot on the bed, sitting there as still as he could. When the door swung open with a reasonable amount of force, he smiled as Rye greeted him.

“Hola!” Marco said, flashing his pearly whites at Rye. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen him. It’s definitely been a hot minute. “Yeah, I helped with what I could. Danny, he, uh..asked if I could help him with the decorations. Oh and made sure I had Mario Kart all set up.” Marco gestured to the gaming area as the Mario Kart title screen lingered. “How’ve ya been?”

The fact that Marco was here, that he knew about the Mario Kart comment and was beaming in a way Rye hadn’t seen since highschool, finally clicked in Rye’s brain as he let out a surprised laugh. Looks like whatever happened with Danny last night really was going to be a good story. Marco was one of the last people Rye expected to be in Danny’s bedroom, but he couldn’t say he was exactly stressed over it either. Marco leveled Danny out back in highschool, Rye wasn’t blind to that no matter how much he pretended to be. When your best friend’s whole body language changes as he talks about his other friend and he suddenly starts acting more human than jock stereotype, a guy tends to take notice. But Danny had fears and those were valid no matter how much he had wished to drag his best friend out of the closet, so Rye always acted like he had no idea who Danny would sneak off to see back then.

It looks like the days of turning a blind eye were about to be over.

“So it was you,” Rye grinned, a teasing glint in his eye as he moved in a little closer. “It was about fucking time I mean holy shit. I’m never gonna stop roasting him. Over two fucking years,” He shook his head. “It’s good to see you around, buddy, you better prepare to get your ass beat in Mario Kart. Who do you main, Yoshi?”

“I’m not sure…” Marco was making an attempt to deny it, but seeing Rye’s face, hearing what he said, it became obvious to the sometimes oblivious son of a detective that there was no point to try and save face. It was out of the closet. “I’m not so sure about that. I’ve put in a lot of hours into it. And aren’t you rusty?” Marco teased back. Since the weight was off his shoulders, he could actually relax for a change. “Also Bowser. He has a castle, my ma’s maiden name means castle. So I rock the King of the Turtles with the castle.” Something that Rye probably didn’t know (only Danny) was he always went with Bowser because he had a castle and Lanie’s nickname for him was Castle.

Rye laughed, dropping down beside Marco and giving him his full attention. “Believe it or not, in between episodes of Judge Judy my Savta Miriam is a killer Princess Peach mainer. I’m a DK Jr. kind of guy but I’ve been known to dabble with Koopa Troopa. You should always be wary when someone can just switch it up. But I guess if I went Koopa that would technically make you my boss.”

“Guess I should say bow to the--”

Entering the room, with a tray holding three bowls of soup and a plate of burnt cookies, Danny’s smile was wide but full of anxiety. He was quick to place the tray on the side table. Once he was done, he made his way beside Marco and pulled him to his side, looking at Rye and then looking at his feet, “Gavriel, this is my… boyfriend.” It was clear Danny struggled saying this, but if he wanted to be the best man he could be for his boyfriend, he had to get used to it. “And don’t judge me, but I main Peach.”

Rye grinned at Danny and Marco, happy to be there in the moment and to be trusted. “Of course he is you fucking dope, and I always knew you and savta got along too well when you talked on the face chats, now I know it’s because you were both Peach stans.” There was no judgment, nothing but acceptance and warmth in his eyes as he stared at his friend and his boyfriend. “Welcome out of the closet bro, how’s the fresh air?”

“Not fresh yet.” Danny rested his hand on his neck, his nervous tick, before taking a seat and grabbing a controller, “This is going to be a long full disclosure, but come on. I’ll kick both of your asses and tell you how my life is.”

“Yeah, you wish. I think you were just planning on poisoning me with those cookies if I didn’t take things well,” Rye replied, turning to grab a controller himself. “Let’s start off on Rainbow Road if you wanna talk so much shit, Belmonte.”

“You’d be surprised,” Danny chuckled, as he leaned in to kiss Marco on the cheek, “I’ve practiced.”

“Oh, gag me, you two are gonna be all gross and cute.”

Sarcastically, Danny scoffed, “Says you! I’ve seen you go tongue deep in JP. I think it’s my time to show some PDA in front of you.”

“Oh so it’s revenge? Getting petty on me? It’s not a good color on you,” Rye goaded as the countdown began on the screen. “You should have been taking notes all those times, because the things that JP can do with his tongue I mean-”

“Has he gagged you yet? You know, since you said ‘gag me’.” Danny clapped back.

“Oh yeah, things that man can do with rope is just amazing, I’m sure he’d be willing to give you some pointers.” Rye shot back with a wink, almost missing the que to take off. He concentrated on the game for a quick moment before returning to their banter. “If you have any questions make sure to come to us, it’s important to practice proper bdsm etiquette. For instance, you two should pick a safe word.”

Marco felt extremely out of place and was feeling borderline uncomfortable. He never saw this side of Danny before and surely didn’t know Rye well enough to know if this was normal behavior or not. “Uh…Danny is actually very…mindful. We..uh..haven’t needed a safe word..” Heat rushed all around his body and centered to his face as he felt his cheeks get hot.

“Oh shit, dude,” Rye laughed, double taking at Marco’s flustered look. “We’re totally joking around, yanking each other’s chains, don’t stress!”

Danny gave his best friend a quick glare that read ‘too fast', earning an apologetic quirk of the lips from the energetic man, and immediately afterwards brought his attention to Marco, “Sorry, Puppy. We’ll chill.” Bringing his gaze back to the screen, he went on racing with Princess Peach. He needed to focus if he was going to beat these two, “Anyways, long story short Rye, Charlie Decker’s diary is getting sent out to everybody in town, that’s kind of what brought me and Marco back together. My family is fucked. Vivia is sleeping with Reyrey. Tiff slept with Father Joe. Cat is drowning her issues with alcohol. Mom’s dying with cancer and that’s causing all my family to go crazy. But on the brightside! This has brought me and Natalia back together, sorta? And also I was able to tell Marco I loved him. So not all bad, right?”

Rye had stayed pretty steady against Danny’s stream of information, but the mention of momma Belmonte dying had his fingers stumbling, the lack of attention sending his Koopa right off the side of the bridge. Silvia was like a third mother to him, and it wasn’t at all easy to hear that her time in this world was far more limited than it had any right to be. As his character was set back down on the track, Rye took some deep breaths and registered the rest of what Danny had told him.

“Jesus, I leave town for one minute and shit starts falling apart at the seams,” He joked weakly, hitting Peach with a green shell and tearing into second place behind Bowser. “I’m glad you and Natalia are getting closer, I know she never liked me but I always hoped you guys would talk things through. And of course finally getting your head out of your ass with Marco is definitely a bonus.” He winked at said man just as he bumped into his cart on screen. “I finally have someone to actually compete with, for one.”

As Marco maintained first place (though Rye was hot on his ass, especially with him bumping the back of his cart), he glanced over at Rye for a quick second, once again getting flushed when he winked. “Says the guy currently in second place.” There was always a part of Marco that regretted maining Bowser because he wasn’t the fastest, but he was a battering ram. “Now if only you’d stop trying to fuck the poor king’s ass.” Uh oh, Mac Attack was coming out, which meant bad news for Rye.

“Yeah, only I can do that.” Danny muttered, as he was in last place. See the thing he learned about this game, it wasn’t about keeping first place. He would know. Danny tried so hard to be like Mike in high school, trying to stand high on a pedestal, to fly so he could touch the net. This feeling where he didn’t care if he won or lost, simply enjoying himself, was a feeling he lived for. Better than any game he won in the past. He was in a room with his boyfriend and best friend, finally, as himself. In the court, sure, he was good, but here, he was at his best. As if lady luck was on his side, Danny got a blue shell. Staying quiet, as the two boys he loved bickered with one another, he tossed it and went on overdrive, pushing his competition off until he was right on both of their tails.

“A proper servant is a man of many talents,” Rye retorted, sticking his tongue out to concentrate on getting Koopa around Marco only to cry out when both him and the light haired man spun out from the blue shell. “You heathen! It’s fucking on now, asshole, just you watch.”

“Noooo! Not the blue shell!” Marco cried out dramatically. Rainbow Road was a bitch and so was that blue shell. Marco loved it when he used it but hated it when it was used on him. “I’m coming for that peach. Boyfriend or not, you’ll understand why he’s called BOWser.” When the King of the Shell-People reappeared on screen, Marco was like a shark out for blood.

Unbeknownst to the boys, the family was returning from church. Most of Danny’s siblings had their own houses (or did things after church) so the only people that returned were his father and little sister. The boys were deep in their race when the door abruptly opened, “DANILO BELMONTE WHAT IS GOING--” Taz had slammed the door open causing the jock to jump up, drop his controller, and stand at ease.

When the man of the house noticed his son was having a hangout with his friends and noticed Rye back, especially taking note of all the atrocious colored decor, Taz apologized, “Oh, sorry. Sorry. Didn’t know my son was having people over.” Taz had already forgotten of Danny’s white lie of being sick to get out of church. “Good to see you two. It’s been awhile! Welcome, welcome.” The Italian man went from pleasant to stern in a heartbeat, “Danny keep it down, your mother is sleeping. We don’t need a repeat of last night, you hear?”

“Yes, father.”

“Make sure you clean this up when they leave. Gavriel, welcome home, say hi to your mothers, and Marco, let us know when your family is hosting the next event.” And with that, Taz closed the door behind him. All three boys lost the game. Danny fell back on his bed covering his face with his arm from the stress.

“Jesus, bit of a close one there. I didn’t even hear the front door,” Rye puffed out, falling backwards next to Danny. “Your dad just gave me a heart attack and whiplash in less than ten seconds,” the controller that had flown out of Rye’s hand upon Taz’s entrance was left abandoned on the floor as he stared up at the ceiling. “How ‘bout you, Marco, all good?”

Because he wasn’t an asshole, and if Taz had sent his heart jack-rabbiting like his own father used to when he yelled then he was damn well going to check on the person sensitive enough to help Danny develop his current personality.

Marco was no stranger to suddenly loud voices. His parents were…passionate in how they spoke sometimes and when they thought he couldn’t hear them they went ham, but he did. Even still, what literally just happened was somehow different. He had completely froze in place. And when Taz left, the third controller joined the floor and all Marco could think about, all of whatever energy he could spare, was fixated on his boyfriend. He laid opposite of him, hands caressing Danny’s shoulder in an almost soothing, comforting way. “I’ll be fine…” He said in response to Rye, though clearly his main priority right now was trying to help his boyfriend feel better in whatever way he could.

“Babe, it’s okay he’s gone…” Marco whispered to his love.

Danny couldn’t respond right now. All he knew was he still needed a lot of courage to build up before he came clean to his entire family, especially his father. Instead of responding, he adjusted his position so his arms were wrapped around both his boyfriend and best friend. Turning his head first to Marco, he smiled and tenderly kissed his lover’s lips, assuring him he’d be fine. His heart was still racing and not out of love but out of fear. He needed to face the beast one day and he hoped with these two at his side, he could.

When he pulled away from Marco, he looked into his eyes and whispered back, “I love you,” in hopes to show that he wasn’t going to back down from this fight. He would fight for Marco because that’s what Marco deserved. After they continued to look at one another with fondness, warmth, and devotion in their eyes, Danny turned to Rye and kissed his best friend on the forehead, “Welcome home, Rye. I really did miss you.”

“Of course you did, I shine so bright it leaves a black hole in your life when I’m gone. It’s the consequence of loving real star material,” Rye snarked quietly, knocking his head against Danny’s shoulder as he curled into his side. “But I’m really happy to be back, too.”

Niles Sinclair and Caitlin Cleary had kissed and made up the night prior. After the tense encounter with her ex-whatever-he-was, they had left the restaurant and gone straight to the hotel he had reserved for them. While the car ride was silent and the initial moment of entering their room was awkward, they did end up deciding to bury things for the night so they could enjoy each other’s presence. He could finally make her his… And he did.

In the moment, it felt right. But afterwards, when she fell asleep and he was up laying on his side staring out the balcony glass doors, he couldn’t stop seeing Mikhail’s face. Even when Niles was dating Natalia this piece of shit was putting moves on his girl. All this planning and for what? He thought Caitlin liked him, loved him even. He thought she wanted to be with him. He thought they shared a bond because they both lost someone dear to them.

The legacy to the Sinclair name laid there, letting his anger boil as he had the night prior play over and over and over again in his head. Was she actually his? Or did she choose to toy with him because she needed to feel loved? She loved the idea of being loved? Her arms held onto him as she snuggled close to him-- he the little spoon, her the big-- and he found himself in a place he thought he had left behind. A place of self loathing. A place where he felt undeserving of her love because he knew she could do so much better.

Was it really that hard to change who you are?

Niles wasn’t good or bad, but he certainly wasn't happy. He put all his heart into Caitlin because it was someone, something, to aim for. Goals. He needed to have goals to avoid the dark thoughts he battled in high school. The reason why he had this burn scar on his shoulder, the reason why he went to medical school, he was trying to move forward. Not let his mother’s ghost determine how he lived his life. Coming back home was not like returning to Neverland. Edenridge wasn’t a place for kids. No, Edenridge ripped your innocence away and forced you to grow up. Be stable or die trying.

In the morning, as she continued to soundlessly sleep, Niles set the dining table with room service breakfast. He had put on gray sweatpants and no shirt. With the smell of coffee in the air, he glanced over to Cece wondering if she was going to wake up. He didn’t get any sleep. No. He was stuck on the thought that she wasn’t his and that she was toying with him, clearly not coming clean with how she feels with her ex or the dead person she constantly talks about. He was angry because she made him realize he didn’t make any progress. He was still the same asshole he’s always been.

Going to the balcony, he leaned on the door to stare out at the early morning of Boston. Time went on and he continued to wait for her to stir, not touching a single bacon, a single pancake, a single anything until she woke up. He was waiting.

After the mortifying situation of the night before, the couple had opted to put the discontent aside to privately celebrate the start of their relationship. The ‘celebrations’ in question, along with the emotional exhaustion of the encounter with Mika, had drained all of Caitlin’s energies. She’d been out like a light after some cuddles, not budging awake until she felt the absence of the warm figure she’d been so comfortably snuggling against. The tempting smell of coffee and food making her empty stomach rumble had helped persuade her, too.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of Niles leaning against the balcony’s glass door. She took a moment to admire his handsome figure illuminated by the rays of sunshine of the Boston morning: his messy brown curls, gray sweatpants and shirtless upper body… And with the ocean view outside, it was truly a wonderful sight to wake up to.

“Good morning, handsome,” Caitlin mumbled with a sleepy smile, slender arms over her head as she took a moment to stretch her stiff muscles. Unbeknownst to the tumultuous mood her shirtless boyfriend was in, the redhead was in good spirits. “Something smells amazing in here,” Cece noted, sitting up from her position on the bed looking around the room for the source of the delicious scent. When her eyes fell on the breakfast selection laid out on the suite’s table, her blue eyes lit up with gratitude at the sweet gesture. “You got us breakfast?” she asked Niles, with a smile as bright as the day outside.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you something to eat, especially after last night?” While his tone was spirited he hid his emotions behind a strained smile. The kind of smile Natalia could catch immediately as fake. He walked away from the balcony and pulled out a chair for her, “M’lady,” he jested.

Giggling, the beaming Caitlin got up from the bed, slipped on the fluffy white robe courtesy of the hotel, and occupied the chair Niles had so courteously pulled out for her to sit in. “Thank you so much; this looks so yummy!” she said gratefully, looking around at the dishes in front of her and bracing herself for the feast to come.

As she took account of all the food he bought for her, Niles leaned forward, pushing her hair back and kissing her neck. He didn’t remove his lips until he left a mark. Once he could visibly see a hickey, he pulled away and went to the other side of the table. After he sat down, he scanned her up and down, methodically, before asking, “You sleep well?”

When Caitlin felt Niles push her hair back and press his lips to her neck, she smiled and closed her eyes in anticipation of the goosebumps that followed. This time, however, the marking felt different. Where Mika’s hickies always came from a place of playfulness and passion, this one had a rougher, slightly dominant edge to it: like it was a branding rather than a love bite. But instead of going down a rabbit hole of seeing things that weren’t there, worrying over nothing and potentially sabotaging her new relationship, Cece opened her eyes, pushed the thoughts out of her head and refocused on the conversation at hand.

“I sure did,” she answered sweetly, taking the first bite off of her delectable plate. “Best sleep I’ve had in some time, if I’m honest. This hotel bed is super comfortable-- and the company helped too,” Caitlin said playfully, shooting Niles a small wink. What about you? I noticed you weren’t in bed when I woke up. Is everything okay? Did you not sleep well?”

“No, I didn’t actually.” Instead of eating, Niles simply leaned back in his chair and watched her like a hawk watching its prey. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t usually sleep well, but last night especially, I couldn’t. Do you know why?” His piercing gaze carefully and deeply looked into her eyes, making sure they didn’t look away from him. It was curious, really. Yes, fucking her senseless helped tire her out, but he had a feeling that she wasn’t as innocent as she acted. Perhaps, Natalia was right along. Caitlin Cleary wasn’t a girl to be trusted. “Did you have any dreams?”

“No…” the redhead answered slowly, confusion settling on her freckled face. She could feel a change in her boyfriend’s demeanor, and the new energy in the room unsettled her slightly. She tried to think back to the events of the night before after leaving the restaurant and up until this point, but found no evidence of any wrongdoings on her part. Whatever it was, it was clearly making Niles feel some sort of way, and she wanted to fix it immediately. “Did I do something? Because if I did, and it upset you or anything, I really am sorry, and I’d like to know what I can do about it.”

Grabbing a glass of OJ, Niles took a nice, slow sip. He was in no rush to explain himself. Not to her. Once he was drinking enough to hydrate himself, he countered, “So you admit it, you think you did something wrong?” Reaching his hand out, bringing it close to her, but not going for her, Niles grabbed an apple that was by her side. Tossing it up in the air, letting it fall back in his hand, he asked, “If you need me to tell you, then you find no fault in your actions.” He ripped a piece of apple off and chewed it thoroughly.

“That’s not what I--” the young woman’s brows furrowed together as she felt silent, her stomach now twisting itself into a knot of anxiety that she was sure showed. She was quiet for a few moments once again, thinking hard about every past event, yet continued to come up empty-handed. “I swear I’m not trying to be difficult, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what it was that I did wrong, but it’s clearly upsetting you, so I’m apologizing to try and make things better.”

“I’ll only ask you this once and if I don’t find an answer that I agree with, I won’t take it lightly.” Niles threatened. This naive act that Cece was playing… It was getting old fast. Did she actually understand him like she said she did all these months or was she just toying with him? Playing a game because Mika pushed her away and she needed someone to cling to?

He took another bite out of his apple. He chewed and he chewed, taking his time to build anticipation. Purposely, Niles wanted her to be anxious and nervous. He wanted her to know that she was wrong. Not even Natalia would do that shit to him. She would’ve cussed Mika out for interrupting her moment with him. “What is your relationship with Mika?” He curtly said.

If Niles’ threat had made Cece feel as if she’d wanted to throw up on the spot, the mention of Mika and the inquiry about their relationship filled her with both a sense of dread and a moment of clarity. So that’s what this was all about. Never mind that she had almost become a statue from sheer shock when she’d heard the man’s voice, or that anxiety had held her hostage during the length of the tense encounter, or even that she’d called her ex out on his hypocrisy in front of everyone staring, standing up for her current relationship and asking him to please leave them alone in the process. No: it was all about that split-second in which her mouth curled upward in the shadow of a smile (not even a full-fledged smile) in response to Mika’s antiques.

After what seemed like a long pause, the redhead finally spoke up. “He’s my ex,” Caitlin admitted, shifting her eyes down to her lap as she always did when she was anxious. She didn’t want to see Niles’ expression. “He never asked me, and we never put a label on it, but he might as well have been. We were together for two years, but a few days before I left for college, he broke things off with me. That story about the serpent I fell for, the one I told you when we started getting into the topic of our past relationships? It was about Mika.”

Of course it was about Mika. Of course Mika would fuck both Natalia and Cece. With a strained expression, Niles contemplated his next words and actions. Instead of saying anything, he angrily bolted the apple in his hand forward, mere inches away from Cece’s face. He needed to calm down. This was okay. He should’ve known before he got with her that this was part of the package. “So you’re telling me your ex ruined our first date?” His teeth gritted and his fists balled up. He dug his nails into his own skin. “It’s clear he still has feelings for you, Caitlin.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that Mika was still into her. Seething at this point, Niles interrogated, “Am I a joke to you?”

The apple being flung across the room so closely to her face made Cece instinctively flinch and turn her head away, hoping to avoid getting struck. Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, no longer in anxiety but in sheer terror at what was happening. In the midst of the tense moment, she was rendered momentarily speechless, unable to answer any of the questions or statements Niles was shooting at her. Overwhelmed with distress, the young woman couldn’t stop herself from closing her eyes and starting to sob silently, her slim, petite body trembling with fright.

In her nearly twenty years of age, she had never experienced any type of physical violence directed towards her-- not from her parents, her siblings, or even people at school. This intense reaction from Niles at the mention of her ex scared her, filling her with dread and second-guesses about whether jumping headfirst into this relationship had been a good idea. Judging by this interaction, accepting Niles’ proposal to date less than five minutes after their first physical interaction since their school days might have been a mistake.

Christ.

Focusing on his breathing, Niles brought himself to a calm to play his part. Standing up, he cautiously made his way to her and kneeled down, without reaching for her, “I’m sorry. I’m innately jealous… It gets really bad. I just-- Your ex and I don’t have a good past, and I don’t want things to repeat, okay? I want to make you happy, okay? But, I need you to be honest with me too. Can you promise me that? From now on, you’ll tell the truth?”

In all honesty, Cailtin wanted to tell Niles that she didn’t feel as if she’d lied about anything in the first place. How would she lie about something she didn’t even know was still weighing on his mind so heavily? Ultimately, she decided against voicing her opinion, terrified of triggering him into aggression again. Instead, the sniffling Caitlin just nodded, wiping the tears away from her flushed cheeks and still shaking a little.

Sinclair also felt like he was not in the wrong. It was clear how things ended between his girlfriend and her ex-lover. She left room for Mika to bombard her with attention and she did not set clear boundaries, likely expecting for more. Niles wasn’t going to buy this innocent act. Usually the most innocent ones had the more dangerous motives. “Do you still care about me or did I mess that up?”

The young woman took a few slow, calming breaths, willing her body back to a state that wasn’t fight or flight. “Of course I still care about you,” Cece admitted, placing a gentle hand on top of his as she scanned his demeanor and tested the waters for any additional outbursts. “But you didn’t have to throw anything at me. That was really freaking scary.”

“That was pretty unnecessary, wasn’t it?” The girl in front of him nodded. Turning his hand around to grab ahold of her’s, Niles brought her dainty, fragile hand to his lips and gave it a kiss. “I’ll work on that, okay?” Once he pulled his head away, he grasped her hand tightly, “But I also need you to build stronger boundaries. I don’t want to regret the decision I made.” Niles intensely stared into her eyes, in a commanding way that demanded her to not look away. “I care about you, Caitlin, but if we are going to make this work you need to be more forward with your intentions.”

The redhead nodded vigorously again. Maybe her boyfriend had a point with what he’d said. She had been so kind and considerate of people’s feelings throughout her life that it was very possible that, in her quest to be the least offensive or hurtful with her actions, she had overlooked how it could come across to others. She didn’t want to be taken advantage of, or leave herself open and vulnerable to further misunderstandings. From this point onward, she would work on that.

“I care about you too, Niles: I really do,” she replied, almost as if she was pleading for him to believe she meant every word. “I really want this to work too. I promise I’ll do anything I can to make this work.”

“Okay. I’ll take your word,” Niles acknowledged, truly giving her the benefit of the doubt. “Let’s eat our food then take a shower. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Pulling her in with ease, he gave her a firm kiss, one that was more loveless than not but got his point across. “Remember what you said when I asked you to be mine?”

”Yes.” The young woman nodded again, this time with a small smile. “I said ‘of course’,” she recalled, the events from the previous night still fresh in her mind yet somehow feeling miles away.

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Thank you… for coming with me, Kylee.” A woman, one year younger than her dear friend, stood by her brother’s gravestone writing in a notebook. She wore all black, which kept her physique private and left no room for wondering eyes. Her form was frail and small, her skin was pale, almost sickly so, and her lips tinted plum. Her tousled hair was woven from the darkest parts of celestial galaxies like fine strands of spacetime and starlight. As for her hands, her fingers had ink smudges and calluses, as if she wrote like her life depended on it. Still… she wouldn’t think of herself to be much of a writer or beautiful for that matter.



Yes, Lorelai wrote, but more so letters to her brother and songs. She wrote songs. She wouldn’t know where to start when it came to an actual story, especially if it was a story revolving around her life. To her, writing songs, writing poetry, and writing literature all take different skills. Song lyrics are not less literary than poems, or a good book, nor do they require less skill or intelligence. Songwriting was a gift of its own because deep down, there was a muse that took control over you. You have no control.



How does the lyrics relate to the melody? How does the poem relate to the silences that surround them? She was not a writer, she was simply compelled to write. She liked putting herself in other people’s shoes, she liked to feel, she liked to sing. Lorelei did not understand her process like writers with a keen eye for beauty and detail did. All she did was let her left hand go wild as a melody played in her head, as if a phantom had taken over her and before she knew it, she made something out of nothing.

Fervently, Lala let her fountain pen flow blackness onto the white paper. In her own way, while understated, she was an enchanting beauty, mystical and eerie. Deep down, she was someone with far too much on her mind and only had one way to express it. Not through words but through a song.



Glancing up from her letter, Lorelai looked at the mayor’s daughter, her brother’s ex and best friend, who was adjusting the new bouquet inside the flat stone vase. Tilting her head curiously, still wondering of the trauma Kylee went through watching her brother die, Lala observed the expression on the ambitious woman. Intent, focused, and full of love for her brother. Kylee was someone that carried on with strength, wit, and perseverance. She went on with life unbothered. At least, that’s how Kylee carried herself. Admirable, really, if only she could be like that.



Shaking her brother’s voice out of her head, bringing her back from a daze when she heard Kylee’s voice, Lorelei gave a shy half smile. Still on her knees, the mayor’s daughter glanced up from the canna lilies she had just placed in the vase, giving her little sister from another mister complete attention.



”Anytime sweetheart. I’m just a phone call away.” Bringing herself up, Kylee took a few steps back, standing beside Lorelai to take in Pierce’s grave.

“Lilies?”

”Mhm, or well canna lilies. The Orange Beauties.” Kylee gently placed her hand on the other girl’s back, making sure to not move suddenly so her friend wouldn’t flinch. ”Pierce likes symbolism and don’t you think they bring the drama, Lala? So vibrant. So bam!”

Nodding at the extroverted girl, Lala observed the flower, the orange beauty, adorned with faint golden-yellow streaking in the fluted petals. “And their meaning?” Timidly and soft-spokenly, the younger girl asked, letting her arms drop to her side with her pen and journal.

”Glory, power, beauty, and perfection. All things you and I should seek this year, don’t you think? I think Pierce would agree.”

Instead of immediately responding, Lorelei walked forward and ripped a few pages out of her notebook, folding them together, slipping it into an envelope, and then putting it on top of the stone. She really needed to get a mailbox for Pierce. “You’re beautiful, Kylee.”

”On the outside at least,” Kylee Grimm admitted, with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “No more Pierce, no more Roddy.”

“Big brother is always watching. And you have me.” After closing her notebook, placing her pen on the inside, Lala offered her hand for Kylee to grab. “Through thick and thin, I’ll be here, okay?”

Not one to deny the girl with Snow White features, Kylee grabbed it. Her eyes softened at one of her last links that grounded her. ”You’re starting to sound like him more and more each day.” The two girls looked at Pierce’s grave once more before both acknowledging it was time to leave. “Are you still on for Monday? You really don’t have to be the first one for this segment. I have a few other people I can contact. I know this is out of your comfort zone.”

Anxiously but honestly, Lala intensely shook her head in disagreement, internally trying to convince her and pushing Kylee’s words out, “I need to do this. I need to… jump.” Stopping in her tracks, she looked at Kylee, her hand gripping tighter, “I can’t be scared to live my life and you’re giving me an opportunity where I can live without… without people seeing me. Big brother always told me one day I’ll be this town’s angel of music and I- I think that’s pretty cool. I just… I just have to do it. Please help me, Kylee. I-I promise I won’t mess up. I’ll do my best.”

Kylee was quick to pull the younger girl in the embrace, hushing the storm in her mind. ”Okay. It’s okay. It will be okay. I’ll be there with you the entire time. We’ll do this together. You’re not alone.” In her arms, Kylee could feel the girl’s body relax. Ever since Pierce died, Kylee would visit Lala weekly and she caught on patterns of potential breakdowns and usually it started with speed talking. ”Together, hand in hand.” After their heartfelt moment, the mayor’s daughter helped Lorelei put her things in her bag, including their small picnic they had with Pierce, and led her through the cemetery, on the pathway that went to the parking lot.

As they walked, a figure nonchalantly passed them, grazing Lorelei Mercer’s arm. Looking behind her, over her shoulder, she looked fixedly at a devilish looking man with blonde hair and a mischief smirk.


Hyde’s piercing blue eyes surveyed the two women but mostly the smaller one. They were both beautiful but there was something tragic about the little one, something sad. She smelled like lilac and gooseberries. He made his walk deeper into the cemetery with no care or worry about the bodies littered around him. When you're dead, you're dead. He stopped at one particular gravestone, if you could call it that. It was basically a rock on the floor with a name engraved in it, a pauper's pit for a forgotten piper.

Mason Hyde. Father dearest.

The story of Mason Hyde was your typical Edenridge affair, it was tragic and it was violent. It all started so well, he escaped the Southside and violent parents to become an exemplary police officer for the EPD. He was often used for undercover jobs considering he had a knack for deception and connections with various criminal enterprises. When he and partner Sylvester James were called to a house on Carlisle, they didn’t expect to be greeted by a gun wielding Brendan Thomas O’Brien. The two ended BT’s life and during the search of his place, they found April McMahon chained to a radiator, out of her mind on drugs. Mason took an interest in her recovery and soon, they were in love and married. She gave birth to a beautiful boy but that’s where the story sours.

The young family moved to the north side and for a time, the world was pleasant. Then people began to notice that Mason seemed to have a lot of cash for a police officer. A quick look into their finances and it was obvious that Officer Hyde was taking bribes and payoffs. This caused quite the scandal and he was soon arrested, charged and locked up for his crimes. Mason didn’t last long in prison, being locked up with people that he had sent down was not healthy and on one hot summer night, he was stabbed in the yard and bled out. A sad end. As for April and her son, they fell back into the Southside and back into the old habits that she had only just broken free from. And what of her boy? He grew up to be the Devil.

Hyde did not have many memories of the man that was his adopted father but his grave made a great hiding place. Kneeling down, he removed the small vase that the church put there to make it look like anybody cared and dug his hand into the dirt. He reached around for a few moments before freeing his hand. Grasped in his fingers was his old friend, his old faithful; the pair of brass knuckles that were his signature. He hid them before he was arrested and now they were back where they belonged.

As he prepared to leave, Hyde noted the grave next to his fathers; Pierce Mercer. He didn’t know that name, probably a northsider. Sat upon it was an envelope. Not one for tact, he curiously picked it up and began to read.


Whoever had written this letter, they seemed to be hurting. Their pain was real and palpable like spice on the tip of a tongue. They were being abused that much was clear and they needed protecting. They were asking for help. Hyde was trying to do better. He was trying to be a good man. Perhaps helping this person was the way forward? They were basically begging him anyway. The letter smelled like lilac and gooseberries: the girl from the entrance. In one hand, he crumpled the letter and in the other, he tightened his grip on his brass knuckles.

It was time for him to fix shit once again.

There were days when Mika wished he didn’t have such a soft spot for his nephew, Raf. But he always had a soft spot for kids and especially a kid that he held very close to his vest. Call it the Uncle Badger instinct or whatever people want to call it. If anyone asked him, he would lie straight to their face, but Mika would do anything for his nephew, as well as his mother and Mika’s adoptive sister (though that doesn’t take away from how much he loves Ley). Whether it meant going into scary parts of the southside to get her a special kind of cream or going northside to fetch her that damn sandwich she apparently can’t proceed her obviously eventful day without. She was a pain in his ass sometimes, but given recent events, he could swallow whatever temporary annoyances he may have to sooth her rising panic any chance he could.

“Yeah, the things I do for that sister of mine.”

Whenever Mika drove into the northside, there was always something interesting in a very culture shock kind of way. The way the roads felt underneath the bed of his truck, how his tires felt going along the pavement. In the southside, whenever he was running errands (specifically picking up little things from Phil’s Junkyard), the wear and tear and lack of maintenance was obvious. It was somewhat the same on the northside roads, but the vibration wasn’t that noticeable. Mika’s truck had off-road tires, so it didn’t pose any danger to his tires, but he just always found it pretty interesting.

As he made his way down Central Avenue, Mika pulled his truck just across the street from the Godmother’s Sandwich shop. He rubbed his eyes before he jumped out of his truck. He was showing signs of mental and physical exhaustion over the past few weeks. Between juggling his time at his apartment whenever Hyde felt like needing him for something and making sure his mother was secure in her apartment, Mika was dividing his time up at Edge, working as a bouncer, and making sure Ley wasn’t freaking out too much because she found out about Hyde.

Suffice to say, HB’s life hasn’t been dull as of late.

And speaking of his sister, she was on one of her sandwich binges again. But not just any sandwich. Oh no, she had a very specific request: three of Cat’s special toasted pastrami cabbage sandwiches with extra mayo and on Italian bread. Now, usually Mika would tell her to get it herself, but circumstances were different. Anything he could do to help her feel better, well damn it Mika was going to do it. Besides, he was kind of hungry himself and a meatball sub with extra cheese and sauce had his name on it.

When Cece walked into The Godmother that afternoon, it had been with the intention of picking up the to-go order she’d placed in advance fifteen minutes prior and leaving as fast as she’d walked in. The first part of her plan had been executed flawlessly. Her order had been awaiting her arrival behind the pick-up counter, and she’d only had to endure less than three minutes of polite small talk before she’d been free to leave. Now armed with her sandwiches, sides, and drinks in the car, the young woman was ready to surprise Niles with a little lakeside picnic she’d secretly put together for them. She had been so caught up in her excitement about her upcoming plans that she didn’t notice someone approaching the deli door as she was exiting.

Mika walked towards the entrance and his hand was about to push the door open, but just as he did, it opened and dinged him right in the face. “Motherfucker!” Mika grunted in Russian, holding the spot between his eyes where the edge of the door had hit rather firmly. “Watch where you’re going!” he cursed.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Caitlin heard herself say, placing her to-go bag on top of the nearest patio table and rushing to assist the person she’d accidentally injured. But when she realized who it was and the manner in which he was speaking to her, she stopped in her tracks and took a step back. Of course it would be him, of all people…

In a span of a few short seconds later, when he looked down at who he was cursing at, his stomach had twisted itself after he realized it was Cece. “Oh…hey, Cece...”

“Hi Mika,” Caitlin heard herself say meekly, instantly shifting her eyes to her shoes as her body tensed up. Her demeanor quickly changed from apologetic to anxious, bracing herself for another nail-biting scene like the one from four weeks ago.

There was a building tension inside him. No longer turning knots, his stomach sank as he hadn’t prepared for this moment, especially after she had apparently blocked him from her social media accounts (or so he assumed, since he couldn’t view her shit anymore). “You seemed like you were in a rush or do you always go around hitting everyone with doors in a very violent manner?” Mika cracked a smile, trying to hide the incredible tension he felt at this moment.

If this encounter would have taken place before the night she and Niles started dating, Caitlin might have answered with a smile of her own and a playful comment to match his. As hurt as she'd been after the breakup, she wasn't the type of person to hold grudges. Unfortunately, Mika’s own actions from earlier in the month had changed the way she would react to his presence in the present day.

“I’m really sorry about that,” was all she could bring herself up to mutter instead, glancing up at him for the most fleeting of seconds while fighting back the overwhelming wave of guilt and anger washing over her. Guilt at the decision she’d taken to cut him off from her life as much as she could after the dinner fiasco a few weeks prior, by blocking him from all of her social media profiles. And anger, because she couldn’t believe how nonchalantly he was addressing her after he’d purposely ruined her date and embarrassed her in front of everybody at that upscale Boston restaurant. No matter how hard she tried, Cece was sure both feelings were painted clear as day all over her freckled face.

Mika offered her a small shrug as he rubbed his temples. “It’s whatever.” Despite his outward demeanor, it still hurt like a bitch. He had his eyes closed for a few moments as he continued to massage between his eyes and when Mka opened them, he finally had the chance to really look at his ginger ex. It was unlike her (at least as far as he knew her) to show anger so forward. “You seem…mad.” Mika guessed, almost trying to lure her to say whatever she was thinking. There was a part of him that probably knew, but best to let her say it.

His last words made Caitlin finally look up from the floor to lock eyes with his: her blue stare suddenly blazing with the pent-up resentment she’d been carrying with since that night. “You say it like you don’t know why that could be,” she replied with an uncharacteristic scoff. “But, unlike you, I don’t want to cause a scene. So I think it’s best if I go before you decide to humiliate me in front of everybody again.”

She’s still mad about that?

He kept rubbing his temples, but now it was for a different reason. Before it was because she whacked him in the face with that damn door, but now it was the frustration he was feeling. How did a person hang onto something so trivial for this long? “Right, because you prefer to just shadow block people from your socials.” Mika sighed, finally looking at Cece.

The redhead couldn’t help but scoff again, shaking her head in disbelief. Who did Mika think he was, anyway?! How could he feel entitled to any explanation regarding what she did or didn’t do, especially after what he’d done? “I don’t have to justify what I do with my socials to you-- or anything else I do, for that matter,” she snapped, frowning deeply at him. “You deserve the same amount of explanations you gave me when you broke things off: none.”

As he stood there, Mika felt like he was at a literal crossroads, because somewhere in him knew she was right. As far as she knew, he broke up with her without really telling her why. He didn’t blame her for feeling so angry at him. Maybe that was part of his frustration. He was projecting his own anger at himself onto her, going for cheap shots like her blocking him. It bothered him, but he didn’t need to say that. He could go for more cheap shots now, but that wouldn’t serve any purpose, or at least none that made sense for him to do now. He went for cheap shots at the hotel because she was with that tool Niles, but he wasn’t anywhere nearby.

So maybe there was a different approach Mika Zima could take that didn’t involve reverting to his old asshole ways. “When you’re right, you’re right.” He gave her a sigh of partial defeat. “I don’t deserve any explanation, but maybe you do.”

Mika’s answer to her statement took Cece by surprise. Was she finally about to get the answer to the age-old question that had haunted her since that August evening nearly a year before? Whatever it was, she knew she didn’t want that discussion to keep happening in front of The Godmother-- especially with so many people that knew her and her family potentially lurking about. The last thing she wanted was for word of her encounter to get back to anyone in her family-- or worse: back to Niles. God only knew how he would react if he heard she’d talked to Mika again.

“Before we even go down that road, maybe we should go talk somewhere more private?” Cece proposed to her ex, shrugging her small shoulders.

“Good idea.” Mika looked at his ginger ex for a few seconds, trying to come up with a place but he couldn’t think of any solid ideas. Any place he thought of was Southbound and that was the whole fucking point of never telling her the reason why he broke her heart all that time ago. “Since you suggested it, your call where you wanna talk.”

Caitlin was quiet for a second, thinking of a place they could speak out of sight from prying eyes. There was only one place in town that she trusted they could go to and would be provided with absolute privacy. But given the memories the location harbored, she wasn't sure whether Mika would want to go there or not. "We could take a trip down to O'Halloran's Creek?" she offered, the hesitation thick in her mild-mannered voice.

“O’Halloran Creek, huh?” A small laugh escaped through Mika’s partially opened lips, a half-grin never leaving his face. Before everything went to crap between them, the two of them spent a lot of time at the creek that became one of their favorite go-to spots. Back when they had dated, they kept their relationship out of the public view (more so on Mika's request than Cece's), but enjoyed what time they could spend with each other there. The creek had been their safe space-- their little piece of paradise away from the dangers and worries of their hometown.

Surely Cece knew that when she suggested it.

“Yeah, that could work. At least we know we can talk for as long as we want about whatever we want without having to worry about a thing.” That nostalgic feeling of fondness came through in his voice. “You have your car around anywhere?” He asked, pointing to his truck across the street. “If not, I don’t mind giving you a lift.”

Caitlin bit her lower lip and gave a quick glance around the vicinity, searching for any familiar faces who could turn into potential little birdies taking information back to her family or boyfriend. When she was sure they weren't any, she turned back to Mika and nodded solemnly. "My car's parked out back, but I think your truck would be the better option. I haven't been to the creek since… You know, since back then, so I don't know how the dirt road to reach it is holding up. I don't think my little Jetta could compete with the mud, the rocks or the craters," she said with a small laugh.

Mika huffed a gritty laugh. “Yeah, you got that right! I mean, yeah your Jetta is nice and all, but for dirt trails, you might as well drive it straight into a mud puddle.” Another laugh from Mika as he started to walk towards his Toyota Tacoma, with Caitlin and her takeout bag of food tagging along.

Once Mikhail and Caitlin got into his truck and began their trek down the Edenridge roads that led to O’Halloran’s Creek, it had just occurred to Mika that he was on his way to Godmother to get something to eat and whatever she had in that bag was tempting him. He tried all that he could to turn it off, but then his stomach started to speak for him as it rumbled in an audible way. “So what smells so good in that bag of yours, Blossom? Kinda smells like a meatball sub to me.”

As the sound of Mika's rumbling stomach interrupted the silence that previously had settled between them, the redhead giggled. "It's actually a Porchetta Abruzzese sandwich. I got my usual and was planning to swing by the pub with the porchetta to give to Rhett for lunch, but slamming a door into someone's face can change your plans real quick," she said with another small laugh, a warm, fuzzy feeling settling in her chest when she heard the driver revert back to the use of the pet name he'd given her back in the day. "You're more than welcome to have it, though. He didn't know I was coming anyway, so it's not like he will miss it."

He wasn’t going to even attempt to pronounce what kind of sandwich it was. Mika didn’t know how them Italians did it, but maybe the same could be said for some Russian phrases. Ley sure as hell didn't understand when he cursed at her in his native tongue. But food was food and all he knew was he needed something in his stomach soon or how much Cece would be able to tolerate him would seriously be tested in no time flat. “Well since you offered…”

Mika casually reached his hand deep into the bag that was in Cece’s lap. He had to get a little close to her because apparently those Godmother take out bags were larger than they should be. Ten seconds later, he managed to pull it out and he wouldn’t waste any time. Before he even started up his truck, he unwrapped it enough so that he could take a few bites of it. The mix of pork and some spices between the italian roll was enough to send Mika’s senses into heaven. “This is pretty fucking delicious, Blossom!” Mika said with his mouth half-full. “Poor Rhett, he’s missing out on one hell of a sammy!”

Grabbing her own sandwich from the bag, Cece let out a convincing fake laugh. The young woman had never been a fan of lying-- although her secretive approach to relationships and the things she had to do to maintain them might say otherwise. But telling Mika that the extra sandwich she was carrying was for her brother instead of Niles was a foolproof way to avoid sour moods or drama.

The distance from Godmother and, well, civilization in general wasn’t a long one, but the entire drive was spent in mostly silence as they both enjoyed their sandwiches. Mika didn’t know what to say and he was honestly too busy going over what he would tell her once they got there. Between that and the memories of past times spent at the creek, it was a lot to say the least. He knew he had to be honest with her or else this would’ve been a big waste of her time. Mika understood what he did was shitty. That whole hotel incident was kind of a mistake in hindsight, but also not. Without it, they wouldn’t be here. So maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Or maybe that was wishful thinking, Mikhail.

The bouncing felt in the truck as they drove on the less-than-stellar roads was a familiar feeling. His truck was meant for off-road trails, but something Cece hinted about the roads rang true because it was a lot more bumpier than he remembered. As they traversed, Mika unknowingly had grabbed onto Cece’s hand. Was it out of comfort for him? For her? Who the hell knew, but he held onto it until they arrived.

Caitlin had offered no protests, nor did she make any attempts to pull her hand away from Mika’s. Her sixth sense was telling her that the conversation they were about to have would be emotional, so she didn’t blame him for trying to find comfort in any way he could. On her end, even after the heartbreak and humiliation he’d made her feel, a wave of nostalgia was making her soul ache with longing for times long gone. She couldn’t remember how many times she and Mika had driven down this dirt road: hands intertwined, singing off-key to their favorite songs, roaring with laughter at how every bump in the road made it feel like they were in a rollercoaster ride. Who would’ve thought that, a few years later, they’d be driving down the same dirt road-- being nothing but strangers with a shared past?

When the Tacoma eventually came to a stop, Mika noticed his hand still on hers, and withdrew it almost immediately. “Uh…we’re here,” he stated kind of awkwardly, turning off the truck and hopping out.

The Cleary girl did the same, unbuckling her seat belt and exiting the vehicle but making no comment about the retrieval of his hand. The short trek to the cherry tree by the bank, with Mika a few steps behind her, was quiet save for the crunching sound of their footsteps on the dried leaves and the faint sound of the steady stream of water over the rocks. When she’d reached a comfortable spot under the shade, the young woman took a seat and crossed her legs. “Whenever you’re ready,” Cece said gently, turning her attention to her ex.

Mika glanced at the tree. It reminded him of the one they first met under the oak tree at the cemetery, when she was sitting in front of David’s gave. That day when everything around them seemed smaller than it actually was. How funny that the worst things in Mika’s life back then were his grades, keeping an average that didn’t disqualify him from the football team, and anyone who he had formed close bonds with ever finding out about his relation to the O’Haras (specifically Cece and the members of the O’Hara--his family--he had grown close to). Nowadays, most of them knew. He and his uncle had a strained relationship (for obvious reasons), and now the worst thing in his life was so far removed from football and his hidden familial ties. Now there was Southside shit to deal with, and his brother being back in his life.

“Right.” He murmured quietly, walking over to the tree. There was a familiar feeling that passed over him. Maybe it was being this close to the creek or the tree itself, but he took a standing position, leading against the rough bark, arms crossed and folded over his chest, looking out at the creek for a couple of short moments. He was definitely stalling only because he knew he only had one shot at this. If he was going to have any chance of making anything right between them, even if it meant being back at square one, he’d have to give her the truth.

But what truth? Yeah, that was the million dollar question. He didn’t anticipate doing it ever (at least not when Hyde was still in the picture), but the more he thought about it, maybe it was time she knew for real. “So…the explanation..” He stumbled on his words, biting the inside of his lip as he felt his stomach start to churn from the tension building within him. “...About what happened. With us and the things I said. I--” He took in a few deep breaths,almost like there was a part of him that didn’t want to say it. He broke her heart, so she didn’t stick around, but she came back to town on her own. So him trying to protect her, at least for the reasons he had at the time, didn’t seem to matter as much. “--I kind of left some things out when…I said what I said.”

“Okay,” Caitlin answered in that same gentle manner that characterized her, her eyes locked on the crystal-clear currents of water in their southbound travel. As curious as she was to know, pressuring or rushing the nervous-looking Mika wouldn’t get them anywhere, so she just patiently waited for him to continue speaking when he was ready.

He remained quiet for a few slow moments, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he contemplated how he was going to phrase what he knew he needed to say. Just coming out and telling her wouldn’t be right. For how badly he hurt her, for how cruel he was to her, she deserved to know the truth-- consequences be damned.

With a deep inhale and exhale, Mika began. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Caitlin. A lot that I’ve kept hidden from you…to protect you. The world I grew up in, the violence it has in it, that’s something that nobody who didn’t come up with it as their normal should ever experience. Someone like you.” His eyes moved to the creek for a few seconds and then he looked down at her. “I thought keeping that part of my life away from you would’ve been enough. I thought if you never knew about it and just had this idea of me that I pushed you away, saying I never loved you, saying anything and everything that I knew would break you, I could keep you safe. But…”

Mika dropped to the ground, his back against the tree and half-smiled. “But I know keeping it from you now doesn’t matter. So here’s the reason: I pushed you away and broke your heart because of my brother. Not Rey Rey-- but one of two biological brothers I have. His name is Cameron Hyde. It didn’t matter if he was in prison. He would have found out about us, and I couldn’t risk that. I couldn’t--’” Mika turned around and looked at his ex, waiting until she did the same. “I could never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me. And I don’t mean a few months of heartbreak, but actually, physically hurt.” Part of him wanted to reach out for her hand, but Mika resisted and just kept his eyes on hers.

Caitin had quietly listened to Mika’s explanation, analyzing every line said. Being raised in the Northside and under the protection of her father and brother meant she hadn’t experienced anything even remotely close to whatever horrors most Southie kids went through. She’d heard the chilling stories about their substance-abusing relatives, abusive upbringings, the disgusting ways people would take advantage of them at their most vulnerable, the violence that surrounded the area… Even during the rare times she’d traveled to the Southside, her visits were limited to one location, and her ex had gone to great lengths to conceal her identity and ensure her safety. At the time, Cece had chalked it up to Mika being cautious because of the area they were in and who his host family was. She never would have guessed there was something beyond his lifestyle threatening their relationship.

The mention of his brother and what he represented gave the redhead a new perspective on things. A few times after the breakup, Caitlin had been incessantly plagued by the idea that perhaps her deepest insecurities about their relationship had been true after all. That, in the end, Mika was ashamed of her because she didn’t even come close to all of the previous lovers he’d had before her, which is why he’d been so adamant about keeping their liaison a secret. Now, armed with this new knowledge, she felt silly for having those thoughts in the first place.

For a few seconds after the man had stopped speaking, the young woman allowed a respectful silence to settle as she continued to process this new information. “Cameron Hyde…” Cece eventually repeated slowly, trying to remember where she’d heard the familiar name before. When the man’s identity finally dawned on her, her blue-green eyes widened with pure shock. Mika-- the goofy, sweet, affectionate man standing in front of her-- being related to someone like that? “Cameron Hyde as in the Cameron who almost killed his mom and Aleyda a few years ago?” she asked him in a hushed manner, as if afraid that speaking any louder might summon the man from the shadows, like the Boogeyman.

“Yeah, that’s my brother: the guy that never fails to make headlines,” Mika commented somewhat absentmindedly.

This confirmation, along with the words Mika had said before, posed a new question. “Why would Cameron want to hurt me if he had found out we were together?” Cece inquired, a confused, puzzled expression on her face. If there was anyone less capable of purposely committing any actions to upset people, it was Caitlin.

In the back of his mind, somewhere deep in his soul, Mika knew she'd want to know the why. Maybe before it would have been left at face value, but just as he wasn't the same person he was last year (and then some) when they broke up, so was Cece. She seemed to be wiser from where he sat. She could probably handle more than he was thinking she could.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, Mika continued, "It is because that's who he is. I don't know if it's that he is legitimately crazy or if he just hates other people being happy, but everything bad that you might have endured because of me is nothing compared to what Hyde is capable of. He is a literal Devil, Caitlin. And not the wisecracking kind, but the kind that makes you feel important to him and then rips all that you love away from you." Mika was shaking with a deeply-rooted anger that he thought was long since buried.

A scarier, darker thought came to her. “It was Mary-Anne who he tried to murder?” Cece inquired, her blood turning to ice at the mere idea of anything happening to Mika’s down to earth, polite, compassionate mother.

It was only a few seconds later that he registered what she said last. “Wait, what? Oh no, that’s not who he--” In the back of his mind, though Mika understood the gravity of even telling her about Hyde, he was cursing himself over and over again. He wasn’t anticipating that he might have to tell her about why he was sent to Edenridge in the first place.

Or maybe he didn’t have to. Telling her about the world he grew up in was one thing, but explaining who his biological father was and what he did was a mess so complicated that it wouldn’t make any sense even if Mika did try to explain it.

“Hyde--that is to say, Cameron Hyde-- isn’t my maternal older brother. He has no relation to my mother. We are half-brothers through my father.” That tense feeling in his stomach was at an all-time high. “My father, Ivan Zima, is as bad as they come. He’s a violent man who has a lot of enemies. My father who, for all of my life up until I moved here, had also made a lot of friends. Powerful friends -- Big Rey Gonzalez being one of them. When the threat of his work came too close for comfort, he shipped off my sisters and I to Edenridge. I stayed with Rey and my sisters, under a new name…Capek, stayed with a family relative in Pinehurst.”

At his last words, the young woman’s mind immediately went back to the family photos she’d seen on the walls of Mary-Anne’s place. “Your sisters… As in Katie and Stacy?” Cece pieced together, thinking back to the two nice, beautiful girls she’d met during dinner back when she and Mika were at the peak of their situationship. They’d been introduced to her as his cousins, but the resemblance had been too uncanny, yet she hadn’t wanted to pry into it.

Mika nodded. He’d come this far, so keeping that small piece of the puzzle a secret didn’t seem like such a big deal. “Yep, those are my darling, sometimes infuriating sisters.” Mika chuckled only at the fact that every single sister he has, adopted or blood related, were a major pain in his ass in their own way.

The redhead smiled at Mika’s remark, reminded of the entertaining rounds of good-natured banter and bickering Mika and his sisters frequently engaged themselves in during her visits. The love and deep bonds they shared with one another were obvious in their every interaction. It had been one of the many things that had strengthened her feelings for him. “You love them, though,” she teased, grabbing a few leaves from the ground next to her and playfully tossing them in the man’s direction.

“For better or worse,” Mika chuckled, just thinking about how there were slim pickings for reasonable brothers for them. He was really the best one they had, though even VIctor had times when he wasn’t a total asshole. “It’s kind of hard to believe that between me, my asshole brother Victor, and the literal devil himself that those two actually ended up with normal personalities and even more common aspirations for their future. Katie wants to, and I quote ‘change the world through politics and looking good doing it’, while Stace just wants to be a cheerleader.” A smile popped on his face. Mika hoped their future wouldn’t be tainted by their relation to him or any of the bullshit their father had brought into this world.

Another question came to Cece. "Since you all share the same father, do the twins know about Cameron?" she asked him, curious about whether all the siblings shared the same terrible relationship with Hyde as Mika did. "From what you've told me, if he truly hates seeing people happy, then not meeting Cameron would be the best thing to happen to Kate and Stace-- they're so happy and sweet and full of life."

“No!” A part of Mika snapped even at the thought of them ever knowing him. Or if Cameron ever caught wind of their existence. Realizing just how sudden the change in his demeanor was, Mika expelled a deep breath, “Sorry. I-- No, they don’t know about him and he doesn’t know about them.” He was calmer, but it was clear in how he spoke that Mika was still on edge. “It’s not just that he hates people being happy. He has this…idea of family. It’s twisted and wrong and not what you might think of when you think of family. If he ever knew they were here, let alone my mother--”

At this point, his own fear took hold of everything from his stomach and upward, gnawing at him from within. That fear about Hyde’s dark side and how anything that could set him off. And if he ever knew that Mika kept this from him…

“Cece…” Mika unknowingly had reached for his ex’s hands. Grabbing them, squeezing them with a shaky grip. “Nobody can ever know what I just told you. Please…” As he was looking down, Mika met Caitlin’s gaze and they were starting to get watery. He bit his lip, then gritted his teeth, swallowing down the wave of emotions that were begging to come out. “You have to promise me that this stays between us. I shouldn’t have told you, but I did. I did and now please, you have to promise. I know I don’t deserve it, but this isn’t about me. My sisters, my mom -- he can’t ever know.”

The love he had for his family, for those completely oblivious and innocent to anything connected to Hyde, came through-- in his voice, in his eyes, and in how he desperately clung to Cece’s hands. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but he had no choice. Mika had to ask her to keep this a secret because if this got out, it wouldn’t hurt just him, but people who were pure. In all the dark shit that happened to him and in the world he grew up in, Katie and Stacy were the light.

The sheer terror and panic radiating from Mika made Caitlin’s heart ache with understanding. She knew what it was like to keep a loved one secret for their protection, and the endless worry of what would happen if the secret got out. With so much on the line, the potential consequences to be faced and the individual enforcing said consequences, it was no wonder that Mika was crumbling like he was. She could only imagine how much this weighed on him daily-- especially with nobody to confide in and lessen that burden. Seeing his struggle, vulnerability and honesty firsthand made the young woman want to help in the only way she knew how: with her softness and compassion.

Motivated by her need to comfort Mika, Cece freed one of her hands from his shaky grasp to cup his face, tenderly caressing his cheek with her thumb in the same way she used to when he needed his soul to be soothed. “Shhhh, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…” she cooed gently in an attempt to console him, locking her eyes with his so he could be certain that she meant her next words. “I won’t tell anybody about this-- I promise. No matter what happens between us, your secrets will always be safe with me.”

The storm inside Mika was still brewing, wrecking every calm composure he wished his mind maintained. The terror of anyone, especially his brother, finding out and giving Mika a lesson by hurting Cece, or anyone he was ever close to almost broke him. The very thought of it almost broke him, but when she held his hand, it took him a second. And then another series of seconds went by and his hands ceased to shake. The thoughts kept pouring out, like venom poisoning everything good around him. That’s when he felt the soft touch of her thumb. Memories of better days, no matter how small, took hold of every negative emotion, her voice like the ray of light he needed.

And then Mika’s intense, short breathing slowed, hearing her repeat and repeat ‘it’s okay’. And as he looked at her, her beautiful face. The pale skin, her eyes that quelled the hurricane that flooded his mind. Every time he had ever looked this close into her eyes, in times past it was always followed up by a kiss that showed her through actions, not words, how much she meant to him. Circumstances have changed between them, but the way he felt for her and how never did.

“Cece, I--” He was struggling to find the right words, so he would do it through actions. He brought his hand up to her thumb, caressing it as she was doing to his cheek. His blue gaze lingered on her compassionate eyes and in the next moment, took her into an embrace as he leaned forward. His arms, though still shaky, were finding comfort in holding her. Was it a good idea? He didn’t know, but it felt…right.

“Thank you…” Was all he said, wanting to savor the moment. How long it would last he didn’t know, but for right now, he didn’t want it to end.

The logical thing to do, as a taken woman, would’ve been to politely pull away from Mika’s embrace as soon as possible. But instead of letting go, Caitlin allowed herself to sink further into their hug, hoping to silently transmit her thoughts and feelings to her former lover through her touch. Truthfully, she needed this hug as much as he did, and she would be lying to herself if she denied his arms still gave her a sense of comfort and peace-- her safe harbor in any storm.

“Thank you, for taking care of me,” she said gratefully, holding him even tighter in her embrace. Letting her go so she could be safe, even with the deep feelings they shared for each other at their peak, was proof that Mika truly cared about her after all. He cared about her so much, he was selfless enough to sacrifice his happiness to ensure her safety. It was something she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to repay, but something she could be grateful for. “I promise that, in any way I can, I’ll protect you too.”

Protecting each other at all costs: it was a promise that, right then and there between each other’s arms, Mika and Caitlin both vowed to keep.

Gotta carry that weight.

That’s what he was always told.

No matter the burden. No matter how hard or heavy. It was a duty to carry that weight or as his lovely mother used to say, you had to learn to eat shit and like the taste of it. She was a wholesome lady. To be fair, Mrs Silo was everyone’s favourite lunch lady at Pinehurst Academy. It was just a shame that she rarely treated her own son with as much reverence as she did the other Pinehurst children. His father was a different story. He was such a creative and imaginative man, so full of life and energy or at least, that’s how Wes likes to remember him.

He hated lying and he hated that he was doing it successfully. In some kind of strange way, Wes had hoped that Kylee or Clay would figure out that he wasn’t from Boston as he had originally claimed. He had hoped that they would uncover that he was actually a Pinehurst Monarch. If they found out then he wouldn’t have to lie anymore and then he wouldn’t have to carry that horrendous weight that he had been logging over his shoulder this entire time.

Clay had asked him to come to the Hole in the Wall. It certainly wasn’t his type of place. Wes was a classy boy and this place just wasn’t that appealing. Beer and wings. It was so…Regardless he had found a decent beer on draft that he likes and sat in a corner booth away from the prying eyes and listening ears of those that wish ill to the investigative trio. He took a sip from his beer and was greeted by the beautiful brunette he had been waiting for since he got here.

“Hey there.”

“Hi,” Kylee beamed, looking straight into the reporter’s eyes. She sported a long sleeved crop top, jeans, a black chain strap bag, and red lipstick. Her hair was free flowing, her skin was moisturised, soft and glowing, and her heels were that of black boots. A casual outfit suited for a bar. A look simple enough to display she wasn’t even trying but purposeful enough to bring out her features like her midriff, her long legs, and her slim, petite figure. “I hope I haven’t made you wait too long.” Kylee politely added, while holding a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, before taking her seat with him at the corner booth.

Scooting her way in until she was a slight distance away from him, Kylee got herself situated, placing her drink on the table. She didn’t want to come across as desperate so she made sure there was a little distance between them this time around. Though notably so, since she’s been sitting ridiculously close to him past meetings. “What time is it anyways? Isn’t Clay supposed to be here?” She pulled her phone out of her purse to check to see where he was.

“I spoke to him an hour ago, said he was erm…” Wes was trying to find the words but it was becoming increasingly difficult around Kylee. For the past little while, since their forming of their crew with Clay, they had been spending more and more time together and it was becoming almost impossible to ignore just how beautiful she was and just how much he was beginning to feel for her. The reporter was doing his best to keep it professional, he still had a lot to hide. “…sorry yeah he said he was chasing some lead.”

As if on cue, Kylee’s phone lit up with a message. It was from everyone's favourite rookie police and it had a picture attached. Of course, it was that doofus with some girl going to the movies.

Clay: Date night. I told Rhett I’d pay your tab. It’s all you now, Grimmy. Get your man. Good luck xxx

Wes’s phone also pinged with a message.

Clay: Something came up. Not gonna make it. I know the guy who works there. I’ve got the tab. Laters gators.

Wes returned his attention to Kylee, running a hand through his curly hair with an almost frenetic energy. This was dangerous. Being alone with Kylee, for just so many reasons. She was an inquisitive one. All it would take would be one slip of the tongue and she would figure out all the things he was keeping close to his chest and she would likely never forgive him. The other problem was that he wanted to kiss her badly, no doubt ruining their fruitful partnership. Hell, there was even that lug Costigan to consider. They had become, dare he say it, friends, how would he feel about all that? Probably not a lot. Clay would probably just think about a girl himself or maybe a meatball sub.

“Just us then.”

Part of her was surprised because she didn’t expect Clay to do this move so soon. It was only a couple of weeks since he found out about her crush. Then again, it was McDungus and this is how he played. The other part of her was excited and nervous, all at the same time. The last time she felt like this was with Pierce. What she had with Natalia was pure and unadulterated lust. She did care for the woman, one point in time, but that wasn’t the same as what she shared with Pierce. If anything, Kylee desperately needed emotional connection and maybe that’s what drove her to break up with Natalia.

Holding her ale, Kylee fixed her hazel eyes on her date. She felt bashful which was unusual for her. To her dismay, the mayor’s princess didn’t have Clay in between them as a buffer. “So… how you’ve been?” Her voice was feathery and yet still ever so inviting. “It’s been a week since we saw each other last.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell how spatially aware Kylee was of her surroundings and of him. Especially him.

This Kylee was less intense than her usual self. She was more reserved and shy even. Her smile was gentle and tender. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been alone before. Their first meeting they were alone with each other and they both made quite the first impression. This time was different. This time he wasn’t here with her as a stranger but someone she wanted to know more and more about. Someone she was growing to care about. The light in his eyes and how he talked about the thing he loved… maybe that reminded her of Pierce.

Still, she knew she would never be able to replace her ex so she wanted to know everything about Wesley Silo. The outsider that wants to solve the case of the letters. The outsider that loved what he did, even if it meant he’d have to desperately cling onto a cursed town where he was more unwanted than not. The outsider that she could see becoming part of the everyday faces of Edenridge. She wanted to fall for him and not because he reminded her of a ghost. And if he was willing, he could be part of this town, hand in hand with her.

“Erm, yeah busy.” Wesley took a long drink from his beer. He wasn’t particularly sure if it was because he was thirsty or if it was because he was thirsty. Perhaps it was maybe even to wash down the feelings that he was now enduring for the girl in front of him. “Chasing leads, getting to know this place. For such a small town there’s so much going on. It’s kind of amazing actually.” It was true, Eden had stories going as far back as its founding. So many myths, so many legends, so many truths and oh so many lies. Every step through the concrete wilderness acted like the turning of a page in a book. Every new cobble revealed a new tale to uncover. The story he was interested most in now however was that of Kylee Grimm.

The Mayor's little girl. A survivor of Charlie Decker’s massacre. A truth seeker just like him. Wes couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t intrigued by her backstory. Her father was loved by many but the young reporter had a feeling about the man. He had secrets and he believed that they were bigger than most others.

“I have an idea,” Wes rested his arm across the back of the booth, inching it ever so slightly behind Kylee. “Since Costigan left us in the lurch we can’t really debrief properly. So how about you and I have a little fun? Here’s something, you get one question. Just one. That you can ask me and it can be about literally anything. One question and I have no choice but answer it truthfully and vice versa.”

Kylee hadn’t even drank much and she could feel the heat. The fact that she was so attracted to him, like it was an intoxication, was something she didn’t necessarily understand. He was a bundle-package of all the things she sought out in someone and underneath it all, the chemistry and sexual tension, it was all there. Still, she wasn’t an easy girl to win over and she needed to hold herself back. Kylee knew if he inched even closer and wanted to… she would have a hard time refusing him. “Anything I want?” She leaned forward, enticed by his offer.

“Anything you want.” Wesley repeated.

This was the most dangerous game and he was putting himself in the line of fire. Ky was just like him, inquisitive and hungry for the hidden words that the rest of the world weren’t aware of. All she had to do was ask the right question and he was fucked. Yet he couldn’t help himself. She was forcing him to do this. It was like a drug, she was like a drug. This last month with her had been the most exciting he had had in a very long time, if ever at all. Kylee Grimm truly was something special. He could feel the warmth radiating from her body as they somehow found themselves edged closer together. Shit where was Clay when you needed him?

Tilting her head, realising he had hazel eyes like hers, but his was more like a warm honey mixed in with deep caramel, she gave the sweetest of smiles, her lips adorned with red. He was challenging her and she wondered if he was prepared for all the things she wanted to know. She needed to answer soon so she could listen to him speak, his voice being a lovely melody to her ears. Without a doubt, she could wrap herself with his words and sleep more soundly than she ever could. Of course, that was her imagination getting carried away.

“Well, Wesley.” She said his first name for the first time to make it a point that after this, there was no turning back. “If you want me to trust you fully, no false pretence, I need to know one of your secrets. What lies behind that charming smile of yours, hm?” All her surroundings had disappeared as she hyperfocused on the reporter. “You said you wanted to have fun, let’s have fun.” Did they get even closer to each other?

Fuck.

There it was. He had been caught in his own bear trap. Wes had to choose his next words so carefully. One misspoken word or any elongated sentence could spell seven different kinds of disaster. He wanted to tell Ky everything. He wanted to be completely and utterly honest with her at that moment and relieve the weight he had been carrying in his heart for so long. Something about those eyes and that smile made Wes just want to be unashamedly himself, something he hadn’t been for a very long time.

“Well Kylee,” He marched for tit for tat. They were using first names now, it was basically foreplay. “Believe it is not…” He grinned from ear to ear as he found the perfect secret to share with his lovely companion. Wes tilted his head “Sometimes when the world gets too much and my heart just can’t take it anymore…I run myself a bath, light some candles, grab a drink and sit in the water, having a little cry whilst I listen to Boys II Men.”

When he gave his response, while it was nice to know, Kylee couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Pulling away from him, using her drink as a reason to put some distance back up between them, the mayor’s daughter took a longer sip of her drink and laughed, “I can’t blame you!” She forced a smile, as she added, “Boys II Men? They just give the right vibes. I know a few of their songs, like End of The Road.” After finishing her drink, she looked between Wes and her beer, “I’m going to get another and then when I come back you can ask me something! Do you want anything?”

“Yeah actually,” Wes polished off his own drink rather quickly. Damn, he wished he had eaten some of those wings now because he was feeling the booze. “I’ll have another but I’d also like to give you my real answer.” He reached out and put his hand on top of hers. She was like fire to touch but she wasn’t burning him, at least not in the way of scolding. She was making his heart burn. “A real secret of mine is that from the minute I first walked into your studio for the Dawn Patrol, I knew you were someone I could do this with. Save the world and be myself with. You’re special.”

Nice save.

Narrowing her eyes, Kylee looked at him with conflicted emotions. Once again he brought her back after clearly noticing he made the wrong move. Dropping her defence once more, she rolled her eyes, embarrassed at his declaration. “Better,” is all she responded before pulling her hand away from him, letting her touch linger for a little longer. Subconsciously, she nervously bit her bottom lip as she got up to retrieve their beers. When she got to the bar, she leaned on it and patted her cheeks.

Get it together, Kylee.

Her first crush, Rhett, came to her with a smirk on his face. “Clay told me everything.” The bartender had already gotten them second rounds and whispered, “I’ll send some shots over so you can really get him to loosen up.”

“Rhett!” Kylee looked over her shoulder back at Silo, before bringing her attention to Cece's older brother almost immediately when she realised Mr. Reporter was watching her. “This is too much. I should go home.”

“Hey, that’s not the Kylee way. From what I can see, he’s into you. You got this.” Of course he was encouraging her so she could stop flirting with him. Rhett was a wall when it came to her advances but hey, if her eyes were on someone else, not his problem. He wanted peace and part of that meant encouraging the mayor’s daughter to put all her focus on the new guy in town.

“Okay, okay.” Deep breath in, deep breath out.

You got this.

Wes leaned back in the booth and looked up at the ceiling with a great sigh. What on Earth was he doing? This wasn’t the plan. He was supposed to come to this town, do his job and get out. Now he was sitting in a bar with the most enticing girl he had ever met. A girl who quite possibly was the most dangerous of them all in this shitty little suburb. This wasn’t the plan.

He pulled out his phone and began scouring the news, looking for anything and everything that could distract him from the growing fever in his blood. Wesley soaked up the news like nobody else. He could speed read an article in four seconds flat and it was a great way of leaving himself behind and just getting lost. It wasn’t working this time however; Kylee’s perfume lingered in the air and it just made him want more. None of this would have happened if Costigan had actually bothered to turn up. He didn’t know whether to thank him or punch him.

Fuck you, Clay.

With two beers in hand, Kylee navigated through the bar, where the crowd was beginning to grow. Finding her way to the private booth, away from the chaos that was the locals of Edenridge, she slipped in and handed Wes his drink, “I ordered us the house wings. We should balance our drinks with food. Don’t want to get too sloppy tonight…” the mayor’s daughter displayed an adorable winsome smile, hoping she didn’t overstep with that, “And hey, it’s on Clay. He didn’t want to show up so we might as well get what we want.” And right away, two shots and wings were placed in front of them, “Oh. And that’s from Rhett.” She gestured at the shots. If there was one thing about Edenridge, if you have the right connections you get some of the best service.

Shots now? Good God.

“Thanks,” He took a hold of his drink and brought it to his side of the table. Now Wes was terrified. He couldn’t handle his drink at the best of times and now they were doing shots. He could feel himself separating into two, there was a part of him that wanted to throw all caution to the wind and give in to the feelings that he was experiencing. Then there was the other half that wanted to excuse himself and get out of there while he still had the chance. He really wasn’t sure which side was going to win out.

He picked up the shot glass and raised it to his date for the evening. What it was? Wes had no clue but he trusted Kylee and if she was willing to do this, then so was he. “To getting what we want.”

“To getting what we deserve.” Kylee asserted and eased her dainty hand towards his glass.

After clinking the glass with hers, the curly haired reporter downed the fire water. He could feel the intense flavour travel through his body like an electrical current. This was some strong shit. What on Earth had Rhett given them? Never again.

“Ok, I told you a secret. Your turn, tell me one of yours.”

Before Kylee could answer, she was taking in the shot. She seemed equally as surprised as Wes. Wow, this was really strong. Kylee was more of a wine drinker than anything and wine drunk was a completely different kind of drunk, but this was like a highschool party cranked up to 10. “This is… must be something new.” Placing her glass down, finally, the alcohol she had been rushing down the past thirty minutes or so due to nerves was hitting her and it hit her fast. “A secret,” she said under her breath. Jeez there was so much that she could unfold with this town, with her family, and with herself. She wasn’t going to be a chicken like Wes was, so she’d do something personal. Something that ate at her ever since Prue died.

“I don’t know if this counts, but…” she scooted closer, just so she didn’t have to raise her voice. When subjects involved her father, it was best to be careful. Anyone could be listening. “… my dad has a lot of skeletons and I think, no I know, that he’s lied to me about who my mother is. I never got to meet her. I’m pretty sure she died before I could even walk. He—” she stopped mid sentence to get a sip of her beer. This was such a serious talk. They needed to lighten things up after this. However, there were no more restraints holding Kylee back, “—he has a strong attachment to music even though the mom that raised me, Prudence, didn’t know a thing about it, and neither does the sugar baby my dad now calls wife. I think it’s a clue, I really do. And, like, this is the case I care most about because I just want to know who my mother is, or, well, was.” She said a lot of words. Too much? Probably too much.

“Oh and I’m not going to sound like a cheeseball like you but I’m really fucking into you. You’re stupid hot and I love your mind and drive.” Okay now she might’ve said too much.

Wesley, a man whose job it was to write meaningful and powerful words, was at a loss for them. A lot had happened between his playful question and Kylee opening her mouth to answer. Not only was he taken aback by her own distrust of her own father but from her admission of finding him attractive. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew there was a vibe but for her to outright admit it…what did that guy put in their drinks? Because whatever it was, it has opened up a well that Wes didn’t even know was full.

A waitress passed by their table and headed back towards the handsome, red headed barman with some empty glasses and handed them to him. “It’s going well, she just told him he was hot! Let Clay know!” Rhett grinned as he picked up a walkie talkie and radioed his former Celtics point guard. “Yo, sixteen, this is twenty one. Your plan is working like a charm.”

Elsewhere, parked outside the Godmothers, Clay Costigan took a bite out of his meatball sub. He listened to Rhett give him the rundown of how he had given them his “special drink” and how the couple seemed to be radiating chemistry. Were Clay anything but himself, he’d probably have to arrest his old friend but spiking for the sake of love, was that acceptable? Probably not but fuck it, Wes needed the kick up the backside to get himself into gear. “Copy that, good brother. Keep me posted, also, say hi to your Mom for me.”

Wes managed to shake off his astonishment long enough to have a drink from his fresh beer, a big one at that, before he spoke again. “I..well, shit. Listen, we’ll look into your Mom. Yeah for sure, we’ll dig and dig until we find out out who she really was….as for that other thing,” He has definitely had too much to drink or mixed too much of whatever but, fuck it. He was going to use what he learned from Clay and just stop giving a fuck. “I’m into you too, like crazily so. I wanted the story to come first but when I’m with you, it’s really hard to do that because you’re so beautiful and you’re so passionate and alive. You may be Grimm by name but not by nature. Fuck it!”

The reporter took a hold of the girl's face and planted a kiss on her painted lips for a second before pulling away, not knowing whether to regret or be proud of such an action. Meanwhile on the other side of the bar, the waitress raised her arms in victory.

“You’re not going to just stop right there, are you?” Kylee looked at Wes, her face was heated and now he left her wanting more. “Don’t be a tease, Wesley.” She poked the bear, hoping he’d get a bit more risqué than a long peck.

There was a spark in her eyes that he couldn’t ignore. He took her by the hand and that spark seemed to transfer to him at that moment. “My place is a block away,” Wes had to do it. He had to give in to the temptation. Kylee was worth it. She made him feel special. She made him feel like what he was doing was the right thing when everybody else told him it was wrong. He had to show her that her faith was well placed. He had a place here now. He had a person. “Let’s get out of here.” He led her by the hand out of the door and towards the AirBnB he had been renting for the last month.

“You know…” Kylee giggled as she walked out of the bar, interlocking her fingers with his. “You’re going to be bad for business, I can tell.” She teased as she took in his face with complete adoration. She was on cloud nine. Whatever was in that drink only meant a good thing, she hoped. As he led them towards his Airbnb, she glanced behind her. If there was one thing that Kylee knew for certain, she knew someone was always watching her.

Edenridge was a small town. People knew people. Word gets around fast. The Hole in the Wall, the more popular bar in town, was no exception. Sitting at a table near the entrance was one of the people that was closely tied to her father. She, along with Theodore Grimm, were part of the Iron Five. The people that ran the show and made sure Edenridge still had a pulse. In scantily clad, not her usual wear but definitely her occasional wear to blend in with the crowd, Phoebe Masterson flirted up a storm with some random guy. Once the lovebirds left, another guy came up to her, asking for a smoke.

Excusing herself from the table, apologising to the obviously drunk man, Phoebe followed the other guy outside and provided him with a box of cigarettes. He opened it and there sat a roll of cash and two cigarettes. After lighting one up he handed it to her and then he grabbed one for himself, pocketing the box. The guy himself was just a kid out of luck, desperate for some easy money. The desperate were usually the best to employ, even if it was a brief job. They exchanged a few words as they both smoked outside the bar. When he was done, he walked back in and she dialled a number on the phone. After one ring, someone on the line answered, “Julian, sweetums.” On the other side, the voice sounded unamused by the pet name, “Might want to look into the newcomer, Wesley Silo. It seems like our boss is not going to be happy with that one. No, not at all.” There was a quick response and the line went dead.

Smiling to herself, knowing she did a good job, Phoebe proceeded to call another number, as she flicked her cigarette to the ground. God, she hated smoking. “Bashhhhhh, what are you doing? Come pick me up, please.”

Less than a minute had passed before a car pulled up next to the woman. The passenger door popped open as the driver, one Sebastian Laszlo leaned to the right and waved. “Hello love, get yourself in then,” He spoke with a very distinct British accent. He leaned back into the driver's seat and began adjusting the beads and talismans that were hanging from his rear view mirror. Bash was not one to meddle with bad juju and one thing he had become all but certain of in his time in Eden was that this place was full of it and that he needed all the protection he could get.

“Busy evening?”

“You know me. Always looking out for Teddy.” Phoebe heavily sighed, knowing for damn sure she overworked herself to keep the mayor happy. But she learned within her first day of working for him, a happy Teddy, a happy cabinet. His mood affects the morale of their small team so the least she could do was keep a strong face and be diligent with her time. He believed in her and her strengths, he gave her tools and resources to succeed, if anything she was indebted to him and his kindness.

When she buckled herself in, she leaned back in her chair and turned her head toward her partner. Her skin showed more than she’d like. It was a nice light brown mixed with olive tones, displaying her Mexican and Indian descent. Her dress was this hot summer pink, showing far too much cleavage and her shoulders. It was a dress to make her look far younger than she was so the regulars at the Hole couldn’t tell who she was. Her usual style was business casual and elegant. Something that flattered her body but still left some room for mystery. This reminded her of her teen years and she hated it. “How’s things going on in your end? Been busy too, I imagine.”

“Same old, same old.”

Bash turned the engine back on, placed his arm on the headrest of Phoebe’s passenger seat and reversed out of the Hole’s car park. Once they were straightened up onto the main road, the Englishman flashed his headlights and put his foot down. The car was fairly nondescript, something to blend in perfectly on a hot summer night. “That said, I did sit in on a call with Teddy and that Montero fella he’s keen to do business with.” He turned onto a very well lit road, the car beginning the climb up the winding roads towards Scott Street and the true heart of the north side. “They’ve picked out a plot of land for that hotel and you know what that means? If our boy can’t buy it straight up, yours truly will be sent in.”

“Well then, I’m sure we’ll get what we want if you’re on the job.” Phoebe smiled at her friend before glancing at her phone, making sure there weren’t any urgent calls or texts from Teddy or Julian. “What’s your feelings on the whole hotel arrangement? Do you think it’s a good business move?” To be honest, Phoebe felt a little hesitant because the moment that hotel was built, the more eyes there would be on this little town of Massachusetts. She didn’t know if that was a good thing. There were far too many secrets in such a small place that could imprison half of the people here, kill some of the others, and leave the rest with trauma beyond repair.

“Sorry sweetheart, I don’t really get paid to think about the business stuff. I’m just the muscle.” He flashed his indicator before turning onto a very affluent looking road. “But if I had to, I’d say financially it’s probably a no brainer. Still, getting into bed with these guys and bringing more eyes on us, that I’m not sold on.” Sebastian parked up outside one of the houses, shutting off the engine and unlocking the doors. “Teddy knows his shit. Julian his. So I’ll give them the benefit but if things turn south, then it’s on me to protect you all and I’ll do just that.”

“Just… remember to take care of yourself too.” As cutthroat as Phoebe can be, when in front of Bash she allowed her softer side to come out. He didn’t put much thought behind any of his jobs. He was a worker bee through and through, and that likely was a beneficial thing in the long run. Being smart got you nowhere if you weren’t pulling the reins. But, she needed to start somewhere and she believed in Theodore Grimm. That must hold some merit. “You want some tea or you got more to do?” She unbuckled herself and opened her door.

“I’m English, love. I never turn down tea plus it’s you, you know I can never say no to you.” Bash places his keys in his leather jacket pocket and climbed out of the car as well. He surveyed the area, placing his hand on the gun holster on his waist. It would take him naught point three seconds to unbuckle his pistol and fire off a round. This was faster than most average gun owned by a clear mile. The joy and skill of being a former SAS operative. His cold blue eyes were efficient in picking out potential points of ambush. Perks of the job. Once he was happy that the coast was clear, Sebastian moved to Phoebe’s side of the car and out his hand on the small of her back. “Let’s go. I know you don’t like dressing like that but just so you know, you look amazing.” He led her towards the front door where they entered at the strike of midnight.

"Hey momma, good mornin'."

"Mornin' Lovebug, how'd you sleep?"

Creed swiped at the bags under his eye for a moment, leaning against the bathroom door and staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't think I did sleep."

"Maliq, what's goin' on?" Kamilla Briteson asked from the other end of the call, hearing his lost tone and knowing her son well enough.

Creed sighed and slid to the ground, free arm resting on his bent knee. "Puff got ahold'a me last night. When I got to her she was stoned outta her mind and definitely took somethin'. She's with me an' Jokes right now, she's sleepin', but I feel like she's gonna do somethin' stupid. A lotta shit went down last night."

Kam hummed in that way that said she was already cooking up plans of her own to intercept Natalia for a lunch date chat. "What do you need from me Baby?"

"I just…when-" Creed hesitated, swallowing harshly. "When you were like this...what was it I did that helped?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Creed occupied himself with clenching and unclenching his free hand, watching the tendons and muscles shift.

"Oh Baby, you were just you."

"What?" He asked in surprise, pulling the phone away to glance at it as though it would give him an answer. Kam laughed, the sound a little sad and hollow over the line.

"Maliq, you just kept showin' up. Even after I told you an' Jonie I couldn't take care'a you. Even when y'all moved into the Edge and I stopped workin' for a while. Even when I screamed at you about losin' you like your father and Jonie's parents. You just kept showin' up, cookin' breakfast and cleanin' when I couldn't even get off the couch. You made sure I knew I still had people fightin' for me, and worth fightin' for."

Creed sniffed harshly, wiping the tears off his cheeks and wrapping an arm around both knees.

"She didn't want us around for a while after we broke up, what if she decides that again?"

"I know you're not a stupid boy, Maliq Briteson, don't go askin' stupid questions. If that girl tries to push you away, you sink your anchor down 'til she ain't lost at sea no more, you understand me?"

"Yeah, momma, I hear ya."

"Good, now go make somethin' to eat and calm down. I'll talk to Babypop soon too."

Creed smiled, knowing that Kam had taken Natalia under her wing almost immediately back in highschool. She always did take care of all the younger girls at the edge too. A nurturer at heart just like her son.

Creed cleaned himself up and exited the bathroom, catching Jokes looking at him from behind Natalia on the bed. He gave the long haired man a short nod that seemed to convey everything it needed to, because Jokes settled his head back onto the pillow and continued to hold Natalia as she slept. Creed slipped into their small kitchen and began breakfast.

---

"A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys, painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys…"

The enticing scent of fried bacon and the sounds of a familiar children's movie slowly began to coax Natalia awake. It was a running theme to play the movie with Puff's namesake whenever one of them was down, all the way back to the first time they'd shown the movie to her when they were teenagers. After a long crying session, the Belmonte girl had succumbed to a deep slumber the night before thanks to the weed, the pills, emotional exhaustion and the comfort provided by Creed and Jokes. Tal had no idea how long she’d been out for, but it had certainly been one of the better sleeps she’d had in a while. And waking up to cuddles and what smelled like a bomb breakfast lifted her spirits just a little bit more.

"Good morning, handsome," she mumbled sleepily, eyes half-closed as she gave Jokes a groggy smile and snuggled closer to his lanky frame under the covers.

"Mornin', beautiful." Jokes replied softly, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head as he turned the volume down on the clunky old tv. "You were sleepin' pretty heavily, Mal's been cookin' for about fifteen minutes already. Ya hungry?"

"Mhm…" the brunette nodded, moving away from her cuddle buddy just far enough to comfortably stretch her body while rubbing her eyes. "My therapist's had me on a Valium prescription for a while now. Usually it's the only thing that gets me through the day most times and helps me sleep, but I took a handful of them last night. And paired with the weed? It's probably why I crashed so hard," she chuckled blandly, resuming her position close to Jokes again and looking into his dark eyes with a soft smile.

"But I still appreciated the cuddles you gave me," Natalia whispered gently before wrapping her arms around Jonie and kissing him sweetly.

He kept his features carefully schooled at her admittance, no judgment or pity or anything else that could scare her off. He actively reciprocated the kiss as the final song played softly from the old tv. A low whistle from Creed in the kitchen had him pulling away slowly and drawing back the covers.

"C'mon, food's all ready." He led her to the kitchen, where their small table was filled with bacon and bell pepper omelets. There was shredded cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper set out as well. Creed had always liked cooking, but his nurturing side came out strong when he was stressed or thinking hard on something. Jokes pulled out Natalia's chair just as Creed came over, settling the last plate on the table and giving the girl a kiss of his own, then kissing Jokes as well before sitting down. They all settled and began the meal while it was still warm.

After seasoning her omelet with salt and pepper and sprinkling a generous portion of shredded cheese onto it, Natalia allowed herself and her two companions to enjoy a few bites of the delicious meal before speaking up. "About last night…" she began, looking down at her lap while she fiddled with the fork in her hands. She was much too ashamed to look any of the two boys in the eye. "I'm sorry about crashing in here in the state I was in and just dumping all of this emotional vomit onto you guys. I know we hadn't really spoken much since the breakup, so it was really fucking selfish of me to do what I did. I'm sorry."

The two men held each other's gaze for a long moment before Jokes went back to his food and Creed turned his seat towards Natalia.

"Maybe your head was a little cloudy last night, so I'll say it again," he said calmly, leaning towards her and grabbing her wrists and making sure she looked at him before continuing. "Any time, any reason. If ya need one or both'a us and we can get ta ya, we'll come runnin'. The break up had nothin' to do with lost love or lack'a care. D'ya hear me?"

"Ya needed the space, so we let ya have it. Doesn't mean we weren't still there." Jokes had swallowed his bite of food and tilted his head into his propped up hand, smiling warmly at her.

Natalia nodded again, feeling a lump starting to form in her throat. “There’s just so much going on behind the scenes right now that I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about it, because I have to be a rock for my dad,” she admitted, turning her eyes back to her lap as tears began to burn at the corner of her eyes again. “Mama’s dying of cancer. The doctor’s give her a max of three months. My dad and siblings have been taking great care of her, and my cousin Tiffannie's been a blessing with that too. But I’ve been away at college, so I haven’t spent as much time with her as I would’ve wanted to… and I feel like shit for it,” she sniffed, letting the droplets fall down from her eyes and onto her bare thighs.

“Danilo found out about Viv and ReyRey last night, so I’m sure he’ll put two and two together and feel even more betrayed by me because I didn’t tell him about it. Then, with this whole letter business going around, I’m worried sick about my fling with Charlie becoming public knowledge. And it’s not just me worrying about what people are going to say about me, but about the person who will hurt most from it…” she trailed off as Poppy James’ heartbroken face came to the forefront of her mind, tugging at her heartstrings.

However, the image shifted, and was soon replaced by that of a curly-haired young man and a redheaded girl posing for a picture in all of their loved-up glory. The guilt and sadness quickly morphed into a pain and anger so strong it nearly took Natalia’s breath away again, and she dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from losing control. “And, to top it all off, the first guy I ever really loved is dating one of the girls who took my place in Danny’s life,” Natalia admitted bitterly, her voice shaking slightly with all of the pent-up emotion. “After all the times I trusted him about how I felt about her, listing all the reasons why I couldn’t fucking stand her, and he goes on to actually fucking date this girl?” she scoffed, more angry tears rolling hot and fast down her cheeks. “He never went public with me. When I told him I loved him, he distanced himself and ended up dumping me. But he’s already showing her off in all his social media accounts, calling her “my girl”? I was his friend for over ten years before we started messing around. We were each other’s first everything. I was never worthy of being ‘his girl’, but somehow this other person is? What kind of bullshit is that?”

There was plenty to be said to her words, plenty to dissect and unpack. The most important thing seemed to be just the sheer number of issues at hand. It was enough to crush anyone, even one as strong as Puff. But none of the problems were fixable per se, which meant they could only really approach this from one angle.

"Look, we ain't 'bout ta act like things ain't completely fucked-"

"'Cause they kinda are-" Creed mumbled.

"-'cause they ki- yes, exactly," Jokes continued. "This sounds like a The Sky Is Fallin'! situation, and obviously too much has been put in ta motion ta stop it now. So y'can focus on all these negatives an' think'a the worst way everythin' could go wrong, but all it's gonna do is exhaust ya mentally so that once the confrontation does happen, ya got no ability ta cope. I'm not sayin' ya ain't gotta right ta your feelin's, I'm just sayin' try an' focus on what good ya can get outta this, even if ya have ta pull it out with your bare hands. Keep the thoughts positive, like when ya used ta braid my hair," he smiled brightly, reaching out and running his finger through her strands of hair. "Carry through the day with ya the emotions that help, not hinder."

"And if those negatives do get ta you," Creed piped up after Jokes had finished his piece. "Just remember that you’ve got at least three people ta lean on, and we're all willin' to take some'a that weight onto our shoulders if it means keepin' ya walkin' forward."

Natalia was quiet for a few seconds, taking a few more bites of her omelet in the process. The more she thought about it, the more she vacillated between gratefulness at having Creed and Jokes trying their hardest to lighten her burden, and despair at how she just couldn't seem to let go of the suffocating weight pulling her down. "It's not that I'm not thankful that I have you guys to count on-- because it truly means the world to me. I just seriously can't see any positive outcomes coming out of any of this. My mom dying? My family falling apart because of it? My brother resenting me more than he probably already does? Breaking poor Poppy's heart even more than it already is? Feeling like I was never worth enough for my ex-best friend I fell so stupidly in love with? How can I stay positive when that's all I can think about?"

“Puff, do you think that we saw any positives when we lost our parents?” Creed asked, looking the woman deep in the eyes as he spoke to her. “You’re not gonna see any light past the dark shit you’re goin’ through. Losin’ a parent isn’t easy, but you got this time to talk ta her and be honest about what you need ta say. Apologize for not bein’ around and I doubt your ma’s gonna do anything but tell you ta hush up. Get ahead of the things that you can get ahead of, before it all comes to a head at once. D’you think your brother, or Poppy, or anyone you need ta talk to would prefer ta find out any of these secrets through some freak with an ulterior motive for leakin’ the information, or do ya think they’d prefer ta have someone to talk to and answer the questions that are gonna come up from it?”

“As for the rest,” Jokes cut in. “He’s got an ex- in front of his designation for a reason. I know it hurts, but lurkin’ on his socials ain’t gonna fill that wound festerin’ in your soul. If anything, it’s gonna keep you from healing.”

“We’re here for you, Puff, no matter what happens. Focus on the constants. Focus on what you can do first instead of what might be done if you don’t do anythin’.”

“I hate it when you guys are right…” she admitted with a defeated laugh, finishing up her meal in a few more big bites. As much as Natalia hated to admit she was wrong, Maliq and Jonie were absolutely correct in their arguments. Wasting time worrying about potentials and possibilities in her current state was only causing her more harm than good. Did it mean she was going to take all parts of their generous, intelligent advice immediately? That was to be seen. She wouldn’t be Tiziano Belmonte’s daughter if she wasn’t as hard-headed and stubborn as he was. But the least she could do was acknowledge it and take it into honest consideration. “I didn’t mean to sound insensitive, by the way. Most of the time I forget I’m not the only one in the world who’s drowning.”

"You're allowed ta voice your thoughts," Jokes replied, a sad smile making its way onto his face at the girl's comment. "You're allowed ta have feelin's and ta battle with 'em. We're here ta be the rocks that stay strong against the waves for ya, ta show you the other paths and light your way if needed. Ultimately, the decision is always up ta you, an' ya won't catch any judgment from us, no matter what ya choose."

"Just because other people are drownin' doesn't mean that you don't also need ta be tossed a life preserver, it just means the boat should be equipped with more," Creed added, swiping up everyone's plates and dropping them in the sink. "Can you imagine where half of us would be if we judged our lives by how good or bad the person next ta us had it? We'd all be goin' crazy tryin'a pretend we were perfect because we have things a little bit easier."

He ran the water over the dishes, scrubbing off food remnants and trying not to think about all of his crewmates' histories, dark and sad as they were. No, nothing good ever came from 'they have it worse than me' lines of thought, it just leads to sealed lips and clenched jaws, bandaged with bad habits while the actual problems fester into full blown traumas. Pulling his head out of those thoughts, shaking them out for good measure, Creed turned around and leaned against the sink, tossing the handrag over his shoulder and crossing his arms.

Time to focus on something lighter and give Natalia something to look forward to.

"By the way, expect a call from momma soon, I think it's been too long since y'all's last lunch date."

At the mention of Kamilla Briteson, Natalia’s demeanor perked up significantly, and she gave the two boys her first genuine smile in what felt like days. The bond she shared with Kam was unlike any other, and the prospect of lunch with her second mother lifted her spirits even more, in the best of ways. Leave it to Maliq to find the perfect way to cheer her up when she needed it the most.

“Thank you, Liq,” the dark-haired woman breathed out, rising from her chair to walk over to Maliq, wrap her arms around him and pull him into a warm hug. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve ever done for me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay it back.”

"Love ain't about debts Puff, you should know that by now," he replied as he returned the hug. "You're a part of our little family, one way or another: that ain't gonna end anytime soon so long as we can help it." He tightened the hug, putting all his intentions into the basic action and hoping Natalia received them on her end. He let her know that she was loved, and wanted, and protected if need be. She used to read him easily after their time together, and he hoped that held over during their lapse of contact so that she could truly feel what he was trying to tell her.

After a brief moment, he let her go, cupping her cheek as he pulled back to stare at her. "Keep your eyes on the bright side, a'ight?”

Natalia nodded with a smile, kissing the hand cupping her cheek before pulling Creed into a hug again. This therapy session had been just what she needed to pull herself up by the bootstraps and keep on fighting.

Considering the grim outlook she’d had the night of that infamous reunion, the past four weeks had been strangely decent to Natalia Belmonte. Catarina and Tiffannie were not on speaking terms, but they were being civil (as civil as one could be while avoiding each other). Her mother had been more alert every few days, giving Tal the opportunity to spend some much-needed bonding time with her. Her lack of involvement in that fateful night’s drama meant she remained in her father’s good graces, with whom she continued to spend quality time with at the gym. And best of all, in a surprising twist of events, her relationship with Danilo was almost back to how it used to be before they drifted apart.

Of course, not everything had been a cause for celebration. Even after the culmination of their friendship five years previously, Tal had never bothered to block Niles from her social media accounts. Call her selfish if you will, but it was the only way she had to keep tabs on her former friend without making it obvious. This was how he’d found out about things like when he’d started his fitness journey, when gotten his last motorbike, what college he’d been accepted to and the like. For the most part, Niles kept a quiet, low profile on his accounts, sharing the bare minimum that sufficed in quelling Tal’s curiosity (with the help of the extra insight from his sisters, of course)

But ever since he’d started dating Caitlin, his social media presence had increased exponentially. It seemed like, every other day, his stupid name would pop up on her screen with posts preaching about how ‘wonderful’ or ‘amazing’ his stupid girlfriend was, often accompanied by photos of them as a sickly-sweet, loved-up couple or dumb Cece in candids by herself. For the first two weeks, Nat had been able to shrug it off, still empowered by her talk with Creed and Jokes about the situation. But with every day that passed, her tolerance continued to dwindle, being replaced with emotions she thought she’d left behind. What made idiotic Caitlin worthy enough for his public praise, but she’d never been enough? What made this girl so special, when she hadn’t even been there to see him at his worst? Why was he being so adamant about showing her off everywhere, professing his feelings towards her everywhere and at all times, as if shouting it from imaginary rooftops? How had Cece been able to make him happier than Tal ever had?

It made her feel worthless and fucking sick.

The final straw came one early evening, when her mindless scrolling had led her to yet another long post from Niles bragging about his relationship. Fueled by all the pent up jealousy she’d been holding back for the last weeks, Natalia pocketed her phone, stormed out of her bedroom and down the familiar blocks of the Northside’s intersection of Meadow and Prairie Court. Conveniently, the house in question was located on the street behind the Belmonte home, which meant there was no long distance to travel that could have potentially pacified the incoming tornado steadily raging towards the Sinclair home.

Once at the back door, Natalia texted Autumn Sinclair, who wasted no time in confirming that her older brother was indeed alone at the home. The Belmonte girl retrieved the key from underneath the doormat (‘Even after all of these years, they still keep it in the same spot…’), unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside the house. She made sure to almost tiptoe around the kitchen, up the stairs and down the hall, hoping to not prematurely alert Niles to her presence. Finally, she reached her destination. After taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the confrontation about to take place, Natalia knocked on the door a few times, impatiently tapping her sneakered foot on the floor as she waited for her former best friend to answer.

Looking over his shoulder to his door, having thrown his tank and sweaty socks in the hamper, he wondered what his sisters were doing back and why they weren't saying anything. With only champion long mesh men’s shorts on, having just gotten done with a full body workout at Asgard Fitness, he stretched his body before walking towards the knocking. With a sore body that felt good, he made his way to the door and unlocked it.

As he opened it, before he saw who was on the other side, he scoffed in annoyance, “What do you two want, shouldn’t you be at Yasmin’s?” When his door was fully open, he stared ahead in disbelief. His expression looked exhausted, distant, and bored but internally he was shocked. “Natalia…?”

"Obviously," the woman responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

When Natalia fully focused her attention on the man standing in front of her, she found herself cocking her head to one side and slowly eyeing him up and down, her tongue pressed against her cheek. It hadn't occurred to her that he, much like her, might have changed with the years. The last time she'd seen Niles with this little clothing on had been almost four years previously-- when he'd been nothing but a skinny teen a few inches shorter than her. The man standing before her had finally caught up to her height, and had a chiseled figure that attested to hours of discipline, effort and hard work. It was a glow-up for sure, but irrelevant to the conversation to be had. She hadn't come all this way to feed his ego, after all. She needed to keep her focus on what needed to be said.

"I need to talk to you." Nat declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Years. It had been years since they last talked. Holding his door open for her, keeping his burn scar on his left shoulder to his back out of her sight, Niles waited for her to enter. His gaze softened as he watched her and observed her form up close. This confrontation happened a lot sooner than he calculated but he wasn’t going to complain. Instead, he asked, “About?”

Without saying a word, Natalia stormed into Niles’ bedroom and plopped herself down on his bed. “Your new relationship,” she said simply, crossing one leg over the other and glaring at the man. “I just wanted to congratulate you in person. It seems your dating choices are getting dumber and dumber every time.”

“You wanted to congratulate me, in my bedroom.” Niles casually responded while closing his door and reaching for his deodorant. After applying some, annoyed he couldn’t take a shower, he pulled out a shirt to cover himself up. “Thanks, I guess.” Putting his shirt on, he sighed, “Anything else?”

The dark-haired woman let out an annoyed huff. She’d almost forgotten how exasperating Niles could be with his indifference. “Caitlin Cleary, huh?” she drawled, the name tasting like the most bitter of fruits on her lips. “A whole world of possibilities out there-- especially since you went to college like I did--, and you happen to pick one of the two people I spent years venting to you about?” she asked him, pretending to be deep in thought for a second before adding, “It’s almost as if you’re purposely trying to fuck with me.”

“Am I?” He nonchalantly inquired. Even if he was, which he wasn’t, she found herself believing he thought about her a lot more than he did. “Do I need to remind you that you’re the one who stopped talking to me?” Niles was now facing his ex best friend, arms crossed, leaning against his dresser, “Or are you going to pretend that things never changed and you can dictate who I can and can’t talk with?” He raised his eyebrow, challenging the woman on his bed.

“I’m not saying I want to dictate anything, Niles,” Tal interjected with a scowl. “And do I need to remind you that the one who ended things between us was you-- after I confessed my feelings for you--” Nat began to challenge back, but her argument was cut short by Niles’ interjection.

“We were friends with benefits. I never wanted to lose you as a friend.” Niles corrected Natalia, who seemed to forget their agreement and how he wasn’t ready to commit to anyone at the time. “I did what I needed to do. At least I didn’t drag you along, or did you forget how I treated you?”

“Of course I didn’t forget how you treated me!” she replied, that sarcastic edge to her voice becoming sharper. Fully in the midst of her fury, she focused on the last part of his argument without realizing what he'd said about losing their friendship. “How could I forget the endless arguments, the manipulation tactics, the guilt-tripping anytime I did something fun for myself because you were too busy being moody--”

“Moody?!” Natalia finally got a rise from Niles who no longer was crossing his arms but stepping ever so closely to her. “I’m sorry it took me a couple years to get over my mother’s fucking death, Natalia, but I owe you nothing. And you need to stop thinking I do. You cut ME out of your life because you wanted more. And now here you are asking for answers in MY bedroom.”

“That is not why I cut you off, and that’s not even why I’m fucking here in the first place!” she cried out, leaping from the bed and getting dangerously close to the face of her ex-friend, as if poised for a fight. “I just wanted to tell you, to your fucking face, that if you think dating stupid Caitlin is some sort of payback or revenge scheme for whatever happened between us, you’re a fucking idiot!”

Niles humorously scoffed at her comment. Was she being serious right now? “Clearly it worked.” He reached his hand out and glided his finger against her cheek, “Seeing how you’re here. Right now. In front of me.”

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Natalia yelled, harshly slapping Niles’ hand away from her face. How dare he try and caress her in the middle of this argument, especially after he’d basically admitted to doing exactly what she’d suspected? As upsetting as it was, it still gave Tal the bittersweet confirmation that she wasn't as crazy or paranoid as people painted her out to be. “Things ended between us almost five years ago because YOU ended it: get fucking over it!”

“Ha.” Niles laughed to himself, stepping back and smiling, “I am. That’s why I’m with Caitlin.” Making his way to his computer chair, he turned it around and sat down, not knowing how long this was going to take. This was Natalia, after all. “You’re right, things ended between us. I didn’t want sex with you anymore. I didn’t want you like that and you got mad. You still don’t hold accountability for being the one that walked away. I stopped the sex. You stopped our friendship.”

"You literally just said you're dating Caitlin to get back at me," Natalia scoffed, purposely ignoring the last part of his argument. She wasn’t about to tell him why she’d cut him off like she did. Tal had already made the mistake of opening up to him with her feelings once before-- she wasn't about to do the same again. "How is that getting over anything, Niles? Hmm?"

“No, I didn’t.” Niles countered, leaning forward in his chair. His eyebrows furrowed, as he explained, “You thought it was a scheme and I merely entertained the idea and said clearly it worked. I like toying with you and if I said anything differently you’d get in your feelings, like you usually do. So sure, yes. I spent the past year wooing a girl you hate just so you can come into my room late at night and visit me. Do you hear how that sounds, Natalia?” With a strained expression, he exasperatedly remarked, “Fucking insane.”

"This is why I fucking ditched you!" Natalia shrieked, her voice carrying into the deepest corners of the empty Sinclair home. Was he really trying to play the ‘you’re just seeing things that aren’t there’ card on her again?! "You always try to make me feel like I’m fucking crazy all the time when I know I'm not! I know I'm right about this!"

“Says the girl who got mad at any friend I made that wasn’t you. Boy, girl, it didn’t matter. You suffocated me and you can’t seem to own up to that. I’m the one to blame? We never dated and you agreed to it all.” At this point, Niles was getting increasingly annoyed but he stayed put in his seat. She was playing the victim when they both knew she was the opposite of one. “Cry me a river, your life is so goddamn hard without me. Yeah, right. You’re fucking who you want when you want, clearly.”

Natalia couldn’t bite back her disbelieving scoff. "So are you! That’s all you’ve been doing since we ended things! So how is that even a relevant argument?!"

“It’s relevant because you hopped on the next dick as soon as I stopped shit between us. Stop acting like you’re innocent, you don’t play innocent well.”

"You know what? I sure did-- and it was everything I ever imagined and more," Talia declared proudly, choosing to stand tall as she said it. Niles' attempts at slut-shaming her wouldn't be successful. "I wasn't the only one who moved on quickly, though, because as soon as the rumors came out that I was messing around with people you suddenly wanted to start 'arrangements' of your own. Erica Connors, Parker Byrne (the one you called ‘girlfriend’ even though you swore up and down you weren’t ‘ready to commit to anyone’), that bitch Zoey from the volleyball team, God knows how many other losers I don’t even know about…"

After Natalia listed a few of his past lovers that he barely remembered like she did, Niles couldn’t help but smirk and let a chuckle out. Amused, he silently watched her as she came to the end of her tangent. Standing up, he approached the proud Italian woman and laughed, “It’s funny, really.” Like a wolf on a prowl, he stepped closer, “You say you’ve moved on and yet you’re here to congratulate me.” Another step forward, breaching the distance, getting ever so closer to his ex, “I must’ve been the best you’ve ever had if you desperately needed to come here.” In front of her now, barely giving her any space, he spoke bluntly, “Let me ask, did they fuck you like I did?”

Natalia had been completely unprepared for Niles' last words. They had been so unexpected, so out of left field, that it took her a whole thirty seconds of wide-eyed, red-faced surprise to even come up with the ability to do more than scoff in disbelief again and shake her head. "You’re delusional…” she muttered under her breath, pointing at him as she backed away. "You are fucking delusional, and batshit crazy as hell, Niles Sinclair!” she accused for the last time before shifting her eyes away from the man and stalking off in the same direction she had entered. Whether what he was saying was true or false, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing. He didn’t deserve any more of her time. "This clearly was all a fucking mistake!"

Taking in her perky backside, with his animalistic and mischievous gaze, Niles’ stare burned the back of it, hoping she could feel him watching her as she left. “Was it?” He commented, before his smirk turned into a genuine and hopeful smile, “It was nice to see you, Natalia,” he teased, but there was no malice behind his words. Only contained excitement. He really did enjoy seeing her even if all they did was argue. “We should do this again.” He admitted, hoping he could see her sooner rather than later.

“Rot in hell!” came the girl’s response from down the stairs, followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut.

There was no denying that Niles Sinclair enjoyed this random moment. He knew what he did the past month would get her riled up but the fact that she came all the way to his house just to tell him off made his escapade with Caitlin worth it.

A world without Natalia Belmonte was quite boring, and this made him see exactly what he’s been missing. It was great to have her back.

A week had gone by since Danny had officially introduced Marco to Gavriel as his boyfriend. During this week he kept it relatively chill spending as much time as he could with his boyfriend, hanging out with Natalia whenever she had some downtime (mostly watching movies they hadn’t watched together in years and reminiscing), and catching up with Caitlin, finding out that she was no longer on the market just like him.

In addition to all that, he thought of ways he’d ask forgiveness to all the people he hurt and how he’d come out to a few of them. One being Jillian O’Brien. The girl he hurt by sleeping with her sister. A stupid action because he thought Grace could help him not be into guys. Not be bisexual. Well, look at him now. Totally, stupidly in love with Marco Castillo-Brady. For a while now. Since the summer after sophomore year.

Though Danny hoped he could love Puppy the way he deserved and he hoped his father didn’t get in his way of his happiness. Hope might not be the right term… he wanted to put his faith into action. The Italian Stallion was done hoping. Done playing games. Danny was going to, no matter what, be with that boy. No matter what happens, no matter what people would say, and no matter how people felt about him and his relationship, Danny was going to marry Marco one day.

Getting off work a smidge early on Sunday to take care of business, Danny rushed to the local florist. With a container full of cannolis in hand, he picked up his order of white lilies. He made sure they were in a crystal glass vase and went on his way to his destination. Fast forward to a few minutes later, he pulled up in front of the O’Brien’s house. In time, he was out of his car and in front of the entrance door. No longer holding back, no longer hesitating, no longer waiting for the perfect opportunity, having spent a whole week imagining all the things he would say, Danny rang the doorbell. This seemed like a recurring theme for him. Visiting people in hopes they’d let him in.

Please Jill, let me in.

Anxiously, he waited for the door to be answered. As he waited, he replayed some of Marco’s encouraging words, helping him build up enough courage to hold accountability for his actions and tell Jill he missed her and that he was sorry. All he needed to do was remember Marco’s face and he could push forward. The obstacles ahead might be hard to conquer but he wasn’t alone. He had the perfect cheerleader waiting for him. The person he felt the most at home with. His soulmate. After waiting for a couple of minutes and no one answering, he went for the doorbell again.

Damn. Maybe no one was home.

As Danny awaited on the front balcony, a shout could be heard from inside. “Yeah, yeah! Hold your horses!”

It didn’t sound like it could be Shannon, although the terminology tracked. As the door opened, he didn’t spot the object of his most recent tour of forgiveness, nor the mother who usually accepted all those gifts to spare Danny the undignified reaction of having them thrown in his face. No, instead what Danny got was a stark reminder of what caused the fracturing of his friendship with the O’Briens in the first place. Staring him down, wearing nothing but a shamrock green bathrobe that did a poor job concealing the curves of her body, was “Amazing” Grace O’Brien. She was a little older than Danny remembered of course, and it was clear where all those cannolis that had been dropped off had gone to. One look at those curvy thighs could tattle on that fact with ease. She had a few more tattoos than the last time Danny saw her as well, tracing down her arms from under the short sleeves of the robe. But she still maintained that angelic face of hers. The one that could charm the entire senior class to their knees and still sing at the church on Sunday with not a care in the world. But she could be the devil if they let her.

She leans against the doorframe and takes in the sight of the Belmonte boy, smacking her lips as she did so. “Well, well, well,” Grace says, almost with an ounce of pity in her voice. “And here I had thought you had given up on ever attempting to earn the good graces of anyone in this household again.” The middle sister twists a little, revealing a little bit more skin as she does. “Although even without the basketball you seem to be doing all right, little Danny boy. You come over here just to see if you could get another sweet sound out of me?”

Jesus.

Danny cursed in his head, immediately regretting saying the Lord’s name in vain. He needed to patch up his mouth or eat some soap. Ever since the night at the gym, he had no will to hold his tongue. Perhaps, today that would go in his favor. As his brows knitted and his back became uncomfortably tense, making sure there was clear distance between him and the girl he slept with, Danny steadily answered, “Where’s Jill, Grace?“ He was not going to entertain her advances and now seeing her still doing the same thing she did years ago, he found himself pitying the older O’Brien. Her scent, her form, and that look on her face hit a brick wall. Danny Belmonte was a taken man. His heart and body only belonged to one and he showed exactly that. That she couldn’t prey on him like she did when he was a sophomore.

Grace scoffed at the perceived lack of a response to her greeting. “So cold, Danny! I know things between us got… rocky after I graduated, but it means a lot that you’re here today.” She could see Danny was on a mission with those flowers and treats, but the look in his eyes was different. It was weirdly guarded, so far from the goofy lug that was usually around here. Grace had honed her skills trying to win people over by dealing with those who had the misfortune to come into contact with Reagan Ramsey, so she was confident she would be able to break the Belmonte boy down and be eating those cannolis off his chest in no time. “I always felt so bad that you kept trying to win my baby sister’s affection back over and over, and every time she would slam the door or hurl those delicious desserts into the garbage. But we don’t have to worry about her now, so why do you want to spoil this happy reunion by dragging Jillian into this?”

“Are you aware that Jill has an alcohol problem or is your whole family turning a blind eye to that?” Danny glared at the older woman, holding his ground as he looked at no other place but her eyes. He couldn't believe after all this time, Grace was still so heartless and so ignorant to her surroundings. All she cared about was herself and in this town, that mentality would get her nowhere. “Only a week ago your sister learned the truth about Allison. Instead of checking on Jill’s mental health, you want cannolis and to play with me like I’m some kid? Here, fucking take them.” The Italian boy shoved the dessert in her hands, “I’m not here for you and I don’t need to explain why I care about your sister. Something…” Danny shook his heart in disbelief, honestly grateful for his siblings even though they were a hot mess, “...you wouldn’t understand.”

Grace wished she had a cigarette or something she could light up to underscore how much she didn’t care for Danny’s guilt trip. Instead, she just shoved the cannolis right back into his hands. “I don’t want them if they come with a lecture, Danilo,” she rebuked. “Especially not if it’s to try and cast Jill as the victim in her own miserable one-woman play. I warned her not to follow too closely in Allison’s footsteps, she didn’t listen. After our little sheet romp, she just shut me out completely. I tell her not to take too much on her shoulders after the shooting. ‘You had sex with Danny.’ I tell her Mike Barrie is a psycho who she needs to stay away from. ‘You had sex with Danny.’ I tell her that she’s going to end up next to Dad if she keeps drinking at a rate that would make Granny Moira blush. ‘Fuck you, Dannyfucker.’” The middle O’Brien sister rolled her eyes to the veranda and stared back. “Jillian dug her own grave, built her own coffin, planned her own funeral, contracted her own reincarnation and is now living like the little shit lizard she is, and it’s all her own fault, because she couldn’t fucking accept any help or any criticism from anyone after Allison died, so don’t tell me I don’t understand, Mr. Belmonte. I just know what I want, and what this family needs, and to further answer your question, we got it this week.” Grace folded her arms defiantly. “Jillian doesn’t live here anymore.”

With a strained expression, Danny looked at Grace in bewilderment. No matter how many times the Belmontes don’t see eye to eye, when they need each other they are always there for each other. Lately, their family has been dramatic because everyone’s on edge over a variety of reasons. The main reason being Silvia was dying and no one wanted to lose the rock of the family. Tightening his grip on the container, Danny shook his head, knowing he was talking to a lost cause, and yet he couldn’t brush what she said aside, “Jill is paying for all the decisions she’s ever made. You have no right to judge her when you’re the least picture perfect O’Brien that exists, Grace. Just because she was stating a fact that you see no wrong in - we FUCKED Grace, you fucked your little sister’s best friend who was underage at the time - you gave up on her.”

The anger in Danny was seething inside of him. All this time he was so focused on his own guilt and regret that he didn’t take a step back to think of what Jill was truly going through and how selfish her sister was. Was all her family like this? “She is only human and we all do fucked up things but this pedastal you put yourself on? Give me a break. I can see you’re doing just fine being alone. I can’t believe you have never changed.” At this point Danny was back on the entrance walkway, baffled at his decision to ever sleep with the dimwit, “I’ll find her myself. Goodbye, Grace.”

A shout could be heard from inside the house. A male shout. In a house that Danny knew no man had lived in since Ronan moved out in their freshman year. “Grace! Who is that yelling at the door? Did you piss the Amazon guy off?”

Grace rolls her eyes again. “No! Shut up and just lay there! Fuck!” She turns her attention to the retreating Belmonte. “Never assume I’m alone, Danny Boy. And I know damn well you’re not going to be able to find her yourself, so if you really, REALLY want to continue this little martyring crusade you’re on, you should know Jill moved her stuff out of here with the help of Reagan’s sister. The goth one. I’m guessing that’s where she’s staying now. If you stop by, tell her I know she stole my green top again and I’ll be claiming it when I’m good and ready.”

“Thank you… I guess. Have fun with whoever is in there.” No longer wanting a conversation with Grace, Danny turned on his heel and marched to his car. Did he even know where Mei lived? No. But he knew someone who did.

Kylee.

After making a quick stop at the florist, adding to his surprise for Jill, Danny found himself standing in front of Mei and Jill’s apartment complex. In one hand there was a bouquet of white lilies, burgundy black dahlias, and black eyed anemones. In the other? Nina’s famous cannolis. The best Edenridge had to offer. Honestly, the best in Massachusetts too. Traveling to surrounding towns and cities, the Italian food was just not the same. It was clear that Nina learned from the best, which was their father. If only Danny didn’t ruin things while he cooked. He burnt cookies. Cookies! The easiest dessert to make.

Turning back to look at his car parked across the street, he wondered if this was going to be a mistake. Grace’s words, as much as he handled them well at the time, they were now lounging in his mind. He was nervous, anxious, and scared. Part of him believed she would turn him down, like she has for so long, and part of him hoped that deep down she missed him too. Their interaction the night at the gym didn’t go well for them but he knew this was something he needed to do. He knew until she absolutely refused him and was repulsed by the sight of him, he wouldn’t give up trying.

All Danny saw was a wounded bird. A beautiful cardinal whose wings were wounded to the point that she could no longer fly and she didn’t see the point in carrying on. He wanted to be a better friend. He wanted her back in his life. Still, if this went south, he might have to consider that he may never get Jill back. If he could get Marco back, maybe he could get Jill back too. He would never know unless he approached her with his heart on his sleeves. No more withholding information. No more pretending he was okay. No more acting like he was the strongest thing in the room because he wasn’t. It was time to show Jill his true self once and for all, in hopes that she would forgive him and accept him for him.

Once he reached the entrance, Danny found his way in the entryway of the loft and followed the directions that led to the landlord’s apartment/office. After a few minutes of discussion and giving a charming smile, everyone loved the Belmontes, the lovable Italian boy, son of Taz and Silvia Belmonte, was given access to the rest of the flat and given directions to Mei’s room. Before he left, he gave the older woman as many cannolis as she wanted. His way of thanking her for her hospitality. Once their exchange satisfied the both of them, Danny made his trek to his destination.

Finally, standing in front of the residence of Mei Ramsey and Jillian O’Brien, Danny gently kicked the door (seeing how he had no hands to knock). He wanted to announce himself but his throat felt like it was closing up out of worry. The emotions started flooding inside and out of him. He tried his best to think of the one person that made him feel at home. His boyfriend. Marco. Marco believed in him. He could do this. All he needed to do was tell her the truth.

This is fine. She’s not going to hate you. She’s going to listen. She isn’t going to be weirded out that you like boys. No, she is going to understand you. She’s not going to see you as this ugly, unnatural monster… this fag who can’t secure a girl. No, she's going to listen. She’s going to hear you out.

The kicking knock reverberated through the apartment, with no immediate response. Then, a stirring. “Just a minute!” a female voice shouts, giving Danny an estimate on how much longer he would have to live with those inner thoughts of his. Shuffles could be heard, a soft grunt, and then the click of a lock.

Opening the door and standing before Danny stood a much fresher version of the redhead he last saw in a puddle on the floor of the old school’s hallways. There was no makeup on her face, but the bags under her eyes seemed to be lighter than the last time. Her skin is a little clearer. Her hair… actually looked like it had been washed recently. She was not in a get up for traveling around the town, decked in only her claimed Motley Crue tank top and a pair of black short shorts that indicated that she had still been in her pajamas when the Belmonte boy came calling. However, despite her attire, it was the most alive Danny had seen Jillian O’Brien in months, even years.

“Danny?” she questioned, still not believing if she was fully awake or not. “What are you doing here? How did you know I was here? Wait, did you know I was here?” She eyed the flowers and the cannolis that were brought to her doorstep. “OK, lilies? You must have known I was here.”

“Yeah… ran into Grace. That was painful to deal with. After we exchanged some… choice words with one another, she told me you lived here. She didn’t give me the address or anything so I called Kylee.” Bringing the gifts forward, extending his arms, Danny could feel his teeth shaking out of anxiety. Anxiety wasn’t something he usually experienced but when it came to potentially opening up about his sexuality, his strength left his body and all he could feel was his stomach turn. “If you’ll have me, I would love to talk to you and give you the explanation you deserve about us and what I did to you. I won’t take up all your time, just please.” Danny’s confidence deflated as he looked from her face to his feet, “Give me a chance, Jillybean.”

Jillian looked Danny over. Granted, she hadn’t seen much of him the past few years. They had to see each other in school, sure, and there was that run-in at the gym, but she had been pretty effective at shutting him out of her life the second she learned how much he valued their friendship. The mention of Grace hammered that rather painful memory home. But this Danny didn’t have the look of the hyperbolic basketball player of their youth, or even the Fred-like leader of the party she vaguely remembered through the haze and fury of that night with Rey Rey. She could see the Tupperware container with… more… mouthwatering cannolis… it was shaking. She finally locked eyes with him. Worry on his face. Maybe confronting Grace took more out of him than she thought it ever would.

She still wanted to be furious at Danny. Jill wanted to do all the yelling she didn’t get to do at the gym or at the Carlisle house. She wanted every painful prod and poke she endured from her sister to be flung at his face. It was what she thought she wanted for the years, plural, that she had shut him out of her life. But as he stood here, no longer in the shadows of the evil sibling or the house where the deed surely happened, it was hard for Jill to find that anger again. Maybe some of the meditation stuff from Mei’s parents was working. Maybe it was because she hadn’t actually fueled that rage with booze in a few days. Not since the official moving in party. There were so many questions in her head right now, about her own actions and of Danny’s back in junior year. She started to answer them with Marco the other night. Maybe now she would be able to not only get some answers, but keep them and use them. It worked with Mei, anyway.

“All right,” Jillian finally answered as she pulled the door of the newly rechristened Ramsey-O’Brien estate open. “You can come in.” She took the flowers from Danny’s hand. “Need to put these in water anyway.” She nodded to the couch in the living room as she looked to find a vase or a pitcher to hold the wonderful smelling gift.

“Who’s our guest?!” A voice called out.

Entering into the living room from the bedroom, Mei was dressed in nothing but a short, silk black robe that showed off her pale toned legs. She cracked her grin as she noted the one and only Danilo Belmonte in her doorway. Damn, all the cool kids would know where she lived now. It was time to move again. “Jill, babe. I know I said we could get a dog in a few months maybe, but I didn’t want a golden retriever.” The dark priestess licked the bottom of her top rung of teeth with a slight chuckle. “Welcome Danny.”

She wandered over to the kitchen counter too where Jill was placing what looked like flowers onto a vase. She placed her hand on the small of her lover's back and moved her lips to her ear. “You want me to get out of here?” Mei knew all too well the history between the other two beings in the room. She watched most of it unfold first hand. She may have been a cheerleader but Miss Midnight did her best to stay out of the popular cliques drama. More often than not, she failed.

Jill still had a slight case of the giggles. First when her girlfriend correctly referred to their guest as a golden retriever, and then again when she let her hand trace under the tank top and along the back where one of Mei’s tattoos would eventually make its presence felt if she had her way. “Stay,” Jill answered Mei’s question. “I may need you for support and at least I know you won’t try to fuck him like other people in my family.”

Carefully, as if his life depended on it, Danny stepped into the apartment. Mei and he didn’t interact much in the past. They crossed paths before; her having been a cheerleader and him a basketball player. They may have even had some classes together - it was a small town after all. But beyond that? He only knew her as the resident goth of his class who hosted Midnight Frequency. Oh, and now the girl who punched ReyRey Gonzales in the face. Wandering deeper into their residence, Danny looked around, appreciating the little things he saw like the plentiful neon signs, a small bonsai tree by the window, a fine collection of Mei’s tattoo artwork frames on the wall and a wall mounted photograph of a young Asian couple. It was obviously decades old but the woman in it had a striking resemblance to the demon dream girl herself.

When he entered the main room, he stood there, not daring to go further, out of fear he would set not only Jill off but Mei too. He held the container of treats as if it were a lifeboat to him. If he let go, he would surely sink. “I hope you like them. I remembered you liked white lilies. I originally was just going to do that but when I found out you lived with Mei I wanted to incorporate her into it too… the dahlias for her and the anemones to tie the two colors together…” He was talking too much. She didn’t care about the thought behind the gift. Jill wanted answers which would help her decide properly if she wanted Danny still in her life. “So roommates, huh? Congratulations! Mei, is this all your work? It’s really neat.” Danny found his gaze going from one art piece to the next before resting his eyes on the family photo.

“It pays the bills.” She watched as the former jock’s gaze fell upon the photo on the wall and she grinned a grin not too dissimilar to the one of the girl in the portrait. “That’s the Chairman and the Empress. Don’t stare at them for too long, they say that when you stare at them for longer than a second, her beauty bewitches you long enough for him to tear out your heart and eat it with golden chopsticks.” Mei let her eyes fall upon Jill again. She was desperate to rub it in Danny’s face that Jill was hers now but this wasn’t her conversation, it was the redhead’s and she would let her do whatever she needed to.

Jill took the container of cannolis from Danny and quickly slotted them into the fridge, eager to keep the almond-tinged filling from melting in the heat. At least it was an upgrade from the garbage that Grace had reported earlier were their predecessors’ previous resting place. She could see the look Mei was giving her and she knew what Miss Midnight wanted to do. Jill heard it too. Roommates was the Catholic way to refer to their relationship, and what they had done the past week would take a month’s confession to absolve. Good thing Jillian didn’t believe in it anymore. But she had no idea where Danny stood on the situation given his twin sister’s dalliances and failed relationship with Kylee. Clearly it wasn’t enough to break off contact if Miss Grimm provided the new address. Still, she gave Mei a bit of a shake. This was going to be the first non-drunk conversation with her former friend in a long time. She needed to suss some things out before letting her girlfriend run wild on his imagination.

She looked over at the flowers as they sat in the sun on the counter. They were a gorgeous representation of the two worlds she and Mei were bringing together. The pure white lillies in tandem with the dark petals of the dahlias did put things in perspective. The lilies weren’t swallowed by the darkness. They were embraced and they thrived. There was no reason for them to dwell there anymore. It was time to grow and break free.

Danny got a beckon to come towards the living room. “C’mon Danny. You’re not going to be able to talk just standing in the doorway,” Jill noted. “So come have a seat before you buckle to the mat.”

Obediently so, Danny listened to Jill’s orders and made his way to the couch. Taking a seat, he sat quiet for a moment. Clasping his hands together, he let his right leg bounce up and down as he looked in between Jill and Mei. This was more daunting than ever because all the people in this room were sober. He didn’t have liquid courage to help him vomit everything he wanted to say to her. As he sat there, thinking of the words to say, he thought of his mother.

He remembered when he was seven he had gotten angry at one of his playmates for taking a basketball out of his hand, without even asking, and so Danny being young pushed the kid on the floor, causing him to cry. He remembered his mother pulling him aside and telling him to apologize, explaining how he handled it wrong. He regretted it immediately because of how sad the other kid looked. He should’ve just shared the ball. His mother had told him that apologies weren’t meant to change the past, they were meant to change the future.

If he wanted to continue to play with this kid, he had to be genuine and take full responsibility over his actions. It was time for him to speak from the heart and not dance around the truth. Jill didn’t deserve that. No one deserved half truths. His eyes saddened as the image of his mother turned to the person she was nowadays. Weak, sick, in pain. If he could do anything while she was still alive, to make sure she didn’t fail with her only son, he could right his wrongs. It may not give him the future he wants but he could at least give his old friend the closure she deserved.

“I’m sorry,” he started, his legs continuously bouncing up and down in place. “What I did to you is inexcusable regardless of what I was going through at the time.” Looking up from the floor, he brought his attention to the beautiful redhead and gave a broken smile, “I come from a very religious family, you know that well. I'm the only son, surrounded by six sisters…” He trailed off, his mind scrambling to give context without having to say the inevitable, “You know when I was seven I got my first pair of Jordans? I used to love basketball but then after almost losing so many people I love. You. Natalia. Caitlin. Elisa. Sofi. Rye… Marco. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t protect you guys. I was at camp. Just doing what I do. Focusing on myself. Basketball made me feel like I was on top of the world. But it also forced me into a role I don’t think I really ever wanted. That’s all I was ever told to do so when… the summer after sophomore year came.”

He cleared his throat, acknowledging this was probably the best and worst summer of his life. Danny eased his breathing, kept himself steady, as he became the most vulnerable he’s ever been in front of Jill, “The summer we stopped being friends I… was confronted with something I was trying to bury. Trying to pretend it wasn’t part of who I am. I felt broken because if I actually accepted this piece inside me, I would be hated by my father.” Taking a break from talking, still not getting where he needed to go, Danny put his face in the palms of his face. Why was coming out so terrifying? “Sorry, give me a moment.”

“All right, fine, you’re going to get a moment, Danny,” Jill conceded. “But I’m going to use it to tell you exactly what you’re apologizing for.”

The O’Brien girl knew Danny was rambling. He was all over the place trying to figure out what the hell he was trying to get to and apologize for. Bringing up history that he knew she still knew. She remembered those Jordans and how thrilled he was to be able to hop through the gym, in his own words. She knew he didn’t have to deal with the immediate aftermath of the shooting given he was away at the time. All these things they couldn’t actually talk about because he fucked up.

“You’re not apologizing for the state that you saw me in at the old school. You’re not sorry for what happened to what would have been my first-born child and the scars that I now carry because of that day. You say you’re sorry that you couldn’t protect any of us when Charlie Decker attacked, but that’s not what you’re apologizing for either.

No, what you’re apologizing for here today is for your actions in making all those things hurt as much as they did. I know you know how much losing Allison hurt me, Danny. How much pain I felt knowing my idol was gone and trying to pick things up after that. I leaned so hard on you and Kat and Liv and Cece and Lanie and Mei to help keep me sane. But then you did exactly what you did that summer, and I lost you. And then Decker happened and I lost Kat and Liv. Then I lost Cece. I scrambled to find someone, anyone to hold onto, and that someone was Mike. Then I lost Lanie. Then I lost Mike. And I had no one to replace them with. No one to turn to. Because I couldn’t build up those relationships any more. I kept turning to people from before that summer because I didn’t want to try and start from scratch with anyone else. Because what was the point Danny?

What was the point to try and have a decade long friendship with someone only for them to stab me in the back? So I didn’t try anymore. And that’s what you’re here to apologize for, Danilo Belmonte. It’s not for fucking my sister, not that she didn’t play her own part in that whole fucking thing. It’s not casting aside our friendship to win a fucking bet with that idiot Rye. It’s for absolutely breaking my ability to trust anyone ever again. Mike may have pushed me down, but you were the one crouched behind my legs to make sure I fell. It all started with that one thing you did, Danny. You. Broke. My. Heart.” Jill looks over at Mei, “And it’s only just now that I’m finally starting to recover. And I needed a lot of help to do that.” The redhead looked back at the man on the couch. “So, the flowers and the cannolis are a start, but you need to get your words straight and own exactly, and I mean EXACTLY what you did to me. What you did to us.”

Jill sat back in the ugly old armchair that she was certain Mei had fished from the side of the road somewhere but now served as her throne. She had waited so long to tell Danny exactly what she thought of what happened, and now it was out there. Now she would see if there was something that could be saved in that friendship. Goddess knows she could use all the friends she could get now.

”Oh Danny boy, you pissed off the wrong Irish redhead.” Mei followed her lover to the chair which she absolutely found behind the Hole in the Wall and forced Hailee to help her drag it to the apartment. She sat on the edge of the armchair, her robe riding even higher on her leg. Mei didn’t care of course, her cheerleader attire was even shorter. ”Let's hear what you got, little doggy.”

Danny took in her words and somehow found himself not agreeing with Jill fully. Mei’s added commentary didn’t help. “What about me, Jill?” He asked back, wondering if she even knew what he went through growing up. It was always about her and her pain. Was he not allowed to hurt too? “Did you even know that I hated Allison? She took the one thing I wanted away from me and then after she died, he wouldn’t even give me much of a glance. I supported you when I couldn’t stand the name you kept bringing up. I feel bad for her circumstances, but this irrational hate I had for her ate at me every fucking day. And I didn’t fuck Grace for the goddamn bet. That was an easy cover up because the day before I slept with Marco!”

Oh shit.

Retracting back in, Danny stood up, realizing this was a mistake, “I’m sorry I’m an awful person. I’m an awful friend. I thought your sister could fix me but it only gave me more problems. I’m broken and maybe you’re right. Maybe we’re better off not being friends but I loved you and I still do. I’m sorry I couldn’t think about your pain, that I was too focused on worrying about my father finding out and disowning me because I’m in love with a guy. I’m just tired of acting like I have my shit together. I’m tired of being the strong one when I want to cry every single day now that my mom is fucking dying. But boys don’t cry. I’m fucking sorry Jill. I’m just going to go.” Danny was quick to start retreating.

Mei raised her arms in mock victory! She had fucking called Danny being gay back in middle school and now she was being proven right. She loved it when she was right. “I fucking called it! I knew you were one of us.”

No way. He wasn’t getting off the hook that easily. “You are going to sit your ass on that couch until WE are done here, Danny,” Jill commanded with a tone that definitely hadn’t been present in her voice for years.

”You are totally using that voice later,” she whispered.

“Oh I can do more than that for you later,” was the whisper back.

Like a golden retriever, ashamed for getting scolded at, Danny went back to his seat, this time folding his arms around himself, almost in an embrace. His chest was hurting and he could feel the tears building up. He pinched himself to avoid crying. Mei didn’t even know him and she would think he was a pussy or some shit. “Something is wrong with me but Marco makes me happy.”

Jill calmly got up from her chair and walked over to the couch where Danny sat. As she did, the memory of that conversation, of the night when everything changed and she willed herself to start doing things she needed to do, of that first cannoli bite in years, they flooded her mind. All she could think of was one thing as she sat down next to the Italian Stallion.

She held him close for a brief moment… then the punches to the arm started coming. “YOU. BROKE. MARCO’S. HEART! YOU. ASS!” They likely had the same impact that they did when they were kids and Jill would punch Danny in the arm for saying something stupid. But Jill owed Marco that much upon finding out Danny freaking Belmonte was the reason Marco was in such a lovelorn state when those feelings were shared on the stoop. The talk that convinced her to take the plunge. “Although now I guess I really meant all those things I said when I called you… let me think… a fucking idiot who deserved nothing but regret for the rest of his life? My memory’s hazy, but I’m pretty sure that’s what I said. But nothing is wrong with you! And you could have fucking told me you were gay, Danny! I would have at least been able to help you more than Grace’s worn-out drive-thru.”

“Bisexual,” He corrected, before adding, “Or well… male leaning, as the internet puts it. I can still get with girls. Not like I’m going to because I only want one person.” Danny admitted, all the while being bewildered at this whole experience. Did this mean Jill forgave him? She was sitting close to him, she hugged him, she punched him, and she was acting like they used to be, and yet he didn’t know if he deserved this forgiveness. “I was fighting it, I barely even understood the ‘urge’ when I was fifteen. But yeah, now you know… I was super into Francis to the point that I remembered his locker combination which ended up being useful last week… oh, and Marco and I, we’re dating again.” Danny didn’t know if he should be relieved or not, nor did he know what this meant for him, Jill, and Mei. All he knew now was he could use a nap and cuddle session with his boyfriend. He was exhausted. “I’m sorry it took me so long to own up to this. I still have a lot of work to do. I know I’m not broken, at least not anymore than anyone else in this town. I know who I love shouldn’t dictate if I’m a good person or not. I’m just scared, Jill… Mei. And I don’t know when I’ll be able to tell my dad.”

Jill let herself breathe a heavy sigh. Apparently Danny was going to get a similar talk to the one she delivered to his… boyfriend. That was still an adjustment. “First of all, if your dad could tolerate Natalia’s whirlwind romance and subsequent breakup with Kylee, I’m sure he will be able to handle this. Maybe, you need some time to formulate how you explain things, but I’m sure you’ll be able to get through to him.

Second of all, fuck Francis Callahan. That fucking tool caused so much heartache and put Allison on edge so many times in freshman year because he couldn’t be honest with her, the same way you couldn’t be honest with yourself. Or me, for that matter. If both of you had fucking owned up to yourselves… fuck, maybe we wouldn’t have thought drugs were the answer…”

The parallels between her own life and Allison’s continued to be drawn out for Jill. Sure, she couldn’t speak for the departed Davies diva, but booze definitely made her feel better about all the ways she had been forsaken by the various former friends in her life. But all it meant was that she was killing herself more slowly than Allie did.

“Third, …sigh… you’re right that you’re not the only broken person in this goddess-forsaken town. But if Marco can forgive you after the shit you pulled on him, and you two can be together…” Jill looked away for a moment. She didn’t want it to be this easy. She expected to make Danny do so many things to try and earn forgiveness, but seeing him as broken as she was, on the verge of tears she could tell he was desperately trying to hide, maybe that was punishment enough. “Then, I guess… I can finally put you fucking my sister in the past with it. Still not forgiving Grace, but,” Jill placed her hand on Danny’s shoulder and mimicked the blessing of the cross. “I absolve you of your sins, Danilo Belmonte. You are free to be as much a blasphemous sight on the Lord’s eyes as I am.”

With that, Danny ended up laughing. He didn’t know what else to say. He had said so much in such a short amount of time. Instead, he gingerly pulled Jill into an embrace and whispered, “Thank you.”

It felt good to hear that laugh again. Jill allowed herself to be wrapped up by her former… current friend and returned the hug. “You’re welcome. Now, don’t fuck it up this time, Danny,” she whispered back.

”You two are so gay.” Mei cocked an eyebrow at the two former Eden Elites. This sure wasn’t how she expected this day to go. She popped up off of the armchair and made her way towards the kitchen counter to grab herself a drink. It was five o'clock somewhere, right? She spun on her heel, beer in hand and a grin from ear to ear. ”Hey Danny? You realise Jill and I are fucking right?” She loved the power in those words as she took swig from her beer. ”Oh yeah, she’s one with the dark side now as well. Let’s go get Marco and have a big gay fucking brunch. Here’s to the goddamn queers!”

"Jesus fuck, Mei! Do you want to tell him what position we were in when he knocked too?" Jill could only shake her head and laugh. Mei was never one for subtlety. "But yeah Danny, I'm glad you've come to terms with your own bisexuality, because, uh, yeah, turns out I’m bi as well. Who would have thought, right? So yeah, we can march in the Edenridge Pride Parade together. Although…we can always talk about our outfits for that over brunch." Mei had said the magic word. Even with her limited funds at the moment, a brunch to officially rekindle things with Danny, and confirm with Marco that the results of their stoop session were happy for all sides? All with Miss Midnight potentially popping hash browns in her mouth? It sounded like heaven.

Caught off balance solely by the girls’ words, Danny’s face went from shock to delight. His smile grew wider when he realized he wasn’t alone. He never imagined Mei and him would get brunch together like a double date. He never imagined he and Jill would become friends again. Well, he never imagined being in Mei’s apartment either and that Jill would be her ‘roommate’. How events turned gave him hope for the future. He looked between Mei and Jill, Jill and Mei and freely complimented, “You both look hot together. Thank you, Mei, for being everything Jill needs.” Danny was glad he ended up adding dahlias and anemones to the lilies bouquet. Now it holds so much more meaning since their lives, Jill and Mei’s, were intertwined together in the best ways. “I’ll give Marco a call and tell him to be ready in twenty.”

It was Clay’s favourite time of the day; Lunch. Or specifically in this instance it was technically breakfast.

The rookie police officer had been on the evening shift the previous night with his boy Sly. The duo had unfortunately pulled the Southside card and spent the twilight hours roaming the streets between Carlisle and Bulger. Further to their unlucky patrol draw, they had a busy evening. There was an attempted break in at the Coven, which Clay did not even know existed, though the girls working there were kinda babes so he’d likely return. Next on the agenda was a royal rumble that had erupted outside the Lost Souls, apparently caused by, of all things, a burnt Pop Tart. Like what the actual fuck? And then the rest of the evening was the usual mix of gang related activity and badly veiled threats from ReyRey Gonzalez himself.

God he loved this town.

When his watch ended, Clay returned to his lonely and empty apartment and crashed out on the couch. At present he didn’t even own a bed. Between already being overworked by his day job with the police since they had like six honest cops in the entire goddamn town and his other job working with the Scooby Crew of Wes and Kylee, God’s favourite idiot was exhausted. He had found very little time for himself or to do any of the none crime related things he loved. Hell, he hadn’t even managed to get a booty call done in like six days! Like what the hell Eden?!

Still, during that time he had successfully managed to finally get Kylee and Wes to put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and do the good bad thing. Clay had promised Roddy before he left that he would watch out for Kylee and he was doing just that. He still didn’t fully trust the reporter but something about him made the Grimm heiress smile and she had a gorgeous smile, so if being with him made her happy, then Clay would see to it that it would happen. At this point she was basically his kid sister or at least his other one; he really needed to get in touch with Lamb soon. Clay hadn’t talked to his twin in over three months and she only lived in Pinehurst. There was a lot to unpack there.

After a good few hours of a power nap, an energy drink and a brief game of hoops with Rhett, the big tuna was ready to tackle his day off with aplomb and to do that, he needed food and the only food he wanted was from his favourite place, the Godmothers. Not only was every sandwich there to die for but it was also the best place for him to catch sight of the woman he had adored and crushed and loved since he was twelve years old, Cat Belmonte. Sure she was ten years older than him but what’s age in this day and age? As long as it was legal. She was everything that a man could want, she was beautiful, intelligent, thicc with all the c’s and that smoky film noir voice, goddamn. He had grew up on cop shows and crime movies and Catarina was his own personal femme fatale.

Clay had to do a double take as he entered the promised land of the Godmothers, passing by what looked like Rhett’s little sister Caitlin and…Mika? Well that was some tea that Kylee would just love. He walked up to the counter top where only a guy whose name he didn’t know but referred to as The Lad, was standing.

“My man, Lad. How you be? Who you do? All that jazz. Can I get the Clay Costigan special, extra chilli flakes today and can I….wait, where is my good lady? How can she not be here? It’s lunchtime?”

“Just about,” The young lad boredly responded as he started to make Clay his special, “She’s in her office getting ready to leave. You might be our last customer for the day because she’s in a mood.” The part timer gathered all the ingredients he needed, cut the meat, sliced a loaf of bread, and so on, so forth. “Oh shit, I forgot. Do you have exact cash? She’s already closed the register.”

“No need.” The woman of the hour had her back facing the two boys as she locked her office. In casual clothes, mama jeans, a black tee, and patterned converse shoes, Caterina turned around with her purse hanging over her left arm and a tote in her right hand. Scanning the two boys, the woman of Clay’s dreams gave a half smile before dismissing her staff, “Get out of here, kid. I’ll finish the rest.” The lad wasn’t one to disagree, especially if he was allowed to enjoy the rest of his day.

After a quick victory fist pump, the lad rushed to the small locker/staff break room to take off his apron and get his belongings. As the boy disappeared, Cat placed her things down on a sitting table and went behind the counter, “Good to see you, Clay.” Once her hands were washed, she slipped on nitrile gloves and continued to make the rest of Costigan’s sandwich. “How’s things at work? Hectic, I imagine.”

“Same as ever, the world is on fire and this place is eating itself alive,” Clay removed his sunglasses and stuffed them in his shirt pocket whilst whipping his luxurious hair back, it was a killer move. He then leaned down on the counter too, Cool Hand Clay style as he watched the woman make his tasty tasty snack.

Cat was good at conversations, whether it was idle chatter or a heart-to-heart. The eldest Belmonte daughter was a conversationalist and thrived in social settings, but today? Today she was ‘off’. She wasn’t as upbeat or spunky as her usual self. Her demeanour wasn’t as confident, proud, and flirtatious as Clay knew her to be. There was a dark cloud that lurked over her. If anything was clear, especially to those that had a keen eye when it came to her, Cat was simply going with the motions not even trying to hide her exhaustion and frustration behind a smile.

Looking up from the sandwich, she met Clay’s stare, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. Seems like she wasn’t the only one unable to sleep. Then again, he was a cop. An occupation like that was so demanding, she bet none of the cops in Edenridge got much sleep.

Caterina didn’t want to assume what she heard at a distance when it came to Clay’s order so she asked for clarification, “Extra chilli flakes?”

“Erm yeah, yes please.”

He wasn’t really sure what was happening. This wasn’t the Cat that he knew. She seemed defeated somehow. Like her energy had been taken and thrown into the trash like yesterday's leftover sausage. He let his dark eyes dance around the room a little, taking in that now they were the only two left in the building. He couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t fantasised about this very scenario since he realised what sex actually was but it definitely wasn’t like this. It wasn’t with this version of Cat. Clay’s love for the elder Belmonte woman was very swiftly replaced by concern. This wasn’t even cop Clay concern, this was just Clay.

“Hey, Miss Kitty Cat you OK? You don’t seem yourself,” He reached over the counter, taboo in too many senses of that word and gently put his hand onto her arm.

Not thinking too much into the gesture, since this was Clay and he usually did things like this, Cat shrugged as she continued to make his sandwich, “I can’t say I am doing okay.” If there was anything that would make her feel better, it would be a drink. “I have things going on in the background that are keeping my mind a bit preoccupied. Sorry if this is bringing you down.” Finishing his sandwich, she wrapped it in butcher paper sheet, stepped back causing Clay’s hand to no longer be on her, and put the goods in a plastic bag for him. Offering him the bag from over the counter, she gave a maternal yet joyless smile to her younger companion, “Want to go for a walk? It’s a nice day out.”

Clay took a hold of the sandwich, which at this point felt needless as he had lost his appetite. Seeing Cat be this way did not sit right with him in the slightest. For someone so full of life to be so void of it was a travesty. “Sure, I’ve got the day off. I’ve got all the time in the world.” It was strange that Cat, a known gossip, would be willing to be seen in public with Clay outside of his uniform because the boy had a reputation. At least if he was on the job there would be an excuse. People would probably get the wrong idea but perhaps in her current state that didn’t matter and that’s what worried him the most. “I know a nice place down by the lake, we can go there and chill.”

“Perfect,” With quick ease, Cat cleaned up the rest of her shop, left her place of business, and locked things up. “Lead the way, Casanova.”

After a short and quiet walk through town, Clay had led Cat through the pristine roads of Scott Street and onto a short path behind the O’Hara family home. There were too many times in his childhood where he had found himself walking or running down that little passage with his friends, the Elite or at least that’s what people cursed them as. The duo reached a small clearing, with a single makeshift picnic bench sitting by a gap in the tree line which overlooked the lake and had a clear view of the Elder Tree and downtown. “Welcome to my secret lair, it’s not quite the Batcave but it’ll do.”

“Hm,” Cat muttered as she observed the view. Leisurely, she strolled in front of her companion and brought herself to the bench. Taking a seat, she placed her bags to the side and took in the sight. “It’s beautiful.” She admitted, giving credit where credit was due. Her hazel eyes trailing from the lake to the Elder Tree. It was nice to know a spot like this existed here in this little town of Edenridge. The eldest Belmonte daughter sat on the picnic bench hugging her pulled up leg. This was calm and peaceful, something she so desperately needed. “Sometimes life is just a pain in the ass. Far too heavy to carry… especially alone.” Her smoky voice dropped an octave as she whispered, “I’m tired, Clay.”

There was so much pressure with being the eldest of seven. So many things that the younger ones weren’t aware of and so many things that even her two closest sisters wouldn’t understand, especially since Nina’s heart was too soft to handle such burdens and Elisa’s mental state, even if she covered it up well, was not doing so great. There was pressure with being a good mother when all her kids were acting out because they knew their parents could no longer pretend to love each other. There was the pressure of being the only one her dad trusted enough to take care of all things medical when it came to her mother, from doctor’s visits to keeping the bills in check to simply being the bearer of bad news, telling her whole family that Silvia’s life expectancy was no more than three months. There was the pressure of spending all her life as the fuck up, having sought love in all the wrong places, just to realize that aside from her family, she had no purpose.

Sure, she had the Godmother but even then she was getting bored with it. Her family was all she had and it was obvious that the house her father built had cracks. The Belmontes always had cracks, even in their days in New York. Yet, this seemed worse, like a slow, painful death. Long and drawn out. Just like her mother’s health. Slowly but surely, the Belmonte family would collapse. Cat knew she needed to think of something, she needed to help rebuild the house but she was tired.

“Really fucking tired.”

Alone? How could Cat ever feel like she was alone? The Belmonte’s were arguably the largest family in the area that wasn’t a founder. Didn’t she have like twenty brothers and sisters, kids and a douchey husband? Then again, Clay knew exactly what it felt like to be alone in a crowded room. From the minute he was born, the pressure of being a foundling was not lost in him. Then there was being an Elite. Fran, Russ, David, they ate that shit up, they took the ball that was given to them and ran with it. Clay, on the other hand, dropped it and went to go buy a sandwich that the beautiful woman in front of him probably made. He was not built the same way as his peers, he always wanted more but found what he wanted immensely unattainable.

There was an inherent disconnect with his family. His father never seemed to ever actually be home, always off chartering in the Caribbean or Australia to wherever the rich bitches wanted him to take them. God bless his mother, she tried, she really did. But Mama Costigan was a space case manager it’s little in the way of parenting skills. Clay had often heard of that magical twin sense, where those born together could often sense or feel what the other did. He saw it with David and Jamie. Yet he and Lamb never had that. With them, what it was, it simply wasn’t there.

Love was what he craved, to love and be loved in that special way that gives life to the heart. Clay was a serial lover, not one woman he had been with could say he was anything other than unabashedly him. He was a gentleman, kind and thoughtful. He didn’t brag because he made it clear from the off, there was an invisible warning sign flashing above his head. Clay was searching for love because he was a lonely fool for it.

Moving over to the sandwich shop owner, Clay knelt down in front of her so as to catch her gaze with his own. “Hey,” He offered her a simple smile. “Tell me what you need. You want to talk? You want me to listen? Or do you just want to sit and be? Whatever you need.”

“Well,” Cat smiled at him, even going the extra mile to boop his nose, “Sitting on the bench so you’re not blocking the view would be a good start.” She teased her younger friend that she watched grow up all these years. Clay was an idiot but he always meant well. He wasn’t a gossip like her. He wasn’t a troublemaker like her nephew Carlo. He wasn’t self absorbed like her little sister Viv. He was a good kid and she enjoyed his company.

“Yes ma’am,” Clay climbed up to his feet and slid onto the bench next to her. He was trying to avoid the flushing heat that was hitting his body as he remained close to his childhood crush. This wasn’t about that, as much as he would’ve loved it to be. This was about Cat, just needing somebody there with her.

At first, she found Clayton incredibly annoying especially in her early twenties. Cat thought him to be a pest that seized every opportunity to see her. She was fifteen when she moved to Edenridge. She doubts he remembered how much of a whore she was and how much she played the part that was given to her after someone spread an unflattering nude picture of her from a party, giving her the tramp stamp ‘Eden’s Deep Throat Kitty Girl or ‘Deep Throat’ for short. Over the years, she’s learned to use it as a term of endearment. Regardless, it’s long forgotten. There’s a lot that’s happened between her being fifteen to present. A lot more pressing matters than a slut of the past.

It wasn’t like she could live up to her reputation because she got knocked up at 17, gave birth at 18, and had a shotgun wedding with Tommy. Taz continues to make sure to remind her every chance he gets how much she ruined her life by getting pregnant so young. Though, she is baffled at how biassed he is because Nina also got pregnant young. She just played by the rules and got knocked up by a man that was already destined to be her future husband.

Fucking bullshit.

It’s incredible really, how dumb she was and how stupid she reacted to everything her father threw at her. A dimwitted teen with major daddy issues. A teen that started to think sex was the answer to all her issues. A teen that had far too many responsibilities when all she wanted to be was young and free. A teen that wanted to feel loved and appreciated. A dumb teen.

Tommaso was, and still is, self-sufficient, driven, and so, so, so good with words. Six years her age too. He was simply passing by when she met him, originally from NY, and knew her father through business. He’s charming, incredibly good looking, and knows his way around a bedroom. Maybe there was a time she actually cared about him, but then again, she barely knew him and part of her feels she still didn’t know him.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Cat released her leg and adjusted her position so her body was facing Clay on the bench. “And I don’t mean when you were five. I doubt you even remember any of that. I mean when you first decided to be a thorn in my side.” She poked fun at the young cop, slowly but surely getting in a better mood simply by him being there with her.

“Course I do, best day of my life,” Clay grinned his stupid goofy smile before he brushed a hand through his hair. “I would’ve been twelve, you twenty two. It was the summer, hot as hell if I recall. My Dad was home from charter so Lamby and I were down on his boat, soaking in the rays. Then I remember looking across the bay and your family yacht being there too. I remember seeing you, in this red bikini coming out of the water, full on slow mo Fast Times at Ridgemont High style. You took my breath away even then.” His chocolate eyes were a little glassy as he became lost in memory. “Lamby dared me to streak across your boat. So I stealthily swam over to your yacht, took my shorts off and ran straight into your Dad.”

Clay laughed as he thought back to that day. It was always a fond memory regardless of the fact that he was grounded for weeks. That summer was probably the last time he spent any time with his family as a full unit. Even though his parents are still together to this day, things seemed to change after that heat wave. It was like all the love in the family had burned away.

“It was the best day.”

“Damn that brings me back.” Cat looked towards the water once more as she recalled her own perspective of that day. “I’m honored you still found me attractive because taking off that baby weight from Dani took fucking forever.” She chuckled to herself, remembering how absolutely famished she was with her middle child. “I remembered mom holding Dani, who was so peaceful in the sun, and Sofi trying to chase the twins - both little shits at the time - throughout the boat. Nina was a doting mother, taking Carlo around in the water in his tiger baby float. Viv, I think, is only a year younger than you. She was already showing signs of being an absolute diva. Sunbathing and taking selfies.” Cat rolled her eyes, but in her expression there was nothing but love for her family, “Mira sat on Elisa’s lap as they read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. And then you came in, with a stupid goofy grin, and not only did you run into the cooler but you crashed into dad who was getting lunch ready. You were so red, it was absolutely adorable.” Taking a moment to laugh, Cat shook her head, “You’re lucky I saved you that day, who knows what would’ve happened.” She stuck her tongue out at Clay. It was obvious he did what he needed to do. Get her mind off of her problems.

“Listen, love makes us do crazy things. I ran naked into your Dad. You carried me back to mine for an ass whooping. Whatever works right?” It was nice to see that bright smile again. Cat obviously just needed to forget about whatever was going on in her life and if for nothing else, as he had learned through his many escapades and adventures, Clay was a perfect distraction. “Surprised that your Dad didn’t just induct me into the family then and there. Make me his consigliere and force me into an arranged marriage to Viv.”

Clay did remember Cat being his saving grace that day. Wrapping him in a towel and carrying him across the piercing hot dock and back to his fathers yacht. Lamb was beside herself with laughter and Francis and little Roddy had just arrived and soon joined her cackling. Clay didn’t care though because he was in the arms of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Life always has a strange way of throwing us the things we need without us ever realising it until it’s too late. On that day, I was thrown into Taz to bring you some levity and you saved me so that I could be there to grow this amazing hair.”

Nudging him by her arm, Cat snorted in amusement, “You’re foolish.” Clay was always one to crack jokes. Still, it was refreshing, like the water they were looking at. This felt nice, relaxing, and gave her hope for the future and her family. For a brief moment, it put her spirit at peace.

To be honest, Viv getting with Clay would’ve been a better deal than her current situation. Now her little sister and Taz were not on speaking terms and Vivia was living with the leader of the serpents. Cat couldn’t judge her sister though. No matter how much she wanted to protect her. If she were in the same shoes, Cat might’ve done the same thing. Not out of love but to make a statement. To rebel because she simply wanted to just be. “If only we could rewrite the past, then you and my sister could have cute babies with the most luscious of hair.”

“I mean you’re not lying but…” Clay leaned back against the picnic table that he and David had built many moons ago and looked out at the water. “You already know Viv wouldn’t be my Belmonte sister of choice,” His eyes fell to the floor and he chuckled a little. “I know there’s a very small chance that you’ll ever see me like I have seen you all my life and that’s ok. I’ve made my peace with that, won’t stop me from trying cos you’re like the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life but still.” Clay looked at her and saw her, really saw her and smiled. “Whenever you need anything, Cat, I’m here. Always.”

These words that he preached fell on deaf ears because these were things he had told her for as long as he knew what attraction was. Cat believed it was only a kid crush he hadn’t let go yet. “I appreciate it, and if you need someone you know where to find me. Also hush you, you have all the options in the world. You’re young. Enjoy it while you can.”

She was an old hen with three kids on the verge of a divorce. She was the eldest of a large Italian family trying to figure out how the void of the matriarch's death would be filled. She was a woman who needed to believe in herself because she spent so much of her life for everyone but herself. Caterina wasn’t worth this adoration, but she appreciated it all the same. Like her siblings did with her, she casually leaned her head on Clay’s shoulder and whispered, “Thank you. I shouldn’t be depending on you like this but it really means a lot.” Even a strong woman like Cat needs a lifeboat. Whether it was coincidental or simply happenstance, Clay caught her when she felt like she was sinking. He was good at that.

“Anytime,” Clay leaned his head onto hers as they gazed out upon Lake Eden. He couldn’t help how he felt but if he had ever learned anything from his old man it was how to compartmentalise. He sighed out of his nose, even managing to put his arm around the older woman with a gut full of nerves.

“My sandwich is probably really soggy by now.”

Coming home from volunteering at the hospital, Niles pulled his motorcycle through the Sinclair driveway. Taking off his helmet, he noticed one of his little sisters speeding through the sidewalk. Carrie came in like Sonic the Hedgehog with her turquoise bicycle. Straight outta' dancing class. Her smile was wide as she sported the cutest jumper outfit. Energetically, she waved at her brother as she zoomed through their yard and dropped her bike on the grass. “What’s got you in a hurry?” He inquired as he got off his own ride, latching his helmet onto it.

“Oh, you know: love!” Carrie clasped her hands together like a Disney Princess and posed in a way like she was singing to the sky. Damn, who ever got his little sister on cloud nine must be a character pulled out out of a rom com. “Come on, Nye! I made mud pie this morning. I think we both should celebrate our victories.”

“Victories?” Following behind his prancing sister, Niles couldn’t help but smile at her playful, young nature. A girl who had yet felt true trauma. If there was one good thing he did, it was protect his sisters from suffering the same things he’s been through. Or at least, prior to him going to college, he spent a lot of his time looking out for them. Things change though, as the clock continued to tick onward. He could see his sisters grow into young women prepared to make their own mistakes. Hell, he still couldn't believe Caroline had a crush on someone, to the point that it made her want to dance around in excitement. What was this? Highschool Musical?

Casually hooking his thumbs in his pockets, he strolled behind her as she spoke with her thoughtful yet theatrical sing-song voice, “Yeah! Victories. I mean at first I thought you and Caitlin were kind of a weird combo, because you’re kinda…"

“Kind of what?” Niles sharply questioned.

“Well… moody, I guess! Anyways, that’s not the point. If she makes you happy, I’m happy for you! Maybe someone soft like me is just what you need.” Carrie slowed down so her brother was beside her. With eagerness, she hooked her arms on his. “If she makes you feel all fuzzy and no matter what you do, she’s all you think of? Then I’m so happy for you!”

Narrowing his eyes at his bubbly blonde sister, he tilted his head, getting more curious at who made her feel these emotions. “What do you even know about love?”

“Oh nothing! But I do know when a feeling is pure, raw, and fun! That's kind of love, don't you think?” She stopped right before they entered the kitchen turning to face her brother, giving him a tight embrace, “Love should come naturally! And if Caitlin is someone who helps you breathe then I fully support you.”

“What Niles has with Caitlin is NOT fucking love!” Another girl called out from the kitchen. Niles and Carrie entered the kitchen together to see quite the tragic scene. Sitting on the island, with her bathrobe on, Autumn had the whole mud pie in her arms and she ate straight from the tray. “You wouldn’t know what love is even if it hit your fucking face.” She shoved her spoon in her mouth, her eyeliner and eye shadow running down her face. It was clear as day that Autumn did not have a fairytale day like the Disney princess did.

Carrie’s mouth dropped in shock, “Hey! I worked hard on that! What are you doing?!”

Shoving another spoon full in her mouth, Autumn rolled her eyes, annoyed as hell, “Eating your pie. You need more Oreos.” Dropping down from the island, she threw it on the island with reckless abandon. Cleaning her spoon off with her tongue, the brunette girl gave her brother the darkest of looks, “You, in love? That makes me laugh.”

The young dancing queen rushed into the kitchen to salvage the rest of her pie. Her sister was such a big meanie. Still, if she did this that only meant… bringing her attention from the mud pie to her sister, Carrie worriedly asked, “Are you okay, Autie?” As she waited for her response, the innocent one of all the Sinclair children started cleaning up after her sister.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Autumn lied through her teeth, shrugging and walking closer to Niles who hadn’t said anything yet. “What’s your motive, Niles? Are you purposely trying to fuck with Natalia? Because you’re fucking stupid if you are. If you’re so mature now, then I think it’s time you grow up. You act like you have your shit together but you’re just playing games, like all you assholes do.”

Shit, this was a lot to unpack. Niles stood there stunned, baffled, and unable to move for a round. Both of his sisters had crushes. That part was obvious. But both were taking it completely differently, and in a weird way, they wanted his advice while they both advised him on his own love life? His sisters were fucking weird. “I have no motives…” He stepped closer to Autumn reaching for her shoulder to provide some sort of comfort.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Autumn jumped back, hissing at her older brother.

“Autie, what happened?” Carrie ran to her sister and her touch was immediately accepted.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Niles cursed under his breath.

Autumn held onto Carrie, possessively, and started pulling her away, “Like you care. Have fun with that stupid bitch. She’s gonna take your crap until it breaks her heart, I just fucking know. You’re a dumbass, Niles, and you’ll never fucking own up to your feelings.” With that, Niles' two sisters disappeared, leaving him with his own thoughts.

Pulling the dining room chair out, Niles collapsed in his seat leaning as far back as he could. Autumn was vicariously taking out her pain onto him, but perhaps she had a lot more truth in her words than he’d like to admit. Taking his phone out, he opened Instagram and went straight to Natalia’s page. Intentionally, he liked her recent picture of herself. It wasn’t like she blocked him. She wanted to be seen by him and now, she got exactly what she wanted. He was looking. Just like what she wanted.

As he scrolled through Natalia’s page, he thought to himself, Carrie’s words resounding in his mind. Love was the person you breathed for. The person that made you feel at home and gave you ‘fuzzy’ feelings. Did he feel that with his ex best friend or did he miss just having her in his life?

Shit.

Tossing his phone on the table, Niles rubbed his temples. His sisters were a lot but they did speak the truth. Niles didn’t know what he wanted. He clung onto the past, Natalia, who knew him better than anyone else did but he also clung to this image he had of his future, and that was Caitlin. Yet, did he want either of them? Or did he just liked getting a rise from them?

Sitting alone, Niles contemplated the past few weeks and acknowledged how horrible he was… Still, it gave him a temporary high. He’d take that over any other feeling. In a sick and sad way, he liked the control he had over women. He wasn’t ready to let go of that feeling. Both Caitlin and Natalia? They had him on his mind. Regardless if they wanted to or not, they thought of him and that feeling was what pushed him forward.

They thought of him.

They needed him.

They loved him.

Fuck.

ReyRey hated being on this side of the border. There was something about being on the northside that just felt wrong. He was the Kingsnake, a title that he had shared only with two other men; his father and his grandfather. They were the Southside Serpents for a reason. Rey’s kind did not belong amongst the white picket fences of this rich fools neighbourhood. Yet there he found himself, parked outside of Taz Belmonte’s McMansion in his classic Pontiac Firebird whose hood decal he had replaced with a Serpent badge: R2 was never one for the nuance of subtlety and his car screamed that aloud from the street blacktop.

He was parked outside the damn Mafia HQ in enemy territory for what purpose? To pick up his girl, Vivia Belmonte. R2 could hear the screaming and the shouting coming from within. He was the impetus for the row, that much he knew but from what he could hear, the whole thing was spiralling into an episode of Jerry Springer. Was Viv his only woman? Absolutely fucking not. He had a tasty piece on the Blue Hill reservation who was an absolute demon in the sack and had a great weed connect. There was nothing wrong with these women, they filled a space but none of them were her. None of them were Allison.

ReyRey had long dwelled on the idea that a girl he thought of as nothing more than a distraction six years ago may have been the one to actually take his wild heart. He remembered everything about her. From the taste of her lipstick, the caress of her skin, that stupid twang she had that was so Bostonian is was almost racist and that crooked smile, damn that smile. It killed him to think about it for too long or he would break down and weep. Even now it was like he could smell her perfume.

In a hurt rage, Vivia left the house without any of her belongings. She would pick up her things tomorrow. There was no way in hell she was going to stay in that house being blamed when she wasn’t the only one fucking southsiders! Standing on the porch, not registering her boyfriend waiting for her like a creep, Viv covered her face and let her emotions explode into tears. Every blessing, every good thing in life, was a curse in disguise. They say that sunshine returns after a storm, but all she felt ever since Allison died was pain. Constant, unbearable pain. She wanted to run to her house. She wanted to cry in her arms. She wanted her best friend.

Steadying her breathing, Viv wiped under her eyelids and her cheeks. Just like the car, she was hard to miss with her elegant red dress on, that she wore since the baptism. As she wiped under her eyes praying her waterproof make up was not worn out, she noticed the Firebird.

Instead of feeling relieved, her heart sank. Her gut twisted. Her throat felt like it was closing up, Why was he here? Why would he be on this side of town? Why would he park in front of her dad’s house?!

No.

This was only going to make things worse. If her father knew R2 was outside waiting… Who knows how long Taz would hold a grudge and ignore her? Everything she had screamed and everything her father had said in return started sinking in.

No, no, no.

This was not happening.

This would only end in pain. Viv didn’t want anymore pain. Holding onto her arm, feeling extremely vulnerable, small, and broken, she stared at the man looking at her. The man she knew didn’t love her. He couldn’t. Not like she did toward him and even then, she felt the same way. She loved him more intensely because she desperately needed to feel taken care of and didn’t want to lose that feeling. At the same time, he didn’t have all her heart. Not like the love she had for Allison. He helped fill a void but she knew he wasn’t good for her. She knew the night Allison died and she still knew to this day. Telling her father he loved her was to save face but she knew, she just knew…

With a torned expression, Vivia bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want him to see her like this. She didn’t want to see him in front of her dad’s house. She didn’t want to see him! Shaking her head in conflict, instead of walking down the path straight to him, she turned on her heel and sped walk on the grass, through her next door neighbour’s front lawn and onto the sidewalk. Rushing, she slipped off her heels, dropping them on the lawn and started booking it. While Viv was an artist, a painter at that, she still was extremely athletic and even did some track. Her time in highschool was well spent and she kept herself busy. Still, she was more creative than athletic. That didn’t mean she couldn’t run.

With her red dress, she ran with no aim but to get away from her boyfriend. If she stayed with him her father would never forgive her. She couldn’t do that to Taz. She’d stay a side piece unable to think about anything but ReyRey and her grief. There was no way in hell she would go with him! Why was he here anyways?!

Those fucking brats had really messed with his head. He was ReyRey fucking Gonzalez, king of the Southside yet he had been reduced to a blubbering wreck at the memory of a cheerleader. He wore a tattoo of a sunflower on his ankle in her honor, surely that was enough?! How much more debt would he have to lay to rid himself of that feeling, whatever it was, that stung at his heart like the sharp edge of a blade? R2 could feel himself getting angrier by the second as he gripped tightly onto the steering wheel. Where was this bitch? He needed something to get out of his own head and if Vivia wasn’t around then he’d have to go elsewhere. It didn’t fucking matter he just needed it to stop.

The Kingsnake had been bombarded with letters just like everyone else but his were more personalised, whoever was sending them knew exactly what had happened on the night she died. They had photo fucking evidence. Big Rey was no help; he had gone soft. He was alone. On top of all that, that lunatic was back on the streets. That monster that defiled ReyRey’s little sister and made her hurt so bad. If it were his call, he would be hung, drawn and quartered to be left on Main Street for all to see. It was the least that animal deserved. R2 was dealing with too much.

After taking a swig from his beer bottle, he glanced at his passenger seat and he could still see her sitting there; still in her green and white cheerleading outfit, her lips painted a strong red. With her delicate brown hair framing her dimpled face and her tawny eyes smiling at him in the only way they could. Allison.

“Hey Papi, take me for a ride?”

That was how it all started. Ally just wanted a bump. Something to take the edge off. ReyRey was already with Vivia at the time so maybe el idilo thought nothing of climbing into his car that night. He didn’t think it would end with them tearing each other’s clothes off in the back room of the Edge, him throwing her onto the pool table and starting a very dangerous addiction that neither could quite kick.

“Chase me, Papi…”

Rey blinked and Allison was gone, he turned to the main road and saw a figure dressed in red sprinting down towards the end of Scott Street. Red, that was her color. She wanted him to chase her. She loved to play games. The leader of the Southside turned the key in its ignition and the classic muscle car roared into life. He put his heavy booted foot on the gas and as she asked, ReyRey began to chase Allison down the street. It wouldn’t take long for his suped up automobile to reach the mouth of the rich community’s road. He span the steering wheel and the car drifted to block the exit, his passenger door swinging open as he did. He was not greeted by Allison as he had hoped but Vivia.

“Get in the fucking car.”

“No!” Vivia screamed back. Slowly backing up, the blonde Belmonte shook her head, “I’m not doing this anymore, ReyRey.” She couldn’t do this anymore. No matter how loud he spoke to her, he would not be able to sedate Vivia in this state. She was scared. She was angry. She was in pain. “I don’t need you to save me. What I need is my best friend.” Turning around, this time simply walking, Viv stared at her hands shaking. There was no solution at the end of this road. She would be disowned and seen as a girl that couldn’t survive, depending on the Kingsnake to provide everything she needed at the price of her staying his, like some sort of property. Times like these needed a softer touch, which R2 rarely was capable of.

“Lighten up, Dolly,” Beside her, Viv could see Allison walking, keeping her company, and giving her a mischievous grin. “What’s the worst that can happen?” Words Viv continued to replay in her mind when she confided in her best friend about having a crush on ReyRey. Those were some famous last words, seeing how he was the bane of her existence now. Imagining she was here with her was a bittersweet feeling. Allison was always more bold than her. She stood out in a crowd of thousands and Viv watched her glow.

Frowning at the image, knowing it was only her grief speaking to her, Viv faintly whispered, “Baby, I really messed up this time.” Did she really have no one else she trusted enough to share her pain? She had her siblings, sure, but to be frank, she didn’t think they’d understand her. None of them had their best friend die in their arms. None of them. She was alone and the only person that seemed to see her, for better or for worse, was the guy trailing beside her with his car. “Go away,” she breathed.

Just go away.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He stopped the car, not wanting to waste the gas and jumped out to match Vivia’s walking speed. Rey didn’t even know why he was desperate for the Belmonte girl. Maybe it was because she was really his last remnant; the last connection he had to Allison. ReyRey placed his hands into his jeans pocket as he finally got caught up with the Italian. “I don’t know what’s fucking going on right now but…” He looked forward for a second and noted what house they were outside; the Davies residence. ReyRey had crept there a handful of times when Ally was alone. Her parents were rarely there but that little sister of hers was always lurking. As he looked up at the house, he could see Ally in the window, smiling and blowing him a kiss. “You look like you need someone babe.”

Reynaldo Gonzalez Junior was not a good man. He was not a nice man. He was not the man that you brought home to your mother but he had a few redeeming qualities, if you could call them that. He was the son of a gangster but he was also the son of a good woman, a proud, honourable woman. He took off his signature jacket and placed it over Vivia’s shoulders before stepping in front of her and taking her by the arms.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, you are going to get into that car and I am going to take you home with me. We can sit in silence or we can watch the Notebook I don’t give a fuck. Then tomorrow morning, I am gonna get some of my more respectable looking guys to come round here, get your stuff and bring it to my place. I’m gonna take care of you; not like those pieces of shit you call family. You need me.”

“That’s the problem,” Viv didn’t push away from him nor did she melt in his arms. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “Dad knows about you. My whole family knows that we’re together. I… I can’t lose my family.” Looking up at ReyRey, Viv frowned, “You don’t love me. You never did…” What did he take her for? After processing her trauma for a week after Allison’s death, things started to become clear and she knew why her best friend was in R2’s room. She could never be the girl of his dreams because the girl of his dreams, and her’s, was dead, “I’m not dumb, ReyRey.” Deep down, Viv was more aware of her situation than anyone else. Deep down, she knew no matter what Allison’s ghost would be in between them.

“What do you want me to say, Viv? I can’t help how your family see me? And honestly I don’t really care. What we have, it was never really about love was it?” He looked up at that damn haunted house again, why was she doing this? Why was she forcing him? Ally, what are you gaining from torturing them? “You want the fucking truth? No, I don’t love you. I can’t. But I fucking need you.” Rey’s hands moved up to the young woman’s face and he gripped fairly tightly. “OK?” He pressed his head against hers, fighting back the whirlwind of emotions that he had been struggling with since that night on Carlisle. “These feelings, they’re haunting me. You are my balance, you’re keeping me sane whilst everything else is driving me crazy. You need me to protect you and I need you to protect me. You’re mine, Vivia, mine.”

She hated him.

She really did.

Clasping her hands around his neck, Vivia closed her eyes and whispered, “If you two would’ve just told me, I would have supported you. I’ve always cared about her happiness more than my own and if you were part of that? Part of her world? I would’ve been okay.” Part of her wished Allison had found out about Francis sooner and came clean about her relationship with R2. Part of her wished that she had noticed the signs of her best friend falling apart. Part of her wished things turned out differently. Her whole heart wished Allison hadn’t died. Any other outcome would’ve been better than this. A world without her was unbearable. Opening her eyes to look at the man who so desperately clung to her, she unclasped her hands and glided the back of her right hand fingers on his cheek. She could see the hurt. She could see the conflict. She could feel the pain. In that aspect, they were one of the same. “I can never be her, you understand?”

She was right. She would never be her.

Allison was pure and light and made R2 feel better about himself. Her presence just brought up everyone around her. Though in hindsight, the serpent realised that this skill brought her down further, sank her down into the depths of despair. This was why she did what did, this was why she was the way she was when she left them. This was why, if he was rightly honest, she was even with him in the first place. Rey inhaled deeply as he pulled away from the blonde girl. He rubbed a hand across his face to crush away even the thought of tears as a sudden chill hit his bare arms. He made his way back to the Firebird and opened the door.

“Let’s go.”

Nodding, unable to think of the consequences to come and realising nothing could top her loss that connected her to the Kingsnake, Viv found her way inside his car. Maybe in time they could learn to love each other like they loved Allison. Love was a complicated thing.

If only Vivia told her. How much she truly meant to her. When R2 entered the driver’s side, the blonde Belmonte gazed at him as if she was staring at Allison, with all the adoration in the world. They didn’t need each other. They needed her. Still, if this helped heal his deep wounds, maybe she could stay for a little longer.

Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and vowed, “It’s you, it’s me, it’s us.” Allison was her first friend when she moved here. Viv was four at the time she moved to Edenridge. She was five when she saw the prettiest girl with the most luminous smile bravely on top of the monkey bars with the sun casting behind her. Allison was her sunshine and for as long as she could remember they would pinky promise each other, swear to each other:

“It’s you, it’s me, it’s us,” Allison had responded back, sitting in a place where R2 was at.

It was them versus the world.

Together they could conquer any obstacle.

That’s how it was supposed to be.

How did Cat get to this point? She was sitting on the ground, on the curb, in front of a gas station drinking wine straight out of the bottle in one of her best short dresses. Staring out toward a dark void, she took another swig of her delectable poison. While she did so, someone accidentally bumped into her causing her to drop her bottle and spill some of the liquid on the floor, which in return pissed her off.

"FUCK!" She yelled out loud not caring who heard her. The Belmonte woman searched for the perpetrator only to realize she was once again alone in the lot. Whoever he or she was, were gone. How infuriating. Of course things would end in the stranger's favor.

Fucking asshole.

That was some good wine that was wasted and it pissed her right off. They could go straight to hell for all she cared.

After growling to herself, before standing up and declaring her plan, she dialed a number and waited for someone on the other line to answer: “Me, you, Afterlife. It's Latin Night, bitch." Hanging up on the other lady, not waiting for a response, Caterina stood up, bottle in hand, and marched to her car. She shouldn't drive, not with how much she drank, but that wasn't going to stop her. She was Caterina-fucking-Belmonte and she did what she wanted!

It seemed to be a rarity in these modern times that Clay managed to get off shift at a reasonable time. Thanks to staff shortages and a surge in crime, he was being forced to work pretty much every day and doing doubles at that. God bless Chief Broadus. He knew that the older man wasn’t particularly a fan of his but he had told Clay to finish up early and that Detective Nesta would ride with Sly for the rest of the night. Of course the young officer should’ve used the time to catch up on all the sleep he missed and he would but first, there was an IPA and a plate of wings at the Hole with his name on it.

He descended the short steps of the station, swinging his car keys around his fingertip. Clay knew he could leave the car at the bar once he drank and ate his fill. It was only a short walk to his still undecorated apartment but he would never risk drinking and driving. Once he had gotten to his car, he glanced up towards the gas station across the street. A white dress stood out like a beacon of light in the night. It looked like, Cat? Cat! It was her and she looked amazing but also very drunk. Clay stopped to watch her for a second, her movements were sharp and erratic. There was a wine bottle in her hand. She was out of it and about to get into a car. Oh fuck. What was she doing?!

Cat knew what the rational decision was. She should call a Lyft, Uber, or taxi. All which Cat did not do. Instead, she got in her car with the bottle and started her engine. If she died today, she died today. She did not give a fuck. Hopefully not though because she loved to dance especially during Latin night. At least kill her at the club by drinking too much. With fury beyond any god or goddess that existed, she placed the bottle between her legs, letting her dress rise up, and backed up. Once she was ready to exit the lot, she brought her windows down to feel the breeze and then flew like a succubus from hell heading to her next destination.

Clay jumped into his car, quickly turned on the engine and began following his once and former girl next door. The state she seemed to be in, there was no way she should’ve been behind a wheel and all it would take would be for one of his colleagues to see her, pull her over and that would be it or worse she could get into an accident. Cat had kids. The last thing she needed on her conscience or on her record was a drunk driving mark. She was going through too much right now and being a Belmonte wouldn’t save her from it. It would likely only exasperate it. So Clay kept his distance and didn’t turn in the little siren they gave him for whenever he was in a civilian car. Lucky for him he came top of his class for defensive driving so staying behind Cat was an easy feat considering she was driving like she was on Fury Road.

Fortunately for both the officer and the woman, Cat got to the Afterlife without a ticket and without crashing her car. Safe and sound. A blessing in disguise. When she was parked, she stumbled out, her wine bottle now empty and left behind and clutch purse in hand. From a distance she saw Brook and the widest, mischievous grin grew on her face. Even when the bitch lived in Boston, Brooke never refused a good time and for all Cat knew, she was already in the area up to no good. The two women ran to each other and gave one another a deep kiss on the lips. Intimate and tender. Only the best kisses for the best of friends.

“You called and here I am!" After pulling away from the Italian mama, Brook dramatically showcased her body and her dress, raising her hands and arms high in the air for added effect. Spirit fingers. “I already know you had a shit night,” She assessed, her eyes scanning her friend up and down, before hooking her arm on Cat’s, “Let’s go find some fuckfaces and have a good time, yeah? There’s fuckery to spread!”

Cat was in no position to argue since this is exactly what she wanted. And she was drunk. Very, very drunk. Her night had been emotional to say the least and the best release was forgetting all responsibility and having a good time with one of her best friends. This is what she wanted. To have a good time. "Is Harpie working tonight? I would love to see her face."

“Girl, Wednesdays are her days off. You know that!" Brooklyn held onto her friend as they made their way to the entrance of Afterlife to show their IDs and have the time of their lives. Brook could smell the amount of alcohol emitting from her friend but instead of commenting on it, she simply smiled and guided her into the best place on Earth.

"Oh shit you're right,” Cat came to the realization that Harper was mostly a Baylor shift, "Damn. I chose the wrong night to serve my man papers,” Cat admitted.

Brooklyn gasped at the news. “You fucking didn't!"

"I totally did," Caterina grinned, feeling accomplished at all the hardcore evidence she was able to slap her husband with. He was a cheating, lying, good-for-nothing scumbag that deserved to live the longest, most miserable life known to man, suffering hatred from his children and experiencing excruciating pain from here on out. Death was too forgiving for someone like him. Cat was a boss bitch who showed him exactly what he did wrong and what would happen to him if he didn't give her what she wanted. What she wants? A divorce, obviously. "I'm a free woman, Bee." Cat proudly proclaimed. Though they still had to finalize everything, she was basically single,

Brook's immediate response was excitable laughter as the two women entered the club to do some rumba, merengue, samba, salsa and so much more. “'Bout fucking time. He was dead weight, Sis. You know we're going hard tonight, right? Make sure whoever is babysitting your kids is prepared to watch them all day tomorrow. We're getting FUCKED UP!"

Widely beaming like she was a teen again, Cat admitted, "I wouldn't want anything less," as both women disappeared into the depths of the night club to have a good time.

What was once St Paul’s Cathedral, now stood a monument to decadence and excess; the Afterlife. No one really knows how the fire started. No one really knows what happened that day. All that people do know is that Father Winters was to blame. He failed to save so many people, Parrish goers and altar boys alike. Some say that this was the spark of true evil as Winters own son would join his father infamy as Charlie Decker; the purveyor of the Edenridge High Massacre. Where apples fall…

Clay had always been in two minds about this place. On the one hand, it was a sick club, always played great tunes, had a great vibe and was an awesome place for him to indulge in his desires for the fairer sex. On the other, it was known for the large amount of criminal dealings going on within its old limestone walls. It could definitely be a dangerous place for those of a certain kind. It made him worry for his sister, a hostess there who spent her time entertaining clients. He wouldn’t judge her, she was always her own person but he couldn’t help but worry. She was his little sister after all. At least he knew Lamb wasn’t working tonight. He had recorded a text from his Mom asking him to come round the house for a family dinner. Clay passed of course citing work; he had been avoiding any prolonged family time since his return to Edenridge.

He locked up his car and entered the Afterlife a few moments after Cat and Brook. Luckily for him, his stupid face was a well known amongst the regulars so he was allowed in without much of a fuss. Descending the stairs and onto the main floor, he noted that the lights were pulsating, bodies were writhing around and sweating to the beat of the live act on the large stage. It was a good crowd for a Wednesday. Clay made his way to the bar and ordered a bottled beer he could nurse as he surveyed the room for the good lady Cat.

Reaching the other end of the bar, after Brooke got stopped not by one person but three (little miss popular), the heartbreaker duo went to order drinks. Or well, more so Brooke than Cat. Cat was pretty good for now and distracted by the ambience. In awe, she looked around at the lights and the people. It had been too long since she was last here. With her mom’s diagnosis and being a mother of three, and can’t forget the fact that she was a business owner, Cat’s free time was few and far between. As she listened to the song, it was a merengue one nearing its end. She breathed in and out, taking in this peaceful moment, although everything around her was chaotic. Maybe that’s what she preferred or maybe that’s what she was used to.

Chaos.

Turning to Brooke she could see her friend was already getting comfortable with her mark. Damn, she moves fast. Looking past her friend and her target, she could see a familiar floof of hair. The Italian bombshell jumped in eagerness. Did he see her? She had to go say hi. What were the chances they’d be at the Afterlife on the same night?! "Brook, I’m going prowling. I’ll catch you whenever.” The friends exchanged smirks and glances before Cat happily pranced to her young friend. She waved at him when he saw her and then crashed right into him bringing him into a tight embrace, "Clayyyyyy, you have a day off? That’s new.”

For once he didn’t know what to do with a woman in his arms. Clay knew he had to do the right thing but he could at least enjoy a little bit of the wrong thing for a second right? He held her close, feeling the warmth of Cat’s body against his. She looked radiant, even in spite of her very obvious drunkenness. He held onto her waist partially because he was enjoying it but also because he didn’t want her to fall over. “Yeah, I was supposed to be working a double. Chief thought it’d be good for me to rest up. So of course I decided to come to Latin night.”

He couldn’t really tell Cat that he followed her here so that she didn’t wind up in the hospital or in jail. She’d probably take her heel off and put it through Clay’s eye. He brushed a strand of loose hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. God her smile was everything and this was the happiest he had seen her in weeks.

“Clay Costigan does love the salsa.”

"What about the bachata, hm?” As Caterina held Clay close, inches away from his face, she heard the song starting to transition into Prince Royce’s Carita de Inocente. A perfect song to do a slow, sensual dance to romantic lyrics. Of course Caterina was not thinking about that. All she was thinking about was she wanted to dance and her partner could be the one and only Clay Costigan. Pulling out of his hold, she grabbed onto his hands, "Whaddya say? Want to show this old lady your moves?” She playfully beamed. It was a phenomenon to see Cat turn her brain off just to enjoy the moment. It was something she mastered so her drinking didn’t turn into breakdowns and crying fits. Tugging onto him gently which inadvertently got him to stand up, she did a little shimmy, “Pleaseeeeee.”

Show this old lady your moves. There was a joke in there somewhere.

“Yes ma’am.”

He had to play along right? To avoid suspicion. To avoid her figuring out that he was there to stop her getting into trouble. Who was he kidding? He would do his best to control himself but Caterina Belmonte was asking him to dance, touching him and being happy. There was no way in hell that he was going to let this opportunity pass him by.

Clay took off his leather jacket and handed it to the barman that he knew. “Look after that for me, Harry. My good lady wants to dance.” Cat was quick to ease her clutch in that direction so she wasn’t stuck holding it (the bartender didn’t refuse it). Clay took a hold of Cat’s hand again and allowed her to lead them to where she would feel most comfortable on the dance floor, likely the biggest spotlight the Afterlife had. “Caramia,” He bowed his head to his queen.

"Precioso,” She rolled her eyes at his dramatics, even going the extra mile to do a curtsy with her white skirt. When Clay gestured to start in an open position, Cat shook her head in disagreement and closed it in, allowing him to wrap his arm around her body so that his palm was resting in the middle of her back. In response, she laid her arm over his and rested it near his shoulder. He grabbed onto her other hand, keeping a palm to palm hand hold.

The cool thing about Bachata was they could be versatile depending on each other’s skill levels. If he proved to be better than she expected they could go into an open position which would allow them to do complex footwork and turns. Cat preferred a bit of both because while open position allowed skill and talent, closed position allowed passion, connection, and intimacy. The biggest thing though was for each partner to completely focus on one another. Not the floor and not at any distractions. Just him and her staring deeply at each other. Bachata was about fun and since Clay was leading, she’d let him guide her as she got her whole body in motion to the upbeat, energetic dance.

Clay pulled her sharply into attention, taking the first step forward in their conjoined movements. He pressed his head against hers, their noses grazing as he allowed a free hand to track and caress her body. It flowed seamlessly down her arm onto her waist and hip and teased her bare thigh. The pairs’ hips began to move together in tandem, a slinky rotation that went perfectly with the rhythm of the music. He was surprised that she could still move so well based on the amount of booze she stunk of.

It only took a few seconds until Cat’s eyebrow raised as they moved to the music and the beat. The moves he was displaying was of someone who had been dancing like this for years, which meant she could really get creative and see if they complimented each other. They could go wild if they wanted to. Usually coordinating with a dance partner for the first time was a challenge but somehow, he gave her the right cues and she understood them immediately.

She pushed him away in a dramatic fashion and he stopped in his tracks: it was a tease. Clay took a hold of her hand and stretched her arm outright, he let his fingers trace from her wrist down the forearm and shoulder as he circled Cat’s body, inhaling the scent of her neck as he reached down to her thigh and knee and picked her leg up from behind. She spun in his arms and wrapped her aloft limp around his waist as they fell into a dip.

Their dancing chemistry was on fire. When she was back in position, he turned her around so that she was facing the crowd, she glanced up at him partly in shock and partly in amazement. Was Clay always this good with dancing? She did a slow, sensual sway with her hips, her backside up against his, and for a moment, she didn’t see the Clay she knew. She saw a side of him that perhaps she was in denial of? The idea of little Clay Costigan growing up wasn’t something that ever registered in her mind. He was the sweet brother-like kid that went streaking on her father’s boat. This Clay though? Turning around on his cue she was facing him once more and they were sliding on the floor to all the right measures, "Since when did you learn how to dance?” She called out over the music.

“Since I was about twelve, when I realized that you loved it. It got me curious,” It was a purely honest declaration. Clay remembered as a boy, Lamb going over to the Belmonte house for lessons from Cat. Clay would tag along usually because they were twins and they had to do everything together apparently. He would go chill in the garden with the men whilst the girls worked up a sweat. He would peep in and watch his beloved Cat move so gracefully, so powerfully. Maybe it was a way to win her heart? So of course he took lessons when he left for college and it did impress a lot of girls but none of them were the right one.

Cat’s gentle gaze was fixated on her dance partner as she took in his words. She didn’t understand what he saw in her. Clearly she wasn’t good enough if her husband, the man that was supposed to be devoted to her, could sleep around with every fucking slut out there. For someone to get into hobbies solely because someone else really enjoyed it was mind boggling. She loved to dance because it made her feel unshackled. Still, dancing wasn’t enough. The Godmother wasn’t enough. Hell, wine wasn’t enough. There was still this empty void inside her and when the song came to an end, Cat’s demeanor changed. She was so good at not thinking about these things when she drank but being in the presence of Clay and just him adoring her like he did, her hazel eyes grew watery.

Fuck. Don’t you fucking dare.

"Thank you for this… the dance. It really was nice.” Her heart was like a sinking ship as if it just hit an iceberg of emotions she’s been keeping to herself for so long. "Can you take me to the ladies room?” She needed to splash water on her face or something to keep it inside. She wasn’t going to cry. A Belmonte crying in a club? How embarrassing.

“Erm, yeah sure,” He expected the dance to end with the song as was commonplace but to see an entire shift in Cat’s being, that was something Clay had no forethought on. He took her by the hand and began guiding the small brunette through the crowded club. It became easy to maneuver because pretty much the entirety of the Afterlife’s eyes were on them. Cat and Clay’s Bachata had drawn the attention of many club goers. Their movements together, the synchronicity and sensuality was palpable and the atmosphere between them could’ve been cut with a knife.

Clay, for years, had wondered what it felt like to touch Cat in the way he had in the moments prior. The feel of her skin, the scent on her shoulder. He was under no illusions. He understood that his years of attempting to flirt would get him nowhere. She was not only a married woman but she had also watched him grow up. That was obviously a massive bump to overcome. Yet tonight, the way they danced, the way they moved, the way she looked at him with those hazel eyes; there was something there. Chemistry.

The pair arrived at the restroom and he released his hand from hers. “That was fun.”

"It was!” Cat forced a smile only to be met with a woman coming right out of the bathroom. Someone she didn’t expect to meet in person. One of the many lovers of her husband’s, soon to be ex husband. Nicole. The blonde bimbo working for HR in an insurance company. In NEW YORK. What was she doing here? Unless… "You little bitch.”

All grace went out the window because the girl that Cat was when people got near her high school sweetheart came out. Letting go of Clay’s hand, with hellfire in her eyes, Cat rushed to the woman grabbing onto her hair and slamming her against the bathroom door, "HE IS A FUCKING MARRIED MAN! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?! YOU LITTLE FUCKING SLUT!”

The girls disappeared into the ladies’ bathroom as Cat was going to beat a bitch to a pulp, "YOU CAN FUCKING HAVE HIM YOU HOE! MAKE SURE YOU TELL YOUR HUSBAND!” There was a loud slam as Cat pushed her straight toward a stall with so much force. If it was anywhere else, this woman, who was still processing what was happening to her, would’ve cracked her head open.

Clay had no idea what was happening at that moment; they went from having a great time to Cat trying to kill some random woman in the bathroom. He couldn’t lie, crazy Cat was kind of a kink he would be interested in exploring but not tonight. He wrapped his arms around her flailing body and pulled the woman away from the bathroom, “Come on, babe let’s get you out of here.”

He realized the magnitude of that word, babe. He hadn’t realized it before he said it but now he tempered; the woman in his arms was not his girlfriend or even one of his fun friends, it was Cat Belmonte. She was not someone you called babe Willy nilly. It was obvious that she didn’t even recognize his words as she spat at the woman. “Ok that’s probably enough,” He pulled Cat away from the scene and back towards the bar. “Damn, Cat is crazy.”

"FUCKING ASSHOLE!”

Clay placed her gently onto one of the barstools and put one hand gently onto her face and rested the other on her thigh. “I have a pretty good idea what that was about, so how about you and I make like a tree and get out of here before one of my colleagues tries to arrest you huh?”

"Wouldn’t be the first time,” Caterina crossed her arms feeling her whole body shake in so much anger having flashbacks of the fight she had with her husband this very night. "I was fucking right to throw divorce papers in his face. Fucking hate his face. Fourteen years. Fourteen-fucking-years. I didn’t even want to marry him!” Standing up, getting her clutch and his jacket from the bartender, she gestured for Clay to follow her as she tossed both items to him, "Whatever lets leave, here’s my purse. Text Brooke,” And with that Cat stormed away.

Shocked and a little confused, easily done of course, Clay opened up Cat’s phone which had no lock on it for some reason and he quickly texted Brook to say that Cat had left. Once the message was sent he shoved the phone back in her purse, he grabbed his jacket from Harry the bartender and followed the woman in white out of the Afterlife.

Once they had reached the car park, he placed his jacket over Caterina’s shoulders and handed her back her purse. “Hey,” He stood before her and locked his eyes with hers. “Don’t let him or her ruin your night. Let me take you back to town, we can do some carpool karaoke.”

“Fine, fine,” Adjusting his jacket, slipping her arms through the sleeves, so she was wearing it, Cat grumbled, “My night was only good because of you but whatever. Come on. Take me on a joy ride, Casanova.” Cat would apologize but she didn’t think she did anything wrong. Consequences were a thing. They fucked each other behind her back and she only returned the favor by almost breaking the woman’s skull in. “Fucking selfish prick,” She muttered under her breath.

Clay led her to his car. opening the passenger side door for the annoyed woman to climb into. Once Cat was safely inside the vehicle, Clay himself jumped into the driver's side and quickly pulled out of the Afterlife and turned left back towards Edenridge. He turned on his Bluetooth and Spotify, allowing the music to fill up the dead silence in the car.

His dark eyes fell upon the frown of his passenger; he hated seeing Cat like this and lately he had seen it far too often and it was breaking his heart. Taking a hand off of the wheel, Clay reached out and put his palm onto the back of Cat’s neck and comforted her with a soft thumb stroke against her cheek. “You know, I’m not just saying this but everyone in there was staring at you. Not cos of the bathroom but on the floor, Cat you were dynamite. I think every man, woman and in between fell a little in love with you.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m fucking worthless and let everyone down,” Cat didn’t turn to look at the driver. She just returned back to the depths of her mind, thinking of all her family issues, from immediate to outside that, and her never getting anything right. She had no purpose and no one understood how much she did for the family. “I don’t regret having Sofia, I just wished dad did not force me to marry him to cover face. I feel like I make the mistakes and I’m the one that is doing it all wrong, but when my siblings do the same exact thing? Fucking gold medal.” Tightening Clay’s coat around her, she continued to brood. Stupid. Her life was stupid.

Clay sighed through his nose as the car pulled past the “Welcome to Edneridge!” sign at the entrance to town. “I get that. I really do,” He stroked her soft face again. “Everyone seems to think that I’m put together, that I’ve had some sort of free ride because I’m a foundling. That’s bullshit.” He took a turn down onto Westwood. “You know, I am utterly alone in this world.” That was rewarded with a pout, but the lady beside him didn’t interrupt.

Clay’s voice wasn’t sad or dependent, it was casual, even jovial. “My parents don’t even know I exist. My twin and I do not get along and the one bit of family I was even remotely anywhere close to has left. I don’t have love in my life. Sex sure and that’s great but love, it ain’t paying me no mind but you Cat, but you,” He pulled the car to a standstill and took the keys out of the ignition. “Your kids, I guarantee, they may be mouthy little pricks but they worship you. They don’t think you’re a fuck up. Whatever you do, you’re just Mom and they’ll love you for it.”

For an idiot, he had a way with words. Resting one of her hands on his, the one touching her face, she leaned in on his touch, “I hope you’re right.” Sofia was smoking weed and either getting herself into dangerous situations just to tell her mom some juicy gossip or closing a door right in Cat’s face. Dani was reserved, drowning herself with music and her drawings. She didn’t say much, but she didn’t have to. Cat knew simply by her grades. Then there was her sweet Franco at the darling age of ten. He showed the most conflict but he didn’t come to her for anything. Instead he bottled everything up even though Cat knew he cried in his sisters’ arms every night. “I really hope, Clay. The idea of family is literally crumbling before them not only with their parents but… with a lot more. A lot more is happening behind the Belmonte walls.”

“I’ve told you before, Cat. Anything you need, I’ll be there,” Clay kept his hand on hers and on her warm face. “I can’t pretend to know what is going on in your life and I can’t promise any solution but what I can say is that you are an amazing person and that whenever you are struggling, all you need to do is call me and I'll do what I do best, be a distraction.”

He climbed out of the car and made his way to the other side to let Cat out. This was very obviously not her home. This place was small. a single story building that looked like it was once some kind of store based on its outward appearance. “So this is my place, it’s not Scott Street I know but it does the job. You want some coffee or some food? There’s a fantastic Korean joint a few doors down and they’re open all night.”

“You do know I don’t live with my dad, right?” Cat smiled before hopping out, almost stumbling over, latching onto Clay almost immediately, “Can you do take out? I don’t think I should be out anymore,” Playfully, purposefully, she dropped her weight to see if Clay would grab onto her.

Holding onto her tightly, Clay was inches from Cat’s face and every manly bone in his body was a screaming, burning, firing on all cylinders to kiss her. “Yeah I’ll get us takeout.” He walked her in his arms to his front door. He reached into the pocket of the jacket Cat was wearing and pulled out his keys so he could unlock the front door. “Get yourself comfortable. Get a glass of water, I’ll be back before you know it.” The front door opened up and he switched on the light, allowing the lady to enter before closing it and walking down the street to the food place.

Instead of getting water, Cat took a beer out of the fridge, slammed it against the counter to get the cap off, and then began drinking his alcohol. She didn’t know how much time she had but she was going to raid his things. She was Caterina Belmonte! The curious kitty cat! Where should she start… her gaze went from the living room to the bedroom door. A mischievous, impish grin fell on her face as she ran into Clay’s bedroom.

About ten minutes later, Clay returned to his barren home with the takeout. He glanced around the living room and saw no sign of Cat besides his refrigerator door hanging open and a beer being missing. He placed the food on the countertop next to a bottle cap as he closed the fridge door with his foot. He almost reached for his spare gun when he heard a rumbling from his bedroom but then he put two and two together. The police officer let out a soft chuckle as he placed his hands upon his hips and walked towards the bedroom door. “And what are you doing in here?”

“Wearing your shirt!” She showcased on her knees as she crawled on his bed. Her white dress (and nude plunge bra) was lying on the floor. “I don’t have pajamas, so this felt like the next best move.” She dropped from her knees to lay on her stomach, kicking her legs up and staring up at him, “Did you get the food?” She rested her face in the palm of her hands, her elbows lifting the weight of her head up.

This was some kind of agony. Cat Belmonte, the woman he had dreamt and fantasized about for years was in his bed, wearing literally nothing and giving him all the signals in the world. Was this the twilight zone? Where was Rod Serling? The fuck was happening? “Course I did,” Clay managed to muster. “You want to eat in here or you want to go to the couch?”

“You’re the boss! This is your house, sir,” Picking herself up, she got off the bed and made her way to him, smelling the delicious food, “Here or there?” She looked up at him, batting her eyes and smiling from ear to ear. The mood swings of Cat when she drank, she went from sadness to excitement to sadness again to anger to now, playfulness and desperate for cuddles. “Where to?”

Kiss her.

Kiss her you fucking idiot.

This is your fucking chance.

Before he knew it, Clay’s hands were gripping Cat’s waist and they were inches from one another. Inches. He could feel her breath on his face, the warmth of her body. This was different to when they were dancing earlier. There was no music save the song in their hearts. No prying eyes. It was Cat, it was Clay and they were alone together in a bedroom. “You are making it incredibly difficult not to kiss you right now,” He looked deep into her hazel eyes. The eyes that he had longed to drown in. “I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret.”

Tilting her head, confused at what he meant, she wrapped her arms around his neck like she did on the dance floor but this time there were only two motives: to have his company and to keep him close, “Regret what?” Cat hadn’t realized until tonight but she was really comfortable with Clay, age difference or not, she could be herself, “You’re the one that brought me to your apartment, Clayton.”

Fuck it.

Clay gave in to every negative impulse in his body and pulled her closer, exactly as he did at the Afterlife and pressed his lips to hers. His first kiss with the woman of his dreams. He held her in his arms as he could feel the pure electricity fly between them. This was everything he had always wanted, everything he had always craved. The feeling he had was different to any other time, any other girl. He pulled away to look into her eyes again. They were glassy and cloudy. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t do it to her. It was wrong.

“Food is getting cold. Let’s get comfy and watch some TV, yeah?”

The Siren was not easily embarrassed but this while she did expect, she didn’t expect it to be as intense as it was. Out of breath and covering her face with one of her arms, hiding how red she was turning, she nodded and mumbled, “Uh-huh.” What was going on? This was Clayton! She watched him grow up. They were ten years apart. He didn’t deserve this. He deserved so much better than her.

Quickly, she went past him to the living room, her heart racing. Jumping on the couch, she grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it. She wasn’t a teenager anymore; she shouldn’t be playing this dangerous, dangerous game. She was still technically married.

And yet why was she feeling so funny?

Clay ran both hands through his hair in frustration. Cat Belmonte was in his bedroom and he let her go. The fuck was wrong with him? He had a moral bloody compass that’s what. He closed the door partially as he stripped off his clothes and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

He should’ve just gone straight home after work.

He emerged back into the living room where he glanced at Cat curled up on the couch. He made his way past her to the kitchen and unboxed the food he had gotten for them. His eyes were drawn to the one photo he had on the wall of the basketball team and David’s voice rattled around his brain, calling him an idiot for not taking advantage of the situation he was in. Clay tried to quiet the voices by clicking on the tv and heading over to Cat and the couch. He sat down next to her, placing the food in front of them. He wasn’t sure why but he decided to wrap his arm around the woman and pull her into his chest, as if he was protecting her from the world. He dropped a gentle kiss onto the top of Cat's head as they snuggled together.

When he pulled her in, she melted in his arm. After he kissed her forehead, she subtly glanced up at him as he stared at the TV. She never thought she’d have these thoughts of him but she wanted more. If she wasn’t scared to ruin what they had, she would kiss his neck and push him down. In all honesty, she was sobering up and she knew these feelings were entirely her own. Turning back to the TV, she closed her eyes, inhaling in and then out. She needed to be mature. She needed to act like the kiss never happened. Releasing the pillow, she reached for a container and a fork. Was it weird that she wanted to feed him? Probably. Focus. “What are we watching?” She took a bite of the food.

“I actually have no idea,” Clay squinted at the screen. He was trying to work it out but he was technically not really paying for his tv license. “I think it’s like a telenovela? I don’t know, I get three channels and they’re all in a different language.” He laughed a little as he naturally tightened his grip on Cat, his hand slipping beneath the hem of the t-shirt to touch her bare waist. He reached down for the food with his free hand and took a bite out of some prawn toast. “I’ve been following this though, apparently that chick has amnesia and her stepbrother is like claiming to be her husband or something I don’t know I failed Spanish.”

Nodding to Clay explaining the show, Cat’s mind was on nothing but him touching her. She and her husband hadn’t had sex in awhile. The only touch she’s gotten the past year or so was from her own hand. Keeping her eyes on the show, she put more food in her mouth, preventing herself from responding. Silence was the best answer because if she said anything right now, she would say how bad she wanted to fuck him. Her chest went in and out as she tried her damndest to watch the show. His hand was on her waist and it felt so good.

He reached behind the couch and pulled out a small throw cover, placing it delicately over Cat. Clay wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. She was a lady of taste and luxury and the most luxurious thing in this apartment was his hair. He wrapped both his arms around the beautiful woman, taking in her scent and staving off the need to tear off that shirt of his she was wearing and giving everything he was to her. Instead they cuddled up together, watching a show neither could understand eating Korean food.

Clay Costigan was in hell.

The next morning, the rookie officer had tried to remain as quiet as possible so as to not disturb the sleeping beauty in his bed. With Gallows “Deep Waters” playing softly on his phone, Clay had bacon on the hob, eggs ready to go and a few other bits and pieces all cooked for a belly timber breakfast. No doubt, Cat would need to fill her stomach after the previous night and he himself had a big shift so he needed his sustenance.

In another world, this would be Clay’s ideal situation. Making breakfast for Cat after passionate nights together. Instead, she fell asleep in his arms on the couch and he carried her to his bed. He sat awake, just watching her for a while to make sure she didn’t throw up. Once he was sure she was ok, Clay went back to the couch and read a book! Ky and Wes rubbing off on him something fierce. He hadn’t slept at all save an hour or two.

At 7am on the dot, Caterina with her wild bed hair searched around with her hand for her phone. She was lying on her stomach. When she couldn’t find it, she pushed herself so that she was on her knees, only to be rewarded with a pounding headache, “Shit,” She muttered. While rubbing the sleep off her face with her right arm she stretched her body, her left arm rising high in the air. When she opened her eyes she realized she was not in her bedroom. Scanning around, she processed her surroundings and then the flood of memories started crashing into her, turning her foggy brain to wide awake and alert. “SHIT,” she repeated.

Although she did feel dizzy spells she needed to get out of Clay’s apartment fast. What if people saw them together? What would her father think if he found out she was at his apartment?! No one even knew about the divorce yet! Rolling off the bed rather ungracefully, crashing onto the floor, she found her dress and her clutch. Her clutch. Her phone. HER CHILDREN! Rushing for her purse she pulled out her phone only to be blinded by the light, “Fuck me.” Why were hangovers so brutal? Reviewing her messages, she saw a bunch of spam from Brooke asking how her night went with that fine piece of ass. Cat ignored her friend and searched for her sister’s number. Once she found Nina, she dialed and waited. As she waited, putting Nina on speaker and throwing the phone on the bed, she started stripping so that she could put her nude plunge bra and dress back on.

“Hey Cat!” Her sister chirped. She was such a goddamn morning person.

“Sorry I didn’t come by when I said I would, I got lost track of time. Thank you so much for watching the kids, I’ll be there soon, okay?” Where the hell was her bra?! Caterina searched around in with an aggressive and frantic urgency.

“No, no, don’t worry about it! Dads actually going to take care of Palermo for the next few days and I was thinking about gallivanting off with the kids to Cape Cod for the rest of the week. Take them to Water Wizz!” Nina happily cheered, honestly looking forward to a break away from Edenridge, “I know you’re going through a lot right now so it might be just what you need. A break.”

Huh. Maybe her sister knew about the divorce. Would make sense if Sofia told her now that she thought about it. Oh there it was. Grabbing her bra off Clay’s office chair, she started putting it on, “That’s really sweet of you, Beanie. Like you’re a fucking life savor. What time are you leaving? I can stop by with packed bags for them.”

Clay had managed to plate up two full plates of a night greasy breakfast of bacon, sausage, egg, beans and some black pudding. His family was Irish and one of the few things he enjoyed of his heritage were the traditional All Day Breakfast. He reached into the fridge and pulled out two small cans and placed them next to the food. Mango, Pineapple and Cayenne Pepper juice. It was the perfect blend when mixed with the greasy spoon special to sort out any hangover his houseguest had.

He could hear some shuffling coming from the bedroom and a smile crossed his face. She was awake, good. That would stop Cat getting pissed when Clay went in to wake her up. If there was one thing he had learned from his many lovers, it was never wake a woman when she wasn’t ready. He turned down the music, having heard enough of his fathers band to last a lifetime and made his way towards the bedroom door.

Pausing for a second, he could hear muffled voices. It was Cat on the phone. Sounded like Nina. Clay had come to know all the Belmontes over the years, perks of being neighbors and family friends. He opened up the door with the intention of silently motioning for food so as to not disturb the call but when the door crept opened the loudest sound came from his jaw hitting the floor.

There in all her glory was Cat, wearing nothing but her underwear, a plunging nude bra that accentuated her assets. Clay didn’t know where to look or whether he was to stop looking. All he knew was that her body was still as amazing as it was when he saw in that bikini so many summers past.

“Wow.”

“Are you with someone?” Nina asked as baby noises were heard on her end. She was likely nursing Angelina. Her question wasn’t anything like prying, just curious because she heard a noise. Nina wasn’t the nosy type - she was more a worrywart if anything.

“No! No. That might’ve been the tv..” Cat grabbed one of Clay’s pillows and darted it at him to get out. “..still on. Or my stomach. Man, I’m so famished. Anyways, how are the kids?” She snapped at the door still seeing a dumbfounded Clay. He’s seen her in a bikini before. It’s not like he hasn’t seen her body.

“We had a movie marathon night with the projector under the stars, we watched the Goofy movie, Toy Story, some great classics. I think they all needed cousin time. There was chatting and playing but nothing out of the norm.”

Clay batted the deadly flying pillow away like he was swatting a fly. He stared at her for a few moments longer, probably too long. “Oh yeah, I’ll, yeah.” He reached forward and closed the bedroom door back over again. He picked up the pillow and tossed it onto the couch as he made his way back to the kitchen, leaning down on the counter top.

This was crazy. This was a crazy situation. He looked very at the photo of the basketball squad and all of their shit eating grins, including Clay’s own. “Don’t fucking look at me like that. Get a haircut, all of you. Not you Clayton, your hair is pretty.” He turned back to look at the door again; on the other side of it was his half naked dream girl who he kissed the night before, he kissed Cat.

Holy shit.

After five minutes, the phone call did come to an end, Cat had put the white dress back on, tried to tame her wild hair down, and used the water by Clay’s bedside and the small toothbrush and toothpaste in her purse to brush her teeth (minimal spitting went inside the cup of water). Following that, she texted the young lad to not come into work until ten. There was no way in hell she’d have the Godmother open for eight. It’s okay though. They know she has a life and she’s a mother so there’s times the Godmother just won’t be open, randomly and out of the blue. She had a loyal clientele that loved her sandwiches. Like the boy in the room over. He supported her more than anyone else.

“Shit,” She looked at herself in the mirror, repeating her current mantra. This is really happening right now. She was losing control over herself and her life, and now she was spending the night at Clayton Costigan’s apartment! And they… turning away from the mirror, having thought about her and him… him and her… she fanned her face.

Nope!

That was just an in the moment thing. It was a mistake and wasn’t supposed to happen but since it did, it’s okay. There was no point in making it a big deal. They kissed. So what? He kisses any woman he gets the chance to. It wasn’t like she was special. And like he said, he didn’t have love in his life! This was exactly how she was when she was his age. No hard feelings. If she was in the same position as him, she would’ve done the same. Have you seen her? She was fucking hot. She knew it. He knew it. Those sparks? That electricity? The fire between them? That was nothing. There was nothing there. They had a good time last night. That’s all it was a good time.

Spending another five minutes mentally preparing herself for her day, Cat started making Clay’s bed and cleaning up after herself. He did her a favor taking care of her so the least she could do was not leave his room a mess. Making the bed turned into her cleaning up all other areas in his room. Another ten minutes passed before she was satisfied. Wiping her hands together, having emptied his basket filled with clean clothes, folded his clothes in the neatest ways, hanging up his more dress-like attire, putting the rest on his bed for him to put away, making sure there wasn’t garbage around like her beer from last night, and bringing light into the dark room, Cat came out of the room with her toothpaste water cup and his small garbage bag (that was in a garbage bin by his desk). “Where’s your trash?” She asked as she entered the room. “Sorry, the food’s probably cold now.”

Through the gap in the door he could see just how clean his room now was. It wasn’t even that clean when he moved in! Cat had gone over and above and he appreciated it. He walked from behind the counter and made his way over to Cat. Clay reached down and took the garbage bag from her, their fingers grazing lightly during the switch. “I’ll throw this out, thanks for that. Why don’t you grab some food? It’s still warm.” He turned and made his way out of the front door and dropped the bag into the trash. The fresh air coming in from the open door aired out the apartment quite well.

When he walked away, Cat closed the hand he touched, putting it behind her back, trying to not think too deeply of such a small thing. They’ve hugged before. They’ve talked in close proximity before. Why did something like that feel different? Focus, Cat. If she could mask her emotions in highschool, she sure as hell could do it right now. There was nothing there. While she waited she brought her glass to the sink, rinsed it, and placed it down, deciding to wash it after she eats and makes more dishes. Yes, her clutch was still in the bedroom but she had time and good smelling food to eat.

Once the air had made its way inside, Clay closed the door over and made his way back into the kitchen. “How are you feeling?”

“Shitty,” was Cat’s immediate response before adding, “But your food should do just the trick,” Cat grabbed her prepared plate and the fork beside it. Standing up and eating, she decided to use this chance to look at the rest of his apartment. It was… barren. To say the least. No color and barely any aesthetic.

Well, it made sense since he worked ridiculous amounts of hours but it also made her sad because it was kind of lackluster, lonely, and lifeless. To her, making a place feel like home was so crucial to feel okay with oneself. At least for her, the more she made a place feel hers, the better her mental health was. The one thing that stood out for her was the photo of him and his friends. Bringing her attention to it, she looked at all the faces, first her eyes falling on David, causing her to frown not out of dislike but out of sadness. Her gaze then fell on Clay and she smirked, “You haven’t aged a bit.”

“I think I look a little more distinguished.” Clay stood on the other side of the kitchen island, facing Cat as she ate her breakfast. He took a fork and began to dig into his own. “My hair got bigger,” He smiled to himself as they ate together, like a couple preparing for their day. This was a strange feeling. There was a warmth in his chest and it wasn’t just because of the hot food. He looked at Cat and he couldn’t help it; the way he felt. Even putting food into her mouth, she still took his breath away. “How is your breakfast?”

Taking another bite out of it, already feeling her hangover getting better, slowly but surely, she gave a flirtatious smile, completely innocent and no motive at all, “Well you know what they say,” she swallowed her food, fixing her hazel eyes onto him, “Clay Costigan always springs for breakfast.”

Such a silly catchphrase he had that she found adorable. There were little things he did that were so unique and so him, like speaking in third person from time to time. Now he would know that she paid attention to him. It was a small way to show she adored him without having to admit it, “It’s good, idiot. Thank you.”

Hearing someone else use his line would probably be laughable but coming out of Cat’s perfect mouth it was quite possibly the sexiest thing Clay had ever heard; even if it did end with her calling him an idiot. “Anytime.”

Their faces were close together again as they ate. She was sober now so there was no moral dilemma, at least for him. He could kiss those perfect lips again and not feel guilty or ashamed and she could do as she wanted. She could kiss him back, his preferred outcome or she could say no and that the previous night was a drunken mistake. If it was the latter he could live with it but he of course wouldn’t be happy. He didn’t know whether to breach the subject or not. She seemed happy, he didn’t want to ruin that.

“You want me to take you dancing sometime?”

Looking up from her plate, she blinked in response, trying to decide if she should say yes or no. There was part of her that wanted to straight out refuse because of how last night transpired. Cat knew if she said yes, things could get dangerous. Very, very dangerous, like sailing in a god awful storm, barely able to see what’s ahead. She didn’t know how to respond. She was still married but that would end without a hitch. She’d make sure of it. What she did know was she had a lot of fun and maybe it was okay to give into temptation?

It wasn’t like what they had was anything serious. It was all fun and games. Regardless, whichever way she did answer, she had to say it with confidence and not show the conflict in her mind. “Sure,” she shrugged, thinking it would be nice to have something to look forward to, “But we may not be able to go to the Afterlife for a while,” she chuckled at the thought. Oops, she almost killed a bitch. After moving her verbal chess piece, to survey his intentions, Cat took another bite of the delectable food. It was his move. Was he going to treat her just like every other girl? Or was there something else there?

Clay smiled. This was almost everything he wanted. “I know a lot of places we could go. It’s a date.” The fact that she said yes, meant she was seeing him. For the first time she was really seeing him.

Bam.

There it was, that pesky moral compass again. He had to ask her, they had to talk about it surely. They kissed and he couldn’t have been the only one that felt that electricity every time their bodies touched in any way. There was a fire, a desire, God he wanted it again.

“Do you wanna talk about last night?”

Placing her plate down, finished with her food, Caterina raised an eyebrow, “What’s there to talk about?” The best course of action was to not get his hopes up. This was the right thing to do because whatever last night was, was nothing special. “I was drunk, you took care of me, we had a little fun and we kissed.” She shrugged and started cleaning up the dishes. “I appreciate the company, Clay, and I’m not going to judge your lifestyle. If anything, I was just like you! I can get down with a casual thing, so don't worry your little head off. We will keep things sweet and simple.”

Looking away from him, she focused on scrubbing her plate with a sponge and soap, never dropping the facade. Confidence was key. “Just let me know when you can fit me in! I’m sure other women want your attention, you can’t leave them lonesome. Like Vanessa, I’m sure she’d love to see your face.” The more she said all this, the more her chest hurt. This was a sensation she wasn’t used to, at least not since her break up with her highschool sweetheart. Even then this felt worse. That was neither here nor there and as such, she proceeded to rinse the plate.

There it was. Sweet and simple. Two words that Clay had been described as far too many times. He didn’t want that with Cat; he always wanted more. She was acting like he managed his love life using an Outlook calendar. He did get around and he did so with a handful of her friends but they offered him something in return; for the not too brief moments he was with them, he felt that one thing that had always eluded him; Clay felt wanted. The problem was, what he really wanted was to be wanted by Cat.

Pulling himself up from the island top, he turned to look at her again. That white dress of hers was like a beacon, calling to him. He hadn’t given up for years and he certainly wasn’t going to now. Last night was not his only chance, just his first. He walked up behind the lady as she did the dishes and put his hands on her shoulders, letting his fingers trace down her arms almost as if they were dancing again. “My schedule will always be open for you, Miss Belmonte,” Clay spoke into her ear with a hushed voice. “I’m the guy for you. Put that under my name in your schedule.”

Fuck.

What was he up to? What was he trying to do to her? Who the hell was this person? She knew about Clay’s reputation. Of course she did, but his seductive charm was never directed to her this intensely, if at all. He was always so good at setting boundaries or maybe that was all her because up until yesterday she saw him as kid Clay and not man Clay. Or maybe she did see him as a man but chose to be oblivious on purpose? Goodness, he had her head all messed up not knowing what to think. Her body was heated and this, and him, were so hot she could feel a yearning, a craving, running through her veins and pulsating through her. It wasn’t like she could escape easily either. He was right behind her. His hot breath causing a tingly ache inside her. This wasn’t right. Right? Her and him?

Impulsively, after turning off the sink, she turned around with her wet hands, just choosing to act in the moment and stop thinking, “First of all, ew, don’t call me Miss Belmonte, you always call me Kitty,” her wet hands rested on his chest. She should push him away, she really should. If they went further, would she be any better than her husband? They were getting a divorce… so that was a good thing, but it still needed to be finalized.

Morals, what were morals?

“Secondly, what the fuck, Clay?” Her mind was hella’ fuzzy and all she could do was look at him, hearing her heartbeat through her eardrums, “… this… it’s just an infatuation…” she breathed, as she got lost in his strikingly intense gaze. At this point, her mask had dropped and it was clear Cat was trying to convince herself to not give in. She had a strong will and yet when she was with him, now in this moment, it was so hard to walk away. All she wanted to do was stay. This was bad as she found herself unable to move. For once, Cat Belmonte wanted something for herself and was getting hooked on a feeling. She didn’t want to lose him.

“Uh huh,” Clay placed his hands onto her hips and pulled her slowly even closer to him. “Infatuation.” He kissed her, God he kissed her properly. He kissed her the way that she had deserved all that time. Yet in his mind and his heart he knew, she wasn’t sure, there was a part of her holding it all back. He could see it in Cat’s eyes the moment before the lips met. He pulled away and took a step back away from her, allowing the woman’s body space to breathe. “I know it’s a lot, so I’ll wait. I’ve been waiting and I can carry on. When you’re sure of what you want, you know where I am. Until then, I’ll just be your favorite customer and maybe your friend too? If that’s what you want.”

There it was again. A kiss. This time not when she was falling apart and drunk. This time when first thing in the morning like a husband did before he left for work. This time when all she could do was see him. This time when they were alone in an apartment. His apartment.

Caterina was the most vulnerable she had ever felt during a kiss. None of her exes, not even Dexter, her highschool sweetheart, made her feel this way. It was so real and yet underneath it all, their primal desire hid behind the bushes, waiting to pounce. How could she think about what she wanted when all she could think about was those lips? A customer? A friend? Clay, can’t you see it’s way past that point? Past the point of no return. All he was doing was making it harder for her to think.

Fuck it.

Cat pushed him against the counter, “You can’t say that after you just kissed me, Clayton.” Her sharp eyes caught his, as she took on how handsome he was and that look, that stare, that smile got into her bones. How he made her shiver. She was repressed and he was toying with her! She was Caterina Belmonte and he was outdoing her in her own thing. Leaning against him, pressing her chest against his, she ran her hand through his hair and grabbed onto him bringing his head down so she could reach his lips. If he was going to kiss her, at least give her more than a few seconds.

There was no teasing anymore. No tracing of the lips and all innocence went right out the door. Rapidly her heart beat, as she gave him a long, hot-blooded caress. Emitting from her was raging passion, uncontainable desperation, and decidedly unvirginal eagerness.

Instead of him leading, like he had done in the Bacheta, it was her turn to kiss him like he wanted to be kissed. A different kind of dance. A dance between lovers and their lips. This gesture, sensual and outrageous, her whole body in motion with his, was to show him that all she needed to know was that he wanted her, truly wanted her, and if his intentions were pure and true, she would give him a chance. There was no battle in their lips. There was no war in how they felt. She saw him clear as day and he saw her. Although she wondered, did he see how imperfect she was? Did he care?

All she ever wanted in life was to seek union and closeness. One breath, one sensation, one fucking heated moment that could last forever. Timelessness like the still sea at night, coated by the luminous stars. The heat rose in her cheeks and before she freed him, she bit his bottom lip. Pulling her head away, she sassily and adorably scrunched her nose, “If you’re going to kiss me, I need you to put a little more effort into it,” she cheesily grinned, deciding for once it was time to not think about anyone else but herself. She may not know the future, but the present was pretty fucking hot right now. If she was his lighthouse, then he needed to show just that. How much she meant to him,

What does the boy who has everything say?

Cat was in Clay’s arms, willingly offering herself to him as he had offered himself to her. He knew in his heart of hearts that in her arms was where he was supposed to be. He had known that for his entire life. Now here they were, together locked in the fiery embrace of a passion unleashed. He couldn’t help but smile as she teased him with her words. This was the Kitty Cat he had known. This was the girl he saw on that boat. The real one.

“I can do that.”

He leaned in and took her lips between his and raising her ever so slightly off of the ground in his arms. She was as light as a feather. This caused the woman to chuckle as they kissed, clearly surprised at how fast he moved her. He pressed her body against the fridge, his hands wandering below her skirt and picking her leg up to wrap around him.

Dominated and handled in ways that would make a good girl go bad, Cat surrendered herself to this man that quite literally swept her off her feet. She could feel him, all of him, and she wanted more. This was something unprecedented to her but now that she had a taste, she knew she would never go back.

Clay had dreamed of this moment. With every taste of her skin, from her lips down her neck and shoulders, he could feel the fire growing more out of control. The waves were crashing down in his mind like a tsunami but that didn’t matter. None of it mattered. The only thing that did was her. Clay’s hand came to rest upon her throat and he gazed into her eyes one more time. This is what it looked like. To be wanted.

And when the moaning started coming out, she said the three words he so desperately needed to hear, in that smoky, fine like wine voice:

“I want you.”

“God, I want you too.”

Clay let out almost a giggle as his elation reared its head. He resumed kissing his lady, with his hands reaching her shoulders and sliding off her white dress. Instantly and fervently, she reached up and took his shirt off wanting to see all of him, like he saw all of her. Once all the clothes were off, she dug her nails deeply into his chest as he grabbed her from her bum and lifted her up. Like a cue on the dance floor, she tightly wrapped her legs around him, with a little assistance from him. They didn’t even manage to get beyond the couch before they were on the floor, tearing at each other, exploring each other, wanting each other.

Finally, his lighthouse had guided him home.

Kylee Grimm had spent the past week spending an ungodly amount of time with her boyfriend. Fresh into Edenridge boyfriend. She had to play smart and not sleep over his place every night or her dad would ask too many questions. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t send him pictures, video chat with him, and fall asleep on call with him. She hadn’t dated since Natalia so this honeymoon phase was ecstasy to her. The beginnings always were. They had so much to explore and learn about each other, while of course, working together to solve the many mysteries of Edenridge. First starting with who was the perpetrator of the letters. Who was behind it all? Or they? Was it a group of people?

Even with all these questions on her mind, the mayor’s daughter was unable to focus on work because all she wanted to do was bad things to and with Wes. Their sessions were long but they didn’t have nearly as much sex as she wanted. She wanted more. No, she needed more. If she could, she would devour him every day and every night. One can say her sexual drive was high, even more so with Wesley because of this innate connection they shared. Some people just naturally turn you on. Wes was that for her.

Things were so good that if things got rocky between them, she wouldn’t care because all she wanted was him. They hadn’t fought, there were no lies between them, and he adored her. If anything, the past week had been purely sexual. If only he knew all the bad things she liked… There was so much to explore.

Now here she was, sitting outside of the Godmother in between her boyfriend and her friend, Clayton. Their little Scooby Doo crew, in terms of productivity… well, it was non-existent at the moment. She was on her laptop getting ready to take meeting notes. One thing she did add was that Clay could not find any traceable evidence on the letters or envelopes. Wes had been interviewing people and making a list of general suspects. As an outsider, he had a different perspective and he could pick up when townspeople were withholding information and/or lying to him. As for her, at least until she got distracted by the man whose hearty, loving heart radiated from his sexy body… that she liked to lick - Stop, Kylee - talked to a bunch of the townspeople to see if they had any personalized letters or if they were generic. What was the pattern? Was there a pattern?

There were a few people who did have personalized letters but it wasn’t enough for her to see through it. Whoever had Decker’s letters was a clever fucker and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. But first, she glanced up at both the boys in their own world and sneakily, she had her hand trail under the table. Keeping her eyes on the computer, she teasingly rubbed Wes’ leg. The one closest to her. She let her fingers walk up his leg getting ever so close to…

“Dicks!”

Wes really didn’t like to swear, it was uncouth and unbecoming. It wasn’t cool and didn’t make you tough. So something like dicks was a rarity for the young reporter. It had become harder to focus once he and Kylee had given themselves to one another. Being around her was like being a heroin addict in a crack den, the inevitable was always going to happen. Wes just had to try and get some work done before it did. He could feel her hand wandering up his leg and he allowed it to happen. Bad business.

“I mean no offence guys but you Edenridgers are all shady as hell,” He laid out a few papers on the already full to the edge table. These particular documents were interviews that Wes had conducted with certain residents of the town. He leaned back in his chair, locking his fingers behind his curly haired head. “Not one person I spoke to was forthcoming. There are way too many secrets and chess pieces in play here.” His eyes fell to her hand on his lap and a mixture of arousal and concern began to well up. Wes was a professional, he shouldn’t be mixing business with pleasure but Kylee was…

“Guys I get it, you’re fucking. Congratulations. Salutations. Buy the boy a biscuit,” Clay was onto his second sandwich and he had a mouthful as he spoke to the pair. “I saw this coming before you did but can we please just do some work? I literally have half an hour before I have to go to my real job.” The officer was usually a bottomless pit for food anyway but he had worked up an aperture thanks to his own new lover, the woman whose shop they were outside that very minute. She was probably in there, all sweaty behind the counter, waiting for him to sneak in there.

Wes was taken aback but not surprised. In the month that he had known Clayton; he had realised that the man had impeccable instincts. He was a fool, an idiot, a bro mcdouche but he just had a sense about things, not too dissimilar to Wes himself. It shouldn’t really shock him that Clay knew about him and Kylee. “Sure yeah,” He glanced at his lover before returning his gaze back to the papers and sliding them further into the table.

“From my interviews one thing I’ve managed to ascertain is that the broader generic letters are Charlie’s journals, verbatim. They are literal copies of his words. The personal ones, like the one Rey Gonzalez received, are still Charlie’s words but someone is going in and adding things. They’re also omitting some content too. The main focus seems to be on your class, Ky.”

Pulling her hand back because of the buzzkill Clay, Kylee typed a few things down before glancing at both men, “Well that fucking sucks. My class is over it. We don’t want to be the year with all this history and tragedy. It’s never ending. Then again, I guess it wouldn’t be my class if we didn’t get caught up with a terrible thing.” After reaching for her chai latte, the mayor’s princess took a silent and leisure sip before continuing, “If it was someone in my year it’s just really messed up. But it may not be. It could be someone who stumbled on Charlie’s journal and agreed with Decker’s sick ideals and beliefs. Maybe the villain of this story was like I’m going to finish what this kid started. Psychos don’t always need to make sense.”

“I doubt it’s anyone in your class” Clay shook his head as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “When the first letters started turning up Mrs Decker was interviewed. Charlie apparently always kept his journals locked away in a chest in his closet. When the officers went to check they were gone. Plus, Decker's room was untouched. Left the exact way it was when he was last in it. This means, whoever has the books, has had them since the massacre.” His eyes glanced up to the nearby Godmother window, he could see Cat going about her daily business and he was doing his best not to interrupt.

Wesley’s phone buzzed with the caller ID “DEX”, he looked at it for but a moment before stuffing it into his jacket pocket. “We can’t rule out Mrs Decker. She’s the obvious suspect and sometimes that’s also the right one. Then there’s his crew on the Southside, maybe a lover? We all go a little crazy sometimes and I didn’t know this kid but there seems to have been something magnetic about him”

As Wes talked, Kylee focused her keen gaze on Clay. She might’ve looked busy but she had noticed since the start of their meeting how many times her cop friend looked up and through the window. It was a lot. He wasn’t being subtle. At least not to her. She knew Clay had a heavy crush since forever on the woman inside there but he wasn’t this bad usually. There must’ve been new developments in his love life.

While she wasn’t going to assume he and Cat Belmonte did anything, she did know whatever happened between the two could only be a positive development. At least for Clay. “Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.” A smug fell on Kylee’s clever girl face as her sharp stare darted at the cop. “Sorry for interrupting you baby,” She apologized to Wes yet never taking her eyes off of Clay, “You’re doing amazing. I just couldn’t help noticing Clay’s rose tinted glasses.” Bringing her gaze from Clay to the window, Kylee teased, “Oop, there the Kitty Cat goes. No longer in sight. Disappearing into her private office.”

“Can we just work please?” Clay huffed like a petulant child being bullied by a bigger kid. He now regretted helping Ky and Wes get together because now all eyes were on him. Cat didn’t want…whatever they were to be out in the public she yet. She was going through a divorce, she had her kids to think about and Clay understood that. Still it didn’t stop him from wanting her every second of every day.

Wes did find it amusing that Ky was teasing Clay so much. He was Mr Cool, a jack the lad type as the English would say. He had charisma and a good heart. He almost seemed unflappable. The reporter had her to ask the young officer about the shooting that took place a few nights previous where Clay had shot Simon Bordeaux in the leg in order to save Bailey Darensbourg. Surely that must’ve taken some kind of toll on him? If it did, Claytorn certainly wasn’t showing it. There was definitely something more to the cop than he had originally thought.

“Did you find anything out from your Dad’s office Kylee?” Wes swiftly changed the subject as his phone continued to buzz in his pocket.

“You know I’m just playing, Clay. I’ll always root for you and your dreams, even if that one seems a bit out of reach. Anything is possible,” Giving an apologetic smile to the cop, she looked at her boyfriend and shook her head ‘no’. “I’ve tried to visit but they’ve been busy. Also my dad has a look about him that makes me want to tread lightly. Especially since you and I are a thing. Heh.”

There was a brief pause as Kylee recalled Phoebe intercepting her and being really friendly, asking too many questions. “I know he isn’t happy with the letters but he’s the type to turn things around in his favor. He already started with that pep rally a couple weeks ago. I think I might need to either outsource someone to talk to him or talk to someone he associates with that isn’t part of his main peeps. Have you seen the Iron five? Have you seen my dad? They’re not people you just walk up to and say ‘hey how’s your day?’” Even with all that being said, she was afraid of her father intervening with her happiness too. Wes had no idea how… scary he could get.

Wes had heard stories of her Dad even though he had never met the man. He wondered truly how clean the Mayor was in Kylee’s eyes when as an outsider it was easy to tell the man was as dirty as they came. Perhaps this whole thing was a ploy of her fathers in order to secure votes? There’s a lot of power in fear, he should know.

“You keep working on your Dad, I’ll keep knocking on doors. Clay, you do whatever it is you do. Maybe sleep with Rhonda Decker, see if she’ll give you any more info,” With his phone incessantly vibrating, he got to his feet. “Really sorry guys it’s my brother, I have to take this” Wes popped the first out in the open kiss he had ever given Ky on her cheek before heading off a little ways down the path to talk on his cell.

“You got him all tangled up huh?” Clay smiled.

“I have to give credit where credit is due,” Kylee admitted, closing her laptop and sighing, “If it wasn’t for liquid courage it would’ve been a bust.” Looking back, over her shoulder, she gave Wes a moment's glance before looking back at Clay, “I really do like him. He has a genuine heart, but…” Kylee started cleaning up the papers and putting them in their designated folders, “He’s not telling me everything. Maybe you were right about not trusting him.” She hated her mind. She couldn’t just throw all doubt out the window when she was so hyper aware of the people she surrounded herself with. She hated knowing and seeing too much but it also was what protected her at the end of the day. “Whatever skeletons he has in his closet, he’s scared of us finding out. I don’t think he’s hiding it out of malice. I can tell he really likes you, and me, of course.”

“He’s never even mentioned a brother before,” He mused. “I could’ve sworn he said he was an only child.” Clay liked Wes; he was a chill guy. Yet there was something he didn’t trust. Maybe it was because he was a reporter and he was a cop? Natural enemies really when a reporter twists the truth for their own gain. Wesley had no stake in Eden. He wasn’t from here. He stood out like a sore thumb in that stupid blazer he wore. Even the Northies didn’t dress that nice. Unfortunately, Clay’s instincts usually turned out right and his instinct now was telling him that Mr Silo had things hidden, things didn’t want his crack team of super sleuths to know.

“You want me to dig?”

Shaking her head, Kylee placed the folders on top of her laptop, “No that’s fine. If I get too worried, I’ll do it myself. I’m going to give him a little more time. For once, I want to believe what I have is a good thing.” Kylee didn’t regret her past lovers but it always led to a place that left her hurt and confused. Pierce was gay and he died in her arms. That was two times she faced heartbreak, one more painful than the other. Natalia was great but she had her own demons that clashed with hers. It was hard to focus on the Queen bee when Kylee could barely focus on herself. “Thank you though. I’m really glad we’ve gotten closer. I was a little scared after Roddy left. I don’t really have many friends.” Kylee’s expression saddened, and when it did she focused on putting everything away in her laptop bag.

“I know,” Clay looked at her soft face. He had known this girl pretty much her entire life and she always had this sad look on her face, like she was being haunted. When she was around Roddy, it was replaced with the brightest smile in the world. His cousin had asked Clay to watch out for his friend and he would. Rod was more like a brother to him and brothers take care of what they need to. It’s a shame he couldn’t do that for his actual sibling. “I’ve got you, Ky, whatever you need.”

Clay took a mouthful of his root beer and let out an enormous burp. The patrons around them looked disgusted and even Wes on the phone several metres away turned to roll his eyes. “I gotta take a shit,” he said nonchalantly as he got up to his feet. “Do me a favour? Stop teasing or I’m showing Wes your junior high prom photos. You know the ones.” Clayton grinned as he walked by the girl, lovingly propping her chin up as he did.

He waited for the Lad behind the counter to turn away before slipping around the other side and into the back office. Clay casually locked the door behind him as he gazed upon Cat feverishly working away. “What’s cookin’ good lookin’?”

Startled, having been hyper focused on bookkeeping, going over her finances, and seeing how much she could take away from her husband in the settlement, Caterina put her hand on her chest and aggressively whispered, “What are you doing in here?” She needed to get used to Clay’s spontaneousness. She needed to get used to… well, Clay being her man.

This would be the first time he’s gone into her office, which was a micro living space with bold colors like red/orange and blue/green shades to make the white walls pop. The atmosphere was peaceful, vintage, and natural. It had a daybed, coffee table, a small dresser-like side table, a desk situation, a mini fridge, and decor galore. For a small space, Cat made sure to make it her own. She spent more time than she would like to admit here and it was her home away from home.

Her desk had a mess of papers everywhere and if Clay wasn’t only paying attention to the woman of his dreams, he would notice peeking and buried under all the papers a Civil Service Test guide, sticky notes all over a notebook like a checklist of books she needed to read, and inside the notebook were extensive notes. Her own written study guide. She had told no one of her thoughts of becoming a police officer. It had been on her mind for the past six months. With the police exam creeping up, she decided to commit. If she passed, she could be a police officer by December. If she passed.

Standing up, taking off her reading glasses, Cat made her way to the deviant and crossed her arms, “Are you trying to get me in trouble?”

“I was totally stealth it’s fine.”

God’s favourite idiot found that sneaking around and stealing moments together was fun and exhilarating. Cat wasn’t the first married woman that Clay had slept with but she was the first that he was in love with. She was the first who wanted him back for more than just his body and attention. No matter how much serotonin hiding from the world gave him, he couldn’t help but long for the day he could sing upon the mountain top and exclaim that Cat was his. “If you want to get in trouble, I locked the door,” He teased.

“Of course you did,” Cat strolled forward, easing into his bubble. Without hesitation, like she had done yesterday before they broached the topic of their first kiss, she let her hands trail up his chest until they were resting on his shoulders, “Don’t you have work?” Cat said in a hushed tone, still cautious of anyone hearing them. While she loved this time and attention, and the sex, the sex was fantastic, they still had responsibilities. They still had jobs and people to protect. In a tender way, not sexual, she pushed herself up and delicately pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes in the process. At his lips’ touch she radiated with happiness. It had been a long time since she looked forward to someone and enjoyed their company. Pulling away, but not too far, just inches, she lovingly brushed her nose against his and stared fixedly up at him with her serene hazel eyes, “Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean we should forget our priorities.”

Dating.

“I love that you said that, dating.” Clay leant in for another hit of his favourite drug as he kissed her again. He was living a dream come true with Cat right now and he certainly didn’t want to wake up from it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and locked his fingers at the small of her back. “I won’t forget anything, I’ve got patrol down on the Southside in an hour but I didn’t want to go without seeing you first.”

Before they were together, Clay would still stop by the shop to grab a sandwich before his shift, that was his usual excuse to see Cat. She always gave him the energy to tackle the tough day or night he had ahead of him. Now that they’d taken the step into a new direction together, the reason for seeing her wasn’t for energy, it was in case he didn’t come back. There was a war on those streets and not every soldier gets to come home. “You look busy so I won’t stay, just wanted to see you.”

“Well, yeah, I’m busy,” She sarcastically admitted. “How do you expect us to go public if I’m still married?” Giving him a quick peck, she pulled away, “I’m happy you came to see me! I lost track of time,” She paused and wondered if this was the right time to tell him that she was selling The Godmother. He seemed happy. She didn’t want to ruin his mood about her change in aspirations. There didn’t seem much of a point bringing up unnecessary information until they crossed that bridge.

“Oh, before I forget,” She paused once more and wondered if it would be too dangerous to have him over her place, instead of his. Then again, she lived for danger. Clay was her dirty little secret and she wanted to have fun with that. It wasn’t like her husband was home and the kids were gone… “My house is going to be so lonely this weekend,” She impishly grinned, “Could use the company.”

Oh she was bad. There was a safety in her coming to his place. Clay lived alone and away from the prying eyes of any of her friends; him going round her place? That was dangerous and he was definitely into it. The Cat that he had experienced over the past forty eight hours was something special. She had been the Kitty that he had loved all this time. She was so full of life, so full of energy. She was happy. Now he was a little scared because Cat was happy and it was because of him, Clay realised that he could dash just as quickly as they had found it if he got himself hurt or worse. Edenridge was a hellmouth after all.

“I’m working all weekend but leave a light on for me?”

“Okay…” Cat slowly, gingerly, teasingly unbuttoned her top. “And how about now?” She could make time for him. He went all this way to visit her after all. It was the least she could do. “Or you can go, the doors over there,” she smirked. Clayton had unlocked a side of Cat that had laid dormant for years. Around him, she could be herself and he’d still love her for it.

Goddamn. Cat loved to play games: of that Clay had become certain. He looked down as she undid her top and a shit eating grin crossed his face. He was so happy. “I’ve got time, always time for you, Kitty.” He pulled off her shirt and took the gorgeous brunette's lips between his. Physicality had very quickly become a staple in their young relationship. Yet sex wasn’t the only thing. The day prior they just talked and talked and explored each other’s souls in a way that neither had before. But yeah the sex was also fantastic. Clay turned Cat around and pinned her against the door. He began to kiss the nape of her neck. “You’re a bad influence on me, babe.”

“Uh-huh, says you who came here for a piece of cake,” Her hands slid down from behind her back, Cat was indeed a flexible woman, as she started undoing his pants, “Are you saying we’re bad for each other?” She whispered, glancing up at him from behind, before licking his lips.

“You’re the worst and I love it.” Clay deeply kissed his dream woman again as they fell into each other against the wall in her office. They were lost in one another as they had been for days. It was blissful.

Back outside Wes returned to the Scooby Crew’s table and smiled at his new girlfriend. “Sorry about that, where’s Clay?”

“Taking a shit,” Kylee responded matter-of-factly. With all the things packed up and the check paid, Kylee stood up with her laptop bag hanging over her shoulder, “It’ll be a while. Said something about diarrhea. Come on, handsome.” The mayor’s daughter turned on her heel to go beside her boyfriend before slapping his ass, “What’s next on our to-do list?” Kylee beamed up at him, trying to push her worry aside, “Oh, and I hope your talk with your brother went well!”

“Yeah it was fine. He just wanted to talk about some stuff,” Wes wasn’t used to the public displays of affection yet. He was trying because this was what Kylee wanted but it didn’t make it any less difficult. Not to say he didn’t enjoy her flirtiness. He was down for whatever she wanted because he just found himself desperate to make her happy. “I’ve got an appointment with the pathologist’s office later, so I’ve got some time to kill.”

“Well then,” Kylee hooked onto his arm, hating how vague he was being but giving him the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn’t hurt her, she hoped. He just didn’t trust her enough right now. She would need to earn it. “Let’s be spontaneous. Take me somewhere, anywhere. Your choice.” Her gaze wasn’t as playful as usual because really, as much as she was having fun with him, she wanted him to let his guard down like she did with him. Or at least communicate when she was being too much. Wesley made her more insecure about herself than when they weren’t together. Kylee didn’t want this to be another mistake on her list. She wanted him to really like her.

Ky was really trying. Wes was beginning to struggle to understand why she was even interested in him. He was not very forthcoming, about anything, anything at all. Yet here she was, trying to get him to take her somewhere special to him. He could do that easily if they were a few miles down the road in Pinehurst but he couldn’t do that; she couldn’t know that that’s where he was from. Maybe it was time to let her in? To give her something true and honest and something that wasn’t part of the performance. She didn’t know anything about him really, it was time she did.

“You’re gonna think this is super nerdy and leave me straight away but…” He scratched the back of his curly head and offered the woman a crooked unsure smile. “You wanna go to the comic book store?”

With this news, Kylee’s interest peaked. He got her attention and she giggled, “I didn’t know you were a geek! You totally don’t look like it.” Her hook on his arm tightened, “Yes, I’d love to but first I need to know, Marvel or DC?”

“Neither,” Wesley responded matter of factly as he began to walk with his girlfriend away from the Godmothers. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them both but I prefer indie comics. My Dad has his own comic, I also love this new guy, Spike Langley. His stuff is amazing.” He was trying to give her insight into him, something honest he could say that wouldn’t affect the way she saw him. “You ok with dating a nerd?”

“Nerd is such a subjective term,” Kylee let him lead the way, all the while paying attention to his every move, from small mannerisms to his tone, “My best friend calls me Velma. I get hyper fixated on projects - I have binders filled with Edenridge History when I was interested in some of the serial killers and just understanding the ‘root of evil’.” Kylee admitted, saying that last part dramatically. She truly believed if it wasn’t for the Carlisle family, maybe Edenridge wouldn’t be a bad place, “Wouldn’t you say that makes me a nerd too?”

“Absolutely,” Wes grinned at her own confession. She was more like him than she would probably ever know. As they smiled at each other, he couldn’t help but ponder something he sadly hadn’t before; what would happen when his work was done? Kylee and him would probably over, if not one way then definitely the other. “But you’re my nerd.”

“And you’re all mine, Wesley.”

Hopefully for the long haul.