Eloise “Lolly” Anderson, a.k.a. Echo from the Midnight Society, b.k.a Lydia Anderson’s little sister, c.k.a the one that watched Q’s head get blown to smithereens, was in her gaming chair playing Valorant. She mained Neon who was a total badass. Filipino, just like her. High energy and fun, just like her, at least when she did leave the house and had a social life with Q, Dal, Dean, Oz, Aves, Rosie, and Violet. Now she spends her days gaming all day, everyday. She spent a good year playing League with Marco Brady. Lately though, he hasn’t been as free, which is sad. It sucked when people in her life started having lives.

No matter! Lolly didn’t need any of that! Lolly had everything she needed right here in her bedroom like this TapSiLog plate her Nay fixed for her. On the character sheet screen, having finished a game and loading up for her next, Lolly quickly shoveled the Tapa in her mouth and picked her character. Her love. Her wife. Neon. Lolly liked to consider herself the best gamer that Edenridge had to offer but she didn’t play to win. She played to make friends. Friends with little expectation to ever meet her or want her to visit. There was no need for her to stray away from the nest. Her safehouse.

As for her room, it wasn't disastrous like the rest of the house. Her Nay was a hoarder so making your way to her room was a challenge in itself, but her room itself was comfy, warm, and clean. Smelt good as hell too, tropical and fruity. Just like a nice summer holiday in the Philippines. She loved her room.

Her bed was perfectly made with the softest of blankets and cloud-like pillows. If she did sleep, that would be an amazing place to crash, but she didn’t. If she passed out, it usually was on the chair she was sitting on, this very moment. She had a mini fridge and a microwave and she had energy drinks and bad snacks galore. In terms of decor, it was a cross between her filipino culture — like baskets and frames made out of Raffia palm fiber, or her Mother of Pearl Shells Night Lamp since her country had an abundance in marine life — and geek memorabilia. She was a major geek and a smartass nerd at that.

That was beside the point.

Framed right above her computer were signed autographs from her idols. Like one from Spike Langley! Her and her friends even got a picture with him. One of the last pictures of the Midnight Society together. Couple years back Q took her, Dal, and Dean to Boston Comic Con. Meeting Spike was so cool. Nerdgasm aside, Lolly was content with her little piece of heaven she named her Castle in the Sky. If people wanted to see her, they knew to just come inside. Nine out of ten times she was NOT going to open the door.

Rolling her shoulders, only half ignoring the person in her room sitting on her bed, Lolly prepared for her next game, while explaining it to the other woman, “Do you game Mrs. Shannon? If so, what games? This game you’re either on a bomber team, THE ENEMY, or defending the sites. Defenders win if you kill the foes, blast them, or if you defuse the spike, while attackers, obvi, kill the enemy or KA-BOOM!” The game cued up and she went in, ready to attack, she was ENEMY NUMBER 1.

“Games were never really my thing.”

Shannon very rarely did house calls. She wasn’t against it by any means but the idea of a patient coming to her office was there for a reason. It wasn’t for her benefit, it was for theirs. It was supposed to be a neutral space, free of any worry, doubts, anger or pain that someone may be suffering. It was like Switzerland, a place for those who just need some free ground to talk about what troubles them. It was the perfect place for Shannon to conduct her business. Lolly was one one of a few special cases on her files that needed the mother of two to leave her office.

The practice, which sat on Silver Oak Way, was once her husband's childhood home. Will was the oldest of four, son of local legends Wayne Ramsey and his wife Gail. Wayne was famous in town for his actions during the Camp Eden Massacre of 1974. He barely spoke English but had managed to secure himself a place as a counselor at the newly opened camp. When the Hangman attacked, it was Wayne who protected the children. He fought off the serial killer and held his ground at the mess hall until the authorities arrived. This one, selfless act set the tone for his future. The town accepted him and in return he accepted the town. Wayne funded much of the Southside for a long time before moving away with his wife and passing the reins to the Gonzalez family. The house was Wayne’s wedding gift to Shannon and Will.

Shannon herself grew up on the Southside. Her parents didn’t have a lot. Well they didn’t really have anything. When it became apparent that she had a high IQ, the Ling family's dreams rested very much upon Shannon’s shoulders. She was a mathlete, a chess club champion, a Clover at one point and she was sought after by many of Eden’s most eligible. But Shannon only ever had eyes for one boy, Sly James. They dated for a long time and the way it ended was still a blade in her side all those years later. Still, she loved Will. God she loved him.

“How have you been since our last session. Lolly?”

“PLANT THE BOMB! COME ON GUYS!” Lolly yelled at her teammates before muting her mic and responding to her therapist, never taking her eyes away from the screen, “Nothin’ new boss. I’m vibin’. Survivin’. Full on thrivin’.” Lolly gritted her teeth when she saw one of her teammates get shot down. “Bastards,” She muttered under her breath. “One second!” She glanced over at Shannon, before quickly bringing mayhem upon the field. Die. Die. Die.

Hehehe.

She was a boss bitch. Worship her losers! There was no one who could take her and Neon down. With most of the good team gone, she had one more problem to deal with. “Actually, that isn’t true. One of my friends hasn't been on a lot. I miss him. Did you know while he was recovering, ‘cuz the shooting messed him up, that he spent a whole year, just gaming with me? God, what a life. What a dream. I guess now he has better things to do.” The last part came off bitter because she knew that Marco was getting better, he was moving forward, she was not. “Like get a BOYFRIEND.” Yepp, she was totally bitter.

Shannon sat on the bed taking notes. It wasn’t unusual for Lolly not to make immediate social contact with her. This was nothing new. Much of the young girl's issues could be tackled by social interaction; this was realistically the best medication and therapy she could have. Even now, as they sat in the unGodly hot bedroom, Lolly was online talking to people, lost in a fantasy world with her online friends. Of course, Shannon would prefer interaction with others in a more live action setting but this was progress from where she had previously been.

The shooting at Edenridge High had provided Shannon Ramsey with a list of many new clients. Most of them were there that day, either watching Charlie Decker’s rampage or suffering through wounds he had inflicted upon them. Lolly was one of the former. She had watched as Quinton Woods met up with Charlie in the hallway, words were exchanged and Quinton was blasted in the face with a shotgun. Needless to say he died instantly. Lolly Anderson watched the whole thing. When Roddy Callahan, who had ran into the school in an attempt to help, guided her out of the building B, she was covered in Quinton’s blood. In so many ways, even to this day, she still was.

“And what about you?” She asked. “Have you been researching like I asked to see what else you might be willing to do outside these four walls? There’s a lot of opportunities out there for strong ass Asian girls like us.”

As if the gods were timed to benefit Shannon, or she had talked to Lolly’s mother (plotting an experiment), the electricity of the house turned off, forcing Eloise’s computer to shut down. “W-what! No, no, no! I was JUST about to win.” Getting up from her seat, she rushed to the window to see the weather, “It hasn’t even started raining yet! Why are we having an outage? NAY! NAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! THE LIGHTS TURNED THE FU-- FUDGE OFF!”

“Lolly?” Shannon tilted her head and offered up a warm, comforting smile to the young girl. She reached out her hand. “It’s gonna be ok. Come here, we’ll talk until the power is back on and then I’ll leave you to your game. Sound like a plan?” This would be a first. Lolly Anderson without any gaming stimuli. This would be a true test of Mrs Ramsey’s abilities as a therapist. “So, how about this? Ask me a question. Any question you want about anything and I’ll give you a God’s honest answer? Then I’ll do the same.”

“Oh… well…” Eloise’s demeanor changed drastically, no longer having her PC to distract her. The once outspoken gamer girl was now a shell of a person, her purpose non-existent. Video games covered up her pain easily but without them? It was clear she didn’t know how to act or what to do with herself. Now she was in the dark, only the light coming from the window to guide her, with her therapist.

Hesitant, Lolly stood at the window looking at Shannon and the hand she offered. Maybe she wouldn’t ask about the past? It was a risk to trust her but maybe that’s what Q would’ve wanted her to do. He did love Mei and this was her mother. Sucking her lips inward, Lolly shuffled closer to Shannon and grabbed her hand. When she did so, she was pulled beside the older woman and found herself sitting beside her, like friends would if they stood up all night talking about anything and everything.

Making a popping sound with her lips, Lolly held the woman’s hand in both of hers and stared at it. “A question…” She said out loud, trying to gather all the thoughts she had of Mrs. Ramsey and if she wanted to know anything about her. She hadn’t needed to do this since… well, since Dallas introduced Q, Dean, Avery, and the rest of the Swerve Arcana crew to her. To make friends you have to show you care and that you want to know more about them beyond what was on the surface. On the surface, Mrs. Ramsey seemed to have it all together. She was such a strong woman. Confident too. On the surface, she seemed happy. With a lovely KICKASS husband (Will was cool, she liked him. He was a NINJA), a good paying job, and stupidly hot daughters.

Reagan was like a dominatrix fetish while Mei was a hot-goth-girl-wet-dream. She might’ve not attended Edenridge High, and being on the school grounds during the shooting was pure bad luck on her part, but she knew faces. When you’ve lived here all your life you start to know names. Plus, she has the internet! It’s easy to look up intel when you have the internet on your side.

“I guess,” Lolly started playing with Shannon’s hand, like it was an item you fidget with when you’re nervous, “How did you become so… perfect? My mom is a mess, she’s made me scared of the world… my dad’s a mess, he isn't always there, if that makes sense. Like he’s here. Physically. But a lot of times it’s like I’m talking to a ghost? Lydia tells me he’s gotten better since her mama died, but it still is hard to talk to him. And like, Lydia tries. She really does. But I know she’s so sad. She lost her mom, her best friend, she hasn’t told many people but… she lost a baby too. She’s just really sad but she always tries to take care of us. I don’t know. You seem happy, there must be a secret. What’s yours?”

Shannon’s dark eyes fell upon Lolly’s hands as they played with her own. She had seen this sort of behaviour in kids with ADHD, ADD or even just hyperactivity. It was a comforting gesture for them, so she allowed it to continue. She didn’t really mind, “Perfect? I’m so far from perfect, Lolly, it’s not even funny,” The therapist offered up her youthful smile to the young girl. She wanted her to know that she was her friend as well as her doctor. “But, I can tell you how I keep myself together.” The older woman had to compartmentalise the part about Lydia having an abortion. She had not told her that! Still, it wasn’t her place to bring it up when they were together, Lyds would tell her in her own time,

“My mother was a Southsider. Bit of a mess actually. She met my Dad, who could barely speak a lick of English when he found his way to Eden from Beijing. If anything it was a marriage of convenience to start but eventually, love did blossom. You know I didn’t speak English until I was ten? My father insisted I speak only Mandarin but my mother, who was of Irish descent, used to teach me English on the side. It became clear to me, as a Southsider that less was expected of me, that I would just be another statistic. I HATED that. The very idea offended me. I always wanted more.”

Shannon took Lolly’s hand in between her own and held them gently, motherly. “So I worked my ass off. I had a boyfriend, total dreamboat, still is but we went our different ways. I focused solely on my education, which I know, Asian stereotype but it was just the way it was. I saw all these kids around fighting drugs and poverty and violence and I needed to help but I also needed to be better. I had to be better.” She glanced out of the window at her home, her town. Despite all the years of schooling and education, she would never leave. She hadn’t finished yet. “When I got my PHD, I came back, set up shop and decided to try and better the people I cared about. The kids. Like you, Lolly. I want to make you better and give you a chance that so many of my friends and family never got. So, how do I keep myself together? What’s my secret? You are. My kids are. Helping you. No matter what happens elsewhere in my life, the good and the bad. What makes me perfect, is making you feel better.”

“So you’re either telling me to have kids, which is wild because I’m a kid myself, become a therapist like you, which is also wild because I shouldn’t be telling people how to live their life when I don’t ever want to leave my room, or that… helping others helps make you feel better, which could do the same for me?” This was a lot for Eloise to process. She didn’t want to be a mother! Her mother could barely be a mother. The world would end if people came to her for advice like they went to Mrs. Ramsey, or hell, Avery! Some people were built differently. “I will say RIGHT NOW. I’ve never even DATED before! So the kids is a no go. Operation FAIL.”

Letting out a soft giggle, Shannon’s smile widened. She really liked Lolly. She reminded her a lot of herself when she was her age. Except by that point in her life, Shannon was a stone cold bitch slapping the taste out of the mouths of anyone that looked at her funny. You could take the girl out of the Southside…”No honey, I’m not telling you to have kids or anything of that sort. My point is that we all need something that drives us. That pushes us. That grabs us and drags us kicking and screaming into the light even if we think we don’t want it to. For me, that’s therapy. For you, it could be games. Writing. An outlet for your feelings but also something that helps build you up,” She gestured to the surrounding nerd shrine that encased the two raven-haired women. “And for the record, I was a total dweeb when I was your age. Small towns like this, not big fans of the little yellow girl with an accent. Took me a while to get into the dating game.”

“Is that your question?” Lolly gazed up at the motherly figure, not sure if this was her asking what she was going to do to make herself better or not, or if she was simply stating what helped her. “We both know games help, to a point. And I imagine writing would do the same. All my hobbies would help, to a point. But they’re also part of the problem,” The Filipino girl earnestly admitted.

"My question, Eloise…" She used the young girl's full name for emphasis as any good mother would. "…not thinking about Lydia or your parents. What would make you happy? What my little love, do you want?”

Woof. That was a loaded question. “I don’t really have a purpose, Mrs. Shannon. Like… everything I do is like clockwork. At least when—” Eloise looked away from her therapist, biting the inside of her cheek in hopes that she wouldn’t get sad at the mention of his name, “—At least when… Q… was alive, I had a family and I had adventures. Dal comes to see me occasionally, she’s my best friend, but I have a hard time seeing Dean. He was so close to Q and I’m sure when he heard how, how things went, I can only imagine. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I don’t know where I want to go but I do know what I miss. I miss my family and I miss our adventures.”

There it was. Adventures. Shannon couldn’t bring back Quinton Woods and she couldn’t guarantee that her friends would be the same. They had all gone through so much pain, much like her own youngest. Mei, for all her bravado and all her gutter talk, was still absolutely terrified. Waking up every night to her screaming Charlie’s name, clutching at the fresh scar on her neck as it wept puss and blood. It broke Shannon’s heart. Yet the one thing Mei could never lose was her adventurous spirit. ”Then I think I have your next homework assignment. Before our next session, Lolly, I want you to go on an adventure. I want you to leave these four walls, talk to a stranger and see what happens. Feel the wind on your face, the rain in your hands….” The woman’s lips parted as she smiled a little more, remembering something Mei had once told her about Q’s little club, his society. ”I submit for the approval of the Midnight Society, the Tale of Eloise the Adventurer”

“I…” Lolly thought about Shannon’s words and all the people she missed, all the adventures of her past and how reliant she was on everyone else to start something. Very unlike her DnD character named after one of her role models. Oz the Changeling. Oz was a risk taker. They got into a lot of trouble and a lot of messes but at least they lived. “I can do that. Yeah, I’ll go all Indiana Jones in this piece. Edenridge won’t know what hit ‘em!”

”Then I guess our time is up for this week.” Almost supernaturally, the paper all of a sudden returned. Shannon let her eyes adjust a little to the light before standing up and brushing a loose strand of hair behind Lolly’s ear. ”Onwards to adventure, little love.”

“You too, Mrs. Shannon! Adventure isn’t just for kids like me, even if you do have therapy. I’d love to hear about one of your adventures next time too.” Lolly proudly stood up, feeling accomplished that she survived this session. And as if the gods were back in her favor, the electricity turned on! But instead of jumping to her computer, she went to her bulletboard and took off the picture of her Swerve family. The Midnight Society. Maybe going outside again wouldn’t be so bad.

Francis Dawson, while leaned back against his kitchen counter with a large cup of coffee in his hand, stared across the space before him and through the open door of his oldest son’s bedroom. Said son was halfway to the floor, most of his body hanging off the bed, and the only thing keeping him from meeting the ground was the fact that his best friend had collapsed into the bed with him when they got home and effectively trapped Ollie’s left limbs beneath all his dead weight. He worried about both his boys, but while recently Chase had been on a steady rise with a few fall offs it was like Oliver had stopped trying completely, on a constant spiraling race to drink himself out of a liver before he reached his mid-twenties. And much like it had been since almost the moment they had met, Callum was on a slow slide down with him. Francis sipped at his coffee and thought about the fact that his own choices when he was young ruined the life of one child and was dragging another few down with him for good measure. Callum’s relationship with Dolce was being threatened because of their latest antics, and the ex-serpent couldn’t help but blame himself for it all, despite knowing he was just as much a victim of circumstance as the rest of them. Every part of this town was cursed in its own way, every person being slowly dragged down by their own demons and delusions.

He was supposed to be a responsible adult for these kids and he let them turn into alcoholics before they even legally could be. At least Brandi and Jackson Branson have the excuse of being out of town on jobs a shitton, which had left much of Callum’s childhood in the hands of those they trusted such as the Bookers, the Britesons and Kraeters, and the Dawsons themselves. Sometimes, when the world feels so heavy on his shoulders, he wonders about just how devastatingly crushing the weight had to be for all their kids and he feels aged well beyond his thirty seven years.

Oliver finally plummeting to the floor temporarily brought him out of his thoughts and he focused back on the scene to see that Callum had rolled over in his sleep, leaving his friend’s now freed limbs to follow him to the floor. The noise had caused the lighter blonde to wake up as well, so Francis took this time to set his mug down and pull two of the glass mason jars that they used as cups down from the cabinets. Filling them up with water from the tap, he opened the cabinet to the left of the sink and pulled out the box of alka seltzer tablets. He dropped one in each glass and waited for the two sleeping beauties to stumble into the kitchen, going back to his coffee and checking his phone for the time and any messages from his sober son.

Chase, TNT, whatever you wanted to call him, wasn’t so much someone he failed and was trying to do right by as he was someone who had been failed by everyone else before him and little Conan had been brought into the Dawson family. Francis and Fiona had brought the Warren brothers into their home at the behest of Oliver, who had seen something in the two boys that told the other child they needed the same safety and security he was getting. The two adults had agreed, and soon they had a full house for the first time since buying the damn thing- aside from Coldhands bringing Jade over every now and then, of course, but there had never been anything constant. They were aware that they were in over their heads before they even started, but Edenridge didn’t exactly have an active network of foster or adoptive parents, especially not ones willing to try their damndest at raising severely scarred and discarded children. Hell, the first couple of months were just finding out about and then avoiding or slowly dismantling most of the triggers the Warren boys had, and after that came the bonding and the teaching of their old trade.

It wasn’t meant to be training to become Serpents, it was just something that the two adults knew how to do and how to teach. Fire and Demolitions to the Dawson parents was the same as showing your kids how to bake or how to fix a car- which, well, as a mechanic Francis also taught his kids shit about cars, but the point remains. It was during these times that Fiona took to calling their kids Sparky while Francis started referring to them as his Little Firecrackers, and the two of them believed that that was probably the first time either Warren boy had heard a proper term of endearment, judging by their nonplussed reactions as Oliver smiled bright as a sunny day beside them. It had been such a good year together, and Francis remembers how happy he had been as he held his wife while their sons worked with duds and diagrams to figure out proper wiring; how warm he’d felt as he’d kissed her in the light of the fire the first time their kids threw a molotov cocktail, safe in a zone of Phil’s junkyard that he’d specifically created for the Serpents, his wife laughing against his lips as her niece sat on a scrapped out car hood and yelled backhanded encouragements; how scared and confused he was as he caught her when her coughing got so bad she couldn’t catch her breath and her legs gave out. It had been the day she was trying to give them a present: personalized and engraved zippo lighters to celebrate how much they’d learned and all the time they spent together. They had all been at her hospital bedside when she took her last breath, all the family that Fiona loved, and Francis had had to restrain and carry out an exploding Chase while Oliver grabbed Conan by one hand and Charlie Taylor with the other and followed after with Jade finishing the chain, tears streaming down all their faces. He didn’t even want to think about how he would have handled that without his soul brother, Fiona’s blood brother, there as well. Charlie Taylor was and still is Francis' best friend and brother, and his and Jade's continued presence in their lives after the loss of Fiona kept Francis from hitting rock bottom and failing his children even more.

“Pop, you ok?”

Francis looked down a little into the concerned eyes of his awake and freshly showered son, the younger man in his personal space but not touching him yet. The mechanic realized he had zoned out completely while staring at Chase’s profile picture in his phone, his coffee had gone cold in his other hand and the boys had already grabbed the jars of fizzing water he’d left for them on the counter. He set everything on the counter and opened his arms for the blonde, enveloping him in a bear hug and resting his chin atop his son’s head as soon as he’d stepped into the embrace. They still had time before they had to head out.

“I’m alright Ollie, I was just thinkin’ about y’all and got lost in thought,” He said when they parted and Oliver went to sit at the table to sip at his drink. “Cal in the shower?”

“Yeah, I got first dibs since he dropped me outta my own bed,” Ollie grinned, as if he’d won something important. It was the little things in life, he supposed. “He should be out soon, you were zonin’ for a while.”

“Right…” He replied, thinking of their guest’s situation. “And are he and Dolce gonna be able to keep their cool? This is about Chase right now, and gettin’ to know someone he’s chosen, this is important,” he stressed, watching his son shift in his seat. "Jade's already MIA so far, I was plannin' on checkin' up on her after all this if she still doesn't reply to any of our texts."

“Jade's fallen off before, but a month is a pretty long time, even for her," the blonde agreed, feeling worry for his cousin, who'd been ghosting damn near everyone since the confrontation at Carlisle house. "And I dunno, Dutch was really pissed at him about us bein’ at the Doc’s place last night,” Ollie grumbled, looking up to his father. “But they know they’re supposed to behave.”

“That’s a vague order,” He grumbled back, sipping at his cold coffee with a determination to finish it. “I guess we’ll handle it like we always do.”

“Right,” Oliver agreed with a sigh, dropping his head into his arms where they rested on the table. “Christ Pop, I’m tired.” Francis knew his son well enough to know the young man wasn’t talking about physical exhaustion, and not for the time he wished he could give the blonde a new life to thrive in. To give both his remaining sons that chance. No more deaths, no more traumas, no more losing themselves piece by crumbling piece.

“Me too, Ollie, me too.”

“Y’all havin’ a heart ta heart in here?” Callum asked as he entered the kitchen, clad in the clothes he’d been keeping in one of Olivers drawers for years and rubbing the water out of his hair with Oliver’s towel. He perked up at the sight of Francis’ coffee. “Got any left?”

Francis looked from his mug to the excited blonde before him and sighed before turning around to pop the cup in the microwave for a minute. Callum dropped into the seat next to Oliver while they waited for the microwave to beep. When it did, Francis took the mug out and poured the once more steaming coffee into his dented thermos. As he walked by the two boys, he let the thermos lightly thump against a distracted Callum’s head, prompting the debt collector to grab the thermos and rub at the sore spot while Oliver laughed next to him.

“Take this ya little brat,” Francis said, grabbing the keys to his 1985 Dodge Ram Prospector and heading to the front door. “And take it on the road, we gotta get to the picnic at Lyon’s.”

“Yessir.” Callum called, standing up and pulling Oliver with him. Together, they all made their way out to the truck and got on the road. The roughhousing between the two started almost immediately, and Francis had just knocked their heads together to get them to stop when his phone dings with a new message.

“It’s from Prof,” Oliver said after reaching across Callum and grabbing his father’s phone. He quoted out the message to his father as the older man continued to drive, “’Prep didn’t go as planned, may need to 86 the picnic and find somewhere else. Wings everywhere. TNT close to exploding.’..Yeesh, we haven’t even gotten there yet,” he commented as his father pressed further on the gas, their backs sinking into the torn leather with the sudden force. Unlike his brother’s sudden decrease in speed when he hit the breaks this morning, Oliver felt none of the sudden panic at Francis’ rapid acceleration. The only worry in his chest at the moment was for that of his brother. And, well… “Has this Tiffany girl seen him go off yet?”

“Probably not,” Francis answered distractedly, now focused on getting to his emotionally fragile son. Well, the other one. “We’ll cross that bridge later. Text him back that we’re a couple minutes out.”

Hold on Little Firecracker, I’m comin’.

Marco walked down main street and he was about halfway to the Hole in the Wall. He had his raycon earbuds in, blasting some song from his Naruto playlist, the Rock Lee Green Beast theme (which was his go to hype song), Marco was in the mood to put it on after he left the Godmother. His talk with Cat had sent him down a rabbit hole of thoughts, feelings, and a certain resistance he had in hyping up this meetup with Penolope.

As much as he tried, though, Marco couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what he kept thinking about since last week. She was close to Charlie Decker and Marco had still felt some tinge of anxiety. Even as he walked and had the projection of Cat on his shoulder urging him to not put too much stock into it and let whatever happen, happen in a natural way. He even heard Danny’s voice.

Those Belmontes were a lot of things. Huggers? Well Danny was only because he was Marco’s boyfriend, but not Cat. But they were sensible, comforting, and morally the best people he knew. He might’ve been making everything up and this was his conscious trying to set him straight. Or the voice in his head. Or maybe it was him.

God, Marco, you need to get a handle on this. It’s just dinner. It’s just dinner.

As he walked through the entrance and he had removed one of his earbuds, the sound of the bell above the door startled Marco enough that he dropped the bud on the floor, the sound of the Beautiful Green Wild Beast playing loud enough that he could still hear it as he leaned down to pick it up. He groaned as he pushed off his bad left leg and waved to someone, likely a Cleary, scanning the immediate restaurant floor and at each table looking to see if she was here.

And she was.

And she hadn’t realized Marco was here. Marco couldn’t see exactly where, but as he walked and had pocketed his raycon earbuds in the case and pocketed them, he got closer to the booth she seemed to already be sitting at. It was at the far corner, where the music wasn’t as loud. Somewhere they could hear each other speak. Smiling, he stood opposite of a seated Penolope, waving. “Hey..” As he spoke, his gut started to twist itself. It was too late to go back now. “S-sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” Marco said as he took a seat on the other end of the table. The cushion was nice. It felt nice on his butt considering he had been on his feet practically all day.

“You’re fine,” Penelope covered her anxiety with a timid smile. After pushing a menu to him, she opened her own and tried to start things off, immediately jumping into it, “I spent all my life waiting. Waiting for my friends to invite me to their serpent adventures, waiting for my dad to come home because I was always scared he wouldn’t, waiting for Charlie to…” Hiding her face with the menu, she took a breath in, and breath out, she wanted this. She had to talk. If she wanted Marco to open up, she had to be honest. “... waiting for him to ask me out…” Her voice went extremely low at the mention of her and Charlie never becoming an item. As her eyes scanned the menu, she mumbled, hardly audible, “Waiting… So yeah, you’re fine.”

As Marco took the menu and looked through it, he just listened to Penelope talk. He didn’t know what he could say after she was done, but hearing her speak in such a melancholy way, he couldn't help but feel sad for everything it seemed she went through. As he thought about what to say, because silence had taken the air around them for nearly ten seconds and he still had the same nervousness he had before coming here. “I’m..sorry..i mean, that you had to go through that. I…understand what it's like, worrying about your dad. Mine’s a cop and there’s always…that fear of not knowing if things are going to go bad for him.” Marco never opened up about that, but he couldn’t just remain silent, not when she needed that from him.

“I’m making peace. With what I went through, I mean,” Penelope shrugged, finding her footing once more. The Hole was more of a bar than a restaurant. They served hand foods for the most part but other than that, you came to the Hole for the craft beer. Not the food. Though they did have amazing wings. So correction. You came to the Hole for craft beer and wings. “My dad loves it, being a cop, so that’s got to mean something, right?”

Once Poppy asked that rhetorical question to the thin air the waitress approached them. The James girl was quick to order honey bbq wings on the bone, a side of fries, and a coke. She could get a drink, since they didn’t really card in Edenridge, but she wanted to spend her time with Marco sober. If she needed liquid courage was she really doing right by herself, as she tried to bring closure to Charlie’s victims? Maybe another day they could go out drinking. Tonight she wanted to focus on him. “Thanks, by the way. For meeting me for dinner.”

After Penlope ordered her food, Marco was quick to do the same. He went a different route with the wings. He opted for classic buffalo style, also on the bone, potato wedges, and Mountain Dew: Code Red. Was he showing his gamer identity in public? Only if the waitress was a fellow gamer. He drank code red almost religiously for the past year. He has a mini-fridge in his room and it has it and oreo cakesters.

He closed the menu and the waitress walked away with both of them. Smiling at Penelope, he said, “Yeah…sure thing! I have to admit..I didn’t think you’d text back so soon. Maybe I’ve grown to waiting but it was like…instant!” He half-laughed but also smiled. Feeling that maybe what he said came off negative, Marco added, “It’s not a bad thing by the way! It’s a very good thing!”

Penelope answered with a quiet smile. She didn’t consider how fast she responded. Prior to him messaging her, she was at Main Street Music perusing records to add to Charlie’s collection. Music had become a silent language between her and Rhonda, seeing how for a good while mama’s house had gone quiet. Did Pops come off as desperate? If she did, that was never her intention. All she wanted to do was respond right away so she could start moving again. With Marco, she truly believed she could start moving again. That being said, to say she wasn’t relieved would be an obvious lie.

Truth be told. Poppy was put at ease that he was still thinking about her offer. That he was willing to give her a chance. Marco had every right to ignore her but he didn’t and here they were. Both waiting for things to take off, one way or another. “I blame myself,” she earnestly admitted. Staring at her nails, looking away from Marco’s deep, curious eyes, Penelope reflected out loud, “If there’s anyone that failed him the most, it was the girl that…” she bit her bottom lip and glanced up at Marco sorrowfully, “… loved him.”

Bringing her hands to her legs, she absentmindedly rubbed them against her jeans, anxiously feeling the texture, the friction, “So… I hope whatever you’re looking for, I can help you find. I just,” her mind trailed off into many different directions as she tried to articulate her words carefully, “Don’t really have a plan. All I know is I need to see you, and all those Charlie really hurt. This really has nothing to do with him. It has everything to do with me. I need to see, and hear whatever you’re willing to tell me so I…” Can let him go. Frowning, Penelope found herself going silent, unable to finish her sentence. She was rambling again; clear signs of her nerves hitting the roof. Poppy had really hoped she could bury her worry but that was impossible when she was in what felt like an impossible situation.

Even with almost a week to think about it, Marco had no idea what he wanted out of this either. Sure, he had always had thoughts about it: why me? Why at that time? But at the same time, what could asking those sorts of questions actually do for him now? It wouldn’t change that he had a bum leg, that he might walk with a limp for the rest of his life. It wouldn’t change that his dreams of going pro were out of the question. None of that would change if he somehow asked probably the only person willing to do anything he wanted, answer any questions he might have.

For a few moments, Marco hadn’t looked up as he thought about…everything. Even now he still was partially looking down at the tabletop. “Can I be honest about something?” He said, part of his gaze looking back up. “I don’t really have a plan either. I mean, I don’t know what I need or want. Ever since you came to the Godmother last week, I thought about it nonstop and sure, I had questions that I thought I would want to ask. Why did he do it? Why me? Did he secretly have something against me? But now that I’m here, I just don’t know.” His stomach felt heavy, but Marco half-smiled. “I thought I hated him because of what he did and maybe part of me does, but I didn’t know him that well…or at all. I only ever greeted a couple times in the three years we were at the same high school together. So…”

Meeting her full gaze and a strength in his eyes, Marco said, “If you think it’s something you are able to do, could you tell me about him? You don’t have to, but…I’d like to know more about him and what he was like before…you know.” Marco didn’t know if that was wise, but a small part of him always wanted to know more about the boy who shot him and so many others. Maybe it was his more empathetic side or maybe it was seeing Penelope that really sealed it for him. He didn’t know, but what he did know was he didn’t hate Charlie Decker.

While her brown eyes had warmth like an everlasting hearth, there was a deep sadness in that glowing fire. Giving Marco a half smile, Poppy tilted her head, surprised at how selfless his question was. He wanted to know Charlie. Not Charlie from after the fire junior year to his last, dying breath, but the Charlie she grew up with and loved. Her Charlie. “There’s a Cherokee story called Two Wolves,” Her gaze was staring straight into the windows of Marco’s soul, right at him.

“Two wolves?” This was the first time that Marco had ever heard of it. He didn’t know much about Cherokee or really any Native stories or lore.

And Penelope didn’t expect him to. Instead, she acknowledged his bewildered state, her eyes ever so carefully gazing upon his face. Mentally, she wasn’t looking at Marco Brady. Mentally, she was looking at the boy that held her heart. Charlie Decker. Letting his memory encompass her entire being, Poppy wove a tale, a beautiful sad tale, “There’s a grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather tells his grandson that he has two wolves fighting within him. One is all the bad in us, the guilt, the anger, the jealousy, the lies, all the negative energy that challenges us and our purpose.”

She could see two halves of Charlie, the monster he became and the one that was crying for someone to pull him out. To help him. The side in him that was so desperate to shine. “The other wolf is what keeps us grounded, the emotions that remind us why we are here. The joy, the serenity, the love, the empathy, our compassion, our truth. The good wolf.”

Charlie was a lover, never a fighter but this world forced him to build indescribably tall and hard walls. This world ripped him apart until he barely was a person anymore. This world stripped him away from all the good until all he could see was the bad. “The wolves fight, and fight, and fight, until one finally dies. The grandson asks, which wolf wins in the end? And the grandfather answers: the one you feed.”

Charlie smiled at her as he faded from her sight and she was back at looking at the boy she hoped she could guide on the path of healing. A single tear trailed down her cheek, she gingerly wiped her face and went into answering Marco’s actual question, “His father, James Winters, ran the local church that is now the hottest nightclub in our area. Afterlife. He was blamed for that fire that killed several innocent people…. and the way he solved that? He put a bullet in his head,” Poppy glanced around to make sure only Marco could hear her heavy words. She didn’t want others to hear about all the dark she was laying out on the table. She believed in order to understand Charlie, you have to know the history. The history that set him up to fail. The history that haunts this town to this day. The history that forced his hand.

“Charlie never even got to meet his dad seeing how he was still in his mother’s stomach. So add that to being a southsider? He believed he was an outcast, not only feeling abandoned by everyone but us southsiders are told we’re just another statistic. We will never leave this town alive.” Penelope went silent when the waitress delivered their drinks and food. Quietly, she watched the woman take her leave before she focused her attention back to Marco, “That was only the start of a series of unfortunate events. Even through all that pain and all that struggle, trying so hard to take care of his mother’s medical bills in highschool when she was going blind — yes, by working with the serpents because no one else would hire him — he loved classic literature, like On the Road by Jack Kerouac. That was one of his favorites. He loved music, and has an impressive vinyl collection. Artists like Sound, The Midnight, Gavin Degraw, Tyler Hilton…”

There was a lot Penelope had said so far that Marco had no idea about. Maybe being on the northside, he closed his mind to it all. Or he just lived ignorant to all of the struggles that those on the other side of town had to live with every day. He didn’t know Charlie at all, but he wished he could have. Dealing with so much, trying to balance everything, that must have been incredibly hard. The most Marco ever had to balance was his secret relationship with Danny and soccer practice, but Charlie (and probably so many others on the southside) seemed to be playing life or death every day of their lives.

It… was a lot for the young Brady man to digest, so he opted to remain quiet.

Was this helping Marco in any way? She hadn’t talked this much since… Well, since Charlie was alive. She hoped he didn’t mind her talking his ears off. All she could do was speak from the heart and hope that this helped. “Charlie was a dork. He’d get bagels constantly for me and him and never enter through the front door, always through my window. We grew up together, you know? I could look out my window and see him write. He’d look up and ask me: what are you reading today? He loved life, he really did. Had interests just like any kid, like Power Rangers, Cowboy Bebop, Ninja Turtles. One hell of a geek. And god, he wrote so beautifully…. he was talented, had his whole life ahead of him.”

There was a choke in her voice. Grabbing her coke she took a sip of it, her hands subtly shaking, “He just wanted to belong but once Allison died, I don’t think he was ever the same. And I couldn’t help him. He chose to feed the wrong wolf.” Penelope’s eyes watered when the memory of that morning at the gym slipped in her head. That moment when he looked at her before getting shot, before Beau pulled her in to cover her eyes. She saw him and he saw her. And then there was nothing. His spark, that light, that fire in his eyes went out. Her lips started trembling. “I couldn’t save him, Marco. All he wanted was to feel safe. And I wasn’t enough.” No longer holding her drink, Poppy covered her face and sobbed into her hands. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Marco.”

Marco didn’t know how to feel. He had asked to know about Charlie. He asked someone who he assumed knew him better than anyone else did. He wanted to know where Charlie started and how he ended up shooting Edenridge High on their first day of their senior year - but this? He didn’t expect any of this. He didn’t expect that Charlie was a lot like he was at a time. And maybe that was the hardest part for him to process.

During it all, Marco hadn’t touched his drink and wouldn’t when he saw Penolope start to sob in front of him. “Don’t apologize, Poppy…Please, it’s not your fault - none of it is.” Marco reached across the table for her wrist, lightly tugging at it as if to get her to look at him. “I..I don’t know if I was one of his intended victims, or if he even had any. If it was just bad place, bad timing or what, but I’m glad you told me about him. I always wondered if he really was the monster people claimed he was. What he did was terrible and maybe some people can’t forgive or forget, but…” His voice trailed into silence. His stomach felt tight as he thought about his words carefully, hoping Poppy could see his eyes as clear as she could. “But I think...I can start to move past it, Poppy. I think I’m ready to.”

“He was a monster,” Penelope bluntly corrected, letting Marco pull her hand down so he could see her wet face. “No matter how good he used to be, he still fed the wrong wolf. He might’ve not been born a monster, but he became one.” Grabbing Marco’s hand, Poppy squeezed it, gathering herself as her gaze drifted in a daze, stuck on that horrible day, “Intentionally, he killed someone we considered family. Mordechai’s little brother. Danny. To get back at his best friend who made his time downright miserable in the serpents. Intentionally he shot the leader of Midnight Society’s head off because Q came off as an elitist prick. Intentionally he told me to meet him in the gym because I believe he wanted to take me with him, thinking death was some sort of kindness to me.”

Releasing Marco’s hand, Poppy shook her head to brush that horrible day out of her mind, “There’s no point in justifying him. Who he was and who he became are two very different people, Marco. And I can’t tell you if you were just in his way or if you were one of his targets… but I can tell you that you and me, we deserve to live. What has happened shouldn’t define us, right?” Poppy’s words started sounding like she wasn’t only talking to Marco, but also to herself. Trying to convince herself that death was not the answer. “Right?”

Marco nodded, smiling at Poppy. He still couldn’t make sense about if he was an intended target or if Charlie just saw him as someone who was in his way, but she was right. Poppy was absolutely right. They both deserved to be happy and live in whatever way they could. It’s been so incredibly difficult for him to do that because there was such a heavy weight pushing him down, but ounce by ounce, Danny has been helping lighten the load. Now Poppy was doing the same.

“Right..you’re absolutely right!” He understood it wouldn’t be easy, but with the people in his life helping them, Marco was confident they could do it.

“Okay, enough mushy shit,” Poppy brought her eyes down to her wings. How long had they been sitting there? “We should eat…” she offered, in hopes they could levitate the conversation with something more lighthearted. Grabbing a wing, she nibbled at it before thoughtfully asking, “So, Marco… ‘side from Rock Lee, what else do you like? As far as I can tell, we’re so goddamn different but hey, maybe we can find a common interest, or something. I can tell you right here, right now, I don’t cook. If anything, I barely eat, but I’m getting there. Little by little, I’m trying. So mark that off your list of shared hobbies, ayeee.” She goofily gave him finger guns with her clean hand and now saucy finger tipped hand.

Once she was done, Poppy proceeded to clean her fingers with a napkin and nest her glass in her right hand. She forgot who told her but some northsider did mention Marco’s cooking way back when. Was it that jock boy that knew Francis’ locker combo? Danny Belmonte? He boasted a lot about things he liked. Sounds about right to be honest. She remembered junior year during a science lab project all Danny could do was talk about what his friend made for him for lunch and how excited he was to eat it. Her memory was shit though so she could be talking out of her ass for all she knew.

Chomping on a potato wedge, Marco almost choked when Poppy threw him a finger gun gesture, laughing as he immediately went for a sip of the radioactive-red mountain dew. There was a moment where he wondered how she knew that he cooked, but then Marco figured that she could have come across his socials. Made sense. He posted a lot back in high school, though not so much anymore. He’s been trying but it hasn’t seen much activity in a couple of years.

“Well, I game a lot. Not as much as I used to since I started working at the Godmother, but after injuring my leg, my abuelo pretty much got me a big gaming setup: a couple monitors, a projection screen for movies. Pretty much the dream. Also a big comic fan. Not just anime, but I like Marvel, DC, and a few Image and Boom Studios series’.” He took another sip of his Mountain Dew. “My favorite is anything Spider-Man and Flash related. Oh and I love anything by Garth Ennis and Michael Brandis.” Marco wasn’t sure if Poppy even knew who they were. “Any of that something you like to do?”

Wow. Marco had quite the set up in his bedroom. Penelope listened to Marco list his interests and it dawned on her she wasn’t a very interesting person. Her hobbies were limited and a lot of her life revolved around Charlie and around Max. Still does. It dawned on her after she lost Maxine, she was crippled, but after she lost Charlie, she no longer had purpose. He kept her busy even if it was her staying up all night worrying about him. He and Maxine expanded her reading palette since she fancied history and non-fiction. He would tell her there’s humanity in every story while Max would say that your longings are all universal, that literature shows you you’re not alone and that you belong. He shared his music with her, since most of her music was based on her mom playing between 80s music and 60s music while cleaning the house. Hell, if it wasn’t for Max, Poppy wouldn’t have discovered her style.

Poppy was always a wallflower who went unnoticed but the two people that did take the time to see her, and help her discover the things she loved… They both died. “I can’t say I’m well versed in any of that… I…” Poppy didn’t know how to answer this question. She could talk about Charlie all day, but she couldn’t even tell Marco what she liked? Was she so codependent on her dead friend that she didn’t really know herself? “…I love the people in my life, so a lot of my time has been spent… doing what they love,” Poppy hesitantly admitted. Everyone in her life. Charlie. Max. Jade. Decky. Little Danny. Her dad. Her mom. Everything she loved was because of them. “I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time thinking of anything.”

Marco shook his head, hands coming up to emphasize it. “No no, it’s okay! Really, I should be the one to apologize. I get so caught up in bragging about my hobbies that sometimes I forget to let the other person get a word in. Honestly, the only time I get like this is either at Swerve or when I’m feeling really comfortable.” Marco went to his dew, which was in the last quarter of it. His eyes kept going back and forth between his drink, his plate, and Poppy.

At the same time he did this, Marco thought about what she said. About how her interests were her friends' interests. He understood that feeling. Maybe not explicitly, but in spirit, he never had much of an identity past those he loved for the longest time. It really wasn’t until the time spent with his fellow geeks at Swerve and having those long conversations with Lolly while they gamed that Marco came to find that out.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Or a plasma grenade to the face (metaphorically speaking). “This might be a total shot in the dark, but maybe after we finish eating, you might want to go to Swerve Arcana with me? I don’t know if it’s your scene or if it might be an odd fit, but there’s a ton to do there. Arcade games or if you’re more into visual media, tons of comics, graphic novels, and manga! Or really it’s just a great place to wind down and relax!” Marco wasn’t sure if it was a shot in the dark or not, or if it was too much of a leap to assume that Poppy would like it, but he felt like he had to do something to help.

His offer brought a smile to her face. He wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to hang out with her. He found enough common ground to show her a place he enjoyed. He liked her. And not in the romantic kind of way either, but as someone who genuinely took interest in her. Someone who saw her. Just like Charlie. Just like Max.

When was the last time she had such an innocent exchange? When was the last time she talked to someone for exploration and not for healing? When was the last time she got herself out of her bubble, outside of her grief, to live life and just be? Excited at the prospect, Poppy unintentionally let out a chuckle, amused at the thought of how out of practice she was in this social game. It was humorous, really. “Yeah, sure. I’d like that. Oh, and Marco. I did think of something I’m good at. That I like.”

As he finished up his mountain dew and he looked down at his plate with a few wings remaining, he propped his head up, a curious expression on his face. “Oh really?” His voice came off as excited. “What is it? Tell me!” She had his full and undivided attention. If there was anything that she wanted to do, even if it was off into the future, Marco would love to try. He’s always up for new things (well now he is).

Without skipping a beat, Penelope answered, matter-of-factly, “I like shooting things.”

The Osso house was never silent, always filled with people, business and parties. The children liked to think it was because their father hated silence and being alone. Realistically it was just because he didn’t have a choice but to put up with the cards he was dealt.

Vincent’s own father was naught but a humble watchmaker. He barely spoke English and he struggled to avoid the temptation of joining a Mafia family when he immigrated to New York City from Sicily but by some miracle he did indeed do it. Vincent was the first Osso born on American soil. He was a big kid, physically imposing and with a face only his mother could love. Yet Vin wasn’t just muscle, he had brains and a penchant for numbers. When he graduated high school, he immediately got a job working for an insurance company. Fast forward to the present day, Vincent now owned that company and was the premier insurance broker in New England.

Pretty Ricky Osso crept through the house as silently as possible which in itself was difficult when literally all of his siblings were in and around the place on this particular day. Clari was in the garden playing with her kids, he could hear Oz, who moved like he was three sizes bigger than he actually was, moving towards their fathers office because he likely had just finished some deal that their patriarch had to sign to seal and deliver. Bobby was lying down on the couch trying to have a nap, brave man and Sienna, well he didn’t know where she was but she was around, she was a ninja.

The Osso siblings were both nothing and everything like each other. Robert was the oldest, a quiet and reserved man with such anger inside of him. He had spent years over in Iraq and still carries those days on his person line a scarf or a noose. He ran his own private security firm. Clarissa taught eighth grade; she was two years younger than Bobby and was the most like their father, at least emotionally. She was level headed and empathetic and shared his love of numbers. She married Andrew Callahan and has two beautiful kids. Sienna was an interesting creature. She also worked for her dad but it was mostly a means to an end. She didn’t show herself a lot, physically or emotionally. There had been an incident in childhood that detached her from the rest of the world. It was really sad. Though she had recently started dating a girl, Astrid, Ricky worried now long it would last. Anthony, where to even start. He was a vibe man. He spent most of his waking hours thrashing his guitar or playing DnD, that’s when he wasn’t brokering deals for his father or hanging out with his wife whom he married the day after their high school graduation. Yeah, the Ossos were an interesting family.

Then of course there was Richard, the youngest, the baby. Ricky was born with cleidocranial dysplasia which in its simplest form meant that his bones were fucked when he was born. He was lucky in that he wasn’t massively affected by it beyond needing braces for a good chunk of his life so far and that he was quite malleable. Oz and his friend Clay always had a fun time shoving Ricky into air vents. It was a thing. He struggled to make his own friends save one, whom he was also madly in love with; Sofia Belmonte-Morelli. He didn’t understand why she liked him or why she hung around with him but by God she did and he wasn’t going to question it. Just like he didn’t question the fact she turned up at his doorstep the other night when she was supposed to be in New York with her Dad and was now camped out in his bedroom.

Ricky’s basement bedroom was a den of geekdom. His walls were adorned with a wide range of posters ranging from the latest Marvel release to the incredibly sexy poster of the Hex Girls (God he loved the Hex Girls, Rawr) and every 80s movie ever. Best decade, don’t even @ him. Need more stuff here.

Laying on Ricky’s customized DnD rug, her crop top unintentionally too high for others comfort, showing her thin, soft stomach and a little underboob, Sofi stared at the ceiling, straight at Ricky’s freakishly large poster of Faye Valentine. What a nerd. She wore ripped jean shorts and a black and white plaid long sleeve shirt along with that crop top. It was clear Cat’s eldest daughter had no qualms showing off her body and it showed as she laid on the ground looking aimlessly at the anime woman’s face. Body. Butt. Boob.

Six hours since she last ate, a PB&J sandwich to be exact. She was getting hungry again. Two nights since she'd been here, at Ricky’s, camping in his bedroom. It really didn’t take much for her dad to let her do what she wanted. He’d rather drop her off somewhere and say ‘don’t tell your mother’ than actually convince her to go to New York with him. Four days since she last smoked. The night when her mom and dad had a good ol’ sit down to divulge information Sofi already expected in the most impersonal way because Belmontes sucked when it came to emotions. Shortly after, Sofi was quick to get some pizza and go to the makeshift skatepark at Lyon’s. And last but not least, a millisecond since she thought about her mother crying alone in her bedroom.

With her sound cancelling headphones on, listening to American Pie by Don McLean, Sofi’s expression was dull and distant, as she blocked out the past few months of her parents fighting and her siblings going through their ups and downs of the impending doom called ‘divorce’. She promised them when they came back they’d watched Stand By Me. While that film was sad as fuck, that was a movie she and her siblings found comfort in. Nostalgic. Something their mother introduced to them, way back when, when she wasn’t drowning.

Speaking of her mother, if Cat knew that she yeeted from her father’s car just so she didn’t have to leave Edenridge, her mother would flip the fuck out. But, it was Sofi’s philosophy to ask for forgiveness, not permission. It was the best way to live, especially because she knew deep down, her mother trusted her. Sure, Sofi frequented the southside more than she probably should’ve and meddled in other people’s affairs because she liked knowing things, but that didn’t change she knew how to get herself out of trouble. She knew how to take care of herself. She was a goddamn Belmonte! She had papa Taz on her side.

More importantly though, she wasn’t failing. Not like Dani. Her grades were good. She kept to herself. Didn’t get into fights. No, all she did was hang with the burners, punks, and skater kids. Sure, she gave up on soccer when Charlie shot her but ‘ey, you win some, you lose some. She was young. She didn’t need to have it all figured out. She had her whole life ahead of her. The only thing that would stop that is if she died! Which was likely in this town, but doesn’t that just make life more exciting? The more aware of your mortality that you are, the more intense every other aspect in your life becomes. That’s what she thought, at least, even if the weed and her innate numbness since that day on the field caused her to be unamused by most things. Passionless.

Maybe that’s why she got with the skaters. Learning how to board gave her a sense of freedom in being bold without putting on a front on a field, kicking a ball. She didn’t have to pretend when she was with those that most people in her year called delinquents. She could be herself. Well to a degree. Sofia still wasn’t openly vulnerable with those kids and maybe that’s why she was here with Ricky, her childhood friend, listening to music and hiding out. Only he really got to see sides in her she wasn’t comfortable with showing anyone else. She didn’t know why but with Ricky, things just felt natural. He was a hearth that kept her warm when everywhere else was downpouring and cold. “We were singing, bye-bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry…” The girl with a form like a supermodel absentmindedly sang, all the while looking up in a daze.

Opening the door to the basement, Ricky stopped in his tracks and dropped his brown paper bag of snacks onto the floor when his eyes gazed upon the lithe, barely covered form of his childhood friend. Sofia made a room fall silent when she walked in and caused people to freeze in awe, Ricky included. He had always been adamant whenever asked that the beautiful Italian was not his girlfriend. Why he denied this was beyond any reason. What self respecting sixteen year old boy worth any salt would deny that the most sought after, most beautiful and most desired girl in his class was not his girlfriend? Ricky Osso apparently.

“Oh shitsticks!”

He looked down at the collapsed bag of goodies and began to hurriedly pick them up off the floor whilst still catching grief glimpses of Sofi’s perfect skin. Pushing everything back down onto the bag, he listened to her sing before sitting down on the bed that stood next to her. He loved her voice. With his brace filled little grin he placed the bag down next to her.

“Il cibo è qui.”

“Bitchin’.” Sofia pushed herself up and at the same, shifted her headphones to her neck. Retrieving the bag, she peeked into it and smiled when she saw a Dolly’s burger wrapped in wax food paper, a ball of foil which she assumed was where her fries were, and an assortment of snacks she liked from the corner store, like beef jerky, nerds, sno balls, ring pops, and hershey kisses.

For someone as dainty as Sofia, she could eat. She was quick to go for the burger, gingerly unwrapping it before taking a deep bite into it. She gave a sigh of pleasure. So good. Dolly’s wasn’t only good for their breakfast, no, their burgers were charred goodness and they had their own special sauce. Yum. She closed her eyes savouring the flavour, as if she hadn’t eaten in days (it had only been hours since the last time Ricky fed her). When she swallowed she looked up at Ricky, her alluring gaze meeting his eyes. Her eyelashes had such tiny flutters, showing that beneath that tough exterior was a soft and gentle heart, an enchanting soul. “What we doing tonight, bud?” She airly asked before going in on the good burger once more.

Was it weird he could watch her eat?

It was weird.

Pretty Ricky was weird.

He was ok with it.

Looking at Sofi as he placed his chin in his hands and rested his elbow on his lap. “Well that big storm is coming in fast so people are expecting the power to go out at some point,” He began. “So I hooked up a spare power unit to the basement meaning we can still stream down here.” The young Osso was very technically gifted and had a knack for building things, especially electronics. There was never any question that Ricky was a bit of a dork. He lived his truth, he didn’t care who knew about it. He had two people to thank for that. He had Oz, his big brother, who was so unashamedly him that it was inspiring. And there was Oz’s friend Clayton. Ricky loved Clay. He was so cool, so effortlessly charming but he was an absolute dingus. He was the rare instance of a Foundling not caring about their status. He hung around with the weirdos and the freaks and was proud to do so. Clay was awesome.

“So I’m thinking of either The Toxic Avenger or Police Academy for our movie choice. We could do a speedrun of Crash Bandicoot and then maybe, if you wanted, if the storm gets real bad we can go out in it? Try and catch lightning in a bottle,” He giggled a little as he joked with her. He had such a sweet little laugh. “Whatever you want really.”

Chewing slowly, Sofi listened to her friend list the things they could do and smiled. She remembered way back when her and her siblings were playing Ms. Pac-Man on their uncle’s Nintendo 64. They were struggling on one of the levels and their mom came to check up on them. It was way past their bedtime. Instead of telling them to turn off the game and go to sleep, Cat joined them and beat the level. She proceeded to stay up all night with her kids playing video games. It’s been so long since her mother did something like that. She missed her. She missed her mom. Not right now, of course! Because her mom would kill her for hiding out in the Osso estate, but just how she used to hang and enjoy being a kid with them. “That all sounds great, Rick,” Sofi softly responded before pensively finishing her burger.

Some days it was harder to keep the bad out. There was a lot of bad happening in the Belmonte family and maybe that’s why she so desperately needed to be in the presence of someone who distracted her. Her friend.

“You know, Sofi…” Ricky began. “We haven’t really talked about what’s going on with your family. Like I know, it’s not something that you want to talk about necessarily but it might help.” Immediately the curly haired boy raised his hands in defensive mode. “No pressure or anything just know that….that…” The youngest Osso paused as his eyes moved from his stunning friend to his old basement door. His glare widened as he realised that the door was ajar. “Oh shitsticks.” He had been far too distracted upon entry when he saw his supermodel best friend half naked and trying to grab all the falling goodies that he neglected to close it.

“Oh fuck.”

Like John Wick in slow motion, Ricky dove towards the door, sliding across his DWS bedsheets towards the timber wood. Before he could reach it, unfortunately, it swung open hard and in stepped his older brother, Oz.

“Well well,” Ozzy grinned from ear to ear as he looked upon the scene of his baby brother with a hot girl in his room. Of course as an older brother it was his duty to rip Pretty Ricky a new one. “Hi Sofi.” The heavy metal man playfully waved at the young Belmonte as he spoke in a lighter, teasing tone. He shifted his attention to his brother and placed his hands on his hips. “Richard, do you know how much trouble you’re in young man!” He did his best impression of his father. “But no seriously, you two need to get the fuck outta dodge. Don’t ask me how big Bobby knows you’re here. You gotta run muchachos.”

Letting out a loud belch, Sofia chuckled, “‘Cuse me,” before grabbing her bag of goodies and standing up. Damn. Things were fun while they lasted. Time to pay the piper. Her mom was going to ground her until school started, likely. Damn. This is what she gets for being a rebel without a cause.

It didn’t take long before the door opened again but this time the steps were barely audible. Coming from behind Oz, Sissy lifted a second bag of goodies, “Your girlfriend told me she was dying, so I went to the store.” Sienna's blank gaze went from her little brother to the most beautiful girl in his year, “How you did it, I don’t know.”

As an automatic response the two children in the room quickly countered:

“I’m not his girlfriend.” “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Ozzy turned to look at his older sister and then back at the quickening redder face of Ricky. “Come on, Sienna you know why. We Ossos got these raw animalistic sexual magnetism. I mean, how else do you explain this?” He pointed to the kids and then to his own face. “My hot wife. Your crazy hot French girlfriend and Clari’s husband who, if I were gay I would totally let rail me? It’s a gift we have.”

Rick collapsed onto the bed backwards, placing his head in his hands in sheer embarrassment but only for a moment before springing up to his feet and picking up Sofi’s bags. “We’ll figure this out. You don’t have to go home but we do have to go now before…”

“Riiiiiickyyyy!” Clari, the second eldest of the crew, came down holding a white laundry basket, “Ma is hanging out with the babies so I thought I’d do some laundry. Oh! I also got you something since you like that cowboy… bepop? Show. Yes. You needed new undies anyways, so look at these! Cute horses and lassos!” Clari reached the bottom of the stairs and with her free hand she held brand spankin’ new cowboy boxers. A set of four! Only for her smiley face to turn into shock immediately when she saw the crowd, “W-what’s going on here? Does Bobby know?” Scurrying, Clari put the basket down and placed the new boxers on top of Ricky’s dresser before crossing her arms, “Please tell me Cat knows.”

Frozen, Ricky looked at Sofia, who as usual was impossible to read. The embarrassment. Not only was Clari buying him underwear but she still got the wrong ones! “I…err…well the funny thing about that Clarissa is….” Hanging his head in defeat. This was one battle royale he wasn’t going to win. “No she doesn’t know. Please, Sofi just needs some space. Things aren’t really good right now, she has nowhere else to…go.” There it was. The booming, thunderous footsteps. All four Osso children were stiff as nails as the hulking figure descended down the basement stairs. It was like one of the 80’s horror movies that Ricky and Sofia loved so much. The survivors were held up in the basement as the killer stalked them, ready to rip out their guts and turn them into neck ties.

From behind Sissy, the large looming figure stood silent. Bobby was of average height but his body was built compactly. He was thick and muscular and was currently in a plain black t-shirt that really showed off that he could probably kill someone with only one hand. His pale blue eyes moved around the room between his four younger siblings and their unannounced guest. “Sofia,” He bowed his head in welcoming. “It’s nice to see you. I was under the impression you were in New York.”

Ricky took a very small step forward, his siblings eyes screaming at him to not do it. “Well Robert…”

Bobby raised a single finger and Ricky slunk backwards. “I’m sorry things aren’t great with your family right now, I really am but you need to go home. Your mother will be mad but more relieved you’re ok. Ricky, you take her home. Now. And make sure you apologise to Caterina. You too, Sofia. Am I making myself clear?”

Bobby was a kink if Sofi ever did see one. A lot of girls in her year would be into that commander vibe, for sure. “Yes, sir,” The Belmonte girl obediently responded, never one to start shit while being a guest, unwelcome or not, in their house. As rebellious as Sofi is, she still respected her elders, and she especially respected the Osso family who her grandpa was extremely tight with. Another reason why this was the best house to hide at. Her mom loved the Ossos, they were practically family.

Sissy was the only Osso that was unfazed by the hulking presence of Bobby. She glanced at her siblings and could see their body language and how much it spoke volumes. Clari, with her crossed arms, hugging herself and fidgeting with her shirt. Oz’s hands were at his side, but his fingers moved, subtly but a lot. Ricky was sweating like a sinner in church, all the heat in his body rushed to his face. Her deep brown eyes fell on Sofia, who reminded her a lot of how she used to be. Before the accident. Someone who hid everything behind a mask. She could only hope that Sofi never had to experience her mask becoming real and all she knew.

Approaching Ricky’s ‘friend’, Sissy lifted her hand with the bag of goodies, chips and other things Sofi requested, “Remember what we talked about and you should be okay. Promise.” While Sissy couldn’t feel like the rest of her siblings, she saw and read a person like a book and right now, Sofi might look okay but she certainly wasn’t. At the end of the day, the biggest thing she needed right now was her mother. Sofia needed to be honest with her.

When Sofi nodded and took the bag, Sissy went to her little brother and ruffled his hair, “Next time, you idiots should just ask.”

“Do you want me to take them, Bobby?” Clari asked, wondering if her presence would soften the blow for Sofia, seeing how Cat adored Clari like a little sister.

“No,” Bobby looked towards his sister. “Ricky’s mess. Ricky clears it up. Now get out of here and make sure you’re both home before this storm hits.” The eldest Osso turned and began to make his way back up the stairs.

Oz sighed in relief and a big smile crossed his face as he could finally breathe. “Honestly, do you think he was born like that or did Mom and Dad offer him up to science as a baby?”

“I heard that.”

Ricky made his way over to Sofia and gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, guess we better make a move.”

“No you’re fine,” Sofie comforted, grabbing her other bag of goodies, accepting the Osso offerings of snacks (seeing how her mother limited her junk intake, for a good reason too). Looking at Ricky’s older siblings, minus the patriarch who was already on his next mission, Sofi apologized, “Sorry for coming unannounced. I just… don’t like my dad right now. Thanks for sorta hosting me? Or well, thank you for just dealing with my bullshit. Don’t be too hard on Ricky — this one is all on me.”

Frowning at the politeness of Cat’s daughter, Clari’s motherly instincts went off. Quickly, she pulled the girl into a tender hug. “That’s for you,” tightening her embrace, letting it linger, the eighth grade teacher whispered, “And that’s for your mother. Please let us know if you need anything.”

“With reason, of course. Like no sneaky shit,” Sissy added, watching Clari release the young girl who had melted in the older woman’s arms. Belmontes weren’t usually huggers but if you were considered family, like the Ossos were, hugging was something that came naturally. At least with everyone that wasn’t Taz. Taz just sucked at intimacy.

“All I’m saying is that jumping out of a moving car to run off with my little brother, it’s pretty fucking metal,” Oz gave Sofi a fist bump to the shoulder. As he turned to leave, the rocker nearly was knocked over by the rampaging dog that had just charged in and jumped onto Ricky’s bed. “Oh and take this fucking dog out, save Mom a job so she doesn’t get caught in the weather. Catch you on the flip side my little nuggets.” Doing his best Fonzy impersonation, Oz ascended the stairs. He was going to be late back to work now for sure.

Ricky stroked the chunky Beagle that the kids had bought for their mother last Christmas and then looked back at Sofi. “Guess our party has gone up by one? Isn’t that right Nduja? Who's a good girl? Who's the bestest girl?”

“Don’t forget your umbrella!” Clari exclaimed, almost frantic to find it for him. Unable to rush around the room to search for it, Clari was immediately noped and grabbed by Sissy, who proceeded to pull the only mother of the Osso Five upstairs. “Wait, I just want to make sure—”

“—They’ll be fine. Six years of you being a mother and it gets worse. Where are the little rascals anyways?” The voices of Ricky’s older sisters grew more and more distant by the second before once again Sofia and Ricky were left alone.

Swaying the bags in both her hands, Sofi’s headset faintly playing Faithfully by her favorite band, Journey, she glanced over at her friend, the embarrassment finally taking surface on her face with them being left alone now, “Guess we should skedaddle…” She softly offered. Pouting, she glanced at her converse shoes and mumbled at the boy getting dog kisses, “Sorry, Ricky.”

“It’s ok,” Ricky scratched the top of the dogs head with one hand whilst placing his other softly onto Sofi’s arm. “What are friends for?” he let out that soft childlike giggle of his again. He moved away from the pooch and the girl of his dreams to grab her clothing bag. “Can’t forget this!” He slung it over his shoulder and then picked up the dog's lead. His smiling face soon faded away as the realisation set in that Sofi was leaving him. Not forever of course but having her in his room with him, just the two of them away from the world for a change…well it was nice. Perfect even. “Let’s get outta here.”

Dread washed over Sofia Belmonte (screw Morelli, once the divorce was finalized she was changing her name). The nerves turned in her stomach and went straight to her chest and throat.

Her mom was going to kill her.

Absolutely murder her.

“Yeah, sure,” she vocalized through all the anxiety.

Goodbye, Ricky.

This was the end.

What even had been today?

The last twenty four hours had been nothing short of a mess and it had all started with that row.

Russell would do anything for Jamie. That much had always been true. Yet previous evening, actions were very much the hot topic of what one could call discussion but in actuality it was a blazing argument that thankfully they had in their car otherwise the entirety of her nosy Scott Street neighbours would’ve heard it. Jamie hated arguing with him. No matter what he said, Russ just never understood her. Nobody did. It was only ever David. Their bond was one of magic and despite her fathers often loud protests that there was no such thing as a sacred bond between twins, she wouldn’t believe otherwise. The time was coming soon that if things didn’t change, Russell would not be long for her life.

Maybe things had changed already and she was just denying that? A major part of their argument was that Russ had been in hiding his entire life. Jamie was aware of what she was to him, a beard. Someone for him to hide behind as he struggled with his sexuality. She knew this but didn’t mind because Russell was a good man and a good friend to her when she needed it so desperately. David’s death happened at the worst possible time. All of her friends had gone off to college or started their new lives, meaning she suffered alone and in the dark. Russ, for all intents and purposes, was a light that would protect her. She just didn’t want to be protected anymore.

After mulling things over at her and David’s secret place, Jamie returned home with a new vigor and zeal. It was time for things to change. Then that morning, it all happened. It seemed almost prophetic really that Clayton was the first person she would see when the letters arrived. He was David’s best friend. He had always been the best of them. The cool guy. The Samaritan. The hero. Could he save her?

Reagan called a meeting of course. Not to add the pressure already on Jamie, she now had to deal with the ice bitch herself as the Supreme decides to hold court with her gang. Even now, the young O’Hara girl struggled to say no. The day drinking helped but she wished she was doing it with someone like Lamb. She loved Riri and Yana, hell, she even loved Reagan to a point but their motives were never always clear. It was hard to tell what they really wanted down her. Lamb was easy. Lamb wouldn’t even ask her about David. They would just sit, drink and talk about Netflix or nonsense. Yet she couldn’t get ahold of her. Not surprising really since she was always busy. Lamby lived a busy life.

The booze had carried Jamie to Swerve Arcana but she stayed for the girl behind the counter. Avery. Clay had sung to high heaven the praises of the comic book store and the people there. Jamie had to see it for herself. The moment her eyes connected with the piercing blues of the befreckled Avery, something just hit her; she wasn’t really sure what. Of course Jamie had been with girls in the past. She had experimented. Yet she had been with Russell for nearly five years and on today, of all days, he was nowhere to be found and all she could think about was Avery, when she wasn’t thinking about David that is.

Now there she sat on a bench on Central Ave, in between Maple Street and Main, little Jamie O’Hara alone as always. Her buzz had gone and been replaced by that crippling feeling that had held her hostage all of her life. The medication did nothing for her, so she had stopped taking it. That big black cloud was hanging over her head metaphorically and literally. Jamie’s blue eyes were staring into the abyss that was creeping closer and closer to town. The wind had picked up dramatically but she didn’t care. In that moment she wouldn’t have hated being swept up in a gale and taken far away.

Sofia was determined to keep most of her family out of the loop, if possible. She didn’t want the news of her great escape to spread like wildfire, like it did, especially in her family. The Ossos lived on Rosebury Loop across the street from her aunt, Nina. Nina was likely at Palermo, doing her business woman thing, but her house husband and kids? They would be home and likely enjoying the great outdoors before the storm hit. That meant her and Ricky would not be taking to the streets. No, they’d go through the yards of people, picking up Nduja so that they could gently get her over the neighbouring gates until they were on Silver Oak Way. The street that connected Hanging Hill and Liberty Road, ultimately leading to Milligan Bridge.

When she reached her house it was for nought because all the lights were out. Shit. It was worth a shot. She really did not want to go to the Godmother… interrupting her mom at work was a recipe for disaster. While Nduja played in the sprinkles, Sofia spent the next five minutes trying to remember where the spare key was. When her search failed, she huffed, annoyed. Hiding her snacks in an empty flower pot, flipping it over, hoping nothing happened to them while she was gone, Sofia shuffled back to her friend and they were off once more.

The long exodus brought them to Hanging Hill where they passed the Witch’s cursed house and her other aunt’s Victorian, Elisa. Thankfully, Elisa and her husband were homebodies and weren’t enjoying the weather. Knowing Elisa, she was likely catching a quick nap before she had to feed the littles again. As for her uncle, was he even in town? She couldn’t remember. Hanging Hill was a spooky street but people got a lot of bang for their buck. Her aunt lived in a gothic girl dream house which was cool. Honestly, the coolest house on this street. The rest were cool too, even the haunted one, but they weren’t purple.

Eventually, their feet brought them to the end of the street and onto Central Ave. For someone that wasn’t as athletic as Sofia, this would make them sweat. This was a lot of walking, solely because Sofia was procrastinating her inevitable doom. She was good at that, procrastinating.

“Can…we…pause….for a second?” Ricky and Nduja were both exhausted. This was too much walking for him and the poor dog, she was a fat shit! She went around the block a few times and that was it! Not up and down Hanging Hill Lane and around the entirety of the East side. The youngest Osso put his hands on his knees and panted to the ground as Nduja collapsed next to him. “How are you even still going?”

A strong gust of wind finally snapped Jamie from her dark thoughts. She acknowledged her surroundings and realised that the weather had fully turned without her even really realising. The storm had been growing around her to the point the sky had turned pure grey. The rain had yet to start but the black clouds weren’t far away. Jamie looked across the street and saw two kids and a very cute dog. They shouldn’t be out! There was supposed to be a weather warning. The teacher in her wanted to order them inside but she knew she had very little to no authority.

Pushing herself to her feet, Jamie straightened out any creases in her clothing and crossed the road towards the kids. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t ignore them. She had to make sure they were safe. As the gap between them closed, Jamie realised that one of the kids was Sofia Belmonte-Morelli! Her family home was only a few down from her father’s, so she had a decent enough rapport with all members of the clan.

“Hey guys!” The mythical unicorn waved. “You should be heading home, there’s a weather warning. A severe storm’s coming in, gonna last a few hours.”

“No can do, Miss Jamie,” Sofia answered, pulling her bag from the ready to drop boy. When she retrieved her bag, she unplugged her headphones from her phone and put them away. It was definitely going to rain soon. “I ain’t supposed to even be here, in Mass, so I’m about to give my mom the surprise of her life. She isn’t home yet, so next stop Godmothers, I guess. We’re taking a break though,” The adventurous Belmonte brought her attention to Ricky and the fat Sausage doggo, both out of breath, “They’re doing their best.”

Ricky stood up and straightened his back. “No, yeah I’m fine. Nduja is struggling though,” He said as he fought for breath. The small dog’s tongue fell out onto the pavement as if on cue.

Jamie cocked an eyebrow and let her lips part into a wide grin. They were a cute couple. “Well then we’re in a bit of a pickle here then aren’t we?” Being an Elite, the young woman had spent a good chunk of her youth covering for her brother and his idiot friends when they were out causing mischief. She knew Cat well enough from living on the same street that she knew that whatever trouble Sofia was in would blow over but she also knew that in the moment, the poor girl would be torn a new hole. “Well I’m sorry kids but I can’t let you go downtown. It’s too dangerous. How about I take you to your Grandpa’s Sofi? It’s on my way home anyway. Ricky. You and the pooch can get home before the storm sweeps in. Sound good?”

“Uh,” Sofia looked at Jamie then at Ricky, nervous. Not for herself, but for him, her friend. Leaning in, close to him, her lips nearly brushing his ear, Sofi whispered, cupping her mouth with her hand, “Will Bobby be okay with that? Aren’t you supposed to talk to my mom?”

Looking at the beautiful older woman as she smiled at the pair, Ricky was unsure how best to proceed. On the one hand, if he didn’t talk to Cat, Bobby would lose his shit and Robert Osso losing his temper was absolutely terrifying. There was a reason most people left him to his own devices. On the other hand, if he sent Sofia with Jamie now then at least he knew that she would be safe with the Grandparents when the storm hit. He followed Sofi’s lead and whispered into her ear. “I say do it. I’d rather you be home safe. I can deal with Bobby Batters.”

Frowning, Sofi brought her cupped hand down and nodded, begrudgingly agreeing. That being said, she was Sofia Belmonte and Sofia always found a way to meddle so the tides turned. “I’ll fix this, I promise.” She had a plan. Would it work? She didn’t know. But it was a plan nevertheless. “Okay, fine. You can take me to papà.” Once her backpack was hanging off her shoulder, the young teen turned to Ricky and for once, she initiated a hug. It was rare when Sofia initiated intimacy. “Thanks for everything, I’ll text you when I’m with the family.”

Well this was weird. Sofi was hugging him? She never hugged him. He always hugged her. Ricky awkwardly brought his hands up to the girl’s back and held her close. He could feel the heat rising in his face so after a while he broke up the hug and took a step back. “I…err, yeah. Discord me when you’re home? Please?” Ricky looked towards Jamie and offered her a brace filled smile. “Thanks for taking her.” He bent down and picked up Nduja, the dog's skin flaps hanging over his hands as she had a wide open smile. Just as the lazy pooch had planned. “Come on you fat shit, let’s go home.” With the dog in his arms, Ricky turned and began walking back towards his home, taking one last look at the girls before he disappeared round the corner.

Jamie pushed her hair behind her ears. Watching these two was actually really sweet. It did make her jealous though. She wasn’t an idiot, she saw how people looked at her, desire in their eyes or ill intent. No one had ever looked at her the way Ricky looked at Sofi…well maybe one person… “Shall we go?”

“Onward to battle, I guess,” Sofi shuffled forward. Instead of paying attention to where she was going first, she sent a text initiating her plan: Operation Crossfire, Codename: Comfort Cub. The text was short and simple: ‘I might’ve fucked up. Can you pick me up at Ricky’s?’ And off the text went to her mom’s best friend, Lydia Anderson. The woman her mom told her everything. It was a 50/50 chance Lydia would go to her mom and out her instead of going to the Ossos, but it was a risk Sofia was willing to take. If all went according to plan, the Mama Bear (unfortunately no kids yet) could distract the Big Bear notoriously known as Bobby Batters. If Bobby was Superman, Lydia, Sofia believed, would be his kryptonite. Or was that too extreme of a comparison? She’d have to ask Ricky later for a better comparison… She doubted Lydia wanted to kill Bobby. Then again, who knows with adults. Cat wanted to kill her dad all day everyday but then again, her mom had a temper. She claimed bloody murder at every slight her father did.

Who could blame her? Even Sofi saw that her father was a good for nothing piece of shit that loved to gaslight his children and manipulate them into believing Cat wasn’t a good mother. Da fuck? From when she was small to presently, Sofia would always be a mama’s girl. Her dad could drown at the bottom of Milligan bridge for all she cared! Anyways, that’s beside the point. Onto the second matter of business, which also caused her to not pay attention to where she was going. The need for candy. Pulling out of her bag a Hubba Bubba Mega Long Bubblegum roll, Sofia politely offered some to the pretty woman in her Aunty Vivia’s year, “Want some? Also,” She locked eyes with the magical unicorn girl, “It’s been a minute since I’ve last seen you. You doing good, Miss Jamie?”

Jamie declined the offering of gum with a raised hand and a shake of her head. She had watched Sofi grow into such a beautiful young woman, though she hadn’t been around all that much thanks to her prolonged time away, she liked to think that they could call each other more than just neighbours or teacher and student (Jamie started as a teacher at Eden the last semester before the current summer). She hoped that they could call each other friends. You doing good? Such a loaded question and Jamie really didn’t want to lie to the girl. She really didn’t want to lie at all. “I’m getting by,” The woman smiled as they climbed the small hill towards the famous or infamous in some circles, Scott Street.

“Same,” Sofi nonchalantly responded back as she shuffled the roll of gum in her mouth, ripping off a long strip and sucking it into her mouth.

“You don’t have to tell me but, why didn’t you go wherever it was you were supposed to go? You said you aren’t supposed to be in Mass.”

Chewing the large piece of gum, taking in all the flavour, Sofi shrugged, “‘Cause my dad’s a prick and I really didn’t want to spend quality time with him.” Chewing in abundance, the young girl slipped the container of gum back into her bag before noticing the fire hydrant that almost rammed right into her. Quickly, Sofi hopped over it, snapped her gum, and continued, “This is supposed to help with the ‘transition’ but I don’t see it helping if he isn’t ever going to change. Dad and sibs in NYC, btdubs.” Sofia began to blow a big, big bubble.

Jamie had caught some gossip about Cat and Tomasso divorcing. It hasn’t really hit the streets fully yet but the desperate housewives of Scott Street were already starting to whisper. There has also been talk that Cat had found herself a new man. No names, only that they think he’s younger. Scandal. That sort of thing really made the O’Hara girl’s blood boil.

“Parents are difficult,” Jamie lamented to the young girl. “My parents have always been together so I can’t really offer any guidance there. What I can say is that every parent is different. You know? Some parents aren’t meant to be parents. Others are built for it. Like, my Dad. I love my Dad but he’s a very practical, goal oriented man. He’s very good at hyping and inspiring but when I graze my knee? Suck it up kiddo and get back out there. He was always Coach. It killed me.” As they turned at the top of the hill, Jamie began to feel extremely light raindrops on her face. “But I had David and I had Lamb, I had people that helped me and loved me even when I was at my worst. Seems to me you already have that. Ricky?”

Fiddling with her fingers by pressing her hands against one another and forcing her bones to crack, Sofia focused her attention ahead, as they turned on Main, the Scott Street gates nearing. Her bubble popped and in her mouth the gum went. “He’s a good friend,” Sofi smiled to herself, already feeling weird that she wasn’t sleeping over his place tonight. They had plans and it ended the moment his siblings came crashing in. “The best even. But how is he going to help me through this? Like, it’s not just that that’s happening. Aunty Viv got kicked out, I caught my cousin doing… shit in a confession booth… and my grandma. Uh, I just have a hard time looking at her. Add that, the divorce, and me just not really caring if I die or not, had my chance when Decker was around… yepp. I don’t know if Ricky could help with any of that.”

This was concerning. This poor girl was struggling so much and Jamie doubted that many people actually saw that, especially because it seemed that everyone was dealing with their own truly depressing issues in this town. “He can’t help fix them but he can be there for you. Support you.” The bright eyed woman reached out and placed her hand upon Sofi’s shoulders as they came upon the gates of Scott Street. “I’ve had my fair share of issues. Still do, trust me but I want you to know, that if you ever need anything you can come to me ok?”

Stopping in front of the gates, Jamie placed her other hand on Sofi’s free shoulder and stood in front of the young girl, looking her directly in the eye with the most sincere and loving gaze that she could muster. It was the same sort of look that she offered David and Clay and all the handful of people that she had allowed to see beyond her walls and into her heart. Sofia reminded her so much of herself at that age. She was fragile, that much was obvious, a glass ballerina trapped in a music box “I’m not just your neighbour Sofi, I’m not just your teacher. I want to be your friend. What do you say? Friends?”

Like mother, like daughter, Sofia looked at the O’Hara woman and self doubt rushed over and through her. Jamie was being earnest, genuine, and true. That much Sofia could see. The beautiful, strong woman that stood before her, holding her in a tender gaze saw her as someone worth her time, someone worth companionship, someone worth…. life. Did Sofi see herself like that? “You really don’t want a friend like me,” the teenage girl anxiously urged. No she didn’t think she was worth it. Not by a long shot.

Sofia might’ve been the prettiest girl in her year but beauty only got you so far. People adored her especially before she got into grunge and weed. They still do but now they don’t bother talking to her. They just look at her in wonder and awe, like she was an art piece that you could see, but not touch. Right on display for others, talked about but never talked to. Never understood.

When Charlie shot her, she thought maybe she should put on a front and people wouldn’t want to get too close. It worked. People didn’t want to get close but they still looked at her all the same like she was an object of desire, not a person. “I doubt you’d get anything out of this,” she snapped her gum, trying to hide her inner turmoil. This was getting too close for comfort. Why was she being so open with someone she barely knew? She knew Jamie but not like her aunts and uncle did. She knew her at a distance, just as Jamie knew her. At a distance.

“Ah but you see that’s where you’re wrong Sofi, I do get something out of this,” Jamie waves her finger as the gates to Scott Street opened up behind them. “I get a friend and I’ll let you in on a secret. I don’t have many of those.” It was true. She has the Elite but even then, they were essentially kids she was forced to befriend. She loved them all in their own unique ways but they were not her choice. Even the Royal Flush Gang, they were friends by happenstance. There were few in her life that Jamie had herself chosen to make a part of it. She wanted to make Sofi part of it. To help her like she wished someone had done for her. “So what do you think? Wanna be my friend?”

No longer chewing her gum, Sofia observed the older woman, who said she didn't have many friends. It was hard to believe when she talked so well. She held herself in a way… that was hard to look past. Seemingly, kept together. Then again, she wasn’t the only one. Sofia tried to be the strong one for her siblings and played it off like she was dead on the inside. Reality was, she cared deeply about everything and no one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. No one until now. Looking down at her feet, stuffing her hands in her pockets, Sofia mumbled, “Yeah that’s fine, ^{I don’t have many friends either.}” She kicked a rock to the side, avoiding eye contact, waiting in the awkwardness of this exchange.

“Alright then,” Jamie smiled as the rain began to get heavier and heavier. “Let’s get ourselves indoors before we drown.” An interesting choice of words she had to admit herself but she had been learning not to be triggered by such things anymore. It was all part of her therapy, if she could really call it that anymore. Now it just felt like an Iron mask suffocating her.

If they were going to be friends, might as well start it with: “Race you?”

“Sure! But I must warn you, I was an all star track and field athlete at my school. Three, two, one, GO!” Jamie grinned from ear to ear as the two girls set off onto Scott Street just in time for the storm to catch up with them.

There they were. Penelope, Mordechai, and Jade at the entrance of Scott Street, staring into the world of the beautiful, the dirty, and the rich. A gate separated them from the nests of the most prominent families of Edenridge. The foundlings and the ones that floated above everything else in this godforsaken town. People the southsiders would never understand.

Unamusingly, Poppy didn’t think this far ahead. She didn’t think about getting in contact with a Northie in order to get into Scott Street. Then again, they were southsiders. They didn’t need to ask permission, they just did. The Street Angel opened her mouth to make a suggestion but then they heard the purring engine of a motorcycle swiftly approaching.

Think fast!

Quickly, Poppy hid behind the brick wall that held one side of the large door gate. Incoming was Niles Sinclair, with someone on the back of his seat, holding onto him. She couldn’t see who the other person was and by the time they reached the gate, allowing it to open, she was in hiding, waiting to roll in once the doctor’s son sped out.

“You sure you don’t want to stop at Main Street?” Niles called out, as he rested his foot on the cement, waiting for the slow gate to open. “Maybe the crowd chilled out a bit?” For a Monday, Main Street Music sounded busy. While that was never a bad thing, it was currently, because it gave Rye limited time with JP.

Niles wanted to tell Rye to not worry about it but he knew his friend and all his friend did was worry. Worry about everyone else but himself. Regardless, Sinclair didn’t mind taking stops if that meant Rye could talk to JP to get whatever misunderstanding they had going on, resolved. What were friends for?

In addition to the news of JP’s distress (or Rye overthinking his brother was distressed), the two boys only napped for a couple hours before their sleep was interrupted by a phone call. Niles had to get his dad lunch. So, he rose, which forced Rye to wake up. He showered, leaving Rye to Autumn and Carrie for entertainment, and then the sons of doctors were off. Niles was planning on having dinner at Gavriel’s so he could catch up with the family but they still had plenty of daylight left. “Really, I don’t mind.”

“I appreciate it, really, but we should get home,” Gavriel replied regretfully over the engine, trying not to think about how much he wanted to see JP. The other man was probably fine, and Gavriel knew he had a tendency to make things worse in his head. The sound of his voice carried over to the southie crew, however, and Mordechai had to restrain himself from jumping out of his hiding position to see the curly haired man he’d once called friend. Not yet, they both seemed to be on errands. Later. “I’ll see him at dinner…he’s probably still busy, and this coming storm has my shoulder all fucked up so I need to just relax so I don’t make it worse,” He rolled his shoulder and winced as the throbbing pain grew. The gate lay completely open before them. “Besides, everyone’ll want to see you.”

“K. Whatever you say, what’s your mom cooking anyways?” Niles revved up his engine a couple of times before they were off again, just two best friends hanging. And that moment cued Poppy to lead the charge straight into the ritzy suburbia.

“It’s that easy, folks!” Pops rested her hands behind her head and began strolling into a place she never visited before. “So uh, from what I gathered… we’re looking for the second biggest house. The biggest being the creepy Grimm manor,” when she didn’t hear footsteps she turned around to look at her friends, “Well come on now, we don’t got all day!”

Mordechai stared after Niles and Rye’s retreating backs for a few more moments before turning to Jade and Poppy, shrugging off the shock of hearing Rye again after that day in the cafeteria in favor of following his best friends into the unknown of Scott Street. “All these houses are huge as shit, how fuckin’ big is second biggest?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhh….” Penelope scanned the houses and shrugged. “Heck if I know. I have no idea where we’re going.”

“There we go again,” Mordechai replied with a dry laugh, noticing a trend they’d followed together since childhood. “As always, head first with no plan.”

Jade, for the most part, was in her own head. She had the self-awareness to keep part of her mind tuned into what was being said, but for the most part, she was being consumed with feelings that she didn’t think she’d really feel ever again, but coming to the sacred suburbia of Edenridge, she had a flashback to when she was involved with Roddy Callahan. It wasn’t that she always came to Scott Street, but in those days, she’d occasionally sneak to his house. It wasn’t anything major that kept her up at night, but during those days, Jade took risks she normally wouldn’t. So maybe part of that was remembering how different she was compared to…well, now.

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Key?” She managed to say, nudging into him as lightly as she could as she didn’t want to disrupt his balance. The man rolled his eyes and smirked lightly at her in response. “Besides, it’s not hard to find the second largest house, right? I mean, it’s not like these houses are uniform.” Jade looked around, blue-green eyes noting that every house had their own identity. They were far larger than anything she had ever seen in a few years (again dating back to her time spent with Roddy way back when), but she could at least notice they weren’t all the same. Sure as hell not like that Squidward community where every house had the big ass nose house. “Pops, any other info? Maybe what the house looks like?” She tried to ask in a genuine way but part of her felt like it came off a little bitchy.

“Beats me,” Poppy admitted, not one to venture this far like her sister did. Taking a moment to rub her temples, Penelope tried to think of a plan. They could go in blindly and search for Italian memorabilia or they could see if someone they knew could advise them where to go, like maybe one of Decky’s Southie friends. “I mean I guess we could try to find her car? I feel like we have a better chance finding that than a house we’ve all never seen.”

“And how should we acquire a car? Lot of the ones I see--” Jade casually gestured around, seeing a lot of nice cars parked in the driveways of the houses of Scott Street, “--they aren’t exactly ones you can hotwire. I mean, I can hotwire, but older models are preferable.” Was it a grim thing to joke about? Probably. Was it logical? Nope, but Jade couldn’t help but laugh.

Not too far off ahead, an ice cream truck was stationed waiting for the neighboring children to get their fix before the ice guy went to his next destination. Have the fates decided to help boost their morale and that was through ice cream? No, it wasn’t just ice cream there… Not by a long shot.

To their fortune, or misfortune, they walked right into a sea of Edenridge High Clovers. A bunch of upcoming senior girls who believed they were destined for greatness, or at least, next year’s Shining Star trophy. Autumn Sinclair licked her vanilla ice cream cone (with rainbow sprinkles, of course) as she waited for the rest of her crew to catch up. It didn’t take too long for Caroline Sinclair to come skipping from the truck to her sister (they were standing in front of the Brady house) with an orange creamsicle.

Soon after, they were surrounded by three other Northie girls. Parker Thompson, Liana Khoury, and Ophelia Iordanou. It was a Clover fest. Somebody kill us, please. Had they been caught before their mission even started? What were the chances they would stroll into Scott Street right when the ice guy was in? Should they leave while they still had a chance?

Autumn was quick to notice the lost souls. Tilting her head, she licked her ice cream again. They didn’t look like Natalia’s usual friends, then again, she hadn’t talked to her idol in a good two weeks. Maybe she made more Southie friends over time. Autie could get behind that, seeing how she was making her own southie friends too. In the form of three boys, Ransom, Molotov, and TNT. “Are you lost?” The brazen Clover curtly asked. She wasn’t intentionally trying to come off as bitchy. In all honesty, Autumn was curious and wanted to help but she had little to no control over her tone and bitchface. She licked her ice cream again.

Mordechai looked between his friends and the Clovers for a moment as the first one approached, unsure of just how much they were supposed to be saying or giving out. The girl in front didn’t seem all too surprised to have a trio of Southies in their nice suburban neighborhood, in fact she seemed interested instead of wary. Something about her was scratching at a patch of Mordechai’s memory that had already been partially opened with the two that had left on the motorcycle minutes before, something to do with Rye and his friend Niles…

Memories of Rye going through almost every picture in his phone with Mordechai when they were younger suddenly flooded his mind. It was something that the other boy had often done in their down time, swiping to picture after picture and either explaining what had happened that day, or giving random anecdotes about the people in the pictures with him. He knew Mordechai might not meet them, but he liked the other boy to know about the people that were important to him. Some of the people he had taken pictures with the most were Mordechai and Danny, JP, Danny Belmonte, Niles, and…

“You’re…Autumn,” He said slowly as he finally placed her. He looked from her to the blonde just behind her, a tired smile on his face as he thought of the stories Rye had shared with him about the two. “And Carrie, right? Niles’ sisters? I’m Mordechai, uh,” he struggled with his words, trying to explain how he knew them without them having ever met him. Realizing it might come off wrong, he added, “I used ta hang out with Rye and he had a bunch’a pictures with y’all. Uh, anyway we…well we’re lookin’ for Natalia? We didn’t really think about…needin’ an address when we headed out.”

Christ, his social skills needed some fucking work.

There was something almost gratifying about being known on the Southside, even by those she hadn’t ever met. This Mordechai knew her name, knew her brother’s only friend, and knew the woman she considered ‘the best Niles would ever have’. “So you're new friends of hers or…? If your connection is through Gavriel and Niles then I’m not really adding up why you’d want to see her?” Protectively, Autumn breached closer to the southie with ice cream in hand. Carrie was quick to scurry to her side, to be a buffer if needed, “If you’re here to tell her to leave your friends alone, it’s you who needs to tell your friends to leave her alone! She doesn’t need you, or any of you for that matter, to toy with her emotions,” Niles’ sister growled before taking another lick of her ice cream.

“What my sister means to say, in a less mean way, that was very mean of you, by the way, Autie,” Caroline gave her sister a look of disappointment before bringing her serene eyes back to Decky, “Natalia and Niles, and Rye, have not been on good terms for a very long time. So, if this is because they don’t want to talk to her themselves, I don’t think we can help you.”

Damn. These girls were hardcore. Penelope looked at the standoff that was happening between her friend and the northie girls. Her eyes went past them and to the ice cream truck. How much money did she have on her? Side-stepping out of the heat of the confrontation, tapping Decky’s back which was her way of saying ‘this is all you’, Penelope slowly, very slowly made her way to the small line. She had five dollars. She could totally get a sundae if she wanted to.

The lone man shot his small friend an alarmed look, his hands having already flown up defensively from Autumn's approaching ire. This was not what he'd wanted, but once again his luck- and his mouth- struck again. He didn't remember too much about these girls except that they were twins, and that Autumn was extremely outspoken and protective while Carrie was soft-spoken and bubbly. He’d obviously triggered the brunette’s protective instincts, and her reasonings were totally fair, but he’d only been trying to explain how he knew her and her sister’s names since he’d just blurted them out as a stranger. He definitely hadn’t been thinking about how those names would affect their search for Natalia.

“I don’t-what? No. No I just knew your names because of Rye, him and Niles have nothin’ ta do with this, I haven’t even talked ta him in yea- ya know what?” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, trying to fix his fuck up. He ran his hand through his hair and gripped the back of his own neck tightly to try and release all the sudden tension. They just wanted the point, get to the point. He dropped his hand back to his side and flexed his fingers a few times before restarting. “We’ve got a trip planned and someone told us Puff might wanna be a part of it, we’re just tryin’a find her and ask if she’d wanna join or not…and I mean probably drive since we ain’t got any wheels ourselves.”

“An honorable pursuit,” Carrie beamed, raising her hand in front of her sister, who was one to speak before she thought. All the time. A gesture to shut her up before she spoke. “And Autumn knows better than all of us how cool you southies are, seeing how after she confronted her boyfriend about, well, him sleeping with a lot of other girls, he left her stranded at a gas station! Last night! But she was saved, and now it is our turn to return the favor.” Caroline gave her sister her ice cream, seeing how she needed both hands now.

Autumn was quiet, with a grumpy pout on. Oddly enough, the sweet one had more dominance than she gave off. And ever the wise one too, even if she dramatically laced her words with fantastical flair.

“I, Caroline Sinclair, your fairy godsister will take you to her. And that over there,” she pointed to the yellow buggie in the driveway to her left, their right, “Is your carriage!”

As the Disney princess eased the tension, Autumn tossed her and her sister’s leftover ice cream in the community trash can and sighed, “Sorry.”

Jade watched the bitchy brunette, eyes almost squinting in a glare. She didn’t like her attitude but Jade didn’t say anything. Could she have? Of course. The Angel Princess was a lot of things but a pushover and letting someone jump down her best friend’s throat like that wasn’t one of them. But then she put her feet in their shoes. If she found some northsiders wandering around the southside, especially looking all suspicious like she, Key, and Pops were probably looking from the outside perspective, then she would be just as hostile. So that’s why she kept her mouth shut.

But when the blonde offered to help them, there was a wave of relief, yet when Jade saw their ’carriage’, she could literally feel her eyes twitching and a heavy dose of her own patience leaving her body. “That’s uh…” She struggled to find the right words. “That’s certainly something, isn’t it?” She looked around, blue-green gaze on Key.

Shoulders slumped in relief at avoiding an unnecessary confrontation, Mordechai gave passing thought to what Southies the Sinclairs may have met before he turned to follow Carrie's gesture and almost cried when he saw their mode of transportation. If both sisters were escorting them, them he just knew that he and Jade would barely fit in the back themselves, meaning Poppy would likely be sitting on a half of each of their laps while the two bigger Southies did their best to smush against the back windows. Jade's lackluster commentary on the vehicle fit his own level of enthusiasm quite well, and he stepped up beside her to knock their shoulders together in commiseration. He stared blankly at the small buggy and- in an unintentional mimic of TNT from early that morning- he let out a small, judgement-free laugh and said, "...Cute."

He could feel another laugh trying to escape at the absurdity of the situation, but outwardly he just nodded in thanks to Carrie and started following her to her car, Autumn staying back with their other friends. Well, at least all three of them wouldn't be crammed in the back like he thought. "Just go with it, Harley Head, anythin' that gets us there faster."

The blonde gave a shrug, losing her glare at the bitchy brunette. It sure as hell wasn’t her first choice of cars but she had to internally remind herself that this was a means to an end. At the very least, the blonde, who had a friendly smile, seemed to be willing to help them out. “Yeah okay.” She shrugged again, giving Key a reluctant smile.

The dark haired man smiled back at his friend before stopping and turning back around to their third adventurer at the ice cream truck. "Pops! Ya comin'?"

“Yeah! I just got my shit,” Passing Autumn who went up to her Northie girlfriends, Pops saluted, “Thanks, mate,” and marched to the buggy. Wow, this was one hell of a sight. This car was god awful and it was written all over Poppy’s face. “I call dibs on shotgun since Autumn ain’t coming.”

Intentionally, Poppy decided to make the selfish move due to her holding a mild grudge with her friends. More so Decky than Jade. Maybe she wanted to be petty. They could take the back and she could eat her sundae in the front. Decky had his secrets, and Jade ghosted her for a good month. She deserved the front seat.

“Hey!” Autumn called out as first Jade and Decky piled into the back, and Poppy trapped them inside with the passenger’s chair. “I hope you like Disney!” After a few more exchanges, the yellow chariot was off. Meaning they were in a race with a snail because if there was a snail, it would be going faster than them. Poppy scooped some hot fudge sundae in her mouth and glanced at her friends through her sun visor mirror.

Apologetic, Carrie gently pressed on the pedal, “Sorryyyy, I don’t drive often but this shouldn’t take too long! One sec,” They were inches away from the driveway when Carrie was back in park going to her playlist. After a minute or so, the car started playing Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid Disney soundtrack. “Okay, that’s better.” And they were off! Again!

Steadily Carrie went onward, heading down Scott Street to what the southies would hope eventually led to Natalia’s. By this rate, though, they should’ve walked. As Carrie drove, Poppy swayed to the music and ate her sundae. This was ridiculous and she couldn’t help but find it all amusing. When Carrie started singing, she decided to quietly join the other girl, just so her friends could suffer. Oh how fun this all was.

Mordechai watched Poppy's petty side come out from his folded position in the back, still practically shoulder to shoulder with Jade despite leaning towards the window. He hadn't seen this version of his friend in a while, and while he knew it was mostly his fault fucking up with this whole Natalia thing, the man couldn't help the small smile that slipped onto his face as she sang along with whatever song was playing. He didn't technically have a feeling toward Disney songs either way, given his extremely limited interaction with their movies and the like, and while what he was hearing wasn't really his schtick he could get behind them if it meant continuing to hear his smallest friend's voice without any heartbreak or feelings of betrayal undercutting her tone. Like he'd said: knew he'd fucked up, that was clear, he just didn't know how to fix it immediately, so he just had to deal with Poppy being upset with him.

The practical crawl of the car down the road and the upbeat music contrasted themselves as much as the blonde in the driver seat contrasted her passengers, and Mordechai was left wondering how he and his friends always fell into such odd situations, ever since they were kids. Was it their curious personalities, their bad luck, the people they surround themselves with? All, or maybe none, of those options? They interacted with the Northside more than most Southies just on account that they continued their schooling and the only highschool was Northside, but they were still worlds apart from most of these people. He does remember Danny being returned to him one day by Poppy and Max and his little brother going on an excited rant about a Disney Marathon, Decky! They sing in like every movie! They're so fun- because apparently Max had taken over most of his watching for the day and demanded that he know some childhood wonder. Mordechai, already a Serpent at the time, had been more focused on his brother's excitement and smile than the actual content of his words.

Looking at the back of Poppy's head, Mordechai wondered if she also struggled still with the voice of her lost sibling in her ear, or the thoughts of what would happen if they hadn't been lost, but he was pretty sure he knew the answer. Trying to keep a positive air about him, he turned his eyes to Carrie and asked, "So, is this somethin' ya need ta show your kids? Just 'cause it's all happy and musical?"

“I’ll show my kids, but no,” Carrie turned down Meadow Street, to their left was the large, creepy, definitely evil Grimm estate and grounds, and to their right was the Davies, then the Josephs. “Parents can do whatever they see fit. And to correct you, sir, Disney isn’t all rainbows and butterflies.” She glanced at the boy through her rearview mirror, even going the extra mile to turn down the song. “They have universal messages. You know Lion King is basically Hamlet by William Shakespeare, right? But that isn’t the point. It’s not just Disney. Cartoons help develop a child's cognitive skills. If you don’t like Disney, there’s always Looney Tunes or all the 90s shows on Cartoon Network like Courage the Cowardly dog. But kids don’t need that. We have good books too and we have the great outdoors.”

Penelope glanced over at the girl who was actually quite intellectual for being so childlike at times. The young girl brought her attention back to the road, as she continued to give her stance on Disney, cartoons, and parenting. Taking another spoonful of sundae, Poppy placed it in her mouth and continued to listen. Now in silence, no longer singing — just her, her sundae and Carrie’s TedTalk. She liked how energetic this girl was. How strong, firm, and sure of herself she came across. Something Poppy felt like she lacked a lot of times. It was nice to see. Through all the dark, there were still those that carried light in them. There were still those hopeful and positive.

“I will say early Disney, like Princesses waiting for their Prince to come save them, does not translate well in our day and age but they’re still good movies. The reason why I like Disney is because it reminds me that I can still be young at heart. Through all the crap this town goes through, having something that makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you sing, and just makes you… feel, isn’t such a bad thing, right? I don’t know, Disney just keeps me centered. Like the Goofy Movie, Goofy has to come to terms with his son growing up but watching your baby grow is hard, you know? And Max, his son, learns that even if he wants to do his own thing, like most teenagers do, he still has a loving father in his corner who's just doing his best. So, cartoons, no cartoons, sweets, no sweets, there is no map to parenting.”

Mordechai didn't follow any of the references Carrie gave aside from Shakespeare's Hamlet, but her point got across clearly enough, and the man felt a level of respect grow for this girl who was obviously more than the face she wore for others. He wondered if whatever movies Max had shown Danny had helped his little brother in any way, or about how books and comics was probably their biggest developers in that stage of their lives. Books he could do, those he knew pretty well but, maybe…

"I don't know much about that stuff, you got like a few good ones ta start with?" He asked sincerely, thinking of his own children singing songs just because they could and fighting the smile that the thought tried to bring to his face. The things he didn't understand- the things he never had - were exactly what he wanted to give his children. "I've got a couple kids that I wanna have a better childhood than me."

“Hm, I’d suggest Hercules. That soundtrack you’ll handle. It’s more gospel and soul. Easy on the ears but still catchy. Also Danny DeVito voices Phil. We love Danny DeVito.” Tapping her fingers on the wheel, her attention went from the road to a black truck parked conspicuously by the Grimms Queen-of-the-Night tulips, stone half wall (that had an iron gate door leading to the gardens), and their massive English Oak tree. Very gothic, spooky, and aesthetic, especially during Halloween. While she never saw that truck before, she wasn’t one to question the Grimms. That was one family you left alone. Yes siree. Only bad juju came from this house which meant those that lived there were cursed or doomed for life. “There’s non-musical films too. You might like Brother Bear and The Emperor’s New Groove. Start with those three and we can go from there. Rye has my number if you want more suggestions. I also have like… all the Disney movies ever if you want to borrow too. On both DVD and VHS!”

The same truck that Carrie saw had Mordechai doing a double take so quickly that his neck cracked as he recognized it as Mika's. He made a mental note to text his other constant later and nose into his life a bit: a little bit of payback for the last month plus that he'd helped Allegra play Warden with him. Just because it was for his own good doesn't mean it didn't get frustrating at times being an adult getting babysat right alongside your own children.

Hey, maybe they should've been watching Disney movies that whole time.

"I don't talk ta Rye anymore," Mordechai reiterated his comment from earlier, coming back to the conversation. He wasn't ready to get into that yet, talking to Rye was going to be a whole other trauma. "I haven't since I left. Uh, I'll figure it out though, thanks. Are we almost there?"

“Oh, that’s sad,” Carrie softly muttered.

Looking back into the visor mirror, Penelope looked at Mordechai who was gazing out the window. In thought, she stood there silent, wondering if Mordechai held it against Gavriel for not being able to protect little Danny. Did he hold a grudge against him even though Rye had no control over the situation? Or was Decky ashamed that he put Rye in that position, and blamed himself, just like he blamed himself for how Charlie became?

“Oh yeah! There she blows. Italiaaaaaa!” Caroline pointed to the large house with the Italian flag hanging from a staff of the front wall. The furthest house from the gate but not too hard to get to. Instead of pulling the car up immediately, Carrie turned into the driveway, right behind Taz’s party van (it could seat like ten people) and reversed out. Turning her car to face the opposite direction, so that when they exited Poppy’s door they could go straight to the front door, the happy-go-lucky blonde put her car in park, “Voilá! The Belmontes.”

Holding her sundae cup, she’d need to find a garbage bin for it later, Pops stepped out and when she did so, Carrie helped put the passenger seat forward so the other two could leave. Standing there, in front of the massive estate, Penelope James surveyed the area. The creeping doubt and lingering sadness found its way back to the surface.

Making sure it was hidden behind a mask, Poppy grabbed onto her teardrop necklace with her freehand staring ahead, realizing maybe this lax attitude was simply her faking she was okay. It made the journey to this point easier to handle. She wore Charlie’s jacket as a reminder of the man that had her heart, a reminder of her old Charlie, but now? In front of Natalia Belmonte’s residence, waiting for her friends, she could only feel the jacket as something that belonged to a stranger. Did she really know Charlie? Like truly? Deeply?

Who was Natalia to him?

Jade had tuned out the entirety of the conversation that went on about Disney. It was never her scene. Their peppy chauffeur mentioned something about how there were alternatives to Disney? Yeah, she tuned into that briefly and she agreed. Did she care to voice her opinion about it? Fuck no, she didn’t. Jade didn’t care one way or another. She grew up on horror flicks, Sylvester Stallone, and lots of anime and shows that probably weren’t not suitable for a girl her age (at the time) to watch (looking at you Happy Tree Friends). So what could she bring to the conversation? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And maybe part of her silence had to do with the fact that she was lost in her own head. When they had been in the car for a while, she let her thoughts consume her. Some of them about Anya and what she might be doing right now, but most of them were about Natalia Belmonte and her connection to Charlie. Pretty sure her soul sister was thinking about that too. She wondered if, after all of this, they’d be okay? All Jade did was call her because she felt bad about how quiet she went, but here they were: in the same call, on some grand ole' adventure to find Natalia and get to Blue Hill as soon as they possibly could.

But Jade could feel it. There was an uneasiness in the air. She’s been feeling it for a while now - not just since she picked up the phone and decided to call Poppy, but for a few days. Hell, probably since the Devil became her protector.

Don’t think like that. Think positive. She told herself as she looked out the window and her eyes nearly came out of the socket and she almost dislocated her jaw as she wide-eyed, jaw-down gasped at what she could only assume was the second biggest house on Scott Street. “You have to be kidding me…” Jade muttered just loud enough that at least Key next to her could hear, but then her voice got louder. “We spent all that time getting lost and they had…that in front of the damn house!?” Jade was referring to the ginormous Italian Flag that was outside for the entire neighborhood to see.

“Jesus fucking Christ…” She again muttered, shoving her way into Key’s shoulder, rushing him out. She didn’t care about manners right now, but when they were, all Jade could do, honestly, was stare at the flag.

How could they have missed that?

Allegra glanced down at her phone impatiently while she waited in a booth with her children. She was dressed nicer than her friend had ever seen her, and was even putting on healthy weight alongside Mordechai; she was wearing a lightweight, black mini-summer dress with white flower designs thrown across it like polkadots. She had silver bangles on her wrists that matched the chains around her neck and the hoops in her ears. She had her right leg flung over her left knee, exposing her black cut out heels to the diner as a whole.

The street walker was very used to the cryptic texts she got from her friend- in the form of an unknown sender, of course- and Dollys 12 was probably the easiest text from her that she'd ever had to decipher given that a quick Google search showed a diner by that name in town. When she packed everything up in New York, she hadn't even told the other woman where she'd gone, planning on sending a similarly vague text once they had settled down in their own place, but moving in with the James family instead of some random apartment changed that. Still it looks like the dangerous blonde found her in yet another city without even trying. So now, with Chai in her lap and Viva excitedly drinking her chocolate milkshake, Allegra waited for the clock to strike noon and for the other woman to arrive punctually as always.

Usually, Anya tried to dress to impress, with business casual. That was her token wear. Always ready to get something done and look classy while doing it. Unfortunately from the time Hyde left the library to the fire she had to put out, and the reprimanding she got from the librarian, she had no time whatsoever. Instead she quickly washed last night’s job off and threw on more casual wear. A style she wore when she knew she had time to relax. Jumper pants, a tee, and sneaks. Something the kids would love, she was sure. Her hair was in a messy bun and there was a hop in her step, purely from exhaustion. There was no sleep for the wicked.

When she stood in front of Dolly’s, the Basilisk stood there and moved her neck in circles, going round and round, slowly. She had back to back to back jobs and now it was all catching up with her. She was only human after all and even people like Anya Kamensky needed sleep. As a habit and precaution she searched her surroundings before making her way inside, causing the doorbell to sound.

She looked at the man behind the bar, gave him knowing eyes and a nod. It didn’t take long for her to find her friend with her children. Hooking her thumbs in her pants pocket, she strolled to the table. The corner of her mouth slid upward and her eyes sparkled, which she hoped would ease her resting bitch face, especially to the little ones, “So you come see the place your jew from?” Her eyes went from the older woman to the children, “They get so big, crazy.”

"'Course ya knew where he was from," a light scoff and shake of the head followed that statement, but no surprise showed on her face. "And y'know, I'm pretty sure he ain't just my jew, especially in this town. But I came to get him sober," Allegra amended with an eye roll, pushing the milkahake further onto the table and standing up to get herself and Chai out of Viva's way once the girl recognized the other woman at the table. With an excited, "Auntie Bass!" Viva threw herself at the blonde while Allegra settled back down in the booth with her son. "Or, y'know, sober-ish. He can't deal with all the shit this town has piled up while he's still fucked up on H. You helped me with my shit, it's high time I passed on the favor right?"

Because Allegra was all types of messed up the first time she met Bassy, under the influence of her pimp Leo and whatever he was pumping through her system at the time. At fifteen years old she didn't think much when, after a little heart to heart on a swing set in the middle of the night, the blonde with eyes caged like her own handed over a burner cell and told her to call if she needed help. By the time she really needed that phone call she was barely 16, pregnant, and bruised in a Longwood alleyway with Leo's corpse weighing her down, but Bassy came through despite the months in between. The woman gave her a stack of cash and pointed Allegra in a good direction, and she was even there for the birth of Viva, allowing Allegra to grasp her hand through the painful hours with no outward reaction to the vice-like grip that had been grinding the bones of her hand. It had been Bassy's kindness and sudden existence in her life that had left Allegra so open to a corner partner when a certain scarred and burdened Southie had wandered into her turf with dead eyes and visible ribs.

Holding Viva in her arms, Anya gave a genuine, warm smile at the little girl, even softening her razor-sharp eyes. Brushing her nose against her’s, Basilisk gave a heartfelt compliment, “I see you, Kukolka. You still pretty girl. So pretty.” Taking a seat across Allegra, the woman's shoulders eased. Basilisk, someone that could kill everyone in this diner without batting an eye, kept the child in her embrace. She was calm and at peace. She was in family mode.

There was an obvious hold children had over the Basilisk that made her come across more human than a weapon. Kids were innocent and still saw magic. Children knew so much and spoke what was on their mind and heart. No restraints. They knew that love was not an emotion, it was behavior. Children were treasures. If she could, she would protect every single child. A protector wasn’t something she had but she certainly could be for them.

In her safe haven, Anya felt at home. Even if Hyde liked to stalk her, this was still a place she called her own and now she shared it with Jade. “I get where you come from. Family for me lives here too. I try to work job and spend time with my brothers. I worry, though. Little brother is not like you and me… he too good to live in dark.”

After speaking, the Russian woman noticed something new. She noticed the change in Allegra, not only with the determination written on her face that felt deeper than just Decky’s issues but the clothing. Very becoming of her. Raising her eyebrows, the Basilisk praised Allegra, her friend, while talking to sweet little Viva, her little doll, “Your mama is so pretty. You think she pretty? I know I think she pretty.”

Allegra saw the once over and grinned brightly at the praise from Anya, all but glowing as she said, “Thanks Bassy, the airport lost my clothes so the James’ family gave me a lot of their older daughter’s stuff. She had a good style, and I’ve never had clothes this nice,” She played with the hem of the dress, feeling the fabric between her fingers and thinking about how sad it was that so many siblings in this town were now the only children of their line. It had been rough, watching Sly and Poppy bring out Max’s old clothes when everyone realized there would be no retrieving Allegra’s luggage, and their faces told entire stories as they left her alone to look through the outfits. She couldn't even begin to express how grateful she was for their kindness. She thought of some of the people she knows in this town and her smile lessened. “Anyway, I know a few of those people stuck in the dark when they deserve better. The problem is usually that they don't know it. Sometimes we need 'em in the dark with us, though, because we can't be with 'em in the light," the smile was sad now as she looked at her daughter in her friend's lap and then her son in her own. "Hopefully, these little brats’ll grow up aware of the dark but not get stuck in it. Being a good parent is a step in that direction."

Chai pat his hands against his mother's arms as she held him close, the young boy currently wide-eyed enamored with the shiny, reflective surface of the napkin dispenser and unaware of the weight of the conversation. Viva was staring at Allegra’s face and sitting very still in Anya's comforting hold, head cocked to the side as she saw the sad look she couldn't yet understand in her mother’s eyes. She tilted her head back until it hit her Aunty Bass' chest and she was staring upwards at the blonde.

"I didn't know you had brothers from here, what are the odds," Allegra added after a moment of silence, looking back up and across the table at the other woman. "Talk about the web of fate, huh?"

The mention of trapping those meant for the light, keeping them close for their safety caused Anya’s heart to grow heavy. She was trained to not feel but ever since she started having weekly ‘coincidental’ dates with Jade, she was learning that she still had a heart. That she wasn’t just a killing machine. Part of her wished that people like her, like Allegra, like Hyde were only lost in a dark place. But the Basilisk knew better, the dark place was part of who they were.

When Viva glanced up at her, Anya kissed her forehead while pensively stewing at Legs’ words. The waiter did come and Legs ordered a shortstack with fruit on the side to split with her kids while Anya shook her head, not hungry. She had her breakfast hours ago and now if she was being honest with herself, all she wanted was sleep but she would not be getting that anytime soon. After this, she had a job for the Fallen Angels to run. Being the enforcer for the MC definitely kept her busy, on top of her already busy schedule. One could say that the Basilisk did not know the concept of what a vacation was.

When the waiter left, Bassy bounced her legs to distract Viva from the gravity of the conversation and finally responded, but going back to an earlier statement Allegra had said, “You with good people. They hurt. A lot. The James but they strong like bull.” Absentmindedly, Anya found herself running her fingers through her Kukolka’s hair before asking, “You good? Why you here I get, but I want you to take care yourself. This place, my home, is not like where you come from. It’s not like many places. OK?”

Allegra sent Anya a smirk, teasing her with a small, “Aw, Bassy, you do care!” before it became a more genuine smile. She was always honest with Bassy. “I’ll be ok, we may have lived through different tragedies in our lives but I feel like I’ve really found my people. Aside from you and the other girls at the diner back in Brownsville I’ve never had people, I kinda like it. But Mordechai needs more. He’s got us, he’s got Poppy, Mika, and Jade,” She listed, twirling her fork around in her fingers while they waited for the food to be delivered. “But he needs all his brothers and sisters. He’s gonna go back to the Serpents soon, I know that, and I’ll be damned if I let him go alone. I’m not gonna let him get lost again, and if that means cuttin' off the balls of every friend that offers him a needle then so be it. I kept him away from them when he was gettin’ sober but I’m not gonna keep him locked down forever. He’s back here for good, so I’m just gonna stop him from makin’ some of the same mistakes he did before, like leavin’ his friends and family out of things as though it actually protected them,” An eyeroll followed that statement as Poppy came to mind. “Or shootin’ up when he can’t handle shit,” She looked down at her own track marked scarring on the inside of her arms and shrugged. “I definitely keep busy, but I think it’s good for all of us. What about you? I know you’re always busy, but are ya doin’ good?”

The lethal woman didn’t answer that question. Not right away at least. The Basilisk sat there listening to this woman (who she met as a girl) realizing that she went out of her way to meet up with her, shortly after finding out she was in town. Bassy thought of their time in New York and the lengths she went to get Allegra out of her horrible situation, even going out of her way to aid her during the birth of Viva.

Oh how she’s grown since the last time she saw her.

Against all adversaries, the young woman that was Allegra Cardenas pulled through it all and now was considered a pillar. A force to be reckoned with, a compass for the lost souls, and a beautiful spirit that feels the empty hearts of those that don’t realize what they need. She’s full of drive and ambition for her kids’ futures and for their father, who she still loved even if not in the textbook way. To show for it? A testimony of her journey; Legs had two beautiful children. They were her strength incarnated.

“Anya,” the mysterious enigma who went by both the Basilisk and Jane, formally introduced herself. In the clutter that was her employer’s demands, her older brother’s scorn, and the unamused facial expression of Ivan Zima -- the man she blamed for the death of her mother, her birth father that didn’t give a damn for the prostitute he knocked up -- Anya saw Jade. She saw Mika. And she saw Allegra.

You’re losing your touch. The Devil’s voice echoed in her head. With her arms wrapped around Viva like a comfort doll, Bassy let his voice get buried with all the things that brought her joy. All the people that made her smile. “Anya Kamensky,” she stated, soft enough so that only Allegra could hear but clear enough so Legs knew the value of this gesture.

Allegra let the shock color her features as she heard a new name be given to her. The woman who had simply introduced herself as Basilisk going on four years ago was finally gifting Allegra the knowledge of her real name, and the younger woman couldn't even begin to express the level of warmth and happiness that crashed over her at the gesture. She smiled so brightly you could barely see her eyes and nodded to the other woman, also understanding that this was not a name to be used lightly. Reaching across the table and holding her hand out for the other woman to take, Allegra spoke back in a tone just as soft as the one that had delivered the name.

"Nice to truly see ya, Anya," she tilted her head and her smile softened. Not letting go of the question she'd posed before Anya's reveal, she then asked, "Now, how are ya doin'?"

Bashful and shy, Anya took a moment to look away from Allegra, as she grabbed onto the other woman’s hand now finding comfort in two things. Viva and Allegra’s hand. She made sure her other arm and hand was holding onto the little girl on her lap. To say this was foreign territory for Anya was an understatement.

Chemistry wasn’t something she had with many, which meant she didn’t get intimate, close, and affectionate with anyone. She could still have sex if the job permitted her to do so, but this was different. There was something very real with holding Allegra’s hand and she wondered if this would be a similar feeling if she held Jade’s.

Feeling anything but numbness wasn’t something she was used to though it wasn’t necessarily something she disliked either. Clearing her throat, she brought her attention back to the caring soul in front of her and answered her question, finally, “I used to not care. Not worry. Now I do those things and more. I think I like a person but I… what that saying go? A fish… out the water. It's like my little brother. He too good to live in the dark and all I know is the dark. It’s… confusing. I don’t know if I like to feel.” Temptation was in the form of a blonde bombshell and Anya knew the closer she got to her, the more dangerous things would become to her. But there was part of her who felt like she could protect her better by being right at her side. Was that her being selfish? She didn’t know.

"From what I know of this town, even the most innocent have ta at least learn ta live with the dark. It's everywhere here, Mordechai was talkin' about how most people here believe in bloodline curses or some shit, but I think it's just that y'all got a very potent concentration of shitty situations in such a small area," she rolled her eyes as she thought of the father of her children, and everything she knew about the lives of him and his loved ones. "But tryin'a keep them completely out of it? Learn from Mordechai, Jade, an' Poppy...it just ends up hurtin' them some other way down the line, it ain't worth it. And hey, welcome to emotional connections! Imma let you in on a little secret; no one likes their feelings when they can't understand 'em. No one likes bein' confused, it's just that it's a little more dangerous for you than most. Usually handling feelin's and emotions is somethin' a parent is supposed to teach a child when they're young but as you well know not all of us get that privilege," She squeezed her friend's hand here, giving her friend every bit of her attention that wasn't already on making sure Chai was secured in her lap. "I figured it out with a lot of trial 'n' error and a hell of a lot of support from all the girls back in Brownsville. I made use of free resources where I could, but a lotta it's just leanin' on the people you've learned to trust seein' ya vulnerable."

She thought about that dark night in the alley, weak and hiding under a tarp all bloody and shaking and waiting for her blonde savior to come swooping in to tell her what to do. Anya had been her first touchpoint to kindness and sympathy since Allegra was eleven years old and given away to Leo to pay off her father's debts to him. Coming down from a high he'd kept her on for five years, shivering and tired and then looking up into those jade green eyes, Allegra had let the Basilisk see how shattered she was, all her broken pieces laid out bare on the sludge covered alley ground, meeting the gaze with her hollow brown eyes. She always knew she could pick herself back up and put herself together, she just needed someone to hand her that first piece, and Anya had been that person. Allegra was happy to finally have a chance to return the favor.

"Lean on me, find me when you're confused and we can figure it out together. Talk ta your bro or your little crush," she winked, letting the other woman know she was just teasing. "Isn't the best way to protect people by bein' at their side?"

“Yes,” Anya answered, and followed up by giving Viva another kiss on her head. She was learning that she might not be as invincible as her guardian wanted her to be. She had at least a handful of people she cared about and that was enough weaknesses for someone to take her down if they wanted to. “I will say this, you live here from now on, you believe in curses and ghosts. Trust in me. Edenridge not like any other place.” It really wasn’t and those that came from the outside either immersed themselves in the many webs of the town or got eaten by the spider.

Unfortunately for the two friends, Anya’s phone began to vibrate which caused her to release Legs’ hand, take it out of her pants pocket and glance at who was calling her. When she saw the number, the Basilisk’s emotions completely vanished from her face, turning her back to the cold bitch she trained herself to be. “I go now,” she stood up, with Viva in her arms, making her way to Allegra and offering the little girl back, “Sorry I don’t stay but work calls.” There were some things she could not fight like her work. That wasn’t a bridge she could cross yet. Not while there were many things left for her to do.

"Stay alive, Bassy," Allegra replied to the woman as she received her older child, knowing that to tell the blonde to stay safe would be absolutely ridiculous. She settled Viva down next to her and held onto her arm as the girl pouted and attempted to follow her aunt, who was headed to the door and speaking rapid-fire Russian into her phone. "Not now baby, Auntie Bass has ta go back to work."

The waiter came back just as Viva had calmed down again, setting the plate in front of the mother and her child before heading to the next table. She popped a grape into her daughter's mouth and then held a slice of strawberry up to Chai's for him to nibble on while she began cutting up the shortstack with a fork. When she had felt her friend's presence disappear completely, she allowed her shoulders to sag a bit as she stared at her plate and contemplated Anya's parting words. Sure, she believed in things that weren't easily explained, but she has a habit of taking the most rational approach or explaination first before defaulting to anything metaphysical. Still…if it had her Bassy worried enough to warn her, she'd keep her mind as open as needed.

"Curses and ghosts huh? As if this town didn't already have a shitton of demons ta deal with…"

The Afterlife.

It was a beautiful abomination.

A place for those who seek to shed their life and revel in the after night.

It was once Saint Paul’s Church, just beyond Lyon Park. It was a large, limestone building with innately gothic architecture. A breathtaking sight to some and to others, it was nothing short of a nightmare that stood resolutely overlooking a town whose sins it could not forgive.

When the young pastor James Stronbow-Winters took over as the serving Padre at St Paul’s, the town was both excited and intrigued. His history as a local rocker cast doubt on his ability to lead a congregation but his youth and enthusiasm left most with a level of excitement. Things went well for a short time. Mass had become popular, church donations had gone through the roof and the community seemed to be in a healing mode. Then it happened. Even to this day nobody knows the real reason why it happened or even how it happened. All that is really known about that night was that somehow, the rectory caught ablaze. The rumour had consistently been that James was drunk and started the fire, cursing God over the recent death of his father. Whatever the cause, the fire did not stay within the confines of that small attachment, it spread, wild and fast until soon the entire cathedral was ablaze. Seven people lost their lives. Four altar boys who had been there for choir practice, a caretaker and the parents of the illustrious Mayor Teddy Grimm, parishioners devoted to their lord. James fell. The darkness swallowed him and his own life burned away like a candle. Of course he left a legacy, another horror story of Edenridge. A boy named Charlie.

After James' death, the church sat vacant; a burned out husk of a bygone era. That was until Colm Lockheart, a local beloved businessman decided to purchase the building through eminent domain. With his near limitless funds. He began the conversion of a House of God into a different kind of house entirely. By 2010, St Paul’s had given way to The Afterlife. Not only was it a bar, it had become a nightclub, a lounge and a live music venue. It began to regularly host nights for every type of reveller, dancing nights, jazz nights, hardcore grunge, whatever it could do it did. Afterlife had evolved and was the best nighttime destination in New England.

Laura Costigan had gotten a job there pretty much out of high school. She has always been a bit of a free spirit and unlike some of her compatriots, her goal wasn’t to escape Edenridge or save the world, she just wanted to get to the next day. She started dancing, of course, in the low hanging cages when she was eighteen. Then she tended the bar and bussed tables until finally graduating to her current role as Hostess. Lamb was the premier Candy girl at Afterlife. She almost exclusively only worked the VIP room, taking care of the wealthiest of clients. She would be in there later for her actual shift but for now, she would get her bearings. She was meeting an absolute darling later and she wanted to be in a good mood.

Following a dainty woman, who called herself Primrose Lyon, a beautiful redhead with so much life ahead of her, Sylvester found himself caught in memories of his past. He hadn’t walked inside this place since, well, since it was a place of worship. He surveyed the area seeing how the revelry masked the tragedy that was St. Paul’s Church. Oh how things changed since the last time he’s been here.

There was Shannon’s daughter, with the youngest O’Brien girl, getting lost in their vices because that was better than coping with the reality of life. He wondered if Penelope ever tried coming here to forget her worries and live for the night. He knew the answer but he could imagine her hanging with Mei and trying something out of her comfort zone, simply enjoying the moment and being alive. Just how Shannon pulled him on adventures to get out of their comfort zone, together, all for the sake of having a good time. A Ling woman sure did know how to have a good time, that’s for sure.

The faces he remembered, from James to Henry and Jacqueline Grimm, all seemed to come clearly to his mind as he walked deeper into the stomach of the night club. There was a period when many started to believe the curse of Edenridge had been lifted or was on the path to. That was short lived, as most things were here, when a defining moment changed the lives of many. Changed the lives of someone he considered a friend. James.

Something Sly had learned throughout the years was that fires were the catalyst of a Decker man. The fire at St. Paul’s and the fire on Liberty. If it weren’t for the fire at St. Paul’s Church, perhaps Rhonda would still have James in her life, perhaps Charlie would’ve grown up with a father, and perhaps the town would’ve accepted the true founders of these lands. The Native Americans.

While Sly knew Charlie was already falling apart, for a long while since Allison died, the nights he would come home and catch Penelope silently crying herself to sleep, out of worry this night would be Charlie’s last, Sly firmly believed the fire on Liberty changed James’ son, for the worse. Edenridge Tobacco warehouse, now ablazed on Class of 2020’s junior prom night, forced the boy to face a mirror and accept everything he was becoming.

The Southie boys that were on site barely could answer any questions, it was the doctor’s son that painted him a scene and even without that knowledge, Sly felt it in his gut the following day when he saw Charlie and he tried to play catch up. Something wasn’t right about that boy and there were subtle signs that the Charlie he knew, that the Charlie his daughter loved, was long gone. Sly could tell Charlie hadn’t slept for days, his clothes were dirty, his neck had a pinch of soot on it, his eyes were endless voids, with no sense of human empathy, and the one thing that broke his heart, he was unreceptive to anything Sly was saying to him.

Sly was no longer his best friend’s father. No, Sly was a cop who failed him, just like how Sly failed the Gallows, his brothers-in-arms, and his family. Charlie made it clear that day he wanted nothing to do with the James family. At the time, Sly didn’t think he meant it. Penelope was his world. His everything. But after the shooting, he started to believe that it was true. Sly was no longer Rocky of the Southside Serpents, he was the man in blue that would one day kill a kid he helped raise. A boy he saw as a son. Charlie Decker.

“So what’s your vibe, Officer James?” The Red Hot candy girl asked. Her outfit sparkled and had a similar cut to the dress that Jessica Rabbit wore. “We don’t usually have the pleasure of serving men such as yourself, but your partner, he's one of our regulars.” She glanced over her shoulder to teasingly wink at Clay. Her red stained lips were in such an enticing, alluring, and bright smile, and the way her hips swayed would make any weak willed man grovel at her feet.

Clay chuckled. He was a regular at the Afterlife and had been since he was eighteen to party and twenty one to drink…legally. If he just wanted to have a quiet drink and taste some mighty fine beer, the Hole in the Wall was always his go to, plus Rhett offered the best discount. Afterlife was Clayton’s old cruising spot. It was the perfect blend of the chaos of a club to the sultry vibes of a speakeasy. He had taken numerous dates to the VIP where whatever hostess was on would treat them like diamonds. Luckily, he made sure to never come when Lamby was on shift.

“Pardon?” Sylvester looked away from the bar and dancefloor, only to put the brakes on his walk as the vixen stopped in her tracks, turned on her heel, and glanced up at him. She playfully batted her eyes, in intrigue and curiosity. How old was she anyway?

This was definitely not his scene.

Smirking at his reaction, Prim played with her locket to bring attention to her chest, “Music, honey. What kind of music do you like?”

Oh that vibe. “Yeah, sorry. Jazz, mostly,” Rocky wasn’t an easy one to manipulate. His light brown eyes never wavered from the gorgeous woman’s eyes. If there was one remarkable feat the older man displayed it was his loyalty to his wife and family. To this day, no advances worked on him and that’s because he didn’t care about what this girl was offering. He cared about the life he built and staying secure and stable. He cared about his wife on her meds and happy, not worrying about the grim side of things all the time, and he cared about his daughter living life again and seeing her own strength, outside of the boy they both used to know. He cared about being in a place where he could undoubtedly say he was at peace and he did all he could. He cared about a lot of things and infidelity was not one of them.

“Ooooh! We have a night for that! You should come back, but for fun next time.”

“I’ll think about it — hey is Miss Costigan ready for us?” Sly had no space for idle chatter seeing how the storm was just about to hit and the Chief wanted him and Clay to head home ASAP.

His impatience was rewarded with an eye roll as Primrose pointed with her thumb to the door next to her, “Take the stairs, it’ll lead you to the VIP section. She’s the first room to your right. Clay should know that whole area pretty well.”

“Thanks Primrose,” Clay bowed his head slightly to the redhead before moving beyond Sly and opening the door to the stairs. “Say hi to the girls for me.” He opened up the door and nodded for his Lieutenant to follow him. As the two men began to ascend, Clay looked back at Sky and shook his head. “We all have our vice boss, don’t judge me,” He chuckled.

A joke.

Humour.

It was easy to mask that horrible feeling he had in his chest with something to laugh at. Clay had spent the day interviewing his old friends about their shared dirty little secret. About their once and former leader, David. Rehashing the past and bringing back all the pain and suffering that the Elite had hoped to push off a cliff and never see again was not something that the young police officer enjoyed doing. Every question he asked a friend felt like a knife to his heart. He could only imagine how they felt about him being the one to ask those damning questions. And now? Now he had to interview his sister, his twin, the one person on this entire planet whom he shares his lifeblood. Lamb was the other half of his soul. Or at least, she was supposed to be.

Entering into the VIP area, Clay looked around before making his way to the first door on the right, Laura’s room. The only saving grace is that because of a conflict of interest, Sly would be leading the questioning. Small victories. Sighing, Clayton knocked on the door twice before opening it up slowly.

Lamb sat on the wrap around couch, her arms stretched out across its back. Her chestnut hair hung at her bare shoulders and lightly over onto her collarbones. She looked dynamite. Dressed in a classy little black dress which hugged every contour of her body and screamed elegant sex, there was a reason that Laura was the top girl at the Afterlife.

“Lamby.”

“Big brother.”

“Mind if we take a seat, Miss Costigan?” Sly politely asked as he surveyed the intimate room. “Your brother and I appreciate your quick response to our last minute request. This shouldn’t take too long. Scouts honor.” Going deeper into the den, the man with the bigger muscular stature decided to stand by the side wall, respecting the boundaries of the lady of the hour. Even if Clay was her twin, Sly wanted to establish the professional undertone of this interview. There were enough crimes going on where cops were in the wrong, abusing their power, and he did not want to be in that percentage. Whether it was an issue with race or sex, a white man should always understand the priviledges he has when he walks into a room.

Lamb motioned with her hand to one of the sides of the couch. “Please, feel free, Mr. James.” Sylvester James was a glorious chunk of man meat and a worthy soldier in the army of Edenridge fathers that the girls and guys of Eden would gladly call Daddy. She was playing it cool. Of course she was. In her line of work, appearance was everything and in a tense situation such as this one, the emptying of a grave, she couldn’t appear to be anything but calm even though inside she was holding back a storm just as bad as the one brewing outside. “You too, Clayton.” Laura loved her brother, she really did and even if they weren’t as connected as they could be, she was very much concerned about him. She was close to the Elite but she wasn’t in the Elite.

Clay was.

And there was something off about him at that moment. He looked tired. His skin was pale and the dark circles over his eyes were quite present. He had always wanted to be a cop, ever since they were little kids but looking at him now? It seemed like Clay’s dream job was killing him.

Clay took a seat on the opposite side of his younger sister and took out a notepad and pen. “We’ll be quick Lamb, ok? LT is going to take charge since I can’t with a conflict of interest.” He wasn’t a great lover of her job here but he did accept it. Lamb had always been her own woman, too much like their Mom and just a little bit too much Milligan in her. She was a free spirit swept up in a tornado and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “If at any point you need to tap out, just let me know.”

Sylvester didn’t like bringing up the past, no more than Vicky liked taking her meds and with Charlie’s journal out there somewhere, with only God knows who, Edenridge was restless. Taking a seat beside Clay to level the dynamic, to show she had just as much power in the interview as he did, Sly clasped his hands together and went onward, into the foreboding history of the Elite, “Let’s start here. What’s your relationship with the O’Hara twins, both David and Jamie? If I am to understand why someone would go out of their way to send David’s secret love letters to the whole town, I need to understand the connections he had, like you with him and the closest person to him. His sister.”

Lamb locked her fingers in front of her lap as she looked at the policemen staring at her. This was harder than she thought, trying to separate her big brother from the uniform he wore. She took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts and began. “Well, I grew up with them. We were neighbours our entire lives. Jamie was my best friend up until she went off to school. We stayed close but not as close as we could’ve. As far as David, he was just always there, always a part of my life. I…can I say this? He was Clay’s best friend. Whenever I saw him he was with my brother or another Elite or Jamie.”

“You say whatever you're comfortable with, Miss Costigan. And like your brother said, if there ever comes a time you want to tap out you can. You are doing us a favor by giving us a moment of your day, and I understand how heavy this is. For the both of you,” Sly glanced over at Clay who was focused on the notepad and his sister. While Sly would still be considered young, he knew through the years that this town never lets you forget. No matter how much time came and went, something happened where you’re forced to reflect and look into a mirror. “I’ve learned a lot about David today so I’m going to… change things up.”

Crossing his arms, leaning back in his chair, Sly softened his eyes as he carefully watched Lamb and her subtle reactions. Sometimes being a cop sucked but he wanted her to feel safe around him. Deep down, he would always be Rocky before he was a cop. That part no matter how much he tried, tried to bury, would never change. He was a man of the people and at times, that made him do things that broke his heart, but everyone else would stay at peace. Sacrifices had to be made for the sake of his town. “The coach put a lot of pressure on his children. Anyone could see that. As Jamies’ former best friend, how do you think that impacted her?”

“Jamie is…” Laura looked to her brother, who offered in return a soft and comforting gaze. “Sensitive.” To be a Foundling in this town, to have that big house on Scott Street, was born a blessing and a curse. Depending on the name you carried, the pressure was different. The worst family to be in was the O’Hara’s. This had nothing to do with the parents, John and Lizette loved their kids. But the expectation that came with that name. O’Hara for the lack of a better term, meant greatness. “She loved David more than anyone. They were twins. Soulmates.” The sting in her heart as she looked at her own sibling, she knew he felt it too. “Coach never understood Jamie, not for the lack of trying but he just couldn’t work out why she was the way she was, so all of his attention went on David and the team. Jamie, well she never felt forgotten about like a normal kid would. Instead, she just got worried that she couldn’t take the pressure off of her brother. David worked so hard to be as good as he was on that court but it was never enough because Fran and Clay and even that idiot Russ, everything was natural for them.” She reached forward and picked up the glass of water on the table. After bringing it to her mouth and taking a sip, Lamb returned her attention to the officer. “Jamie only ever wanted to help.”

Sly knew this feeling well, through his wife. Victoria Mooney was so young when her family got arrested. She wanted to ease the burden from her older sister, Samantha, and she wanted to prove to her younger brother, Dexter, that everything was going to be okay. In reality, Dexter was better at protecting both his older sisters combined. Even before the abuse, Vicky’s mom would tell Sly’s uncle that ‘something isn’t right about that one’. Something was off with the middle child of the Mooney family. She was unstable.

And yet, Sly decided to be her protector and carry her through life. Everything Vicky ever did was to protect her family. She wanted to help. Though Sly did wish she wasn’t so impulsive. It led to many messes he had to clean up. “Can you go deeper with her… sensitivity? Has she ever done something she thought would help her brother but it only made the situation worse?”

Clay put his hand on his sister's shoulder and squeezed lightly. “It’s ok, Lamby. Tell him everything you can. I’m here.”

Laura reached up and placed a hand atop Clayton’s for a brief second before moving her gaze back to Mr James. “There was one time, I think junior year? Jamie was home from her school and David was dating this girl from the Southside….I don’t recall her name and she had connections to the Serpents. This girl, well she and a brother that wasn’t particularly a great fan of her brother. I remember finding Jamie in her and David’s special place. She told him that she couldn’t believe somebody would even consider disliking her brother, so she went to this guy's house and ended up slashing his tires. Problem was the guy thought it was Davey and beat the shit out of him. Needless to say, that relationship didn’t last.”

Clay was adding his own notes to Lamb’s story as he could vividly remember it himself. The Elite covered for Jamie and paid the big Southside cat off to stay away. The former basketball player had considered the theory of some sort of revenge when the letter first appeared but those people would have nothing to gain from dragging Duke’s name further through the mud. “Coach lost his shit. David was off the team for a month and Jamie was sent straight back to school.”

Mental instability. Her brother’s soulmate. A secret place that her and her brother only shared. The obvious questions stood out for Sly but as he looked at Clay, he saw himself every time his brothers got into stupid shit. His earlier days as a cop were not easy. When Rusty died, Reaper and Rooster just deep dived into serpent activity. This is before the gala that caused his old friend to leave town and become a ‘character’ of a man burying everything he once was under this professional facade.

There was part of Sly that wanted Clay to come to his own conclusions. In his opinion, this was more his case than Sly’s. Sly had his theory but he wanted to see what Clay did under this emotional stress and pressure. Would he still be standing after all this is said and done? Or would he quit? “Thank you, Miss Costigan. I think that’s enough on Jamie.” Sly took a moment to himself to process the information and find the question that wouldn’t make Lamb feel like she was being interrogated but also give him a chance to see Lamb’s emotional attachment to the worst incident of the Elite’s lives. “The day he died. What were your thoughts when you found out David O’Hara got so drunk that he accidentally drowned in the lake? Did you know what he was going through?”

“No,” Lamb responded quite emphatically. “By the time he died, I had already moved away from godforsaken Scott Street and was too busy trying to build my own life. Like I said, David was Clay’s friend. We texted now and again but that was it. When…everything came out, I was as surprised as everyone else. I don’t think I’d spoken to him for about a month before he died.”

“Hm,” Sly nodded at her answer and gave her a bright and warm smile. He had no more questions to ask. Like he said earlier, this interview was going to be short especially since the storm had already started. “That’s all I have for you, Miss Costigan, but I do want to say, off the record, of course,” Sly rested his right hand on his chin and absentmindedly rubbed it in thought, “I do know how you both are feeling.”

His attention went from the interviewee to his partner. The young man that looked like he hadn’t slept for days. The promising rookie cop who had so much ahead of him, so long as he kept strong. “This town doesn’t like when we forget about our ghosts. My daughter was in love with the kid I shot dead and now someone has his journal. My best friend was a ‘foundling’. The worst of them all. Carlisle. No one really knew and while I can’t say I understand, that shadow hung over him everyday until he died in my arms. This town will rip you apart, given the chance.”

Standing up, he looked at the Costigan twins and shook his head, giving them a piece of advice, “Don’t let it,” patting Clay’s shoulder, a sign that it was time to go, the veteran officer said one last thing, speaking to the air so both twins could take in his wise words, “You’re not as alone as you think. Keep those you care about close and never stop fighting. No matter what this town throws at you. Keep fighting.” As he went to the door, he wearily whispered to himself, “We need more fighters,” before waving at Lamb, thanking her for her time, and leaving the twins alone to have a moment to themselves.

Lamb looked at Clay and he back at her. They weren’t identical twins but they carried themselves in the exact same way and shared the same chocolate coloured eyes of their mother. Laura felt overcome at that moment. She took hold of her big brother's hand and sealed it between her own. “Clay, we both know that whatever comes out of this investigation of yours, isn’t going to be a happy ending for everyone. We also both know that you’re not gonna stop until you figure this out because that’s just who you are, my big brother the superhero. What I need to know is that you are going to be ok? That you’re going to be safe?”

Clay smiled at his twin. Sometimes, some days they shared that connection that they both desperately searched for. Sometimes and some days they were actually brother and sister. This was one of them. No doubt after this he wouldn’t hear from Lamb for another month and that was ok. He knew where she was and she knew where he was. If they needed each other, they’d be there.

The rookie cop got to his feet and brushed a strand of loose hair from Laura’s face. “It’s only a bit of rain, Lamby, I’ll be fine,” Clay made his way towards the door and opened it up. He paused for a brief second and ran his hand through his thick hair. “Make sure they wear condoms, Lamb, we don't need any more Costigan’s running around. I don’t need the competition for the best looking.” With that, he departed with his boss to go solve the mystery.

Laura leaned her head back against the couch and let out a great sigh. It was so Clay of him to make a joke. He knew that she was talking about the case but Clayton wouldn’t admit fear. He wouldn’t admit doubt. It wasn’t any false sense of bravado, it wasn’t any foolhardiness believe it or not. It was his justice. Whatever that may mean.

God she hoped he could weather the oncoming storm.

Well that was far from fun.

Lamb didn’t particularly enjoy being grilled by Daddy James and her own twin brother Clayton but she did understand why it had to be done. These new letters meant that the dark spotlight that had once been on Edenridge High class of 2020 had now shifted onto the class of 2016; her class. Even more specifically, the focus had been tuned to a group of people that were called the Elite. Lamby hated that name so much. There was nothing elite about them. They were just kids, same as everyone else. The only difference was that they happened to have the weight of the world on their shoulders thanks to the pressures of their names.

Laura spat on those names.

The young woman stood in the staff room bathroom, washing her face and freshening up for her soon to start shift at the Afterlife. She still had a little while before she had to begin work but Lamb liked to walk the floor of the club, get her bearings and the lay of the land. She was working the VIP section tonight but that didn’t mean that she shouldn’t know exactly what was happening elsewhere in the club. She was like her big brother in that sense, Lamby wanted to know everything so she could protect everyone. Nobody was going to hurt her girls, bet on that.

After drying off her face, the brunette foundling looked into the mirror that sat before her and checked her makeup. Appearance was everything, especially in her line of work. No wealthy punter wanted to be entertained by someone who didn’t look after themselves. She quickly reapplied some lipstick before blowing herself a kiss. ”On with the show”

Afterlife was huge, to the point on some nights it felt infinite. It did feel somewhat strange sometimes for Laura that this den of iniquity was once a place of worship, a place of God. Destroyed by a blazing inferno and rebuilt into a small slice of sinful paradise, many believed it was home for prostitution and drugs. Drugs maybe but not sex work. As a Hostess, Lamb’s job was not to fuck her customer (unless she wanted to) but simply to sit with them, entertain them, regale them with pre-made stories to wet their whistles and spend more money whilst she looked pretty. It was an easy gig really.

Walking out onto the club floor, the day drinkers were starting to funnel out of the bar to make way for the far more lively crowd that usually rocked in later in the evening. Then again, with a massive storm overhead, it could end up being a quiet night at the Afterlife. This was fine because Lamb had an extra special guest coming in before her shift really kicked off, her favourite cousin, JJ. She took a seat at the bar, the eyes of men and women already staring upon Lamy’s natural beauty as she was handed a complimentary Black Mojito from the bartender, her friend Sonya.

The lost Milligan girl, that’s what they called her some times, though she was seldomly lost. Jessie James always knew where she might end up. All her life she always knew where she might end up but she never bothered to plan out the journey. It was her way. It was how everyone from little, if not sometimes misguided by her lust, sister Bron to her favorite, less-guided-by-her-libido cousin, Lamb, knew her to be. Always sure about what she wanted but never about the fun that might be had along the way. One thing was certain, after nearly five years removed from her high school graduation, in 2016, not only had Bluejay made it home right before that storm had gotten too severe for her to drive in, but she managed to get to Afterlife.

As JJ strode into the club, wearing a skintight pair of leather pants, a black top that exposed part of her bust, and a blue leather jacket with bluejay emblem on the back, she made her way past the immediate crowd of day drinkers and wannabe playboys (they were on her as soon as they smelled her but she turned them down fast). She went straight for the VIP section and took a seat right at the bar, meeting the gaze of her cousin. “No need to wait any longer, Lamby - I am here~” JJ, in typical grandiose fashion and the somewhat dramatic woman she was, announced herself to her cousin.

Lamby turned in her chair, pulling down the hem of her little black dress to hide the height of her long legs so she could face the breathtaking blonde that was her mother’s sister's eldest and she smiled. Of course, Jessie James looked like an absolute badass. How could she not? She shared her name with one of the most legendary outlaws of all time and that was something that JJ definitely was herself; an outlaw. Her sister too. The Milligan’s were not burdened by the pressure of being Foundlings, much like the Costigan’s, even though their names were plastered all over town on bridges, buildings and streets. ”It’s been way too long, JJ”

Laura got up off of the chair and pulled her cousin into a tight embrace. God, she missed Bluejay. JJ was her person. The one she turned to whenever things were rough or she needed to just forget about the world. She was to Lamb what Avery was to Clay. And more sadly what Clayton himself should’ve been for her. She loved her big brother but their disconnect and inability to get over it was one of her greatest regrets. ”Well you look sexy as fuck” Releasing JJ from her arms, Lamb re-took her seat and turned to Sonya. ”Another special babe”

“I do, don’t I?” She responded with a half-smirk on her face. JJ was never one to be shy away about owning up to whatever anyone said about her, especially not her ride-or-die. She had been absolutely right about the amount of years that had passed since she’s even stepped foot inside Edenridge. She, of course, set as much time aside to meet up with Lamb as much as she could, but between the demands of college, losing time because of parties and other things that distracted her, it was damn near impossible, but she could have tried harder. That, at least, was something she was trying to rectify. “But me, what about you, Lamby? You’re working, yet here you are looking the best you always do.” She glanced at the bartender. “Doesn’t my cousin look amazing?”

Sonya slid the glass over to JJ with a wink and a smirk. “Drop dead gorgeous. The best girl we have here by a clear country mile” Her chocolate eyes took on the two beautiful cousins that sat before her. She had known both off and on for years. Being the daughter of the town's fire chief meant that despite her lack of Scott Street status, Sonya would be dragged to any and all charity functions her mother had to attend. This meant that she would often rub shoulders with the likes of the Elite and the crazy Milligan sisters. “If you’re ever looking for work, you should hit us up cowgirl. You’d fit right in” The Indian/Italian stunner comped off the drink on her register and then moved further down the bar to serve the next customer.

“Looking good is part of my job, babe” Lamby stirred her drink a little. She was doing her utmost to be in the moment with her cousin but she was struggling to shake off the cold, clammy feeling in her stomach that had been sitting there since Clay and his boss had left her.

She was under no illusions in the slightest. The minute Laura heard about the latest batch of the devil’s letters, she was expecting a visit from Clayton, both personally and professionally. It was his job. He had to ask her everything she knew but he also had to care. They were twins. They were supposed to be the same person. Yet whenever Lamby gazed upon David and Jamie, she knew that she and Clay would never have that “magic”, which was what Jamie called it. Laura had it with JJ though. Her outlaw cousin. In many ways, Lamby was the same. She could have ridden her family money to some easy gig. Instead she chose to entertain guests in a club. Maybe she was an outlaw too?

Sucking the air through her teeth, Lamby’s face switched to a large grin. ”Tell me everything. How’s college? Bron? How long you in town? Any hotties in the picture?”

JJ caught a small glimpse of what her cousin tried to hide. She couldn’t say what it may have been about, but there was definitely something in the air. The faint hint of anguish, but Lamb had always been proficient at switching gears. Guess it came with the job of being closer to that foundling royalty than JJ was herself. She didn’t think too much about it, though. As much as she wanted to ask, if her dear cousin wanted to talk about it with her, she would have.

“College is as good as it can be. Started going for my masters in business, but I might just cut my losses. Way more difficult than I anticipated.” Truth be told, JJ had another reason for not being able to focus. For a while now, a certain correspondence she had with someone she was enjoying -- a letter correspondence -- had stopped. She fell back into old habits that probably set her own self-worth back about a year or two. It was only recently she arranged…something. “I got back this morning. Spent some time with mom and Bron. Both are good. Mom misses you and her love is with you. My sister is as spunky as I remember. Maybe more so now that she’s older.” Bluejay laughed, thinking about how her sister had only gotten worse in that aspect. But she still loved her. Family was family and someone had to show her unconditional love. “No hotties, though -- least, not yet.” Maybe a lie, but JJ didn’t know how to really explain.

She took a sip of her radioactive blue cocktail that tastes sweeter than both outfits that her and her cousin were wearing combined. “Now your turn. How’s that doofus brother of yours been? Is he still chasing skirts?” She laughed at the memory that she had of him gaining quite the reputation when they were younger. It was hilarious to think about but also sad. She felt bad for Clay in that sense.

The curse of being a twin is that one is always asked about the other. Lamb and Clay were a package deal whether they liked it or not. ”Clay is still Clay, except he has a badge now” She took a sip from her drink and gazed out as more people began to fill out the VIP rooms. ”Yeah, big brothers a cop now and as far as I’m aware, still fucking Eden’s horny housewives and broken young clovers with daddy issues”

Laura really wanted to open up to JJ but to open Pandora’s box here and now in the club would be like that scene in Indians Jones and Jessie’s beautiful face would melt off. ”I don’t really know the details but I think he’s struggling right now, with the whole David letters that are making the rounds thing. That was his best friend. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for him to accept all the truths that go with that…” She drifted for a moment into the pool of thought. She really hoped that Clay would be ok. ”Anyway, I digress. I heard what you said; not yet, you are seeing someone aren’t you?”

Good old Clayton is a cop now? God help Edenridge. JJ knew her cousin was a good guy. Too goofy for her short temper sometimes and a damn fool otherwise, but she never had a problem with him. Certainly not as high as Lamb was, but he was still family. So, she felt for him. She wasn’t terribly close with David, but she couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she ever lost her rock that pulled her own of too many hard places to count, so she could at least understand what that hypothetical pain must feel like for Clayton. “Mom told me about the letters. Some secret lover or something?” She mused into her cocktail, taking a thoughtful sip of it. “They better catch the person who did this. It’s just awful!” A bit of anger came through, but JJ recovered quickly.

She took another sip as Lamb persisted on her love life. With a light chuckle, she gave her favorite cousin a shrug. “Not exactly. There is someone I’ve been talking to, but I wouldn’t say we are seeing each other in the way you’re thinking.” She thought about it and she wasn’t sure herself. Musing a thoughtful sound, she continued, “I mean, we’ve only been communicating through letters.”

“A pen pal? How nineties of you!” Laura pushed JJ’s shoulder slightly in jest as she laughed. “He’s not a serial killer is he? Like he’s not in jail?” It seemed that even in adulthood the fact remained the same. Jessie James had a habit of placing herself in the strangest and foolhardy situations that one might come across. Clay was an idiot. JJ was headstrong AF. Always had been. ”Just do me a favor? Meet this guy in a public place if you’re going to do it? This town is already full of horror stories and missing women, we don’t need another one. Especially not in our family. Knowing our luck it’ll be Clay who finds your body rolled up in a carpet under your ancestors bridge with the trolls” Lamby looked at her cousin for a minute, her face awashed with concern for a moment before replacing it with a smile. ”So what’s this guys deal? Why letters and not DM’s like a normal creep?”

She never thought of it as creepy. Maybe it was how intimate the correspondence was. An old fashioned approach versus how people now communicate with each other - not for a lack of trying said means, at least. “I tried, believe me, Lamby. I searched high and low on just about every social media site and app you could think of - popular and obscure. I couldn’t find him anywhere, so letters were the only option left.” She didn’t mind. It was nice to get back to basics. “And no, he’s not in jail. That was one of the first things he cleared up for me. He worked in construction or something like that. Real wordsmith, too.” As she started to talk about it, even if she wasn’t aware that she was blushing, her face did feel a little warmer. Her pen pal made some of those lonely nights at college bearable, when she wasn’t out and about.

”No socials?” Laura cocked an eyebrow. ”Total serial killer” The brunette could see how red Jessie’s face was getting. She really liked this guy, you could see it in the warmth in her face as she spoke about him. It didn’t make Lamb any less suspicious. No social media. Letter correspondence and a job in construction. Why would construction stop social posts? Or phone calls or anything like that? Laura certainly didn’t trust any of it but then again, she wasn’t a cop. She served drinks and flirted in a bar for tips. Perhaps once all the letter business was dealt with, Lamby would ask Clay to have a look into Blue’s secret admirer. ”At least, tell me he’s hot?”

Under normal circumstances, she lived for Lamb’s commentary. There have even been times when she joined in with her as some form of backup or something, but not this time. At her question, Jessie smirked and chuckled. “Unbelievably so. Has the dreamiest eyes you could imagine. And so fucking funny. You know how I like funny.” She laughed again.

”The way between a woman’s legs is definitely through her funny bone” Lamb tried to picture JJ’s mystery man in her head. A funny construction worker with dreamy blue eyes who was also apparently unbelievably hot….shit was Jessie James fucking Chris Hemsworth? Hot dang! ”Well I guess someone is a lucky girl. I hope it works out”

Lamby remembered a conversation she one had with Roddy. He was very clued you on the whole Edenridge curse thing and he had once told her just the curse of a Callahan was that they were destined to be lonely. Whether that stretched to the Costigan’s and the Milligan’s the hostess didn’t know but damn she could lie. She was lonely. Apparently, she was difficult to love. ”Maybe I’ll find Mister or Misses right tonight. I’ve got a full guest book”

“The night’s young, Lamby!” JJ smiled wide at her cousin, her best friend. “And you in that killer of a dress? You’ll have em’ lined up just waiting to get your time of day.” She knew just how phenomenal of a person Laura was. There was someone out there who would not only be hot enough to be by her side, but to capture her heart. “Trust me on this. Tonight is gonna be your night!” She wrapped her arm around her cousin’s neck, bringing her in close for a side hug.

Lamb embraced her cousin tightly. It was so nice to see her and it would be nothing short of amazing to have her back in town for any amount of time. She was her other half. The one that got her to the next day with a smile on her face. ”Love you Blue” Laura looked at the clock on the wall. It was time for her to start her evening shift. It was a shame she couldn’t hang out with JJ more than night but mama had to earn her dollar. ”I gotta go start my shift, JJ but we’ll catch up soon ok?” Lamb got to her feet and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her cousin's cheek. ”Be safe. I’ll drop you a message tomorrow and we’ll sort out another day for proper drinks. Love you” Waving, the Costigan girl entered into her “office” for the evening.

“Love ya more!” JJ hollered at her departing cousin.

She remained at the bar, ordering another blue lagoon cocktail for herself. She also took the liberty of ordering a beer. She saw what brands they carried here. Afterlife had most of the affordable ones, but she only went for the cheapest one. Bud Light seemed like a good choice. In the back of her mind, Bluejay wondered just how long she should remain here. That storm she saw looked kind of bad before she came to the club. But at the same time, she had endured worse weather conditions. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right.

Absentmindedly, she looked at her phone just to see what time it was. “Not late at all. I’ll give it a few more minutes.”

He hurried through the growing crowd of people. Even in a near tornado, the fact that the bar was swiftly filling up baffled him.That said it was likely most of these folk were coming in to simply hide from the weather and where better than a den of sin? He climbed the stairs of the Afterlife and finally parked himself on a stool next to the blonde. ”Sorry I’m late. Trying to get through traffic in that weather is absolute murder” Hyde’s deep blue eyes drank in the bombshell before his lips contorted into a rattlesnake smile.

”Hey there”

There was that smile - that smile that started it all. The smile that drew her in. If she was a moth, he might’ve been the flame to light her up, but instead he lit her up in very different ways. For a man who was so devilishly good looking, eyes that drew you in, and a smile that could kill, she was damn near shocked to her core that he would not want to show his face off to random strangers on the internet. Reaching out to him was hard because he was nowhere to be found - not until she received a letter like she was fucking Steve from Blue’s Clues. Then they got reacquainted. He was so charming, so eloquent, so damn attractive.

“You’re late, but I figured with the storm you might be, so I ordered your favorite.” She turned to face him. Maybe part of it was to show off what her shirt couldn’t hide, no doubt an attempt to make up for lost time, but really there were no real hidden intentions other than her getting comfortable. “Personally, I could never drink that, but people call me mad for liking my cocktails as radioactive as Chernobyl. So who am I to judge?”

”Every fire needs a fuel, just so happens yours is chemical waste. Nothing wrong with that” Hyde breathed in Blue’s facade for the evening. In the time the pair had been away and separate she had most certainly gotten more attractive. He wouldn’t hide the fact that he was checking out every curve, every contour. Her body had tightened and toned, she obviously worked hard for that. There was a new, very subtle hint of red in her hair that was not too dissimilar to his own. JJ had always been beautiful, even when he knew her about her lifetime ago. The main difference was that back then, he wouldn’t have known what to do with someone like Blue. Now things were different, now he knew exactly what she wanted and what she deserved.

Hyde grabbed a hold of the beer that the Milligan girl had ordered for him. Perhaps its ice cold taste would calm the raging inferno that had been blazing through his skull since his visit from the woman he sadly called his mom? He raised his glass in celebration. ”Cheers. To old friends and new adventures”

She hid nothing from him. Not the fact she had purposely come to the club knowing full well she would meet up with him nor the fact that she wanted to highlight her body. She also could tell he would look. She played the subtle game but she wasn’t blind. It was going to be a good night and the many days that would follow, Bluejay knew it in her heart that she had come home at just the right time. Raising her glass up and clinking it with his, she smiled, giving the man with the dreamiest eyes her undivided attention. “And to unforgettable memories!”

The moment the sound of the metal doorknob being manipulated from outside of Cece's bedroom echoed across the room, the heartfelt scene between the former lovers came to a screeching halt. As Caitlin shot up from the bed and away from Mika, the young man had lost his balance at the sudden sound of the doorknob shaking. Right as he had turned around, he clumsily slid off the bed and had fallen face-first to the floor next to him, hitting the ground with a loud thud sound and muttering “fuck that hurt” as his mouth was in the hardwood.

Mika struggled to get up, holding his head with his right hand, using his left to prop himself against the edge of the bed. His hair was already a mess to begin with, but now it was even more disheveled. He was trying to make sense of what just happened. From the blow to the head after he made like a monkey and fell off the bed and his head on the ground, internally he was grateful Cece wasn’t like most people who had a nightstand of sorts on both sides of her bed. But he still wasn’t sure what caused it. Then he heard the doorknob get even wilder with how fast it shook.

“Shit!” Cece cursed under her breath, anxiously tapping her foot as she tried to come up with a solution to her dilemma while the rattling of the doorknob turned into knocks on the door. She couldn't send Mika out the balcony out of fear someone might spot him climbing down or running away, she couldn't tell him to leave through the front door for obvious reasons, and there weren't many good places to hide in her bedroom besides the--

"One second!" Cece called out to the visitor as normally as she could before turning to Mika. "Get in the closet!" she hissed at him, pointing to the door a few steps away from her.

“Say what now?” Mika blinked at her as he rose to his feet. He understood the situation they were in. Technically speaking, Mika wasn’t even supposed to be here. Or maybe less so, he was in the room of someone who he previously was involved with-- not to mention she was technically a taken woman, and he used the express way to get to her room, not using the front door like a normal person.

Right like there was anything normal about any of this. Still, he had time, right? “No worries, I’ll just go down the way I came up,” Mika stated casually as he went around the bed and was heading towards her balcony window, passing the closet.

"Are you crazy?!" she hissed at him again, rushing over to Mika and grabbing him by the wrist closest to him to prevent him from going any further. "The whole neighborhood is probably up and going at this point. Do you think nobody's going to notice you sneaking down my balcony like some thief?!" The knocks on the door grew more insistent, and Cece let out a small shriek of desperation. "Just please get in the damn closet. Please."

Mika didn’t know why he was having such a problem with this… urgent request. The balcony was literally right there, but looking at the way Cece had that panicked expression on her face, like it was literal life or death, whatever problems he may have had with the idea of getting into the closet (and they might’ve been juvenile), he still grumbled something under his breath, seemingly accepting this as his fate for the time being.

“Okay, okay--” Before he would get the chance to finish that thought, he felt Cece’s unreasonably forceful hands push against his back as the knocks and the rattling of the doorknob grew louder. It kind of reminded him of the bold, assertive Cece he knew by the creek. Maybe an inappropriate thought, but damn it if he wasn’t smirking as he was in the closet (never thought he’d ever say that). In a whisper (and before the door closed), he said, “Jeez you need a bigger closet. Or less clothes. Barely any room in here.”

"Shhhhh! Be quiet!" The redhead shushed him harshly, wasting no time in shutting the closet door, rushing to the bedroom door, unlocking the knob and swinging the door open to finally reveal her new unexpected visitor: Danny Belmonte.

"Danny… Hi."

Holding the copy of the love letter that was sent to the Belmonte residence, the muscular figure of the Hound on Scott Street came barging in, glaring at his best friend, “Who was that? I heard something. Someone.” His eyes darted around to see anything that was off. Something that did not belong. A piece of clothing, a note, a person. Anything that just wasn’t right. He came to see Cece because he was worried but when she took minutes to answer the door he knew something was off.

With the stress he was going through at home and this, Danny was visibly livid. If he ever found out who sent these letters, he would beat the living shit out of them himself. He hated that his best friend was hurting but you know what he hated more than that? He hated being lied to. Alert and focused in, trying to catch the slightest of noise or pick up the faintest of smells, Danny growled, “Cece, what’s that?” His nostrils went up as he picked up on a scent. Something that he knew was very unlike Cailtin Cleary.

Sweat.

"Huh?" Caitlin, who had been trying to remain calm in the midst of the abrupt mood changes she was experiencing, was quick to respond to Danny's inquiries with non-committal answers. "What are you talking about?" she asked her friend, pretending to look around the room like he was. In reality, she was ensuring that there were no traces of Mika's visit in their vicinity-- for hers and his sake.

When Cece had told Danny about her breakup with the Southie, to say he was upset was an understatement. He had been against her and Mika's liaison from the very first time he'd heard about their conversation by David's grave, concerned that it was too soon after David's passing and overall a bad idea waiting to happen. Much to her delight, he'd ended up supporting her decisions like the best friend he was, but no amount of convincing attempts could get him to change his mind about the relationship. As fate may have it, his suspicions were proven to be right in the end. And after seeing how much Mika's actions had hurt Cece, Danny had sworn to give the Zima male a gift of his own the next time they came face to face. So if he found him hiding somewhere in her bedroom right now…


“I’m talking about the smell of sweat, Cece, and not just any sweat…” Danny marched toward the balcony to see if someone tried to make a great escape during the brief intermission of him waiting and Cece opening the door. He didn’t see anyone hiding on the balcony or running in the yard. The balcony door was also locked so that was a plus. So far everything was clear. Maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe Cece was being weird because of her grief. Then again… he turned on his heel looking at her once more. His green eyes were burning holes in the front, the back, and the side of her head.

Danny didn’t like this. Not one bit. His gut never failed him and what his gut was telling him right now was to keep looking. The odor was strong enough for him to be able to tell that it could not come from Cece’s always pleasantly scented, tiny body. It was strong, musky… definitely gave him the vibes of a man. Did he miss Niles on his way here? Did her boyfriend have the same thought as him to check up on her? His mind was going a mile a minute. He didn’t want to drop his guard just yet. Maybe he should check under the bed.

Cece swallowed hard and discreetly took a deep breath. As bad as it was to admit, she was an excellent liar in regular circumstances-- she had to be, considering she'd been successful in keeping two long-term relationships under wraps for the entirety of their duration. But Danny knew her. Danilo could recognize the subtle signs of her deceitfulness. Still, it was worth a try to divert his attention elsewhere.

"Does it? I don't smell anything. Maybe it's that new diffuser Mom got for my room when I was away," she fibbed, trying to remain nonchalant as she took a seat on her bed. "I'll get a different scent the next time I'm in town, then. Wouldn't want my room to keep smelling like sweat."

Raising his eyebrow, Danny carefully watched his mousey best friend explain the reason behind the smell. Sarcastically, he asked the air, “A new diffuser, huh?” When they locked eyes and he could see the hint of sadness behind all the worry, the Italian man sighed. Just this once, for her, he would drop it. If she said her room was clear, then he would believe her. “Well, it's awful. Reminds me of the boys’ locker room when I used to play ball.”

Danny's candid comment brought out a snort and Cece's first attempt of a smile for the day. Even with the grief and heartache governing the majority of her emotions, the thought of Mika listening to how 'awful' he apparently smelled and not being able to defend himself like she was sure he wanted to provided a much needed moment of comedic relief. Personally, Cece couldn't smell anything awful like what her friend was going on about, but considering how congested her nose was after she had spent most of her morning crying, maybe she wasn't the most reliable witness.

Easing the tension in his body, trying to push his Danny senses in the back of his mind, Danny approached his friend and pulled her into an embrace, “Sorry, I just… worry. How are you feeling?”

Caitlin allowed herself to sink into Danny’s strong, caring embrace, instantly finding a comfort and safety that soothed her soul. She should’ve called him as soon as she found out about the letter. "About as well as you can expect," the girl admitted in response to his question. She took in and letting out a deep breath, as the weight of her guilt settled back on her shoulders once more. "I've spent all morning trying to figure out a who or a why, but I can't think of anyone I might have upset enough to do this besides Natalia getting back at me for dating Niles.”

“Nah, Natalia wouldn’t do that,” Danny defended his sister, but not in a way that meant she had honorable ways of handling her emotions. He continued, “If anything, she’d go to Niles and tear him a new one.” Whether it was his twin sense or he simply knew his sister, Danny believed wholeheartedly that sharing love letters from Cece to a dead guy was beyond low, and unlike Natalia. It wasn’t a forward method, which was not the Belmonte way of doing things. Sure, they all had their secret lovers but they would never out someone or get back at someone like that. His sister was a bitch not a snake.

To add to his twin’s defense, Danilo knew for a fact that the past two weeks Natalia barely left her room which was concerning. Danny had tried to check up on her but she just told him she was fine, just a little tired. “I don’t think right now any of my family has the mental capacity or care to find David’s secret stash, photocopy it, and mail it to every house with the motive to hurt you. We’re barely keeping it together as is.”

“I know-- I’m sorry,” the redhead apologized profusely, instantly regretting making any mention of Natalia or alluding to her involvement in this situation. That had been very self-centered of her. “I know it was a far-fetched thought, but she was the only person I could think of that has ever admitted to not liking me. Even still, I’m really sorry for bringing her up in the first place. ”

When Caitlin apologized, Danny wondered where Natalia was emotionally, ever since Edenrdige shifted for the worst. Part of him felt like Natalia was taking Niles' relationship to heart since Danny knew she loved him. Even to this day, she loved him-- though she’d never admit it. Part of Danny felt Natalia was grieving and feared the coming loss of their mother, which only made her loss of Niles even worse, seeing how their relationship was rooted in a similar grief. And part of Danny felt his sister was lonely, so very lonely, and seeing everyone get in relationships, like Niles, like Vivia, like Tiff, like himself did not help. She wanted support but support in a way only a lover could do.

There was no clear answer for this but one thing he felt at his core was Caitlin was an unintentional victim. Whoever was doing this was hurting and with the previous Charlie letters, it seems like they liked the idea of a ghost haunting the town. “I’m sorry you’re going through this Caitlin, I wish I knew how to help.”

As soon as Danny occupied the space next to her in the bed, Caitlin rested her head on the man’s broad shoulder. “Thank you, Danny. Really. Just being here and checking up on me helps more than you’ll ever know.” she reassured him in a soft voice, holding the hand closest to her.

“I’m glad,” Danny softly replied, interlocking their fingers and going the extra mile of lifting it up, giving her hand a tender kiss, “I’m here for you no matter, Cee. You’ve dealt with me at my worst, when all I could think about was my pain, and I want to be the same for you.” At the mention of his own issues, Danny realized he hadn’t told her about his recent resolution. He hadn’t told her about Marco.

Danny still didn’t think he had enough strength to come out to his father. His father was a whole other obstacle for him to face, in time. But he knew from this point on, no matter what, he would never compromise his relationship with Marco. He loved that boy and it was time he started to show that.

As quick as his wonderful thoughts came, they took a quick exit to the left. Was this the time or place to tell her? She was in pain. Her love letters were being showcased to the whole goddamn town bringing her worst trauma to surface. He could only imagine what she was going through, how much pain she felt. Telling her about his happiness, while she was clearly suffering, felt more selfish than not. Instead of disclosing his relationship with Marco, and how he was coming out to all those that mattered to him, he asked, “Has anyone tied the letters back to you?”

And just like that, the compassionate moment being shared between the two friends was once again clouded by the original nervousness that held Caitlin hostage since hearing those knocks on her door a few minutes before. “Funny you should mention that…” Cece began, letting go of his hand and rising from her bed. She began pacing the length of her room back and forth in front of him, trying to find the best way to ease into the news of her and Mika’s rekindled ‘friendship’. Deep down, she knew that Danilo would be upset about the news regardless of how she worded it. 'He broke your heart, Cece. He doesn't deserve you.' But she also knew he would take it better if he heard it from her instead of finding out a different way. “There is, um, someone who put two and two together. They actually dropped by to check in on me as soon as they connected the dots.”


She was nervous. He didn’t like that. Everything about Cece’s aura from her pacing to her dragging her words out felt suspicious. Whoever this person was that put two and two together was someone she knew he wouldn’t like. At the moment, he couldn’t think of who in Cece’s life annoyed him to no end. What he did know is he hated waiting. “Caitlin,” Danny said under his breath, trying to keep his annoyance at a bare minimum. She needed him. He had to keep his irritation under control. “Spit. It. Out.” He commanded, not liking this game she was playing. They were supposed to be friends but somehow it felt like she was having a hard time being honest with him and he did not like that.

At Danny's command, the redhead looked up at him with nervous eyes, took one last deep breath to cope with the anticipation, and nodded towards the closet door.

At the same moment, there was an ominous sound that came from the closet, the sounds of some slight shuffling, like hangers falling onto the carpet floor, muffled cursing from someone or something inside, and the doors rattling and shaking. The noise itself wouldn’t have been bad or suspicious if the sound elsewhere in the room hadn’t been nonexistent.

And Mika knew he fucked up and tried to safe himself some grace. He peered open the door about a few inches. He saw the path to the balcony was clear. He might be able to make a run for it, but he heard voices. Cece’s and some male’s voice. It was a somewhat deep voice, but he couldn’t tell who it was. So that’s why he was peeking through as minimally as he could, but such a small exposure made him realize one crucial thing.

Mika couldn’t see shit.

As he was going to close it, Mika wasn’t aware that he was leaning against the door to the point where he lost his balance. He had been in such an uncomfortable position for so long that his legs momentarily went numb and his falling body forced the door to slam at the other end, almost coming off of the hinges. That was avoided, but what wasn’t avoidable was Mika not only coming out of the closet, but he fell face first onto Cece’s floor, bouncing in a way where he was on his shoulder.

“Son of a bitch that hurt.” To make matters worse, his legs were pulsating in an almost static-kinda way. It was all prickly from shin to toes, but he looked at whatever was in front of him. He saw a borderline panicked Cece as his eyes went up, but what he wasn’t prepared, what Mika didn’t anticipate, was seeing Danilo fucking Belmonte. So that’s who the other voice was.

Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem at all.

He tried standing up but only managed to get up on one knee. “Oh Captain my Captain!” Mika saluted him. Was it a smart idea? Maybe not, but at times of pure intensity, all Honey Badger could do was joke.

Danilo’s physique, expression, and aura completely shifted the moment Mika came to view and suddenly, it all clicked. Caitlin was anxious and worried because she was guilty-- guilty of hiding her ex in her closet. The logical reason was there: Mika saw her handwriting in the letter and came to see her, thinking this would be a way to ease back into her heart. But logic didn’t matter when you were pissed. All Danny could see was his best friend’s ex, the one that broke her fucking heart, knowing well enough she was still grieving the death of David, was in her room, alone with her. All Mika ever did was add more grief into her life and now she was happy with another man and he didn’t like that. He didn’t like that Mika thought he could slither his way back in, like the damn snake he was.

Danny could feel the tightness in his chest, his muscle tensing, and his palms sweating. If there was a moment he was just like his dad, the infamous Tasmanian Devil of NYC, this would be one of those moments. Danny took pride in his self control. Out of all his siblings, ‘side for Mira who was more apathetic than not, he had chill. So much chill. He was coolheaded, he didn’t get into fights, that would break his mother’s heart, and yet right now? In this instant, he could only feel the burning heat of wanting to murder someone.

His energy to fight the side of his brain, the part that controls himself and his emotions, depleted. Repressing anger required careful thought and Danny did not have that. He was not going to cool himself down, all because the people in this room had poor communication skills. There was a reason why basketball was so important to his routine. It helped him release, gave him inner peace while he built his endurance, stamina, and strength, and it taught him: self control.

Even without basketball, Danny exercised and trained himself to be stronger. Taz raised him to be a fighter and there was no way in hell he would let this bullshit slide. Someone had to show this asshole he couldn’t enter his ex’s bedroom like she was his property. Someone had to show him that some people didn’t forgive easily. Someone had to show him to not fuck around with someone that was precious to him.

“Danny, please don’t do it…” Cece pleaded with her best friend, hoping she could persuade him against what she knew he wanted to do.

But it was too late. Aggressive and territorial, Danilo stood up, cracked his neck and strode to the guy on his knees. In his rage, he was blind to anything and anyone else. There were no words spoken. Instead, Danny threw his right fist into a curved punch straight at Mika’s temple. He had waited for this day since Cece had been crying in his arms all goddamn night. There was no way in hell Danny would forgive this piece of shit. Those tears could never be taken back. She cried so much.

“DANNY!”

Mika’s body whipped when the force of Danny’s hand hit the side of his face on the temple. He felt a wave of whiplash come over him, losing all sense of whatever equilibrium he had in the moments before when he saw Danny approach him. He was on his back now, looking at his former captain. “Gotta admit, you still have a good right hook,” Mika remarked with a half-smirk on his face, looking at the towering Italian man who had more anger in his face than Ley ever did when he ate her cake…again.

It didn’t take long until Danny had pulled him to his feet, almost tearing the collar off his shirt. He could feel the temptation to continuously bash the Southie’s face in until he was unconscious or dead. With absolute force, the Italian boy pushed forward, using his full body and hold to slam Mika against the wall by the closet and pin him. “You have sixty seconds to explain yourself,” Danny seethed, and whether he could feel Cece or not, he growled, “And you better stay the fuck back, Cece. This is between me and the fuckface that hurt you.”

His legs felt like jelly still and maybe a bit lightheaded on account of getting suckerpunched and forced to his feet faster than he ever had been before. It was at that moment Mika noted just how strong Danny is. It’s been close to three years since he had any sort of interaction with him, at least on a personal level. They haven’t been this close or at each other’s throats like this since their personalities clashed when they were still on the basketball team. Back then, it was more in the rivalry sense, but this wasn’t it. There was anger and almost hatred in Danny’s eyes. Mika had seen that one too many times whenever he looked in a mirror after Hyde reintroduced himself into the Russian man’s life.

“Fuck face? I see you’ve expanded your vocabulary.” Mika, again, couldn’t help himself. “Maybe elaborate for this fuckface, because I’m not sure what you want me to explain for you, Danilo.”

"Mika, stop it!" Caitlin hissed at the Southie, knowing full well that poking the bear that was Danny when it was already raging was a foolproof way of getting punched a few more times. "Danny, do you really have to do this? Can we all just go downstairs and have a civil discussion about this?"

Yeah, no. This was not going to be a fun ride for either of the boys in the room. Instead of responding, like a calm natured man would, Danny let his primal nature take over him and with reckless rage slammed Honey Badger into Cece’s wardrobe. He didn’t care if the whole neighborhood could hear him beating the living shit out of this guy. Danny was irritated and there was no way in hell he was coming down from this.

Not giving Mika a chance to stabilize himself, Danny aimed for his nose and connected, causing blood to splatter onto his fist. And that’s when all Danny’s restraints were gone. There was nothing holding him back, not the fact that a terrified Cece was helplessly watching or the fact that the sight of him now would make Marco cry. Danny was going to kill someone tonight, he felt it. With his fists, he slammed into the other boy’s face, again and again and again. With his knee, he made sure Mika’s rib cage took a blow. Regardless how many times Mika winced, the Belmonte boy would not stop.

Hell hath no fury like a Belmonte’s scorn.

And when it was all said and done, Mika was barely standing. He was using his arm on the wardrobe dresser to hold himself up while the other gripped his ribs that hurt like a motherfucker. He knew Danny was strong. It didn’t take a genius to figure that much out, but he didn’t know he had this much rage in him. It was like looking into a taller, more toned, slightly darker complexion reflection of himself. And with better hair (Mika would never admit that to anyone). He hated that, at this moment, the only thought that went through his head was how this beast of a man would make a killing at fight club. Probably not the best thing to prioritize right now but it’s what he was entertaining.

“Jesus and I thought Viktor hit hard…” Mika spat up blood, aiming it at the wall. Mika tried to breathe and it fucking hurt. God, how deep did Danilo go with that knee of his? “So you wanted me to explain why I’m here? That's what you wanted?” Spitting blood out of his cheek some more, Mika glared at the former captain of the Celtic basketball team. “Well, you human wrecking ball, I’m here for her.” He pointed his head at Cece, making a mental note of how terrified she was. He wondered if that was for him, Danny, or just in general. “I read that damn letter and rushed here to see if she was doing okay.”

Shooting Caitlin a death glare, processing all this information thus far that she went out of her way to hide from him, Danny balled his fists, digging his nails so deep into his skin that he pierced it and it started bleeding. He wanted to keep going. He wanted to bash Mika’s head in until the other man was knocked unconscious but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. That would only make Cece’s room more of a mess. Stepping back, giving Mika the space to breathe, Danny glowered at the sight before him. Frustrated that Cece’s ex was here, carrying no ounce of remorse for his wrongdoings, and disappointed at Cece for allowing this to happen. She really was a doormat. “What made you think that was okay?”

Danny glanced from Mika’s face to the blood on his own hands. Was this some kind of stupid joke? “Unless you two aren’t telling me something, I don’t understand why the person,” Danny’s eyes grew dull, his anger turning into an entirely different beast now, “that broke your fucking heart to the point that… it doesn’t even matter because I’m the one that lived through it.” Not finishing his initial statement, Danny's attention was back on his fist. He wanted to break something. He wanted to punch a hole in the wall. He wanted to scream. Did his friendship to her mean nothing?

“I find it fucking funny,” Danny was starting to understand why Natalia never liked Cece. Was he so dumb to think that he actually meant something more to her than the men she fucked? Through all the bullshit, all the pain she went through because of David, because of Mika, and he was sure she was going through issues with Niles because if Niles can mentally fuck Natalia, Danny was sure he could do the same with Caitlin, he was there. Danny was still there. “All this… and for what?”

The anger in Danny changed into hurt. He was tired of Cece not owning up to her feelings. He was tired of… being her diary and with what reward? What did he get from this? Danny knew one thing for sure, if they got back together he would not be there. No more would he listen to her sobs late at night and try to comfort her when no one else would. No more would he carry her through her pain because she really had a type and they always took her for granted. No more would he check to see if she was okay. No more.

She was doing fine anyways on her own, leaning on a good dick that would let her down. “So you guys could fuck?” Danny asked the two in the room and then laughed, “I don’t even care about the fact that you have a boyfriend,” He shook his head while he talked, making internal decisions the more he expressed himself. “There is no ounce of self respect in you, Cece, and that I hate seeing,” he criticized, completely and utterly fed up.

As Danny went on his tirade against her, the terrified Caitlin tried to remind herself that his words were coming from the place in his heart that cared fiercely for her. She could understand why he was angry, upset and even disappointed in her for allowing Mika back into her life again with the way things had ended between them. He had every right to feel this strongly, and maybe there might even be some truth to his harsh words. She was a liar, a sneak, a cheater, and a spineless excuse of a woman.

But even with these things in mind, Cece couldn't help but consider his reaction the slightest bit hypocritical. Sure: the circumstances that had brought together and torn her and Mika apart were entirely different from the ones that had brought Danny's relationship with Marco to its demise all those years ago. But if Danny had been awarded a second chance by Marco, even after being the one to break the boy's heart in the first place, why couldn't Mika be awarded the same opportunity?

There was nothing Caitlin wanted so desperately at the moment than to bring these observations to the forefront. She wanted to look Danny right in the eyes, raise her voice and demand an explanation of what made one case worthy of forgiveness but not the other. But instead, the young woman merely stood there in silence and shame, blue-green eyes locked on the floor as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and pooled onto the hardwood beneath her feet.

“Just hold it right there, Belmonte--” As Mika spoke, he grimaced in pain from the damage that Danny’s fists did to his face and his knee did to his ribs. Nothing was broken in the rib area, but he could estimate something was bruised. He made sure to get as comfortable as he could before he continued. “You can do whatever the fuck you want to me. Kick me in the shin when my back is turned, but Cece didn’t do anything. You’re right: I broke her heart. I hurt her in ways I can’t even begin to excuse nor will I, but, no, I didn’t come here so I could fuck her.”

As he stood there, trying not to kneel over from his own excruciating pain dealt by the man-beast himself, something that might’ve been tolerable if he was feeling boiling anger for what Danny said to Cece, Mika contemplated whether or not if he should mention what happened a couple weeks ago when he essentially apologized to Cece. Was it his place? Maybe not, but he had to do something because things weren’t getting better at this point and she wasn’t exactly in any state to say anything. “I know you don’t like me. You have every reason not to and I don’t know if this will help or hurt my case, but I understand I hurt her. If you think you hate me for breaking her heart, then I must loathe myself for it, right?” He let out a low chuckle and grimaced again. “I know nothing I could say or do can make up for what I did to her. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I deserve any forgiveness, but I’m trying to be better. And it starts with her.”

Although her eyes remained on the ground, Caitlin had listened closely to Mika’s small speech. Any discussion of how the couple’s breakup affected Caitlin was yet to be had. When they had spoken about Mika’s reasons to end their ‘relationship’, the focus of the conversation had been on Cece reassuring the Zima man that his secrets would be safe with her. She could tell it had taken a lot of courage for him to share the sensitive information, so the last thing she wanted was to invalidate, dismiss him or shame him by shifting the narrative onto herself. That meant that there were still many questions left unanswered, like whether Mika was aware of the hurt he had caused her, or whether his actions came with any ulterior motives. His words so far proved that this wasn’t the case, but only time would tell if his actions would back them up.

The tension in Danny’s stature eased when he saw Caitlin cry. His flash of anger had protected him, momentarily, from his issues but now seeing his best friend cry and knowing he was the cause of it, the guilt came in, like an arrow straight to his heart. Just like when Marco told him to not leave when he was so certain he was going to end things for good with him. Danny was back in this place where he could see himself in the mirror and hate the part inside of him that could only think of the self and not the people around him.

Fuck.

Grumbling to himself, Danny made his way to Mika, not in a hurry, and offered his hand, “We’re not so different, Fourteen,” As he waited for Cece’s ex to take his hand, Danny sighed, “Let’s go over there,” He gestured to Cece’s bed, “So we can get you cleaned up.” As much as he wanted to justify his behavior, he knew he was hurt not only because of this. Honestly, this was only an excuse for him to act like a child. He was hurt about so much more but his mother raised him better than this and if he left Cece in a place where she felt alone, with no one to lean on, that was more guilt to add to everything else he carried on his shoulders. He needed to fix this. Starting with his former teammate.

Letting his former captain take the lead as he slowly moved away from the wardrobe dresser, which was the only thing that was holding Mika up, he leaned on Danny more than he ever had in all the time he had known him. It might’ve not been the longest distance, but his ribs hurt and his face -- as well as head -- felt like they were on fire. When they got to her bed and Mika sat down as slowly as he could, still grunting from the pain, at least he didn’t have to worry about it getting worse.

“Not trying to judge whatever hidden skills you might have, but how experienced are you at cleaning wounds?” Part of him wondered if he knew anything about it. Not that it was a hard skill to acquire, but nobody could blame him for being a little on edge.

“Depends on how bad it is,” Kneeling down in front of Mika, Danny examined his former teammate’s face, “Looks like you mostly need a couple of ice packs. But first, I need to apply pressure to that open cut on your lip and clean your face,” His green eyes scanned down Mika’s body until it went to the rib cage area, “Lift your shirt up.”

“If that’s what the good doctor ordered.” Mika laughed, causing just a slight surge of pain to go through his body. He took off his jacket first, as close as he could, setting it on the bed behind him, and lifted his shirt from the fabric. Even doing this, no matter how thin the fabric was, it still hurt. Nevermind the fact that Cece was about to see just how more muscular Mika had become since the last time she saw his bare chest. And why was it that was where his mind went? Get a hold of yourself, Mika!

With his shirt lifted, he looked at his former captain. “So what’s the verdict, Doc?”

Rolling his eyes, Danny took a quick glance over the damage he did before bringing himself up and lightly tapping Mika’s face a couple of times, “You’ll live. Like I said. Ice packs should do the trick.” Crossing his arms, he peered down at Mika and sighed, “I don’t hate you. But I can’t say I’m a big fan of you either.”

Danny pedaled back to the door, the door that led him to the shock of his life, and grabbed onto the doorknob, “I’m going to assume I interrupted a much needed conversation between you two so I’m going to get the first aid kit. Just don’t do anything stupid, please,” his eyes rested on Cece when he said his request.

The young woman nodded, and waited until Danny had exited the room before kneeling in front of Mika. “Are you okay?” she asked him softly, gently cupping Mika’s face with both her hands as her eyes searched for any signs of distress. It wasn’t hard to notice that her ex had toned his physique significantly since the last time she had seen it, but her attention was currently on the bruising around his ribcage and the swelling starting to develop in his face.

Mika rolled his eyes at Danny’s comment. When he left and it was just him and Cece, alone, he relaxed a bit, sighing out as slowly as he could. Still hurt like a fucking bitch, but not as bad. Looking at his ex, there was a moment where he did have a certain amount of stress in his eyes but the minute focused only on her, it seemed to disappear. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt as bad as it looks.” That was obviously a lie, but Mika didn’t want her to worry, especially because this day had been bad enough for her. “No worse than I was dealt with growing up. Viktor hit harder than Danny ever could and Danny at least had a good reason.” But that didn’t make the bruised ribs hurt any less. “What about you, though? How are you holding up? I mean, on top of everything else that’s been happening, I know that couldn’t have been easy for you to see.”

The young woman shook her head and looked away, not wanting Mika to see how her eyes were being blinded by tears once more. “This day has just been so overwhelming, you know? Having my letter being blasted for everyone to judge, seeing Lizzie break down over David's passing becoming the talk of the town again, making Danny upset to the point of lashing out on you…" she trailed off, wiping away at the corners of her eyes. "It always feels like I'm hiding things. I keep secrets from people not out of malice or ill-intent, but because I’m scared that telling them the truth will hurt, upset or disappoint them. But then something happens that the truth comes to light, and I end up hurting people even more when I was trying to avoid it in the first place. It makes me feel like a terrible person, and I can't even begin to say how so, so sorry I am about the pain I cause people.”

Mika could see how much anguish that Cece was going through. Having to go through it and go through it silently was a feeling he could relate to. With as much strength as he could muster, Mika grabbed Cece’s hands, squeezing them until she was looking at him. “Look at me: this isn’t your fault. I’m sorry you had to witness Lizzie breakdown like that. I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt, but please don’t blame yourself, Cece.” He could feel her hands almost tremble. Mika’s heart was literally breaking for his ex. It was hard to watch her go through this pain. No amount of beating could ever compare to the one she’s doing to herself. “Look at me--” Mika squeezed her trembling hands until they no longer were and that she was looking at him. “This…none of anything that’s happened, the letters, David’s mom breaking down, Danny’s anger -- none of it is your fault and none of it makes you a bad person. You are single-handedly one of the most compassionate people I know. You have never shown yourself to be selfish. It’s something I’ve always admired about you. The fact you’re so worried about everyone else just proves my point. You, Caitlin Cleary, are an amazing person. And you’re funny, too!” In typical Mika fashion, he follows heartfelt up with a complimentary quip.

Mika's kind words soothed Cece's aching heart, and his last comment brought about her first laugh of the day. "Not as funny as the guy cracking jokes before, during and after getting a beatdown. He is such a hero." she joked with a smile, playfully squeezing the young man's hands.

After a brief moment of silence, the redhead spoke up again. "Thank you, by the way. For standing up for me, coming to check in on me… You didn't have to do any of that, and you still did. It really means a lot to me."

It was nice to see her smile. For her to laugh, joke, and return to the Cece he adored and admired so much. The light in her eyes was still clouded by the pain and stress of everything that was going on, but Mika could see the storm over her soul start to clear up. Was that his doing? Maybe but maybe it was the fact that he and Danny were no longer at each other’s throats anymore. Whichever it was, Mika was just happy that she was starting to feel better.

“And I’d do it all over again. Even getting pounded on by the only Northsider who hits almost as hard as ReyRey. I’d climb that fucking trellis again just to make sure you were holding up alright.” A return of a grin was on Mika’s face, though it hurt to smile that much due to the cut on his lip.

Before Caitlin could do anything other than smile wider and brighter, Danny’s voice reverberated across the Cleary house.

“HEY CECE! DID YOU GUYS MOVE THE FIRST AID KIT? IT USED TO BE IN THE DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM BUT NOW I CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE!”

The former lovers exchanged complicit looks that morphed into small, discreet laughs. “Let’s go downstairs before he starts freaking out again,” the redhead told Mika, assisting her guest in standing up, wrapping her arm around his waist and helping him half-limp out of her room.

What an eventful day Mikhail ZIma had. Between the highly informative morning of getting his head back in the game with Coach, his not-so-informative conversation with the artist formerly known as old bastard, and then reading that letter that led to him the Cleary house and being trapped in her closet, it was a lot. Sure as hell didn’t help that Danilo Belmonte wasn’t too happy to not only find him there, but him being near Caitlin. He still had a couple bruises around his cheeks and even a partially-busted lip. Say what you want about Danny, but there was a reason he was the captain of the basketball team back in the day.

He could shoot and had a hell of a left straight, too.

But when things settled and they came to an understanding, against everything in him that wanted to stay, Mika didn’t. Instead, he opted to leave. He made peace with it because Cece had Danny with her and at least she wouldn’t be alone. He had no right of being there, especially not when she had a literal boyfriend.

So when he left, he went back home and slept most of what remained of the morning away. He woke up sometime in the afternoon, dozed off again, but eventually Mika finally woke up around 3pm. When he did, he went straight for his fridge. Everything ached because, surprise surprise, Mika fell asleep on the couch again. It was a really bad habit of his. Well, at least he still had some leftovers in his fridge.

“What do we have?” He murmured to himself, looking through and grabbed some leftover chinese food from the other night. It was shrimp fried rice, which was fine by him. Grabbing a soy sauce packet, he mixed and mixed it well and ate some. About halfway into it, he heard his phone go off and grabbed it when he made it back to the couch. It was a text message from what appeared to be an unknown number. His go-to response would be some kind of trolling tactic. Usually he got these texts from scammers, so it was fun to toy with them, but then he read the message.

Liberty 4

He paid attention. He knew exactly who this was. He knew what this message meant.

With a smile, Mika left his apartment. He was wearing the same thing he had worn to Cece’s in the morning. His jacket and all. When he got outside, Mika expected to see sunshine. He expected mother nature to punish him with unforgivable heat and while still relatively hot and muggy, what Mika didn’t expect to see was a gathering of clouds. “The fuck? Isn’t it supposed to be summer? The fuck is this shit?”

Shaking his head, Mika climbed into his truck and drove across the tracks, through main street and stopped about a half a block away from where the entrance of Eastbrook. Mika knew the general layout and he knew what the text meant. Milligan’s Bridge was just down the road. He couldn’t say whether or not it was clever code to just say liberty or if it was simply the lack of translation skills a certain person had, but he could decipher it.

He walked towards the bridge but took a detour to the underpass, waiting for her to show up. Looking at his phone, it was just five minutes till four, so not long according to the message he received earlier.

Once the clock struck 4 there was a light touch on Mika’s back, a silent and soundless hello in the form of Anya resting her right hand on him. When her brother turned around and smiled at her, Anya’s eyes locked with his in a way that conveyed this meeting wasn’t for fun. She wasn’t here to have a happy brother and sister catch up session. No. She was here to warn him.

If there was a person who knew Anya did not waste time, it would be Mika. She was a busy girl from her job with the Angels to her library duties (how she got that job he will never understand) to her work with her mysterious employer. Unbeknownst to him, she’s been on the go for the past thirty six hours from job to job to lunch with Legs to another job to now. His sister was a warrior, constantly pushing through all the shit life threw at her, just to survive.

Stepping back to give him space, Anya observed her brother in silence a little more, before easing her body, feeling that the area was safe. That it was just her and him. “Hyde sees you,” She started off, not holding back any truths and bluntness. “I know this life,” She gestured to herself and what she was, and what she always would be, a monster, “Is not you. Hyde sees and he does not like.”

We need to bring Mika back to his real family.

Hyde’s words replayed in her head, and maybe he was right. Maybe she was losing her touch, but Mika? Mika was never hard to begin with. He might’ve had his Honey Badger persona but Anya knew it was a way to protect himself. He was and always will be a soft, kind, and loving person at heart. Mika’s desire to connect with a family that was always part of him meant he would step into the light and leave the creatures of the underworld behind. That included her, that included Hyde. He had a chance at love, while she and Hyde? They couldn’t afford it. That’s what it meant to be born in the Underworld. In the dark. Born a monster or forced to become one. Love, happiness, white picket fences. They never stood a chance but her baby brother. Mikhail O’Hara. He had his whole life ahead of her.

Right now, Hyde’s ideal of a family was so very real. It’s all he thought about while he was doing time. Anything that jeopardized that? He would burn anyone that gets in his way. Anyone. Anya, not Basilisk, wanted to help. She didn’t know how and she didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but if she could save her brother from the Devil, even if it gets her killed, she would die happy. “Mother. Sisters. Gonzalez. Coach.” She paused, letting her sharp gaze pierce Mika’s soul, “Caitlin. Big brother is not right and he smells change. Not change he wants. If I know, he will too. He sees you. OK?” She hoped he understood the dire importance of him to come up with solutions to protect his turf. If not his family, then certainly the girl he had eyes for.

Had it not been for the fact that Mika understood when his sister wasn’t kidding around, this would be the part where he would laugh and shrug what she was saying - but it was in her eyes? Anya’s eyes had always been cold, but never with him. Her eyes were like Hyde’s, but when it came to him, she never stared so deep into his soul he felt an uncomfortable tension settle in. It was uneasy and, if he was being completely truthful with himself, a bit terrifying. Not in the same way Hyde made him feel - no, not of the same type of terror. It was more like a reality check that hit so hard that Mika understood the severity of everything she was saying just by Anya’s eyes.

“Anya…I swear I was careful. Mom is protected. She is not accessible by just anyone. Our sisters are a town away. Nobody knows they exist other than a handful of people and most of them I lived with.” It was showing in his voice, the sudden realization of his errors of his ways. He knew that Uncle Gus would protect Stacy and Katie. He knew that the Angels and serpents, when asked, would protect mother, but Caitlin? That was on him. He had to protect her.

Mika began to pace a little, back and forth, hands on hips, clear distress in inaudible noises he made. “What should I do? What can I do? Should I cut contact off from them?” The idea in itself was ridiculous. He couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. “I can’t do that. They’re my family.”

“I know,” Anya firmly answered. Rubbing the sleep off her face, thinking, not having an immediate solution for this one because she did not understand what it was to have the option of a better life, to be able to step in the light, Anya stood there. Silent. There was only one thing he could do, really, but was Mika capable of standing up against the Evil that all men do. Not Cameron. But Hyde. The Devil.

Rolling her neck around, like she did earlier at the diner, the ache from this morning’s job really catching up with her, from her stomach to her wrists to this stupid pain in her neck, Anya dropped the harsh venom and comforted her brother instead of give him a solution immediately, “It’s OK. We will think.”

Closing her eyes, Anya wondered in her thoughts and tightly spoke, “A friend told me today, some…time…” Her words started to slow down as her broken English tried to reiterate what Allegra had said at Dolly’s. “we need… em in dark, with us.” Fuck why was it so hard to speak in good English? “Be…cuz we not able to go in light.” Her last words weren’t necessarily how Legs said it but she struggled enough and just wanted to move on. “I do not agree. Though, what I do see, to keep her safe you need to go. Be with her. No more dark. No more light. Choose one and fight.”

Sometimes his sister’s broken English was hard to understand and even he had nodded through most of it, but he understood what she was saying. Not only that, but he knew what he had to do. Fight for what was most important to him: his family. It wasn’t just his southside family - not just Poppy or Boa or Legs. It was his Northside family. Coach and the O’Haras (even the ones who didn’t know about him yet). It was about all the friends he has made that gave him a purpose. The team he had in high school, Natalia, and, of course, Cece. The one person that he wanted to protect the most. He knew the Angels and Serpents would protect everyone in the Fallen Souls apartment complex, but Cece didn’t have that. She was innocent in all of this.

“I agree about what I have to do and I will go to her, but what about our brother? If what you say is true and he sees me, wouldn’t going to her put her in even more danger?” It wasn’t that he wanted to think that Hyde would threaten her while he was there, but the truth was that Mika wouldn’t put it past The Devil of Eden to do something so brazen. Mika learned a long time ago to never underestimate what his brother was capable of.

“You will hide her forever?” The Basilisk questioned. There were some answers that only he could decide on. If it were her, she’d make sure that she was a constant wall between the Devil and his desired target. Presently, Mika did not believe he could take down his brother. The fear emitted from him like the sun releases light. But if he didn’t try, then this life he wanted would never be. If he wanted to shine, he needed to do just that, shine. The Devil only goes to those that listen. “I not saying have plan. This will take time. I do think you, Mikhail, needs to make choice. That is first step. The rest will come. Not today, not tomorrow, but it will come.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what she was telling him to do. He knew that, eventually, he couldn’t just stay on the sidelines. As it turned out, every day his brother became worse and worse. Or Mika being careless has made him become worse. He didn’t know which one it was nor did he really care. He knew despite everything, he was putting Cece in harm’s way and he was the reason that now they were in this pickle. What was happening was exactly what he tried to prevent two years ago when he broke up with her: to keep her out of harm's way, but despite knowing it was dangerous, he re-entered her life.

What was that quote that Katie always like to repeat to him from that fantasy show? Love is the death of duty? God, why was he remembering something his nerdy ass sister said to him?

But it was the truth. And his duty was to protect Cece and prevent Hyde from finding out about her existence, or at least her connection to Mika.

“I’ll hide Cece for as long as I need to. Until I know she’s safe.” Yeah, try explaining that to Cece. Doubt she would be as open to the idea unless Mika explained everything about it to her. “I don’t know what choice I should make, but one I know that makes sense to me right now is Cece and making sure he doesn’t harm her.” Under his breath, Mika cursed himself because that would leave the difficult task of convincing his ex to all of this and explaining just what the fuck kind of mess he dragged her into. Simple, right?

While he was stewing in thought, trying to come to his own conclusions, Anya gilded closer and slipped her hand into his. Allegra had held her hand earlier today bringing her comfort, maybe it would do the same for her little brother. Squeezing it and looking at the water under the bridge, Anya reassured Mika, her sweet, baby brother, “At all cost, you protect her. I do what I can on my end.” Her sharp gaze softened at the sight of the everflowing stream of water. Her eyes went from the water to the boy beside her, all the while holding his hand, “Hey, brother?” She hesitantly asked, wondering if the follow up question was worth asking or not. She waited for his reaction before saying anything more.

When she reached for his hand and grabbed it, anything that Mika had been thinking about seemed to fade away. It was so unexpected, especially for Anya. He watched as she looked to the river and made a sort of vow (or was it more of a pledge?) Whichever it was, he smiled at and then she looked back at him, no longer having that cold gaze that reminded him of Hyde but the Anya he knew and felt like he could trust with just about anything. Literally anything. “What’s up, Anya? Something on your mind?”

“Do you think…” She struggled talking not because of phrasing, or wording, or even the English, but more because of the value of the question, as if it was a foreign concept to her. Foreign but something intriguing, especially lately. “Do you think I can love? Like you with your Cece?” Today was a strange day for the Basilisk. First she gave Allegra her real name. Now she was asking her brother if she was deserving of love or even capable of it. “It’s stupid, I know.” She started paddling back, looking away from Mika and bringing her gaze to the water. People like her, they couldn’t afford love.

“What?” Was Mika’s immediate reaction, exactly like he was caught off guard by his sister’s question. Because he was. In what has been a whirlwind of a meet-up with Anya, he’s gone from dread to being the protective man he is to unexplainably confused, but at the same time, he saw how Anya looked. In her eyes, he could see it. He didn’t know exactly what it might be, but the minute she mentioned how it’s stupid, he shook his head. “No, it’s not stupid at all!” He squeezed his sister’s hand tighter to enforce what he just said. “Everyone is deserving of love, Anya! Doesn’t matter what they’ve done or what, everyone is entitled to a love that makes them smile and maybe do things they normally wouldn’t.” He sure as hell has done his fair share of stupid things in the name of love.

She hoped he was right. Love didn’t work out for her grandmother, her mother, or any of her Sisters for that matter. When her Sisters strayed from the path, it all ended the same. Six feet under. She opened up her mouth to thank him and that she would try her best to believe in this thing called love but they were interrupted by thunder and the sudden appearance of rain. Releasing her brother’s hand, checking her watch, she realized how much time came and went. It was already half past 4. “You need to go. This is bad brother. This storm.” Anya needed Mika safe and in that same worry, she wondered if Jade was okay. Was she safe? Did she need her to be safe too?

Of course she did. Jade was the reason she wasn’t herself lately. She was the reason she was asking so many questions and wondering about things she wouldn’t have thought about a month ago. Jade was the reason that Anya was ‘losing her touch’ because ever since their first day together at Dolly’s with pancakes and french toast, Anya couldn’t stop thinking about her smile. The Basilisk had seen the Angel Princess before, while in the background at the MC, but only recently had she ever gotten a one on one session with her. Multiple now if you count the past couple Sundays. And in each sitting, she found herself looking forward to the next. She didn’t need to hear much. She could sit in silence with Jade and feel content. It was knowing she was okay and safe, knowing that she enjoyed being with her, just like Anya did but for her, that made the next Sunday something always to look forward to. Jade was her something, her someone, she looked forward to and she needed to know she was safe so that their Sundays would never change. “Go be safe, Mikhail.”

“I hate Mondays.”

ReyRey growled to himself as the storm chased him and his Firebird away from his home of Edenridge, Massachusetts.

The evening was beginning to settle in and the Kingsnake had already had quite the eventful day. It all started with him aiding one Alexandria Davies into her new home. He was her sponsor, of course, owning the four walls she called her own and by the end of it, he owned her body as well. There was so much of Allison in Lex that it was downright haunting. Rey had believed that he had moved beyond his grief and his love for the girl that was his sunflower but he hadn’t and that long night on Carlisle at the start of the summer had done enough to convince him of that. Ever since that night, Ally haunted his waking and sleeping thoughts. Day in and day out. Maybe that was one of the reasons he tried hard to bring Lexie into the fold? He needed to be close to her again and short of joining her six feet underground, protecting her sister and being with her was the next best thing.

Then there was Vivia. She was going through a lot. Between her mother being terminally ill, the downright nasty fight with her father, her siblings' collective drama and the kicker of a new wave of letters bringing back bad memories, she spent most of her days lost in painting in their living room, When he first claimed her, Vivi was a bright blonde with so much life and light inside of her. Yet that light seemed to go out the day Allison’s heart stopped beating on his bathroom floor. Vivi was barely human anymore. A shell. A husk. A soulless mannequin selling beauty but not much else. Mi Corazon. He called her. But that had always been a lie. ReyRey’s heart was buried in Edenridge cemetery, held in the hands of a dead girl.

The Montero’s were in town, still another impetus for Rey’s escape away from the den of sin. They had worked out some deal with the Mayor and we’re going to break ground on a new hotel which would front a gun running ring. Uncle Esteban was always a savvy businessman but his downfall would always be his love for his family. He could’ve come to town, done the deal and be gone in a month. Instead he brought the whole brood. Cass was cool and thankfully Espie was locked up in a loony bin but he brought Sal and already the little fuck was blowing up his phone. Salvador had worshipped Rey since he was in diapers. Kid was always a little fuckwad but now R2 had to protect the little shit lest Eden would eat him alive.

So there he was, tearing down the backroad on a trek toward the Blue Hill Reservation having left his boy Scorpion in charge whilst he was away. Why was he going to cowboy country? Two simple reasons: weed and Jadyn Isaacs. When Reynaldo was still trying to make his mark in the business, he had been sent on a trip up to Salem to try and work something out with a heavy set up there. The only muscle he had was his friend Yardie whom God rest his soul was built like a fire truck. After negotiations failed and Rey and Yardie shot their way out of town, they decided to drive separately back to Eden. In no rush to return and face the wrath of Big Papi, Reynaldo decided to stop in Blue Hill for a beer or six. That’s when she walked in.

ReyRey was instantly attracted to Jadyn. The way she carried herself, cool and confident, she stood out amongst the other indigenous women that littered the longhouse. It didn’t take long before they were back at her farm on the outskirts of the Reservation. They had barely made it to the barn before they were tearing each other’s clothes off. The next morning, the warm light of day shone across a field of marijuana and Rey for the first time in his life almost believed in God. From then on, Jadyn became his green connection. He would stop by every so often, they’d have some fun and then he’d ship back with the best product in New England. It was a solid deal. More often than not lately, the Reservation had become ReyRey’s emergency exit.

As the Firebird tore into Blue Hill, the Kingsnake looked out of the window at his new surroundings. As a man of color, he had dealt with his fair share of systemic problems but it still took him aback just how truly forgotten the Native Americans were as a whole. There were so many parts of the Reservation that were borderline derelict and unlivable. Was it any wonder people like Jadyn had to turn to people like him to fund the place? Families lived in squalor, babies had no food and the only joy most of them got was a good hard night of drinking at the Longhouse. Shameful fucking shit from the country that claims such inclusivity.

Pulling up outside of the farm, R2 climbed out of his car and looked at the old farmhouse. It was quite the beast. Jadyn didn’t live there alone though, there had always been a young girl living there too. She was about Aleyda’s age. She carried more Native features than Jadyn did, with sun kissed skin and big brown eyes. Think it was her sister's kid? He wasn’t really sure since a lot of people on the Rez called her Auntie. Rey locked up the Firebird and made his way to the front door. He didn’t bother to knock and entered outright.

“Oye flor nativa, papi está en casa!”

As Rey entered the modest farmhouse, the scent of cooking meat could be detected wafting through the area. It wasn’t the typical smell of beef, it was gamier, less fatty. It was the smell of nice thick venison steaks broiling in the oven. They weren’t ready for the sear on the stove, and quite frankly, if Jadyn had her way, she would be standing over the massive barbeque on the back porch watching these beauties get those good grill marks on them. But the storm was coming and she didn’t want to risk having to depart from her tried and tested methods in case of rain. So she went with her indoor method. When Auntie wants steak, she’s gonna have steak. One way or the other, Jadyn Issacs, more often than not, got what she wanted.

And R2 was one of those things she got. She could remember the night she met him at the Cabin, the informal name for the bar on the reservation that served as a meeting place as well as a front whenever Jadyn needed to move some product. The community held together like that after all, and the owner, Freddie, owed her countless times over. Especially with the Longhouse opening a few years ago with a much better setup. So Jadyn would usually post up with some portions of her latest harvest, whether it be from the woods, the farm or the special section of the barn, and find some takers. Back then, it was usually amongst the community itself and the few truckers that would pass through the Rez en route to other destinations. But when Rey popped in that night, his strong, chiseled Latin body standing out immediately among the regular patrons of the Cabin, Jadyn knew that she was going to tame that bull. Or at least get a good ride out of him.

But she got even more than that. As they laid in her spacious bed, they got to talking. With Jadyn’s arm draped over Reynaldo’s chest, they both learned of each other’s particular jobs and what they could do for each other. Jadyn even had the product to let Rey enjoy some of the good, outdoor-grown crops she had been cultivating on the farm. And a deal was struck. Mutually beneficial for all sides. Rey got the product he needed to sell in the Boston area, Jadyn got a much larger distribution network for her product, and they both got mind-blowing physical activity from the deal. Jadyn had to be a little careful with Tena staying with her, but it didn’t matter. Rey usually knew how to keep Jadyn quiet.

Jadyn knew how to keep him happy too. Make sure the deal was still good for both sides. She was the biggest source of income on the reservation thanks to the Serpents’ money coming in, and she did her best to spread the wealth around, but it was never enough. If Rey ever pulled out, she wasn’t sure if the temporary lapse in income would be able to be weathered. So when she knew a visit was on the cards, that’s when the steaks came out of the freezer, that’s when the special quail feather earrings were worn to stand out among the controlled mess of brown hair, and that’s when she was ready to make sure R2 knew just how welcome he was in her home.

“Wah-hey, papi!” Jadyn called back as she left the oven alone for a second and appeared at the top of the stairs. The earrings were the fanciest part of her outfit, as she favored a simple black tank top and deep white stone necklace atop a pair of blue denim shorts today. Keeping it simple was usually her MO. “Welcome back, big boy. It’s been too long. I was gonna have to knock the freezer burn off those venison steaks if I kept them in there any longer waiting for you.” She smirked as she looked down at her business partner/paramour. “You’re lucky my cooking skills are good enough to make even cold-scorched deer taste like fuckin’ heaven.”

There she was, ReyRey’s emergency exit. Jadyn really didn’t have to try as hard as she did whenever he came to town but the Kingsnake appreciated it anyway. As downright cruel and malicious the son of Big Rey could be, R2 actually felt positive about helping to fund the Reservation. He enjoyed the company of the people there and he didn’t just mean his lover/business partner. When Rey was at Blue Hill, he didn’t have to be R2, the Kingsnake, heir to El Serpiente himself Gory Gonzalez. When he was in this dump of a community, he could just be Reynaldo Junior. It was a refreshing change of pace and he had considered more than once leaving Eden all together and making a home on the Rez.

Ascending the stairs, R2 admired the foxy woman who welcomed him. That was as accurate a description as he could come up with because that’s exactly what she was, foxy. Gorgeous, playful, clever and cunning. Jadyn Issacs was a perfect foil for him. “Speaking of tastes like heaven…” When ReyRey got to the top of the staircase, he tossed his bag down onto the floor and wrapped the Native woman up in his arms. He pressed the brunette against the wall, pressed his lips to hers and slipped his tongue deep into her mouth. He needed this. The surface pressure was killing him lately but ReyRey was too stubborn to die.

“Mmm. Missed you, mami.”

There weren’t many people who could forcefully take Auntie without her sizing them up first, but Rey proved to be a worthwhile exception for Jadyn. As she let her back hit the wall, with R2 clearly in need of some of the good sugar, the Nipmuc woman was happy to oblige. Her tongue danced against the Kingsnake’s. No fork was detected, no ulterior motive present, just a man and a woman happy to see each other and expressing it.

Though Jadyn would never admit it, it always felt good to have ReyRey around to take her like this and let her know that she was not alone. It had been a hard life. Her piece of shit father abandoned her mother when Jadyn was only four, leaving the two in the care of the family on the Rez. Her bubba died soon after, leaving the homestead to Cheryl and her sisters to take care of. But the cruel winters came for all the older Silverheel women, with Cheryl the last to depart 10 years ago. That left Jadyn to not only look after the property at 21, but her cousin Tena as well, after her mom Dakota passed the previous winter to the same cancer. It was a gruelling decade, building things up to the point where Tena was not only self-sufficient enough to be able to follow Jalyn’s footsteps as a resident handywoman, but Jalyn herself was confident enough to be able to start delegating some things to other members of the nation. It meant she could enjoy the company of those she cared about more than her own survival for a change. And top of that list was Reynaldo Gonzalez.

As their kiss broke, Jalyn was content to leave her arms draped over R2’s broad shoulders, leaning on the Serpent to keep her tethered to the moment as the smell of the meat continued to waft around, joined by the spices from the roasting potatoes that were catching the rare drippings of the venison, absorbing those flavors into the flaky flesh. The sweet squash mash on the stove wasn’t as fragrant, but still on the back of Jalyn’s mind. It wouldn’t do to let the mash burn, but it could hang there for a while as she bathed in the comfort of Rey’s embrace.

“I can tell,” Jalyn confirmed with another smirk. She could always have that kind of confidence in front of R2. For many years, she had to build it up with a false mask, until she knew she had the power to back it up, but with Rey, it came naturally. Maybe it was because their relationship started with her maintaining that bravado that intrigued him in the first place, but she knew she could let loose with whatever she wanted and R2 would stand there, soaking it all in and giving it back just as well. It worked for them, even if it wasn’t in an official capacity. That was just the way they liked it.

“I missed you too, boo,” she admitted. “Like I said, been too long since you came waltzing into my home like this. Was starting to think I gave it to you too good last time, letting you drift on those memories without coming back for more.” Jadyn laughed, knowing that wouldn’t be the case. “But I knew you’d come calling eventually. Some peace of mind and a piece of me will do you good.” One hand dropped from Rey’s shoulder to his butt and a squeeze backed up Jadyn’s remark.

Oh, she did love to play the game and for all intents and purposes ReyRey was the fucking game. He grasped at Jadyn’s hips and span her in his arms so that her chest was pressed against the wall. He allowed one hand to trace down her back and down to her thigh as the other held onto the rear of her neck. “You goddamn right,” he whispered into her ear and she wasn’t wrong. Being with Jadyn and away from the pressures of the world would always be a welcome reprieve.

“Hey Auntie, have you seen my little brown dress? I wanna wear it ton…” Mitena stopped in her tracks as she turned the corner to greet her dear departed mother's youngest sister. Instead of finding Jadyn slaving over the meaty goodness whose aroma had been filling the air around the farm since the early afternoon, she found her in quite the compromising position with her sometimes lover.

Tena sighed through her nose and furrowed her brow. “Rey,” she met him bluntly. The young woman was not massively keen on her aunt’s choice of partner. She was fully aware of what the erstwhile lord of serpents brought to the dance when it came to funding the flat-lining Reservation but that didn’t mean that the rock and roll girl had to like it. He came and went as he pleased. He took what he wanted, when he wanted and to him and was happy to steal into the night just as fast as he would arrive in his flaming steel chariot. What a dick.

Releasing Jadyn from his grasp, ReyRey looked at the young woman glaring back at him. She’d always been a firecracker. She shared the same dark gaze of another kid he knew once upon a time. A kid whose memory had haunted him and his home for far too long. Rey did often wonder, despite the revelations of early summer, had he killed Charlie like he intended to back on that cold winter night, how many lives could he have actually saved? Perhaps he would cease to be the villain of the story and be seen as a hero? “Nice to see you kid.”

Jadyn was ready to say fuck the steaks and let R2 do whatever he wanted right there in the hallway, until she got the stark reminder that they were not alone in the house. Not yet anyway. But Tena was getting big enough to handle herself. It’s why Jadyn trusted her to go off to the Longhouse by herself for her shows and such. It might even be a decent laundering opportunity in the future if her band takes off. For now though, Tena was just a massive boxblock.

“Sup, kiddo?” Jadyn said as she readjusted her shorts following Rey’s twirl. “Um, your brown dress?” The older woman looked up as if it would materialize on the ceiling. “Well, I think I washed it the other day, so it might still be hanging in the basement?” Truth be told, Jadyn might have borrowed it the previous Saturday on a trip to the Cabin to peruse who might be coming in on the holiday weekend. “But it should be ready to go for tonight. You openin’ or you closin’ down?”

“We’re headlining the Longhouse tonight, weather providing of course.” Living with her auntie always had its perks. After her mother passed, Mitena was at first unsure about going to live with Jadyn but their free spirits complimented each other well. If anything, they shared a far more sisterly bond than they did a maternal one. Jadyn let Tena pretty much do whatever she liked as long as she did her chores and paid her way. She also didn’t judge when Tena brought back a boy or girl from whatever club the band had played that night. It was a shame then that Mitena couldn’t offer her aunt the same, especially when it came to ReyRey. The indigenous rock star had read her brothers letters back to back and then back again and one R2 Gonzalez was a featured player in her big brother's ever present pain.

Rey glanced down at the dark-haired beauty's wrist. That leather brace. He would know it anywhere. He could still see Charlie reaching up with his hand covered in blood and wearing that brace as R2 beat him within an inch of his life in that shed on Carlisle. “Hm, a gig? Could be fun” ReyRey kissed Jadyn’s cheek and followed his nose into the kitchen that smelled absolutely divine. His Flor nativa had outdone herself this time. He opened up the fridge and pulled out an ice cold beer, popping the top off against the counter.

“Check the steaks while you’re in there but don’t touch them, ReyRey!” Jadyn shouted to the guest as he disappeared behind the wall.

Tena’s chocolate eyes watched as the Latin man disappeared around the corner. Once he was out of view, she returned her attention to her auntie. “How long is he here for this time Jay? One day? Two? I know he brings in a lot of cash for the Rez but he’s dangerous. I know you’ve been together for years but it’ll only take one thing to set him off.”

Auntie had to just stand there and take it for a second. She knew Mitena didn’t approve of Reynaldo. They had talked about him a few times, usually on those nights when the two of them stayed in with a few drinks and a couple movies. Tena’s opinion definitely went south when she learned of her half-brother who happened to be an underling of R2’s on the Serpents. Not that it was stellar to begin with, but when she learned what abuse Charlie took from the hands of her business partner, Jadyn was having to defend ReyRey more and more. Even after Charlie snapped and shot up his school, Tena still defended him. Honestly, even though they were a distant relation, Jadyn was ashamed that Charlie took that path. It looked bad for the Rez, as if they needed to give the Whites any more reason to look down on Blue Hill. But Mitena held on to that bracelet for dear life, knowing it was the link that kept the Decker boy alive in her eyes.

“He’s only going to be here for a couple of days,” Jadyn answered as she leaned against the wall. “Just to clear his head, get out of Eden for a minute, which, I don’t fuckin’ blame him for. Swear that town is cursed. But, their money ain’t.”

She moved forward to put her hands on Tena’s shoulders. “And I know you worry about what his temper can do, but he hasn’t done anything here in the seven years we’ve been together. And he knows that if he does something so stupid as to lay a finger on me or you or anyone else who lives on the Rez, he’s going to have some BFNs to deal with, and he knows that true.” Jadyn leans back. “This is his heaven. He’s a smart boy. He’s not going to fuck it up.”

Auntie Jay did make some satiate points. She and Rey had been “together” for years now and despite his overdose of machismo, he had been nothing but kind and courteous to her and the other people on the Rez. He had never laid a finger on anyone beyond a bar fight or two and never a raised voice. With what she knew about Eden, Tena would agree that the town was cursed by the Great Spirit. Every so often a news article would pop up talking about another murder or vanishing or a crime so horrific they would say the devil himself had done it. Look what the place did to Charlie.

Mitena would never justify the actions undertaken by her half-sibling. What Charlie did on his final day was evil and her heart always went out to the people, the victims, of his vile deed. Yet there was a part of her that thirsted for more knowledge on the matter. Especially after rereading all the letters that he had sent her over their brief relationship. Maybe there was some secret in them that would help solve the mystery? Tena had picked up on a few clues and recurring themes in his words and one of them was now plating up steak in her kitchen. The beautiful Native girl did wonder if ever she would find herself in their sister town, walking the same streets her brother did. Would that hellmouth open for her just as it did for him and her father?

“I’m sorry Auntie Jay, I know you got this.” Mitena brushed her hair behind both ears. Jadyn had already been through so much. Tena knew that her aunt was a strong ass bitch, they both were. “Guess I better go to the basement and find that dress. Leave you two in peace. If you feel the need, we’re on stage from nine thirty. I’ll put you on Chief’s tab.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard for you to find,” Jadyn confirmed. “Don’t be too long getting changed. Dinner’s gonna be ready in a few minutes. You can’t be rockin’ shit on an empty stomach, kiddo.” Auntie gave a wink. “And don’t worry. You know peace ain’t comin’ here, but we’ll be all right. I’ll probably take Rey down around then. Chief definitely still owes me a few, so he can pay for our drinks, and I always get a thrill watching you on stage. You got your dad’s musical talents. Thank the spirits you got your mom’s everything else.”

A sigh escaped Jadyn’s lips. She still missed Dakota. She missed all the family she couldn’t keep in this realm. If nothing else, having Tena around meant she still maintained that link, but a decade passed quickly, and Tena was going to leave the nest sooner or later. Jadyn knew she wasn’t getting any older and probably should start looking to settle down. Make sure it wasn’t just going to be up to Mitena to carry on the Silverheel legacy.

But R2 probably wasn’t that avenue. One of the things that made them work as a couple was that they both liked their ability to free wheel, and Jadyn wasn’t going to give that up any time soon. Not for any of her current prospects. It would take someone special to tame this fox.

“Now go get ready. I’ll have an ice water ready for you with your meal and if it turns back to tap water, I’ll know you’re overthinkin’ shit.”

“Love you Auntie,” Mitena kissed her aunt's cheek. She would die for this woman. She had put her life on hold to take care of her and she wouldn’t allow that sacrifice to go unrewarded. If she relentlessly worked hard at her music, just like her dear mother always taught her too, she would be successful and she would give Jadyn and the tribe everything they deserved for raising her. For giving her a life when it would’ve been so easy to let it fade away. She moved past the auburn haired beauty and towards the basement to find her signature dress.

As Tena left, Jadyn walked back around to the kitchen to find R2 enjoying his own beverage. “All right, kiddo’s gonna be here to grab some grub, then she’s off to the Longhouse to get ready for her show. I told her I’d come by when Red Wolf Road goes on.” The businesswoman walked up to the gang leader and slipped her hand into one of his back pockets. “Maybe you’ll come too.”

“I mean I’ll definitely come and so will you.” ReyRey wrapped his arm around Jadyn’s neck and upper body with his beer still in hand, bringing her close into his chest. As they stood in their embrace, R2 couldn’t help but wonder if civility and safety were even a possibility for him? He was attracted to dangerous women. Jadyn. Vivia. Allison. Lexie. Maxine. He pondered the idea that any one of them could’ve been a future for him? Was there even a future for him? He was a gang leader in Edenridge. At this point in his life, he was just waiting for the Lord to call his number. Until that day though, Rey wasn’t going to go down easy. He was ReyRey fucking Gonzalez. The Kingsnake.

“But that’s for later. A show sounds fun. Be nice to live in your world for a night.”

Jadyn laughed and planted a kiss on R2's bare skin above the top of his shirt. “You're always welcome to be part of this world, Papi.” She patted his ass and twirled herself out of his grasp. “Now I gotta finish searing these deer steaks to get that good finish. You just keep enjoying that beer, and I'll make sure we both eat well tonight.” With a wink, Jadyn went back to her food. The snake could keep her wrapped up good and tight tonight, but the fox had to finish crafting their meal. And their dance would continue...

Sitting on a park bench, unbeknownst to her it was the same park bench where Roddy and Marco said their goodbyes, Kylee left the large brown bag filled with everyone’s preferred Chinese food to the side, untouched, as she waited for her friend, Marco Brady. They scheduled a friend date. A late lunch to catch up. He should be getting off work soon.

Unbeknownst to her, Cat had closed the token Edenridge sandwich shop early due to personal obligations and the storm, letting her staff take it easy for the rest of the day. Marco being the good guy that he is chose to wait until it was time to meet his friend at 3:30 PM, instead of asking if she was free earlier. Kylee was a busy girl. Knowing Marco, he didn’t want to throw this spontaneous request on her.

All Kylee’s friends knew that she did not like last minute changes. She was not one for unpredictability. If Kylee Grimm put you on her schedule, you made sure to meet her at that time or she’d get in a weird depressive episode, thinking you were mad at her or something. Kylee didn’t handle change well.

Leaned back, she stared off in the distance in thought, barely paying attention to the boy skating around, both waiting. On top of her replaying her interview with Mei and Jill, from how considerate Jill was of Danny and his teammates, marking them as off limits, to the surface pressure of being a foundling, Kylee was in one of her pensive states. Truly stuck in her head -- thinking and overthinking.

She had gathered so much information and the thought of the letter and keywords in it, it was like the answer was on the tip of her tongue but also, she couldn’t help but think about how tragic David was. To let the surface pressure push him over the edge. He leaned in, gave himself completely into his vice, the one thing that saw him, truly saw him, and unfortunately it was likely a little girl. If only he had waited, waited to take that leap of faith, when she was of age. It was a hard pill for the town to swallow but could Kylee blame him?

The shooting ruined her affair with Natalia. They had something raw. Something great. Something in the moment. But the blood. The gore. Pierce’s face. The fucking screams. The fact that Nia pissed her pants and Jakob was her body shield before Charlie took both of them down, from behind the auditorium piano. The shooting. The shooting ruined her. Or was she already fucked up prior? Was the shooting also an excuse?

When she didn’t get into the college she wanted to go to, or she thought at the time was the college meant for her, that was the perfect emergency exit. How could she treat Natalia like she deserved when she could barely see clearly? The surface pressure. She understood it well. She was no foundling but the weight of being a Grimm… there was a constant dark shadow hovering over her. There was more to her father than he’d ever let her in on, and she knew, she just knew he was haunted, far worse than this whole town ever would be. He had demons. Skeletons in his closet. Secrets. And he hid it behind a professional smile.

Whenever she tried to get close all he had to do was look at her, with those cold, distant eyes, and just like that, she was put back in her place. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She didn’t want to doubt him. She didn’t like this urge to look deep into his history… she hated that she wanted to know who her mother was. It certainly would never be Celine. And it sure as hell wasn’t Prudence. Even if Kylee loved her dearly, she knew Prue was not her mom.

There were too many secrets in the Grimm family and she was caught in the inbetween, scared she’d turn dark, like the rest of her siblings. People don’t see her family like she does. People don’t like her father, sure, but that’s because he’s a politician and if you trusted everything a politician said, you’d be considered dumb. Everyone adores Hayley and how outspoken she is, how radical, but if only they knew… if only they knew what was behind that shit-eating grin, they wouldn’t like the bitch that her sister was. Hayley was more heartless than she made people believe and that’s because everyone was a fool to her, including those she considered her ‘friends’.

Don’t even get her started with her brothers. Lincoln and Kennedy. Named after presidents -- whoop-dee-fucking-doo. They knew more of the past than they’d ever share. Lincoln could destroy your life, and has for some sad fucks, using the internet to his advantage, scary hacker kind of guy, and Kennedy was a douchebag, the type to make girls believe they had it coming when he is the one that roofied and raped them. And you know who protected him? Prudence. That is until Prue died. Now he’s manipulated Celine to do the same. Celine has convinced Daddy Grimm to shield him with their family money and the cycle continues. Disgusting.

Where does that leave her?

Snapping out of her trance, Kylee reached for her phone to check if she got a text or a call from her boyfriend. Still nothing. Biting her thumb, Kylee caved and called Wes’ phone. Nervously, she listened to the ring and when he didn’t pick up, and she went to voicemail, she hung up and put her phone to her side. Glancing toward Adam, she tried to distract herself with idle conversation, “Are you excited to see Marco?!”

“Yeah! Can’t wait to see him!”

It had been a weird ass day.

Adam had started out the morning with no real plan or destination. He had just taken his camera and his board and hit the streets. It had been too many years since he had been freely allowed to roam the cobbled roads of Eden. Five years to be precise. When Thomas Callahan made the decision to leave Edenridge and drag his youngest boy with him, Adam had been in the midst of so many things. Before his forced departure, AC had his fingers in several pies. He had submitted a short film to be judged by professionals, he had just got his first sponsor with a Boston skate shop and he was due to enter his first martial arts contest under the Five Tool banner. Then his father made the call that they were not longed for Edenridge anymore and that Pinehurst awaited them.

AC hated Pinehurst. For all the flak that the rich kids on Scott Street got, they were nothing compared to the Monarchs down the road. Pinehurst was all gated communities, trust fund babies and “influencers”; Adam’s father loved it. Tommy Callahan, unlike his younger brother John, relished his Foundling status and built himself a small empire of businesses using his name and his smile. He wanted nothing to do with the butcher shop that his ancestors had built by hand. No, Tom had machinations on bigger things than just Black Pudding stuffed Cumberland Sausage. Andy was too old to be forced to do anything and he had married his high school sweetheart but Adam? He was just young enough to be controlled.

To say Adam was tortured by those kids would be an understatement. Whereas most Monarchs got Beemers for their sweet sixteens, AC rode to school every day on his Powell Peralta classic Bones deck. They wore Gucci, he wore Element. They bled Maroon, Adam still bled Celtic green. He was suspended multiple times for fighting. He was never a violent kid, it was always in self defence but because of his very apparent training, Adam was always the assumed aggressor. It didn’t help that Tom would send him to school with a face full of bruises. AC was a lump of coal in a case of diamonds.

Then Grandpa Callahan died and the war for his estate raged. Tom had been completely taken out of the will, not that he needed the money and John and their younger sister Ellie became the beneficiaries. John and Ellie decided to give the money to all of the kids. Meaning Fran, Roddy, Andy and Adam all received large chunks of dollar for their troubles. This was it. This was the escape route. Adam took his new found wealth, which admittedly wasn’t that much but was enough, and got the hell out of dodge. After one more confrontation with his father, AC jumped on his board and made his way back to Edenridge, only five years too late for a date with a beautiful brunette.

It was that very same brunette he bumped into early that morning and reopened Pandora's box with. Kylee was on a mission, then again she always was back in the day and Adam felt the need to join her. Thus his aforementioned weird ass day. The pair had spent the afternoon interviewing old school friends and classmates about a mysterious love letter making the rounds all over town. Kylee had been off from the moment they reconnected but Adam knew it wasn’t down to him. Something else was bothering her, then again something always was and usually that something was dressed in a suit and speaking at city hall.

They were supposed to be meeting another old friend, Marco Brady. He and Adam were close back in the day before his unwanted exit. It would be so nice to see him again. Carving the concrete wave until he stopped next to her, AC kicked his deck into his hand and paused the camera that had been sitting next to Ky filming him. “Are we gonna go somewhere? That storm is looking nasty. Makes for a great backdrop though.”

“Your place? After this?” Kylee offered, seeing it smarter to head to his apartment because it was closer instead of doing the long trek to Scott Street to a house far too big for her and full of reminders of all her problems. They still had a good hour before the storm would really start picking up. The forecast said around six it should be at its peak. The Mayor’s daughter smiled at her friend before bringing her deep brown eyes, her eyes that were the color of acorns, just bright enough to shine in the dark, to her hands on her lap. She fiddled with her fingers anxiously.

If Wes would just call her or text her, she could spend the rest of the day with him but he seemed far too busy to even let her know he was doing okay. She was so stupid to think he’d be different. That she had found someone who would put her first. That she found her special someone. “If that’s alright with you that is, Adam. I don’t really want to go home right now.”

“Yeah, no that’s absolutely fine.” Adam looked down with soft eyes at the poor girl. Something was not right, so the best he could do was to be there for her. There had always been an inherent darkness in Kylee. It should’ve been more obvious considering who her father and brothers were but to most, she was just a bored little rich girl. A brat. She’d always been and always would be more than that to AC. “I managed to hook up my tv to the neighbor's Wi-Fi until I get mine sorted. Hope you’re good with just Netflix. Alternately I’ve got DVD’s. Remember those? Hipster AF.”

He sat down next to the young woman and picked up his camera, aiming just over her far shoulder at the skyline. Off in the distance, above the cursed elder tree, the sky was a twirling mixture of blues and greys and black, far off lightning creeping closer towards them like the villain of a John Carpenter movie. Yet in this instant Adam felt more like he was simply gazing inside of Kylee’s soul. Dark, stormy and beautiful. “Are there any cliff notes I need on Marco? It has been a few years.”

“Mm, he kind of has a limp, I guess. When Charlie shot him,” Kylee crossed her arms joining Adam in staring at the sky. She was never one to hold back, no matter how dark her words were. And talking about that day, that day that made her own issues escalate, was one of those dark things that not a lot of people liked talking about but here she was, bringing it up like it was table conversation. “He seems to be doing better though. I haven’t seen him since like a month ago, the night at the gym where we went on a scavenger hunt to find out the story behind Allison’s death. Even then, I didn’t stay for the whole thing… I had a bad moment with my ex and kind of tapped out. From then to what I’ve been seeing from getting sandwiches at the Godmothers, he works there now by the way, he seems happier. Like his old self is coming back. He’s smiling more.”

The massacre. Adam had a feeling that was going to be a huge subject to be weary of when reconnecting with old friends. He missed it. He wasn’t there. He had no way of knowing or understanding how they felt in those moments of cold fear and reflection. They had all been through so much together, fractured and brought together by their experiences and he was coming in as an outsider. AC did not share those dark times with them and they were bonded in ways he couldn’t fathom. Boy had his work cut out for him if he wanted to be a part of their lives again. “I still think that Scavenger hunt sounds badass. Even if, you know it was sad? It’s all so interesting. You can’t write this shit but I’m glad Marco’s doing good.”

Leaning back on the bench, Adam placed his camera down on his lap. “You know what’s funny? Since I’ve been back, I’ve been massively surprised where people have ended up. Like when I decided to come back, I had it all planned out in my head as to what people were doing, where they were and who they were with. I’ve since remembered that you were always the smart one. Rod the brave and I just held the camera,” He laughed. “Like Jill Queen Clover O’Brien and Mei I hate everything Ramsey? How could I call that?!”

“Yeah, a lot of things changed since you’ve been gone,” Kylee kept her eyes on the sky as her voice trailed off at his comment of her being the smart one. She didn’t get into college. It was her fault for only applying to one and thinking she’d get in. Oddly enough though she was relieved. She didn’t want to leave Edenridge. As tragic as things constantly were, this town was her security blanket and at the time, she still had Roddy.

He was gone now — Texas would be his new home where he’d raise his family there and she’d root for him and be happy at how much he’s succeeding. Roddy was moving now and Kylee, well, Kylee was still stuck. “I’m glad they’re together. Jill hasn’t had the best time, like even before the shooting, but you can catch up with her with all that.” Kylee didn’t want to assume Adam knew much about Jill’s ex, Michael, and how she lost her baby. She didn’t want to assume he knew it led to a severe drinking problem. That wasn’t her story to tell.

Glancing over and meeting Adam’s gaze, raising an eyebrow when she noticed he was looking at her and not the sky, Kylee added, “I’m glad she has found someone to heal with and Mei, she acts very strong, but I know Charlie really fucked her up. She was alone that day and she couldn’t do anything about it until she was found.” How strange, how a single moment could change the fates of all she knew. She was very good at talking about all her friends and their battles, dancing around her own trauma from that day, but when it came to herself, she hesitated. She filtered. She kept quiet.

The tone had transformed slightly. Adam wanted it to be light but Ky’s mood was not here yet. As she spoke of her friend's pain, it seemed obvious to AC that she herself held a lot of agony inside. Kylee was good at creating a wall. Depending on how one felt about it, it was either lucky or unlucky that Adam was very good at scaling them. “I can’t even imagine. I’m sorry that you all had to go through that.” Kylee carried a lot of weight from that day, he could almost see the blood splatter memories in her acorn eyes. “Tell me something weird. What’s a really random thing that’s happened in my time away?”

Weird. He wanted something weird. It really depends on his definition of weird because weird shit happens all the time in Edenridge. “Your cousin, Clay, sucks at hiding the fact that he’s got his dream girl. I don’t know if you consider that weird though! Like are we talking ghost weird? Because we got ghosts visiting us everyday. Or like people weird, because I do think it’s weird that Clay ain’t gonna’ be a hoe no more.”

“I mean, Clay being in a relationship is weird but not unheard of,” Adam mused. “He was always looking for something meaningful. I just think he had a standard that was difficult to meet.” He moved his arm and rested it on the bench behind Ky. “When was the last time you went on a good ol fashioned ghost hunt? Like do I have to go to Texas and slap Roddy for not taking you on adventures or what? I’ll crane kick some emotion into that android.”

Now that she was thinking about it, when was the last time she went on a ghost hunt? Would the Allison Davies incident be considered one? It certainly brought out a lot in people. “I guess when he and Marco were in physical therapy together, we fell off… so it’s been awhile,” Kylee pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced at the floor. This honestly was a huge testimony to her own mental health, seeing how she barely noticed a piece of her was missing. As silly as it sounds, Scooby Doo adventures were part of who she was, as it was for both Roddy and Adam.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, the child in her and in Roddy got left behind in the old school building, on that awful day. They grew up. They had to. “It’s really not a big deal,” Kylee retracted. “We got enough ghosts in this town! There’s no need to disturb more. And like, it was all a silly children’s game.” Kylee was back to fiddling with her hands, stuck in a place that made her uncomfortable where she knew she might cave and tell Adam too much about herself. He had only just gotten back. There was no need to burden him with her troubles.

Adam dramatically opened his mouth. “Le shock,” He slapped both cheeks comically and shook his head. “A silly children’s game? Kylee Rose Grimm. I am soooo disappointed in you.” Jumping to his feet, AC grabbed his camera and turned it to face himself, a rarity because the Callahan man hated being on camera himself. “Coming soon, oh my god, it’s the return of the Scoobies. Adam Callahan. Kylee Grimm and special guests are yet to be confirmed. And what mystery will they solve? I submit to you, dear viewer, the Tale of the Woman in the Wall.” He dropped the camera down to his side and offered the young woman a bright toothy smile. “It is done. You and I are going ghost hunting. Next time we meet after today, you and I are going to Liberty and the Sunken House.”

The Tale of the Woman in the Wall? Kylee would be lying if she said Adam didn’t pique her interest. Quite honestly, he had her complete and undivided attention. She didn’t understand it but somehow he knew how to bring her back and he smiled while doing it. He made her feel like he cared, like he still cared. That no time in the world would change how much she meant to him. He really didn’t need to do all this for her. Or was he doing this for himself? Was he hoping by going on a ghost hunt that they’d return to the way things were? That they’d gain some sense of normalcy? Regardless of his motives, Kylee couldn’t help but beam back and look up at him with those big brown eyes, “Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to not bail the next time I grind a rail,” Adam picked up his deck and made the Christian cross over it as he held it aloft against his heart. It was nice to see her smile, he had missed that smile. It seemed obvious at this point that not just Kylee but many of his former classmates and friends were haunted and not in the fun way. They had been locked in this town like a prison, reliving dark days gone by, shackled to memories of monsters. Adam’s original intention was to not stay in Eden long. Just enough time to catch up with friends, earn some money and then head off to travel. Now it seemed like he had a new purpose. To bust some ghosts and again, not the fun kind. There certainly wasn’t a Marshmellow man in sight. “I know you said Marco had a limp but he needs to get here fast or I’m eating all of his food.”

The sound of knocks on her door coaxed the sleeping Natalia into a state of half-wakefulness. After an early breakfast with her father and some invaluable time spent with him and her mother, the fifth Belmonte had retreated to her bedroom in search of the sleep that had eluded her the night before. Thankfully, a lighter conscience and a full stomach proved to be helpful in her quest, and less than five minutes after her head had hit the pillow, Tal had drifted off to Dream Land. She had expected to be out cold until dinner time at the earliest, waking up just long enough to share another meal with whoever was at the house before returning to her bedroom for what she hoped was more sleep. Her plans, however, were thwarted by whoever was currently requesting entry into her chambers.

It took a long few seconds for the lethargic brunette to muster up enough strength to slowly pull herself into a seating position, and another moment until she was able to rise from her bed and trudge to the door. After a few attempts, the young woman was finally able to unlock the knob, turn it and swing the door open to reveal her visitors.

A mixture of surprise and confusion rendered Natalia speechless for a moment. “Heyyyyyyy,” Natalia mumbled, the sleep still thick in her voice as she squinted in surprise and confusion at the faces standing in front of her. Why would Mordechai Boaz, Jade Taylor and Poppy James be at her house? What could have possibly brought three of the most Southie classmates she had not only to the Northside, but to be standing outside her bedroom?

“Mind if we just—” Natalia was a friend of Charlie’s, which meant that she would get the Penelope treatment. That was: Poppy would welcome herself in, regardless of how the person felt, regardless if they wanted her to, and regardless of the vibe. This was what she did and if Charlie trusted the Queen Bee, Penelope would learn to do the same. There was no room for sadness. She was healing or trying to at least. “—I’m just going to squeeze, yeah. There we go.” Poppy had slipped past the groggy Natalia and was now standing in her room, looking at the size and all the things of comfort and leisure. She whistled, impressed, “Nice room you got. Smells like Cotton Candy. Like a lot of it, but hey nothing wrong with sweet things.”

"Thanks,” Natalia muttered, gesturing for Jade and Decky to enter her room before closing the door behind them. When she looked back at the state of her bedroom, she mentally grimaced. In better circumstances, her parents would have given her an earful for allowing guests entry to the premises when they were in such a state. With its disheveled sheets atop the bed, items of clothing strewn about, candy wrappers, bags of chips, empty water bottles and soda cans littering the floor, the room was nothing short of an absolute mess. At least it didn’t stink, though, according to Poppy’s observation. Tal would never forgive herself if she let any foul odors invade her room. "The, uh, the cotton candy smell. That’s from my vape," she explained, making her way to the desk chair in the corner of her room and taking a seat.

Natalia sat in silence for a long moment, staring at the Southies’s faces again while trying to figure out whether this was a fever dream, a bad trip from mixing up the weed and her pills, or real life. The pain from a quick pinch to the palm of her hand coincided with the latter, but there was only one way to make sure she truly wasn’t hallucinating. “I don’t mean to be rude, but, uh, what are you guys doing here?”

The Angel Princess helped herself, almost mimicking Poppy as she looked around the room, completely ignoring Natalia’s question for the time being. One thing she picked up on was the amount of trash all over the floor. She didn’t know what to expect from the former Queen Bee of their graduating class, but it certainly wasn’t this. Almost reminded her of how her apartment looked. Not as many snacks, mind you and with more evidence of the remnants of nose candy, but it felt familiar.

“You look like shit.” Jade bluntly observed, while the Northie gave her a knowing half-smile and said nothing.

She could tell when someone wasn’t well. She wasn’t well. If the room was any indication, Jade, out of anyone, could understand that. She spent so long in her own self-pity, only coming out of her hibernation for work, shopping, and her weekly Sunday meet-ups with Anya. Other than that, Jade had no contact with anyone. Not her family. Not her club. Not even the two who were in the queen bee’s room with her. She didn’t know if Natalia was cut from the same cloth, but the amount of empty wrappers and other assorted trash hinted at anything, Jade would put her money on it that she was.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to say that so..bluntly. Guess I’m the rude one now. Anyway, we’re here for…uh, well I’m not even sure how to put it…” Jade looked between Key and Poppy. Maybe one of them should bring it up. Jade neither had been around long enough to be entitled to put it out there nor the state of mind to phrase it in a way that didn’t make her seem insensitive. She didn’t understand it fully herself and that might only make things worse.

Poppy could bring the quest to find Charlie’s sister up but she’d already put in so much effort gathering her two friends and making her way to Scott Street. Plus, from the looks of it, her and Jade weren’t the best at this whole introduction thing. It was a weird situation to seek someone from your class out that you barely knew to see if she’d want to tag along and drive. So instead, Poppy nudged Mordechai to speak up by roughly pressing her elbow to his side. She looked at him and her eyes said it all: Tag, you’re it.

There was an air of anxiousness coming from the three Southies. It was all over the way they fidgeted around the room, how they seemed to hesitate before they spoke, and how they were trying to measure their words. Their demeanor made Natalia uneasy, adding to the nerves she already had at being this close to Poppy James in a room she and Charlie Decker had been together in. It wasn't long before Tal found herself tapping her foot against the floor, wishing her visitors would just up and say what they needed instead of letting this nail-biting anticipation grow any longer.

"Shit, did something happen to Creed or Jokes?" Natalia blurted out as the scary thought came to her, searching the Southies' faces for answers. "Or Momma Kam or Mika? Because if that's what's going on then all I need is five seconds to change clothes and we're out the door," she told them, pointing at the door with her thumb.

Mordechai had grunted at Poppy's elbowing him and glared at her from the corner of his eye. Yeah, he got that she was pissed at him, but why the fuck did he have to take the lead?! He's only been slightly more active than Jade this past month plus, not to say anything of the past two years. He'd been zoning out since they walked in the room, eyes trailing blankly over Natalia's slow attempt to turn her bedroom into a drug den the Southside would be proud of. The sober part of him itched to clean the place up just as strongly as the part of him that will always be a junkie itched to ask what she had.

"I got it," he growled at Poppy, the current environment causing him irritation that bled into his tone. He took a breath and closed his eyes to settle himself before opening them to train them on his old kind-of-friend. "Everyone's fine as far as I know, but I've only really seen Mika. That's not why we're here," he kept his hands securely in his pockets, eyes on Natalia so they don't stray to the mess around the room and give her the mistaken notion that he was judging her. He was just feeling empathy for the faded and unfocused gaze behind the mild panic in her eyes. "Look, we gotta go ta Blue Hill for Hard Times' sister, apparently, and Rhonda Decker named ya as an old friend of his and suggested we ask ya for a ride, so here we are."

There, the need to know, short and sweet. Or, well, extremely bitter given that Mordechai hadn't had to be any type of front man since the day he left Edenridge and so far he'd led both conversations that were likely to be met with hostility. The joke earlier that morning about testing his sobriety early was becoming less and less of a joke as the day crawled by, and all the references to those he left behind and neglected for the past two years were grating on his already frayed nerves, sue him.

What did he just say?

It took a few seconds for the words to reach Natalia's ears, and a few more seconds after that for them to fully sink in. The leg that had been nervously tapping the floor suddenly stopped as her body tensed up, and her blue eyes widened with panic.

"We gotta go ta Blue Hill for Hard Times' sister… And Rhonda Decker named ya as an old friend of his..."

There were plenty of alarming implications in the statement Mordechai had just said. Firstly: Charlie Decker had a long-lost sister, which meant that there was another person out there besides whoever had the diary that could potentially know about her tryst with the deceased school outcast. Secondly: she had been handpicked by Charlie's mother Rhonda to go on this ‘retrieve the mystery sister at the reservation’ quest, which meant there was a chance that she also knew about hers and her son’s involvement. And thirdly and most terrifying of all, going on this trip could mean that her secret would be revealed to the one person it could rip apart the most.

Shit.

Without a word, Natalia sprung up from her chair, snatched the vape from her nightstand and began to pace around the room, taking repeated pulls from the device and exhaling clouds of cotton candy cannabis vapor into the air. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute, trying to come up with a way to avoid being a part of this excursion. "Are you all sure it's me she wants to go with you guys? Like, she isn't confusing me with someone else?" she asked the trio, knowing full well it was a long shot but deciding to shoot it anyway. They wouldn't have come all the way to her house if they weren't sure Rhonda was talking about her.

"Yeah, Puff," Mordechai replied, hands curling into fists in his pockets and the biting sarcasm and impatience bled into his tone. "We schlepped our asses all the way up ta the pinnacle of Northie privilege on a guess. Of course we're fuckin' sure."

“Rhonda wouldn’t lie,” Penelope assured, hooking herself onto Jade’s arm in the process as she observed Natalia smoke, “We aren’t going to force you, we just thought hey, since you knew Charlie, maybe you’d like to tag along?” And perhaps, drive us. “She’s just worried, I guess.” No, she didn’t guess, she knew.

Natalia merely nodded, carrying on with her frantic pacing as her hands began to shake. Why would Rhonda Decker be worried about her if she didn't know her connection to Charlie? This basically confirmed that she knew about it, right? And if she knew about it, had she told anyone else-- like this sister, perhaps?

Sighing to herself as she thought of everything Rhonda told her this morning, Poppy offered, “If not for us, consider Charlie’s sister. The culprit of the letters threatened her… I just want to know she’s okay. And if you don’t want to come, that’s fine. We’ll call a lyft or something, but we thought we’d attempt at least. Sorry, though, if this ruined your day.”

Hearing both Key and Poppy essentially trying to convince Natalia this was true stung Jade a little bit. Actually, if she was honest with herself, it stung a lot. Her own fault, of course. She was out of the loop on a lot of things and had a lot of bridges to attend to and this was the first of them, but she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy set of tasks. She still didn’t know where she stood with Poppy or Key. Maybe a bit better with Key than Poppy. She actually talked to Key.

Jade let out a sigh, quickly smiling at Poppy who had a hold of her arm and turned her blue eyes on the smoke machine. “Natalia, you’re connected to Charlie, aren’t you? That means you’re part of this.” Again, Jade didn’t feel like mincing words for anyone’s sake.

Natalia refused to answer that question. Instead, the Belmonte girl ran a hand through her dark locks, avoiding looking at her guests while her chest rose and fell rapidly. There was no way she was getting out of this one, wasn't it? As much as she had stopped caring about what people's opinions on her were, this was one of the very few times in which perception was everything. If Tal refused to go with the Southies, she would potentially be opening the door to a more aggressive line of questioning regarding her involvement with Charlie at a time in which she didn't feel ready to admit culpability. But on the other hand, was this supposed trip to Blue Hill a way for Charlie's friends and the girl who loved him to ambush her into confessing her sins and receiving due punishment? Or was her fourteen-day isolation and crushing guilt making her paranoid?

For Natalia, it felt like the walls were closing in on her, and all she wanted to do was fucking cry.

But she still had to make a choice.

After walking to the furthest corner of the room and taking some time to blink away the anxious tears and compose herself, Tal squared her shoulders and returned to the Southies. "Hypothetically speaking, how long do you guys expect this trip to take?" she asked them, once again taking a seat on her desk chair.

“The reservation isn’t that far, an hour, give or take, I think? But a storm is coming, so we might need to stay the night. I looked up the weather report and it won’t be raining over there, just here BUT,” Penelope raised her finger with her free hand, the one that wasn’t holding onto Jade, to emphasize her point about the severity of the storm, “I imagine the roads will be washed out a bit, and now that I’ve said all of this outloud I realized I did not pack a change of clothes.”

Mordechai looked over at the large backpack Poppy had on, the thing that had gotten her stuck in the window this morning, and couldn't stop the disturbed look that crossed his face. His own backpack itself was light on his shoulders with two changes of clothes and some snacks, even if his person was weighed down by various weapons. He had cash in his back wallet and tucked away in one of his boots and his shit was still less bulky than her bag. "What the fuck do ya have in that thing, then?"

“What else do you pack on a road trip? A book, of course, and snacks, duh. I already knew what you were packing, so I decided on my good ol’ trusty slingshot!” While Poppy was talking, she released Jade from her hold and unzipped her backpack. Truth be told there was more empty space than not in there. She should’ve packed some clothes but after her talk with Rhonda, and then her phone call with Jade, she was ready to go. “And we can’t forget Rhonda’s cookies. We love Rhonda’s cookies.” The James’ girl beamed as she revealed the sugary goodness (safe and secure in a zip lock bag). It was peanut butter. Her favorite.

"So one night? That's all you need me for?" Natalia asked the Southies, shifting the conversation back to the matter at hand while wanting to make sure she got all the details before accepting or declining anything.

Mordechai nodded to the disheveled woman, back on track after her words and temper back to short and snippy. "Yeah, far as I'm aware. Gettin' this far north is a task in an' of itself when none of us have a car, so there's no way we could get ta Blue Hill on foot like this. So you, your car, probably a night on the Rez. I don't really care about anythin' else right now," his shoulders had tensed once more and his eyes darted to her pill bottles on her nightstand before he forcibly focused them back to her. "I just want an answer so we can know if we need ta plan B this shit."

Damn, Mordechai. Why so serious? If they wanted to convince Natalia, they had to ease her into all these half truths that even Poppy didn’t fully believe in. All the secrets that Charlie didn’t share with her. Lifting up the goods, Penelope leisurely and lazily shook it in the air and smiled, “We got cooooooooookiessss.” Lure the stoner with sweets, yes. This was the way.

Goddamn it… Natalia hadn't expected Poppy James to be so damn sweet. Her cute, comical attempt at convincing Tal to go on their trip when all she could think about was how betrayed she would feel if the secret came out made the guilt on her shoulders grow heavier, and the thought of spending time in close quarters made her nervous.

But as Natalia mulled over the situation some more, a realization came to her: she needed to accept the invitation. Not out of guilt for what she had done or curiosity about this long-lost sister, but out of self-preservation. How else would she find out what Charlie's sister knew? How could she try to control any potential narratives disclosed at Blue Hill if she wasn't around?

There was only one way to do so, and it involved her presence at the destination.

Letting out a deep breath, Natalia stood up and looked the Southies in the eye for the first time since they'd arrive at her doorstep. "Alright. One night at Blue Hill and that’s it," she declared, walking over to her closet to start packing an overnight bag. "But if we're using my car and I'm the one driving, then I'm the one choosing the music," she warned, narrowing her eyes at them before giving them a tentative half-smile.

“As long as it’s not Disney, I don’t care if you put on Mozart’s 7th Symphony,” Jade said, clearly still haunted by the hell they all had to endure on the way here.

"Not Disney, but... I really hope you guys like Billie Eilish."

Shannon had picked a terrible day not to use her car for work.

Hurrying through the torrential downpour, the doctor knew that she wasn’t going to make it back to Westwood before the Police cordoned off the roads. This sort of weather rolled in every so often, so lifetime inmates of Edenridge had experienced this sort of thing at least a few times in their lives. She was going to need to find a place to hang tight until the all clear was bestowed upon them. Luckily for Shannon, a shining beacon of light sat at the end of the street, illuminated in the dark.

The Hole in the Wall.

Making her way inside, she had a quick look around to see that the bar itself was empty save the lone bartender, Gary. Shannon was soaking wet; her pristine business suit was heavy on her shoulder from absorbing all the rain and her short pencil skirt was feeling terribly uncomfortable at that moment. The bar counter was shining from a recent wipe down and the cinema board that hung above it displaying the latest in craft beer goodness. Gary had outdone himself with this latest batch. He had a way about him to make breweries trust him in getting their brand out there even though Eden was a small market,

“Hey Gar, you stuck too? Least you’re not alone now,” Shannon smiled as she sat down in a booth nearby. She could see her daughter’s name scratched into the wooden table and a little smile crossed her face. The Hole was one of Mei’s haunts; one of her safe places. She knew her youngest put up a brave front and had this aura about her that relayed strength but the truth of the matter was Mei had struggled for a very long time and still struggled to this day. It was sad that nobody else really knew that. “I’ll get a Hazy Jane, pint please? And I guess I’ll start a tab, looks like I’ll be here a while.”

After peeling off her wet jacket to reveal a nice white shirt, the therapist swung her long toned legs to the outside of the booth and took out her cell. She hit up her speed dial and called her husband, Will. “Hey bubba, where are you?….You’re stuck at the Dojo? I figured you would be. Me? I managed to get to the Hole. Have you spoken to the girls? Are they safe?…Reagan’s at the clinic and Mei is out partying. Figures. Ok baby, stay safe and I’ll see you soon ok? Love you,” Hanging up just in time for her beer to arrive, she sighed in relief to know her family was safe. Taking a nice long sip of the tasty beverage, the raven haired woman let out a content moan.

Her earlier session with Lolly had gotten her feeling a bit nostalgic. Shannon thought back to when she was younger and her life was oh so very different. She was a smart woman, she knew how people saw her. Strong, independent, successful. She wondered what the Shannon of the past, the one that grew up on the Southside, would think of who she turned into?

Entering the Hole, after dropping Clay off, soaked in his officer attire, Sly calmly soothed the person on the other line, waving at Gary and immediately noticing the woman by her lonesome self in a booth, “The Reservation? Well, at least she’s not going to be in the storm. You know how Pops gets. This is likely part of her trying to find herself again. I’m sure she’s not alone. She isn't? See. She has Mordechai and Jade. Anyways, I’ll be at the Hole until things lighten up. Just wanted to make sure you were good.”

Before taking a seat beside the woman, he mouthed to the bartender at a distance, “Water, please.” Finishing his phone call, he lovingly said in hushed tones, “Please, take your meds. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” There was a brief pause, as he unbuttoned his collar, water dripping from his hair, and then he assertively reminded his wife: “Love you, Victoria. Rest well.” When the line went dead, Sly heavily exhaled out and pocketed his phone. Turning to the woman next to him, he gave a warm smile, “Looks like I’m not the only one stuck. It’s good to see you, Shannon.”

She could count every time that she had seen Sylvester James soaking wet. It was a skill. The way his uniform clung to his hulking frame reminded her of days she recalled being wonderful. Those days were long gone though. “Hey Rock,” Shannon greeted with her typical wry smile as she offered up her drink in salute before taking a sip. “Glad to see you’re still on the water. Proud of you.” In a past life, if one looked in that very same booth twenty some years ago they would see the same two people that sat there now, except they weren’t upstanding citizens and pillars of their community. Shannon and Rocky were trailer trash. “You finishing up for the night?”

“Yeah, Chief’s orders,” Sly admitted, knowing if his boss didn’t tell him to go home, he’d likely still be working and he knew well enough Clay was going to work off the clock, as much as Sly advised him not to. There was a lot of him he saw in his partner, especially when a case hit this deep. It was then Sly noticed he chose to sit next to her instead of across from her. He could apologize for overstepping, they weren’t kids anymore, or he could go with it and act like it wasn’t a big deal.

It was just her, him, and a bartender.

He had a long day and being next to someone he still considered a great friend put his body at ease. Shannon was good at that. Easing his worries simply by being. “How ‘bout yourself?” He knew the answer already. This was Shannon Ling. The girl who put her pursuits before anything else. Her family was everything to her, but her career? Her mission to save souls in Edenridge, that surpassed her desire to be a rock for her family. She chose to be a rock for everyone else, just like him. They truly were two peas in a pod. And Sly was happy for her and how much she flourished, without his support. Sly couldn’t be any prouder.

“Yeah,” Shannon nodded. “For some reason I decided to do house calls today and absolutely forgot to check the weather forecast. Left the car at home didn’t I?” The therapist glanced over at the bartender idly on their phone. “Can we get some wings?” Gary nodded and headed to the back whilst the Ramsey matriarch returned her dark gaze to her former childhood boyfriend. “If we’re gonna be stuck here we might as well eat,” She mused. “What’s your day been like?”

“Just been investigating the new letter,” Sly shrugged and reached for his glass of water, leisurely taking a sip. “I already know who’s behind it, but this isn’t my case to solve. It’s my partner’s.” Placing the water down, Sly leaned back in his chair and returned his gaze to the beautiful woman next to him, “Maybe he’ll get the closure he needs about David. Something I wasn’t able to give to the band. With Ronan, I mean.” Sly plays back that night with his brothers quite often and how Rusty went to the ends of the Earth to avenge his caretaker, the Witch at Hanging Hill, or to them, Ms. Tallulah. The sweetest lady that ever existed. How she went was horrible but how he went afterwards was worse.

As much as he and Teddy didn’t talk anymore, it was Teddy that finished the serial killer off while Sly watched Rusty lose all light in his eyes, giving his last breath in his arms. If they knew what he and his brothers knew, their demons would be a lot harder to take down. Joni and Sean were prime examples of people that ran away from their demons. James committed suicide, but there were so many things that led to that point, like the fire at the church. If there was anyone that kept his head above water the best, it was Will and that was likely thanks to this woman right here. An anchor. “You know, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.”

“He’s been on my mind lately, a lot of stuff has,” Shannon leaned back in her seat and realised a sign from deep within her chest. “Since Charlie, I’ve seen more and more kids struggle to walk that line that all of us born here do. I’ve seen them fall and hurt. I’ve seen them bleed, God Rock. Ronan was the catalyst. Him going like he did, it pushed a lot of pain to the surface. Without that night, James doesn’t go the way he did and maybe Charlie would’ve had a fair shot.”

She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. Sylvester always kept his pain close, except for Shannon. She always knew how to scale that particular wall. “You know, I see Teddy on the tv and at his rallies and I think to myself, I remember the real boy. The boy with the stutter and those piece of shit parents that used to lock him in the basement for weeks with no food. The boy that did all those things we can never say. He worshipped Rusty. That boy still lives in his eyes.”

“As I’m sure he lives in all those he’s impacted. A ghost is what we want it to be, Freckles,” Sly turned his hand over to hold onto her’s, a moment between him and her, and no one else, “A wish, a want, a desire, or just a reason to keep living. For me, Rusty is a reminder that I still got a lot of work ahead of me.” Come rain or shine, Sly had to keep fighting in Rusty’s honour but also for himself and the town. He was living proof that you could be more than the circumstances that surround you. He was living proof that no matter the hardship, there’s always a way out of the dark tunnel. He was living proof that the dark doesn’t always steal the light, you just have to be willing to fight.

Freckles. Shannon hadn’t heard that in so long, at least not in the way she always remembered. She and Rocky, on warm summer nights sitting atop his trailer. Reaper and Rooster were probably arguing about who could win some kind of fight. Rusty would be surveying it all like the king from the couch that sat in front of the Henley’s trailer. James and Sean were out scoping tail. Ronnie and Joni were likely just vibing to whatever record she had gotten her hands on that week. A paradise. A vision in gold. The life and times of the Southside.

“James' mental health was already shit. He turned to God afterwards, but the fire? Can’t really say Rusty’s murder led to that. As much as we want to thread all these fucked up things together, sometimes the best way to move forward is to accept you had no control. Nothing we could’ve said or done would’ve stopped him, just how nothing Poppy could’ve said or done could’ve saved Charlie. I’ve mulled it over a bit, and it really fucks you up when you think you’re the reason someone you loved is dead. Charlie is dead because of me. I get that.”

He let the heaviness of his words linger in the air as he gave Shannon his undivided attention. Thankfully not many people were here to eavesdrop. “I shot that boy dead, I wasn’t thinking, but at that point he had already killed so many people and in the heat of the moment, I was driven by instinct. Nothing else. Rusty? He was a dead man walking. He knew he was going to die. That trip to Maine just made it a lot sooner than we all expected.”

“96 sucked as a year overall.” Shannon intertwined her fingers with his. “Except the summer, that summer was the best.” Nostalgia filled her eyes and a smile crept upon her face. She brushed a strand of her black hair behind her ear as she fell into remembrance. “Do you remember that summer Rock? Teddy dragged us to that party on Scott Street at…God whose house? Tell me if you remember, and when we arrived we watched in sheer horror as April McMahon, butt naked, sang Madonna to…that guy, what was his name? Help me out here!” She giggled.

Jeez she was bringing him back. The summer of ‘96. The calm before the storm. Before Rusty died, before the Gallows broke up, before Reaper and Rooster accepted their demons, full heartedly, and before Sly became an alcoholic. The summer that at the time felt like it could last forever, or maybe it was just him, maybe he wanted things to last forever. Some moments made them all feel infinite, that summer was the last time they experienced such carefree freedom. How limitless they all felt.

“Dick. His name was Dick,” Sly said rather openly and bluntly. Now that his mind was in the vaults of the past, he couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of it all. “Leave it to April McMahon to find a guy named Dick Bonner. Fuck, why do I even remember that?”

“To be fair to April, none of us knew she was manic depressive with borderline personality disorder at the time. We just thought she was a slut,” Shannon’s eyes widened as she let go of Sly’s hand only to put it in his shoulder. “No, wait, don't you remember? Dick Bonner was his party name! It was Ritchie Davies! We were at the Davies house!” The Asian beauty leaned into her old flame with a huge grin as Gary brought them wings but both were too lost in their conversation to notice. “Alistair was trying to hook up with April but Ritchie got their first.” Shannon’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the large man she was with and tilted her head. “I also seem to remember someone going all alpha because someone called me that little yellow bitch?”

She was getting all cute and teasing him. Looking down at Shannon who grinned up at him, Sly chuckled, “It didn’t help that was the same night you were giving Will eyes, while he was singing Bushido.” And to think, Will got the girl in the end because Sly was a mess and had too much dirty laundry. He really did miss this. How easy it all felt when he was around her but they both had their own families and their own responsibilities. Perhaps in another life, they’d be together but it certainly wasn’t this one. Quickly diverting the route of the story, while saving face, Sly reached for his water and before he took a sip, he complimented, “You haven’t aged at all, you still look just as good as you did that summer.”

“It’s my little yellow bitch skin. My Mom was the same. We have flawless skin until we hit fifty then I’ll end up looking like a bulldog's ass,” She shuffled away slightly, allowing him space to drink. “But thank you, Rock. You’re not too bad yourself, especially in uniform.” Before the trouble that tore them and their friends apart, playfulness was always a part of Shannon and Sylvester’s relationship. It was strange how easy one could slip back into former roles in the presence of old friends. “Are you doing good though?“ Her tone shifted a bit more seriously. “You know, do you need anything? Does she?”

“Who? Poppy? My wife?” Sly placed the glass down once more and shifted his body toward her. He’d like to think Poppy was doing good, thanks to Shannon, or at least as good as she’ll be until she’s able to let Charlie go. As for Victoria? Was she ever good? There was always something and he’d hate to admit to his ex that there was trouble in paradise, ever since Charlie’s journal got stolen.

Victoria was a bit more unhinged, like Charlie knew something about her that not even Sly knew. Sly didn’t want to think like that though, not with a woman he promised to take care of for the rest of his life. Still, he knew she had her secrets, he had his too. He just didn’t want to open that Pandora's box and hurt Poppy in the process, so it was best he kept things the same. At least until Poppy saw a future again.

Sometimes it was incredibly difficult for Shannon to switch off her therapist head. It was always that way. Even when they were kids. She had a habit of meddling because she thought she knew best. It made a lot of people hate her. “I mean all of the above,” She used a tone that Sylvester James knew all too well. He had heard this voice way too many times over the course of thirty years. “Will and I are always here to help out. In anything and you know that but don’t play the fool; it doesn’t suit you. Does SHE need anything?”

Shannon was too smart for him. No matter how much he’d like to dodge talking about certain topics, Shannon slammed her fist on the door over and over until he opened it. “No, she’s good. Just restless. But can you blame her? We’ve put her in a box all because our dead friend told us to protect her. Y’know your daughter sees her practically everyday, since Sybil has been teaching her how to handle the register. Thank Christ I had you girls. I was afraid she’d grow up with no education, but she’s so smart. It’s a shame no one knows she exists but us. She’s also a spitting image of him, it’s unreal…” Sly was back to reminiscing about his best friend. That strikingly red hair that made him, him. “You should visit her sometime. I’m sure she’d love to see you,” Sly lightly suggested.

“Maybe I will. When next my schedule lightens I’ll make it a point,” Shannon hated her role in this secret. As a psychologist, an intelligent and logical human being, what they were doing was absolutely insane but they made that mistake when they were kids and they had to commit to it, no matter how much the world around them changed. Shannon was a happily married mother of two, with kids she adored and a husband she worshipped and it killed her dead to hide anything from them.

As if written by the fates, Witch Shit by Gallows began to play in the Hole and Shannon burst into a fit of laughter. She covered her mouth to try and stifle it. “I mean that’s just ridiculous,” The befreckled beauty chuckled. “We’re talking about that and this song comes on. I mean, Mei preaches the ways of Hecate but this is just silly. Gary is fucking with us. He always was a little turd.”

It wasn’t the coincidence of Witch Shit playing that made Sly smile widen. It was seeing Shannon laughing and being carefree. He knew her well and moments like these were so rare. He hadn’t laughed like that in a long while, not since that one dinner with him, Vicky, Max, Pops, Charlie, and Rhonda. A moment that was now a story but when it was happening, in that moment, they all felt limitless. Infinite. Happy. With the mention of his secret, Sly asked out loud, as if Rusty himself would give him permission to move on, “Do you think we should… tell them? All of them? If she is very much like…” He sighed to himself, not used to the amount of grief he was experiencing every time he mentioned Rusty, “I don’t know how much longer she’ll wait for us to give her permission. She’s a witch, after all. They do their own thing. They do Witch Shit.”

“Oh booooo,” She stuck her tongue out. She glanced out at the bow raging storm. Flashes of lighting illuminating in the rain and bouncing off the old limestone buildings of old Edenridge. Witches. Magic. A tradition and an institution in the old Massachusetts town. A favoured topic of Ronan for whatever reason. A passion her baby girl MeiMei shared with who probably would’ve been her godfather. Shannon was a woman of science and logic. She didn’t believe in spells but on some occasions, she did have to wonder. “I don’t know, maybe,” She responded. “If we do, we gotta be smart about it. If it comes out the wrong way, hell will come to town and you and your badge won’t be able to stop it.”

Polishing off her beer, Mrs. Ramsey flagged Gary down for another. She stared into the empty pint glass, looking at her reflection. She returned to her earlier self imposed question; what would her younger self think of her now? Sitting in a bar, with her ex, dredging up secrets best left in days gone by. Would she be proud?

“You owe me five dollars by the way. I loaned you it for the fair in 95 and I haven’t seen it since. Typical trailer trash.”

“And where is my lucky coin? I let you use it for that mathlete shit and you never gave it back. Probably threw it in the goddamn lake after we broke up, which I’d like to think was on amicable terms.” They were children. When they were around each other it was like they were kids again, always finding a reason to have playful banter.

Speaking of playful things, Sly snapped his finger and was quick to slide the wings in front of him, “Joni’s coming to town. Uncle Eddie had a scare, so if we’re doing this, we need to do this when she’s here. Who knows how long she’ll be here. Do you know when Sean is coming back?”

“You’d know better than me Rock, you literally work with his kid,” Shannon took a drink from her pint and rested her head on Sly’s broad shoulder. “As for your coin, pretty sure Reagan ate it as a baby. Will has a tremendous talent for leaving crap all over the house. Mei sadly inherited that trait. I have so many tea bags filled with her witch shit all over my nice house and she doesn’t even live with us!” She closed her eyes and listened to the mixed sounds of the storm, Gallows on the radio and Rocky demolishing the legendary Hole in the Wall hot wings with the secret sauce passed from Cleary to Cleary. Her mind drifted to those summer days that they had talked about and the secrets locked away in them. Time enough to last.

“You’re still a fucking pig, Rock.”

“And you’re still a goody good. What? Afraid to get a little dirty? Sly teasingly brought his saucy hand to her face.

Shannon’s dark eyes widened and her gorgeous face transformed into a grimaced horror show. “Sylvester James, you come anywhere near me with that hand I am going to release our prom pictures to the public and get my husband to kick your ass.” Pointing her finger directly between his eyes, she tilted her head with authority. “I mean it, Will will brave this storm and spin kick your sidearm straight up your nose.” Mei had to get it from somewhere right?

Her response was rewarded with an eyeroll, as he pulled his hand back and grabbed another wing. “Look at me, I’m fancypants Shannon married to badass karate king Will. The Shannon I knew would’ve roundhouse kicked me herself,” Sly mocked his beloved ex, before winking at her. Bringing his attention to his almost gone plate of wings, he grumbled, “Fuck, you’re right. I am a pig.”

At this point, the Heartbreakers were undertaking an impossible task of deciding what to do. Brooke wanted to watch reruns of the Bachelorette. Vanessa wanted to watch the Desperate Housewives. Harper wanted to play the game Kings like they were young again, ready to risk it all in one night. Lydia suggested the card game Rummy but the likelihood of getting the rest of the girls that weren’t Cat focused, would’ve been a challenge, and Cat simply wanted to sit there and drink, watching her friends enjoy themselves.

The squabble went on for a bit before Cat decided to put on the movie Stand By Me, per habit, since it was one of the films she and her kids watched together. It didn’t take long before the girls realized they wouldn’t have enough booze to last them the whole night. Cat simply shrugged at that but to her surprise, after Lydia received a text, she got up and offered to get them more booze, saying if they drank her whiskey she’d kill them. That’s all Lyds ever drank. Her whiskey. At least everyone else was less picky with their poison.

Cat raised her eyebrow as she watched her friend speed walk to the entrance. “Are you sure? It’s going to rain hard soon! I would hate you getting caught in it.”

Lydia looked over her shoulder to Cat and smiled, keeping to herself that the reason why she was leaving was because Sofi had texted her, “I’ll be fine, it’s just a little bit of rain. Don’t worry yourself too much.”

“Can you get us some margarita mixers?!” Brooke called out.

“No! Mojito stuff!” Vanessa protested.

“Whatever you get, get a shit ton,” Harper concluded.

Cat rolled her eyes at her soul sisters and waved her best friend goodbye, “You better be back soon or I’ll be VERY upset.” As much as she loved her friends, she felt the loneliness creep up. She had called her almost ex husband an hour ago and the report was good, so she had that to keep her happy. Her children were enjoying the City with their cousins. That soothed her motherly part of her heart but the other part, the part that wanted to feel loved, wanted, and needed, it ached for her boyfriend.

She hated how they left things. She should apologize. She should tell him she was sorry and that she…

Was this real? Did he really love her? Staring at her wine glass on the coffee table, her left hand covering her lips, Cat smiled, as she replayed his words: It’s not an expectation. It’s not a curse. It’s just how I feel. Clayton Costigan loved her. He really loved her.

When her girlfriends were focused on the film, Cat slipped out of her single sofa and went to her downstairs bathroom. Closing the door behind her, locking it, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. Holding it to her ear, she looked at herself in the mirror and bit her thumb as she waited, praying he wasn’t mad at her for being childish this morning. She should’ve been more supportive. She should’ve been there for him. She should’ve ran after him, after he left the apartment. She should’ve done more…

He was going through a lot.

As it kept ringing, the anxiety built up. She hoped he was okay. He was a police officer, after all. She could lose him anyday! What would she do if she lost him? After finally getting someone that meant the world to her and made her feel like the world? What would she do?

When he didn’t pick up the call, she sat on the toilet, the lid down, and stared at her phone. A second call would make her seem too needy. She should wait. He probably was busy. He was a busy guy and today of all days was surely mentally and emotionally taxing. She should wait. The anxiety was unbearable right now but she was determined to give him a minute or two before she tried calling him back. She could keep the panic at bay just for a little long.

Please call me back...

Clayton had been running around all day, interviewing friends about long since past days. He wished it was for something better. He wished it was for something like a time capsule but the reality was far far worse. He had been interrogating his fellow Elite to see if any of them knew David’s secret. He hadn’t realised all those years ago when he decided that he wanted to be a small town cop that people he loved and cared for could end up in his firing line.

Jamie was a lot. Dramatic as always and with good reason as this had all to do with her brother, her soulmate. Rhett was much easier since he was solid as a rock and managed to stay on point. In their travels, Clay and Sly had even managed to get a hold of Francis who was currently somewhere on a mountain with his husband taking selfies with waterfalls. Fran wasn’t much help or at least he didn’t offer anything they didn’t already know. Russell for all intents and purposes was the hardest to track down. Despite trying Jamie multiple times to get a hold of him, he was a ghost today. Clay had even interviewed his baby sister. Lamb, God bless her, did what she could to help. They may not have been as close as they could be but the Costigan twins did love each other.

The lieutenant had dropped Clay off on the Southside. The young man’s shift was over and he had been told to go home by the Chief due to the severe weather rolling in. Yet the former Elite couldn’t stop just yet, he had to try and help his friends any way he could. He had a lead he wanted to check out in Southie, which was why he found himself standing in an old disused shop doorway, waiting for a break in the rain so he could make a run for it. Reaching into his pocket, Clayton noticed a miss call from Cat. God Cat. He had hoped to hear her voice all day but the way they left things earlier that morning led him to give her a little space. He loved her and wanted her to be happy and no doubt him being in his current state was not what she would want. Tapping his phone, the young officer redialled his girlfriend and out on his biggest smile when the line went live.

“Ma’am, do you need us to send you an officer? Specifically, one with amazing hair and who is absolute dynamite in the sack?”

Relieved. Cat was relieved when she heard his voice, joking too. She missed him, so very much, even though she had seen him this morning. How he’s changed her life and turned it upside down. It was unbelievable, really. Cat found her existence pointless without him and she owed it all to the Afterlife, oddly enough.

She didn’t think she’d ever find herself in a place where she felt whole, with no need to search for something that made her feel safe, warm, and fuzzy. When she was with Clay, everything made sense. He made sense and at times, she couldn’t believe that he was her sweetheart. The boy next door was all hers and he loved every ounce of her, every shattered piece. He loved her.

Cat was not in a teasing mood. She was tipsy, her buzz coming down, sure, but it wasn’t enough for her to match his jolly humor. Right now she just couldn’t pretend and joke. She wanted him to know that all she had been doing was thinking of him. “It’s so good to hear your voice,” she admitted, as she leaned forward in her seat, her elbow resting on her leg and her chin resting in the palm of her hand. “As much as I want to see you, Officer, I know you won’t stop at nothing until you crack this case. I just wanted to make sure you were safe…” she was turning into a needy girlfriend. It was awful and embarrassing. She hoped he didn’t mind. “…and to hear you,” she absentmindedly bounced her right leg, up and down, continuously, and softly purred, “I miss you, baby.”

“I miss you too,” Clay responded. He still could not believe his luck that the girl, nay the woman he had loved since he was twelve years old was actually his now and despite their disagreement earlier that day, if he could he would be wherever she was, holding her in his arms, happier than a pig in shit. “Define safe,” He mused. “I mean I'm standing in…” He poked his head from the doorway to look at the rusting sign above his head. “McMahon Woodwork? On Chestnut. Why I find myself here I have no idea but I’ll be home soon. One last thing I want to check out before I crash and I do mean crash.” He was exhausted. This day had sucked all the energy out of him and he just wanted it to be over, curled up in Cat’s arms and be the little spoon for a change. Still, he knew he couldn’t go home. Not yet. There was still work to be done. “I would say meet me at home but I don’t want you going out in this, it’s only gonna get worse. Are you somewhere safe?”

“My house. Left Palermo not too long ago. Now I have three drunk women watching a sad movie. But is it really that bad?” Cat had a sudden panic. Lydia had gone out to get them more booze. “I shouldn’t have let Lyds leave. She was so determined to beat the storm.” Now Cat had two people out and about in inclement weather. That meant tonight was going to be full of worries and no sleep. “I know she’s not dumb, she can take care of herself but I should’ve stopped her.” Honestly, if Lydia was still on the clock Cat could see her friend doing her job, in the rain. Some people just couldn’t help themselves. “Maybe I should text Bobby… no, I shouldn’t. They haven’t been a thing in years.”

“I really wouldn’t get Bobby involved. You know how he is. He’ll go all Batman and try to save her and we really don’t need any more people on the streets right now.” Clay narrowed his eyes as he saw figures moving in the distance. What kind of idiot would be out in this by choice?…Oh wait. “Besides, no storm is gonna fuck with Lyds. She’s too scary. The clouds will part to let her pass.” In reality Lydia didn’t live too far away, she should be ok as long as she took it slow. Clay on the other hand was on the completely wrong side of town. His journey home would be far more eventful, he thought. “Three drunk women eh?” The lothario took a step back and remembered what his lover had said. He had a pretty good idea who the lovely ladies were in Cat’s home. “Pics or didn’t happen. Kitty.”

Coincidentally, as if fates knew he wanted to see something, Avery sent a reminder text: dude, it’s wild outside. Hope you’re somewhere not in this rain. Did you even check your email yet?

Knowing Aves, she was growing impatient and wanted to know Clay’s reaction to the sexy content she sent him. You really don’t make this shit up. She and her work bestie, RoRo, witnessed a miracle, a once in a lifetime experience, a steamy, hot lesbian wet dream! Since Avery was cooped up at Swerve Arcana the least her friend could do was send her live reacts.

Clay checked the alert in his phone very briefly and his mouth dropped agape as he watched the footage that his friend had gained earlier. He can already imagine Avery salivating at the the sight with the only bad part being that none of the girl’s were Jamie O’Hara. At least that was one thing Clayton could rub in the comic book store therapist's face; he had seen all those women naked.

Hot: Save that one to your wank bank cloud Aves. He simply texted back with emoji’s.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” Cat softly responded, smiling at the fact that he didn’t seem too frustrated. Not like he was this morning. Maybe he was getting closure. Slowly but surely, maybe Clay was finding out the answers to questions that he had ever since that year. He simply needed something this random and horrible to kickstart his engine in righting the wrong that was the death of his friend.

“Danny’s on mama duty today since I can’t get to Scott’s street, and neither can the nurse. I think tomorrow I’m going to tell the family how terminally ill mom actually is. Without my dad’s permission. It’s getting harder to hide. I mean the nurse visits at least five times a day. The only reason why Natalia hasn’t questioned it is because she never leaves her room.” Cat stood up and went back to the mirror, staring at herself and fixing her fly away hair. “I don’t want my family to fall apart but with Viv living with ReyRey and the amount of disconnect between all of us… my mom dying is just going to make that all worse.”

“That’s a big step babe,” Clay knew how hard all this was for Cat. He couldn’t fully understand since both his parents were still around and healthy. He just wanted to be there for her as best as he could. That’s all he could really do. “If you want me th…” A flash of lightning made the shaggy haired cop nearly jump out of his skin. “For fucks sake,” He growled at the sky. “If you want me to come, then I’ll be there without question but if it’s something you need to do alone, I get that too.”

“Focus on David, Clay,” Cat assured her boyfriend, knowing he had enough going on himself. When he was done with this journey, then he could help her but right now, they both needed to walk solo, “I’ll call you if I need you, I promise. But just FYI, Clayton, this isn’t a one way street. Please, pretty please call me if you need me. I want to be there for you just as much as—”

“CAT I GOT TO PEE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SHITTING? ARE YOU TALKING TO SOMEONE?” Brooke yelled, necessarily so. It wasn’t like Cat couldn’t hear her, there was only a door in between them.

“Might be her casanova new boyfriend,” Harper whispered, curious who Cat’s new man was, just as much as the whole town would be. It didn’t take long to find out the hottest new gossip on Scott Street. Those ladies sure did love to talk.

Vannessa was quick to chime in, vicariously living through Cat, who was gradually getting to a place of being content and happy with herself. Something Vanessa was not, in her lonely marriage. “I heard he was young.”

“Shut up. The both of you,” Brooke sassed, before knocking on the door a lot, “We have no right to judge, we’ve fucked young pieces of meat all the goddamn time. Anyways, CATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!”

“...just call me if you need me, baby,” Cat finished up her bit, turning her head and glaring at the door that separated her and her friends.

He had to stifle a laugh. Clay could hear the drunken Heartbreakers musing over his identity and the funny thing was they all actually loved him anyway. It was almost a surprise Cat hadn’t told them. Then again he could already imagine Harper with a sharing is caring comment. “I will. Give the girls my love.”

“I will.”

Looking deeper into the rain, Clay could definitely see movement which was a massive no no right now. Nobody should be on the street. Figuring it could be someone in need of help, he checked to see if anyone else was around. Seeing no one, he knew he’d have to go back into cop mode. “I’m gonna have to go, Kitty but I’ll call you as soon as I get back to the apartment ok? I love you.”

“I love—” Cat immediately caught herself. Was she about to say it so nonchalantly? No! Not over the phone. That was so unclassy. Embarrassed, she was quick to dismiss herself, “I’ll see you first thing in the morning! Kisses.” And with that Cat hung up and was resting her hand on her chest. The fuck was that? When she heard more bickering on the outside, she rolled her eyes, “I HAVE A BATHROOM UPSTAIRS!” She swung the door open and focused on her friends and not the almost exposure of how deep she felt for Clayton Costigan.

Nearly there. She almost said it. He was getting closer. Placing his phone back in his inner pocket, Clay zipped up his jacket. This weather was going to do nothing good for his hair. He placed his hands into his pockets and looked out at the figure that was moving slightly closer to him. They were moving slow, something definitely wasn’t right. He wouldn’t grab his gun, in this weather not knowing for certain where a target was was incredibly dangerous and he didn’t want to risk friendly fire, even if this was the Southside. Clay stepped out into the torrent of rain and called out.

“Hey! Need any help?!”

“Crapbaskets, I’m late!”

Marco hated being late because being late meant Marco was disappointing someone. And for something so important as a late lunch with friends: Kylee and Adam.

Yeah, that was just the icing on the cake, but Marco didn’t realize how much work would be ahead of him at the Godmother. Suddenly the influx of people came in wanting their afternoon fix of sandwiches, or really whatever their heart desired, but Cat closed up shop early. That was a relief to Marco, but that didn’t change that he was running LATE!

Marco had taken the usual route: walking from main street to Dolly’s, then taking that same shortcut he took when he met with Roddy and Rylie just before he left.

The shortcut itself was pretty direct. It was a side entrance, but it was a straight and narrow path with minimal climbing needed. Marco had used that so many times that even the small bumps along the path were imprinted into his memory permanently.

As he crossed the street and went for the path, Marco had been walking somewhat briskly so he didn’t see the person on his left who was going for the same side entrance. Before he knew it…

BANG!

His head collided with theirs.

How could he be so foolish? Rushing like that. You had a limp, Marco! You have to be more careful.

Marco was on the floor, on his knees. His legs hurt but nothing was broken (well except his pride but quality time with friends could fix that). He was definitely bruised somewhere on the knee. And his head was killing him.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!”

Wait, that’s a girl’s voice!

Marco didn’t expect running into some girl and literally bonk heads with her. “No need to apologize--” Marco rubbed his head, as he stood up. The girl he bumped into was still on the ground, so naturally he did the polite thing. Extending his arm out, Marco’s hand was in front of her. “It’s my fault. I was in such a rush that I didn’t see you were doing the same thing.” He laughed and brushed off what was a very painful and embarrassing thing and instead chose to focus his intention on the girl with the auburn hair who took his hand.

And then he immediately partially regretted it as he stood his ground while he helped her up.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” She asked as she brushed the dirt off of her pineapple shirt and bold blue jeans.

“No no, nothing is broken. Just a bit of a headache, but that was already there.” Again, he laughed it off and opted not to tell the truth about his headache. She seemed too sweet to have that burden and it’s not like he was completely innocent in it either. “I should be apologizing. I was in too much of a rush. Ma always told me to be careful.” Marco would never live it down if she heard of this and he heard her usual ‘I told you so’s

“Thank Jesus!” The girl had a huge sense of relief in her voice and on her face, as well. “As long as you’re not hurt then all is dandy!” She smiled brightly at Marco.

It was like staring into a mirror of himself, but one that was the opposite sex, had redder hair, and was a little shorter - but she had the same kind of bright smile that Marco often displayed long before the shooting. A lot happened and just looking at her made him think back to how he was. How he used to be so carefree and enjoyed life in what it offered him, not at all thinking that one day he’d lose his light. He was slowly getting it back, of course, but that didn’t change things.

“Uhm..hello?” The girl called to Marco but he was lost in thought.

It wouldn't be until a few more attempts that Marco snapped back. “Sorry, what did you say?”

She shook her head. “I was just asking if you were heading to the park too.”

“Oh…” There was a silence in the form of a delay. When Marco realized, his eyes sprung wide open. “Oh! Oh crapbaskets, I am even more late…later? Crap! I’m sorry, but I’m meeting a friend in the park!”

“Oh really? Me too! Maybe we can go together? This is the shortcut, right? I was told that it’s pretty direct.”

Marco didn’t mind the company in all honesty. “Sure, I don’t mind!”

With a less obvious but equally cheery smile, the girl gripped her bag tightly. It looked heavy but she could manage it. “I’m Stacy by the way. Stacy Capec.”

As they walked down the path, Marco smiled at Stacy. “Nice to meet ya Stacy! I’m Marco. Uh, Marco Brady!”

The trek through the path was a relatively short one and Stacy had stuck with him through most of it. They spent the entirety of it talking and Stacy was polite enough to not be in a total rush. Marco mentioned to her about a limp he had and had apologized for his slow walking pace. The clouds were slowly starting to gather and Marco wondered if it was a mistake coming to the park.

But it didn’t matter because he saw Adam and Kylee sitting on the bench, waiting. He saw food too. He really hoped he didn’t keep them. He walked closer to the bench so they were in earshot, not realizing that Stacy had been doing the same.

“Kylee!”

“Adam!”

Marco turned to Stacy, blinking at her. “Wait… you know Adam?”

“Oh yeah totally! He’s a friend!” She chirped so innocently as she looked over at him. “Funny running into you here, Adam!”

There was a moment Kylee was caught off guard. She expected Marco but she didn’t expect the random girl. She turned to Adam, giving a fake smile, the one that said she was so happy right now, but really, she wasn’t and behind her teeth, she gritted, “I didn’t know we were having more company, I would’ve gotten her food.” She hoped this was more coincidental than not and that Adam didn’t invite someone to her lunch date without consulting her. Especially a girl.

At this point both Adam and Kylee were sitting on the bench, waiting, but with the arrival of her friend and girl, Kylee was quick to get up and cross her arms. She observed the sight from head to toe, with careful scrutiny, “Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” She glanced at Adam then at Marco before resting her dark gaze on the stranger. “Kylee Grimm, and you are?” To say Kylee didn’t like surprises was an understatement. She was irked that her time to play catch up with her friend would now be officially ruined by some random girl. A girl that Adam knew likely from the time he disappeared for years, with no attempt to to contact her. A girl that probably wanted to get in his pants. A girl that thought she was a lot better than she actually was. Yeah, no. Kylee was not happy. Kylee hated surprises.

Adam was a little taken aback by the latest event to surround him. Of course he expected Marco to be there, I mean that’s why they were there but he wasn’t sure what to expect when he did see him despite Ky’s earlier notes about his condition. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t there during all the trials and tribulations but AC thought maybe Marco would look haggard, stressed and all limpy. Instead, he was greeted by a strong looking young man, healthy and happy by the look on his face. This was the Marco that Adam left behind. The little dweeb with a talent for soccer. Before his father grabbed him by his neck and dragged him to the car that night, Adam had discussed with the baby Brady about filming some of his upcoming matches and helping him hit together a highlight reel to help him get into a prestigious soccer camp. Hell it could even have led to college.

The girl that he brought with him, however? That was a completely different story. Stacy Capek was a face from Pinehurst. In fact she lived at the end of his old street. Her house had this great little rail in front of it that AC liked to grind when he was keeping the neighbours up with his late night skateboarding. She was a little younger than Adam, so they didn’t really socialise in school beyond a courteous nod. He knew her sister Katie better. Katie was a regular at Silo Comics, the one unmonitored escape the young Callahan was allowed to have in his captivity. They liked to argue in nerdish debates on who could beat who, the intricacies of powers and the uselessness of costumes. It was through Katie that he did eventually get to know Stacy a little more.

Adam turned his head to look at Kylee who was about three seconds and an arms length away from her Dark Place and going full Teddy Grimm on all their asses. No matter how much natural arts training AC had, he certainly wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of dark Ky. “This is Stacy,” He began placing his hand softly on Kylee’s shoulder. “I know her from Pinehurst.” The shaggy haired Irish boy moved his gaze to the newcomer. “Stace, what are you doing in Edenridge? Is Katie with you?”

Stacy nervously waved at the girl who looked she was about to murder her. She had seen that kind of look in someone’s eyes before. Only Katie looked at her that way and only when she’d eat Katie’s comfort food, a donut hamburger (using two glazed donuts instead of hamburger buns for the you buns) without her permission. And considering Katie never gave Stacy permission, it was every time. But Stacy only ate that trash when she was starving and Stacy was always starving, so bit of a problem for both Zima sisters.

Marco looked at Stacy, who seemed lost in her thoughts. It was understandable. Kylee had nearly bit her head off. He had to play damage control. “Yeah sorry for being so late. Walking here from work was challenging and then I ran into Stacy..literally.” Marco laughed and then Stacy kind of giggled, seemingly bringing her out of her thoughts. Oh good, guess that solves the sub-problem.

Shaking her head almost in a cartoonish way, Stacy turned her attention to her friend. “Yeah, Kates here. She wanted to visit some place called Swat? Swerve?” Stacy tried to recall--”

“Oh! Swerve Arcana!” Marco chimed in, correcting a frazzled Stacy.

“Yeah that was it!” She said in an a-ha manner. “But it didn’t seem like my zone and I remember you said you were coming to this park…And I didn’t know if it would be now. Totally wasn’t stalking you or anything!” Stacy nervously glanced over at the girl who reminded her of Katie in a lot of ways. “..Or interrupt your guys’ lunch. I’m sorry!”

With furrowed brows, Kylee tried her best to calm the fuck down. Shit like this happened all the time. Unwarranted, unwanted guests. At least she wasn’t a bitch like Natalia. It’s fine. It’s whatever. She’ll catch up with Marco another fucking day. “Well since we are all here, happy reunion, I’m starving, and I’m going to eat. Stacy you are more than welcome to have some of our food.” Really, Stacy had no choice. Kylee was already in the motion of making her a plate.

The Mayor’s daughter was quick to get everyone’s food situated, placing their chinese container on the bench. “I can use a lid and just slap food for you, if you’re okay with that?” She looked over her shoulder, while using the bench as support, looking at the other girl expectantly. The lid rested beside her own sweet and sour chicken, waiting for Kylee to either eat it or scoop some into the lid.

She wanted to say no only because from the way she was looking at her before, that same murderous glare she had some bad PTSD from, she didn’t want to make things worse for her. At the same time, the Russian girl didn’t have it in her to say no. “Sure..yeah that’s fine!”

Adam rested his board against the bench next to his camera and grabbed his beef in black bean sauce from the pile of food. Stacy was a good kid and for whatever reason she was here and they now had to make the best of it. “It’s a surprise to me that you and Katie would up and leave Pinehurst to come here. Like the comic store back there is triple the size of ours. Katie would have far more choice.” AC had many reasons to flee the home of the monarchs and the nasties. Probably too many to count. He wondered if Katie and Stacy were doing the same. The grass definitely wasn’t greener in Edenridge, if anything it was scorched Earth. Adam turned to Ky and rested a gentle and reassuring hand on Kylee’s shoulder. “Stace lived down the street.”

“Well she said something about meeting some friends there? Honestly I can’t remember if she said anything other than that.” The truth was, Stacy really wasn’t listening to everything that Katie told her. She only memorized she was at that Swerve Arcana place and she was meeting a few friends.

Marco could sense it. The air was thick with the kind of tension that spelled doom for the immediate future, but if he could, he’d add a little light to it. Hopefully that would lighten the load a bit. “Down the street? That’s cool! And the odds you two would run into each other at the same time? Almost makes me believe in the higher power stuff.” Marco wasn’t necessarily a believer, but he liked the spiritual aspect of religion.

Oh, they were putting fate and religion in this now. Kylee slapped food onto Stacy’s plate and shoved the lid in her direction. “Oh that’s so sweet,” She said with a condescending undertone. Once Stacy took the lid from her hands, Kylee stood up, leaving her food behind, and brushing Adam’s hand off her shoulder.

Kylee beamed an unsettling, yet contrastingly kind smile. Her dark, brown eyes were piercing straight into Stacy’s soul. “He used to live so close to me too! You know, before he disappeared and decided to not try to contact me for YEARS. If he lived that close to a ‘friend’, who I don’t know? Had a phone that his father couldn’t monitor, maybe he would’ve contacted me! Oh! But that doesn’t matter. He’s back now, and things are just hunky dory. I’m so glad he had a friend.” Kylee crossed her arms, no longer with an appetite as she scanned the people around her. She should just go. Clearly, she was the odd man out, not knowing this girl on any level like Adam and Marco did. And clearly, she was still pissed at Adam for ABANDONING her.

With a sudden loss of appetite, Adam placed his food down and sighed. “Enough Kylee,” He began bluntly. “I thought of all people, with a dad like yours you’d understand but I guess I have to make this as simple as I can.” He rubbed his neck, feeling the nerves bubbling in his chest. “Everything I did, literally everything was monitored. My room had no windows and locks only the outside. I had to give my phone up every night. I could only use the laptop in his presence and if I tried to speak to anyone without telling him, my own father, would chain me to a fucking pipe and leave me there or beat the shit out of me. I wore an ankle monitor and he goddamn threatened outright to kill anyone I tried to tell, yes that includes you Ky. I was a damn inmate in my own home and for what? Tell me why?” Adam’s forest green eyes were filling up with tears. “I finally got out. I finally got free and I came home. Home to you and to Marco and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

There were tears in Adam’s eyes and yet even with the horror he went through, she still wanted to be selfish because he wasn’t the only one that struggled and if roles reversed, she wouldn’t have been afraid to die. She would’ve done what she could to let him know she was okay and that she loved him. The darkness slipped into her chest and through her body. Her eyes grew dull as she teethed, “You think I’m scared of death, Adam? I was in a room of people bleeding out. My fucking ex boyfriend died in my arms. My HOUSE is a GRAVEYARD. I don’t need fucking protection. What I needed was to know you CARED. Yeah, I understand. I have a shitty father. You have a shitty father. But I also understand that I really didn’t mean a goddamn thing to you, you know what? Why am I here?”

Kylee looked from Adam to Stacy to Marco. Marco was her exception, but Pinehurst people were all the same. They were awful people. It was clear what she needed to do with her current dilemma with Wes. She needed to break up with him. If he wasn’t going to pick up his phone, then she’d just text him and say they were done. He wasn’t giving her any other choice. “I’m going home.” She didn’t bother cleaning up her food. All she did was turn on her heel and walk off. Why did she think today was going to be a good day? She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. Taking out her phone, she searched for her father’s number, hoping he was free to pick her up.

“Absolutely-fucking-not,” Adam exclaimed as he noticed the caller ID that Kylee was aiming for. “Kylee, we’re gonna head out and sort through this.” He turned to the awestruck in awkwardness Marco and Stacey. “I’m really sorry about this guys. There’s a lot of unresolved issues we’ve got to deal with. I live in Westwood now, so hit me up soon Marco and we’ll raid Swerve or something, proper catch up between the two of us.” He looked at Stacy. God poor Stacy. She stumbled into some chaos. “For what it’s worth it was nice seeing you, Stace. If you and Kate are ever in town again, look me up? And it goes without saying but please don’t tell my dad where I am.” Kicking his board into his arm, and hanging his camera around his chest, Adam took a hold of Kylee’s hand gently but firm. “We’re going back to my place. You are not going home in this storm and I have something for you to see.”

Adam had a black belt. Even if she wanted to pull away, she knew the odds of taking him down were unlikely. She knew as long as he was well aware that the person she was going to see was her father, he wouldn’t let her go. No matter what. It reminded her, and likely him, too much of when they were younger when they were unraveling ghost stories and it was getting late. She would say she didn’t want to go home and he would tell her don’t, stay with me. Begrudgingly, she accepted his hand but didn’t look at him. She didn’t say a word. Curiosity did peak when he said he had something to show her but she wouldn’t be caught dead showing that on her face right now.

She was still mad.

With her other hand, she held her phone and looked at her dad’s number. Sighing to herself, she turned her screen off and slipped it in her back pant’s pocket. She couldn’t believe she brought up the day of the shooting. She hadn’t talked about that since… well, she hadn’t talked about that ever. Subtly, her body was shaking from the flashing memories that bombarded her mind when she was yelling at Adam. She shouldn’t have said any of that. Biting the bottom of her lip, deep in thought, all she could see was Charlie now and how easy it was to take a life.

That certainly went from zero to 100 in the worst way possible. Marco had no words. Even if he did, at the rate both Kylee and Adam were going and the things she was saying, there was no possible way he’d get any words in. It was almost clear to him that, for whatever reason, Stacy being here and apparently not only being a friend of Adam’s (something Marco was still processing in the sense of what were the odds she’d be here at the same time he was going to meet Adam), but she was also a neighbor of his from Pinehurst. No doubt that it was a lot to take in, but it seemed to Marco that there was something else. Hopefully Adam is able to help her, though. “No te preocupes por eso. It’s fine! Whenever it's good for you!” Marco smiled at Adam, but he wasn’t sure about Kylee. He just hoped she wasn’t mad at him.

Stacy was lost in her own thoughts both during the whole exchange Adam had with the angry girl and a bit afterwards. She didn’t know if it was something she did or what, but it felt like she did something, and that only made her feel worse about herself. She had come here just to see if Adam was even around. She had no idea of knowing she’d run into someone who not only apparently knew Adam from a time before she did, but was with someone who didn’t like her. So it was all just very stressful and it had been eating away at her. She was only brought out of it when he spoke to her directly. “Oh! Yeah, my lips are sealed!” Stacy emphasized with a zipping motion.

Feeling Kylee shaking in his hands, Adam hated every second of it. “Alright, you guys get home safe ok?” He offered the pair a sincere toothy smile. “Last thing we need is death by bad weather.” He looked up at the big black cloud that since the beginning of the argument, seemed to have absorbed all of that negative to increase in size and darkness. It was both simultaneously wondrous and horrifying. “Let’s get out of here,” he looked down at the forlorn Kylee with a pain in his heart before gently leading her towards the exit from Lyon park.

After Natalia had pulled herself together into a presentable appearance after fourteen days of solitude, some quick detours at Jade’s home in the Southside for them to pack their overnight belongings and a quick corner store visit for some snacks and “goodies'', the mismatched foursome set off on the drive to their destination. As she drove down the scenic routes that led from the town of Edenridge to the Blue Hill Reservation taking nervous pull after nervous pull from her vape, the Belmonte girl’s mind was racing as fast as the trees she was speeding past. There was silence between the passengers of the Navigator for the majority of the ride, and the few times Billie Eilish’s haunting vocals were occasionally interrupted was by the GPS on Tal’s iPhone directing them on their way.

The quietness of the drive gave Natalia plenty of time to reflect on her ties to Charlie Decker. It was crazy to think that one night had completely altered the course of the Northie’s life. What would have happened if she’d waited a few more minutes to storm off? If she would have gone the opposite direction? If she would have blown Charlie off when he’d inquired about what was bothering her? If they hadn’t smoked some more, talked some more, bonded some more? If they hadn’t closed the distance between them to lock their lips in a kiss? If they hadn’t boarded her car, driven down to the home he shared with his mother, entered the sanctity of his bedroom and of seeked comfort from their heartache in each other’s arms?

If she had known then what she knew now, would she have done things differently?

After two songs by Billie Eilish, Penelope found herself mentally checking out. She had nothing against the artist, she simply couldn’t listen to the same type of music for however long this ride was. Plus! The Midnight had a new album that needed to be listened to. Opening her bag, she pulled out her headphones and put them on. She was sitting on the right side, behind Mordechai who took the passenger seat. When she got her phone situated, she went to her Spotify and started with the song, 'Heart Worth Breaking'. Staring out the window, taking in the strong scent of cotton candy, Penelope watched the trees pass her by.

They were going to meet Charlie’s sister. Mitena. Poppy didn’t know how she should feel about this but she knew she needed to stop waiting for opportunities to come to her. She needed to feel the moment and take chances. This would be her biggest step to redeeming herself for not being able to save Charlie from his demons. This would be her moment. Her moment to feel the deepness of reality and learn to love herself. Her moment to let go. Her moment to live.

When they went by Jade’s place, she didn’t care what it was that she brought. It was just going to be a couple of days, right? Not even that, so a change of clothes that were fitting for a Native American Reservation was all she needed. That made it difficult, of course, because most of Jade’s closet was filled with…inappropriate reservation attire, but she made it work. She had some shorts, cut up as they were, that she could put into a bag and some shirts for her and a few oversized ones for Poppy. She had to pack a dress, too. Reservations meant there was a casino. So why not? Maybe they could have some downtime during this whole quest of theirs. Jade opted to leave her pocket knife at home, though. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression for obvious reasons, but also because this was Charlie’s sister that she didn’t know about until this morning.

But when they got moving and when they drew further away from Edenridge and the somewhat pleasant sounds of Billie Eilish’s vocals filled this surprisingly uncomfortable car (she missed the seat of her harley), Jade couldn’t help herself but actually let these songs get to her. She was feeling low as it was. Feeling like somehow she didn’t belong on this quest. What right did she really have to be here? She ghosted her friends for nearly a month. When she wasn’t at work or her apartment, she was at the angels clubhouse with the one rule that anyone looking for her was to be told she wasn’t here. She’d receive texts and calls from Chase, from uncle Demo, from Tov and Ransom and even Dolce. Even Leone got involved and still Jade ignored them all. She didn’t want to face them after what came out when they were all at the Carlisle house.

It all comes back to that night…

Yeah, it did and Jade hated it. So what right did she have to be here? She didn’t feel like she had any. But she was here and all she could think about was how shitty of a friend she’s been to Key and Poppy.

Lamenting in her own sadness, Jade didn’t mirror Poppy, who from a side glance at the brunette beside her, she realized already had her headphones on. For whatever reason, Billie Eilish was a lot better than Jade gave her credit for. She actually was feeling the songs that played.

Mordechai was not feeling the songs being played, nor was he able to disappear into his own music since he hasn’t had any headphones for years now. It was just something he never thought about after he lost his last pair. He glanced in the rearview at his companions and got a glimpse of Poppy staring out the window behind him, and Jade who seemed more zoned into the music than he would have expected. A glance to his side showed Natalia intent on the road, her vape, and singing along, and Mordechai realized he was alone on his own little island of a passenger seat.

Blue Hill. Now that his brain was truly catching up with all the events of the day, and his emotions had leveled out from being in the mess of Natalia’s room, their actual quest settled in the back of his mind while he focused on the other factors that would soon come into play. He’d be seeing Jokes and Creed’s Auntie Adora for the first time in just over two years, the last time being the summer before the shooting. And while he was sure everything was explained to her by his Serpent brothers, Mordechai was a little scared to be seeing her with Jade and Poppy in tow. Adora wouldn’t judge Mordechai for leaving, he knew that much, but he was still worried about what she might say. Adora was another person he had allowed himself to be vulnerable with, one of the few adults -despite her having less than a decade over him- that truly treated both Mordechai and Danny well, whereas many of the adults in Edenridge just saw Mordechai’s patch and assumed he was a shitty older brother leading his younger astray along the same doomed path he took.

He could remember the whispers of the Northside any time he interacted with those they deemed better than him; with Rye it was, ’That Boaz boy has his claws in him now. The kid almost had a chance to be safe, too.’; with Lanie it was, ’He’s going to ruin that girl, hurt her beyond repair. He’s dragging them all down with him.’; with Danny it was, ’He’s going to make that boy just like himself, another dreg of society. He’ll get that kid killed young.’ Shaking his head lightly to dispel the thoughts, Mordechai slumped lower in the passenger seat and tried not to think about how everything those adults had said had been more prophecy than slander. He tried not to think about how his parents had said all the same things long before he ever even interacted with the Northside.

The musings of the Navigator’s passengers were interrupted by their driver shortly after transitioning from neatly paved streets to dirt roads that were rough underneath the tires of her SUV. “We’re here,” Natalia announced to the group as they crossed the large sign welcoming them to Blue Hill Reservation. She paused to lock eyes with the passenger beside her and the ones behind her via the rearview mirror. “If we’re going straight to the hotel I know where it is. I can get us there without the GPS.”

With her headphones down now, around her neck, Penelope surveyed the small pockets of beauty in the reservation and the areas that desperately needed funding. “You’ve been here before?” Poppy asked, her eyes falling on a food truck, Resi on the Rez. From there her gaze went to a longhouse called Aponi’s Heart, followed by children running around, getting up to mischief. There were four of them, two boys and two girls, and it kind of reminded her of her and her friends, and Charlie. When they were young and dumb. All they had was each other. That was the Southside way.

Natalia nodded, even if Poppy couldn't see it from the backseat. "I'm sure you already know this, but Jokes' mom Thunder was from here-- she moved to the Southside when she and Slick got married. His mom's sister, Adora, still lives here and works at Blue Sun's, so we came over to visit her a few times when I was still dating him and Creed. I haven't been here in years, though. But it looks like it hasn't changed much…" she noted, judging from the sights she could visualize while still keeping her eyes on the road.

“So you’ve been here before?” Jade asked as she cracked her neck. She had been leaning against the edge of the seat close to the door. She took a couple power naps that didn’t last any longer than fifteen minutes at a time. She couldn’t sleep worth shit and most of her upper back and neck were, honestly, aching pretty fucking bad. Good thing she packed the rest of the oxy pills that she had leftover from her last deal with Sonny. She’d have to thank him for saving her hide even when she didn’t think she’d need them.

Jade cracked her neck again, hearing the oh-so-satisfying sounds of her bones pushing against each other and releasing all the pressure. So refreshing. Instead of asking what she wanted to ask and that was whether Natalia actually knew Charlie’s sister, she kept her mouth shut about that and just followed Poppy’s eyes. “Not a bad place. Looks peaceful. Kinda like the perfect place for someone to not get dragged into the shit happening back in town.” Yeah, if only.

Mordechai almost laughed at Jade’s comment, if not for the fact that he was still in a rather somber mood himself, and sat back up from his slouched position to follow the blonde’s lead and crack his neck and back. “It definitely hasn’t changed,” Mordechai acknowledged as he followed Nat’s line of sight. He thought about the fact that the beanie he had tucked away in his bag used to belong to Thunder the same way Sonny's beanie had been Slick's. He hugged his bag to his chest and remembered how confusedly warm he'd felt that night when the two snakes had shown them affection, and how cold he felt sitting at an unconscious Molotov's bedside knowing that they were gone along with Creed's dad. Everyone that treated him well suffered eventually. Trying to distract himself from that, he allowed Puff's commentary to get him thinking of all the times they’d both been here and he couldn’t help but ask, “D’ya think we’ve met his sister already, at some point when we were here before?”

Once again, Penelope was in the dark. She kept quiet, focusing on taking her headphones off, unplugging it from her phone, and putting it back in her bag. She was never given many opportunities to know the crew and when she did, they acted like she was invisible. She didn’t know what Charlie or Decky or both said or did to get most of the kids on the Southside to barely acknowledge her existence but it hurt. And the fact that her father was once one of them, meant nothing to them because suddenly him wearing blue meant he wasn’t a snake anymore, hurt even more.

She wasn’t a rock like her father and quite frankly, she was okay with that. She didn’t understand how he was standing after people called him an abuser when Max ‘committed suicide’, or the fact he constantly pulled double shifts just to show kids like him there was more to life than gang violence and drugs. The Four Brothers had their stories and they were legends for a reason, but she imagined those stories did not feel good at the time, while her dad and his friends were experiencing them.

Still, there was no use in brooding over how unwanted she was. To stand alone took more strength anyways. As much as she wanted a family with those that grew up on the same streets she did, she knew nothing could be forced and she wasn’t one to beg. Plus! She had Marco now. Maybe her family were lost souls from all corners of Edenridge, not just the Southside. And if that was the case, lucky her.

Natalia shrugged her shoulders. That was a possibility she hadn’t stopped to consider even if it was unlikely. "Maybe. I was always focused on Creed, Jokes and Adora though, so I don’t really remember meeting other people besides her coworker Yana."

Mordechai continued to watch Poppy in the rearview as Natalia replied to him, keeping his face as neutral as possible as he saw her check out, this time with her headphones off. She'd known about that at least, hadn't she? He'd told all three of them back then where he occasionally spent his holidays, even if he didn't include his Serpent trips in that information. He never really considered what he was doing as keeping secrets, but he also never really expected to live long enough for any of his shit to come back and bite him in the ass either. Even when he was younger he assumed he'd eventually just be a memory in everyone's heads, but now instead those memories were Charlie, Danny, Max, all the lost souls that have been restlessly haunting the survivors' minds.

"It's gonna be weird either way, I guess," he finally acknowledged. "And if they were sendin' each other letters, then his sis definitely won't wanna talk ta me."

That tidbit of information caught Natalia's attention in a way that almost had her slamming the breaks and losing her grip on the SUV's steering wheel. "What did you say?" Tal sharply asked Decky, a slight increase in the pitch of her voice. She couldn't have heard that right. There was no way that her luck was so shitty for there to be letters out there in the hands of a stranger detailing her ties with Charlie Decker.

Gripping the door handle at the sudden small swerve of the car, Mordechai glanced to their driver and caught a glimpse of the distressed look that she wore as she kept her eyes on the road. What the hell was that about? "That's why we're goin' ain't it?" Mordechai asked, eyes shifting to Poppy in the mirror once more. "He was pen-pallin' with her and these new letters back home threatened her?" He could have sworn he had at least that much information straight.

“Not the letters sent to the whole town. I know for a fact that wasn’t written by Charlie.” Penelope’s eyes rested on the back of Natalia’s head, curiosity setting in on why she reacted the way she did at the mention of Charlie writing to his sister. “Too girly and lovey dovey. I think for that one, someone is trying to get on the bandwagon because of how the Allison incident played out.”

The car ride gave Penelope plenty of time to listen to the Endless Summer album and ponder like she was some true crime mastermind. Nah, that was Kylee Grimm. Everyone knew Kylee and Roddy Callahan liked to ‘Scooby Doo’ throughout town, causing their own mischief on the other side of the railroad tracks. Still, Pops could at least act like she knew what she was talking about, “The culprit who has Charlie’s journal is likely toying with us. That or they are threatening someone completely innocent. Which makes me wonder if Rhonda was the only one that got a personal letter?” She theorized out loud trying to make sense of it all.

“Long story short, it shook her and now here we are,” Penelope glanced back out the window, at the reservation, the place of Charlie’s history, and sarcastically muttered, “One big happy family trying to be heroes when we can’t even save ourselves.”

He tried to hide his wince at that final shot from Poppy, knowing it was all too true. Him, who disappeared completely for two years without even a postcard to the people he was closest to; Jade, who spent the past month completely tuned out from the lives of her family and friends; Poppy, who until this past month couldn't go anywhere or do anything without several security blankets; finally was Puff, who was obviously on her own downward spiral into the rock bottom that Mordechai had just finished climbing out of. What a group to be trying to protect someone else, so damaged and cracked and one more shake in the foundation away from their minds breaking down. What great people to meet Charlie's sister. His true love, his best friend, his Judas, and a girl that none of the other three even knew the role of.

The weapons on his person felt heavier by the second as he thought of how pathetic he was in the role of protector. All he ever really did was run away. From his parents, from the Southside, from Edenridge, his life with Allegra and the kids. He was never the shield he'd thought he was.

"Well, we're all she's got," he said shortly, mood continuing to sour. He crossed his arms tightly and clenched his jaw tightly before finishing with, "We better hope it's enough."

Natalia became silent during the exchange between the two friends, the panic she'd been feeling before bubbling back up to the surface. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she resumed the near-frantic use of her vape while trying to regulate her breathing to avoid suspicion from her passengers. Charlie writing letters to his sister meant that, if they were close enough to discuss his personal life, there could be written proof about their liaison. So now not only did she have to worry about her name being dropped in any page of the stupid journals being photo-copied and sent around Edenridge, but she also had to worry about letters that may or may not contain similar or more detailed information.

Had she finally discovered the real purpose behind coming here? For the Southies to get their hands on these letters and the contents disclosed in them? The thought of what could happen to her if they all found out her secret when she was away from home and anyone who could protect her worried her-- her kickboxing wouldn't get her very far in a fight with multiples carrying knives or guns. But maybe that's what they had wanted all along: an ambush in the name of payback and truth.

She needed to find out what these letters said, fast, and get rid of them if possible. That would be her personal goal for this trip.

As if her mood wasn’t already sour, the rain decided now was the perfect time to downpour, soaking her burgundy tank, gray cardigan, and washed out jean shorts. Thank goodness she was wearing sneakers. Sure, her socks were all soggy now but at least she could keep up with this fucking energizer bunny.

Kylee thought she had timed the luncheon to beat the rain. She calculated it so she could still seek shelter if needed but she didn’t account for Marco being late, or her losing her shit in front of everyone. Due to a series of unfortunate events, they were now caught in the beginning of what was going to be an extremely bad storm.

In the past, something like this would make her laugh. Getting caught in the rain with someone she once considered a best friend. But instead, the rain coming down on her was exemplifying how she felt. Absolutely fucking miserable. She wanted to pull her hand out of Adam’s and just run away, all the while he led her and protected his camera, but his grip tightened and they were now running.

If he wasn’t holding onto her like he was, he could easily leave her in the dust but he made sure that wherever he went, she went. “Wait, Adam…” She could see his apartment approaching in the distance and her heart was racing. She could feel the pounding in her ears. It was like her heart could fall out any moment now. Both from the adrenaline of them racing and the anxiety of their future.

What was on the other side for Adam and her?

She was scared.

What would happen after they talked? Would he stop liking her? Was she being too insensitive? Too selfish? She shouldn’t have said what she said. He had no control over the abuse his father put him through and yet all she could think about was herself. All she ever did was think about herself.

She got him back and she was already pushing him away. Why? Because she couldn’t get over the fact that they had so much lost time? Because she was mad at herself for accepting he stopped caring instead of finding him? Kylee knew she was just as much at fault in this whole situation and yet time and time again, she threw the blame all on the other person.

It was her who gave up. Not him. He came back. He worked his ass off and came back. She gave up on him, on herself, on whatever they had and tried to move on, like she didn’t worry about him everyday and to this day. Even throughout all her relationships, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was happy. If he found people that would ghost hunt and solve mysteries with him. If he was thinking about her…

This all came to surface because a girl, a sweet one at that, saw Adam for the past four years and she didn’t. A girl that got to see him kickass, record beautiful things, and try to keep his kite on a line after dealing with constant bull from his dad. A girl who lived so close to him and got to be there for him, when she couldn’t. A girl that wasn’t her.

“Adam, I said wait!” With as much force as she could muster, she ripped her hand from his and held it with her other one. Holding her hands close to her chest, she steadied her breathing from all the running and tried to get her thoughts straight, “I can’t do this… I need to go home.” She stood there, in the drenching rain, looking away. She really wasn’t okay and she couldn’t put him through this. All she’d ever be was a burden and she knew nothing good came from knowing a Grimm.

She needed to go home.

Adam turned to look at the brunette as she stood in the pouring rain with a look he had seen before. Kylee didn’t want to go any further. In her eyes, that same fear albeit more mature, that she had when she, Adam and Roddy tried to find the bodies in Eden Lake in middle school. It was the same look she had when she refused to adventure into her fathers banned room in the west wing of Grimm Manor. Kylee was scared. Was she scared of him? He would never hurt her, never.

“You’re not running away from this, not this time!” Adam called out. “We’re not kids anymore. We’re gonna talk about this and get through it together. If you wanna do it out here that’s fine!” His words were followed by a flash of lightning above the pair.

“What does this even accomplish?!” Kylee yelled defeatedly. Releasing her hands, she wiped the endless water on her face with her already soggy cardigan sleeve. “You can’t just come out of nowhere and act like nothing has changed! Everything has changed.” She would probably die of pneumonia before she took another step forward.

Shaking her head profusely, she protested in typical Kylee manner, “No. I’m not going!” While Kylee knew he wouldn’t physically hurt her, she was emotional and vulnerable. This wouldn’t end well for either of them. He’d hurt her unintentionally but he would hurt her. She really couldn’t lose another person. It all ended the same. With her being alone in the end.

“I know everything has changed,” Adam responded. “You really think I don’t know that?” He placed his hands on his waist as the water rained heavier and heavier onto his shoulders. “Kylee, I was so terrified to come home, for so many reasons. Most of all, I was scared of seeing you and not knowing how best to go about it. Why? Because all that got me through that fucking torture was seeing you.” Dropping his skateboard onto the floor, Adam reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet. He tossed it to Ky. “Open it up.”

It was true. In all the time he had spent locked away in the Monarchy of Pinehurst, Massachusetts, Adam had one guiding light. In his wallet, there was a photo of Kylee. He had taken it a week before he was kidnapped. Whenever the beatings got too much, whenever the bullying became unbearable, he would look into her big brown eyes and weep. He just wanted to be home with her and now he was.

Kylee stumbled to catch his wallet and when she did, she subconsciously inched forward, closer to him. She was confused why he just gave it to her. With a deep stare, she looked at him, puzzled, before doing what he told her to do. She opened his wallet. When she saw exactly what he wanted her to see, a picture of her, doe eyed and a wide smile, her heart sank.

If she didn’t think she could get any lower, this would do the trick. She was trapped in a prison cell of despair, frustration, and guilt. This only made her realize how much she meant to him and in return, she tried to forget him. She tried to pretend he was dead so she could handle the pain better. How great of a friend she was. “W-what do you want from me?” Kylee’s eyes watered and her tears started to blend in with the rain. She didn’t want to be sad, she didn’t want him to see her sad.

Trying her best to turn her grief into anger, she marched to him (putting her stubbornness aside of not getting close to him, to be a brat) and shoved his wallet back at him, “This can’t make all the hurt go away! And… and..”

This was so hard. She really did hate him. He wasn’t supposed to come back. He wasn’t supposed to be okay. He wasn’t supposed to still care. He wasn’t supposed to look at her like that, like she meant the world to him and more.

I can’t lose you again.

She couldn’t say what she really wanted to say out loud. Her teeth were jittery from nervousness. The rain and her tears were blurring her vision. And she was cold and wet. Very cold. Very wet. So instead, she glanced up at him, letting her eyes express all the things she couldn’t say.

She was stuck.

While Adam had a picture to motivate him, all she ever had was herself. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to befriend Clay. They were two lonely souls and he understood what it felt like to have an estranged, elite family. Lonely souls always have a way of finding each other in the end it seems.

“… and this isn’t going to turn back time!” She protested. Nothing but word vomit at this point. Kylee was a stubborn girl now, and then. Some things never change.

Adam clenched his fists. He had to center himself. Remember Sensei’s teachings. He closed his eyes and breathed in the rain. He absorbed the thunder and lightning vibrations into his body and heart. Taking in the storm outside to temper the one within. “I’m not looking to turn back time, Kylee. I just want to push forward into the future. One where you are in my life.”

August 29th 2019. Adam remembered that day in infamy. Two days prior, he was competing in an exhibition match with Tommy Hartmann. It was simply meant to show new students of the Dojo what they could learn. Unfortunately, Tommy had a nasty habit of not knowing when to quit and Adam on that particular day had too much frustration poisoning his veins. He shattered Tommy’s knee into pieces. This was in front of children. Children! After the fight, Adam’s father locked him in the basement and left him there, no food, water or contact opportunities. This had always been the norm of their relationship. Then the door opened on that second day and the senior Callahan deafened the stairs, his face awash with pale. He talked of the massacre at Edenridge High that had been perpetuated that morning and that list of victims. Adam’s heart sank when Roddy and Marco’s names appeared on that list but was elated to hear they weren’t dead. Kylee’s name was also missing from that page and all he could do was thank a God he didn’t believe in for protecting her.

“I can’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through. I can’t pretend to understand. What I can say is that every day I could, I recorded you a video. Just a diary really, I wanted to send you them. To show you that there was never a day that I didn’t think about you. Every single tape is up there right now waiting for you,” He gestured to the nearby apartment. “I never stopped.”

Woof.

He was taking the air she breathed right from her lungs. Kylee couldn’t believe he recorded a video of himself, every day, for her and to her. Adam wasn’t one to be on the camera. He preferred staying behind the scenes. “I really don’t deserve this,” Kylee, downcast and heartbroken, glanced at the ground, fixing her gaze on his board. When he left Edenridge, she forced herself to get involved in the animal kingdom that was highschool. Or the Thunderdome. Depends on perspective. Regardless, highschool was ruthless. She went to the party that Allison died at. She dated and slept around. David O’Hara drowned in the lake from drinking too much, in hopes his sadness would go away. She started fires (not literally like the one during junior prom) and spread drama when people slighted or upset her, or when the truth was too good to keep to herself. And she watched people die and bleed out, wishing it was her instead.

There was so much that happened from when they were kids to now. Amongst all that assimilation, all that tragedy, her embracing the toxic environment that was her teenage dirtbag years, she had Roddy and it was him and her versus the world. He was Francis’ little brother, she was Hailey’s little sister. He was bullied for his stature, she was bullied for being a bitch that barks too much. In time, they both found their stride. Kylee and Pierce mutually ended things, seeing how Pierce was a closet gay like Francis, and Kylee got close to Mei, while Roddy found Lanie.

There were nights when she was alone, with no one to talk to or call, when all she wanted to do was look at the stars. Especially when Roddy wasn’t available, like when he was in physical therapy with Marco. She could even go back to when her dad grounded her throughout freshman year, because parties and boys were taking her focus away from her grades. All she wanted to do was look up at the stars and wonder if Adam was looking at the sky too. If he was thinking about her or someone else. If he found someone that helped him through his troubles. If he found someone that cared for him just as much as she cared for him.

“No matter what I do, someone gets hurt! You never stopped? Well guess what Adam? I did. I had to!” Kylee was backing away again, shaking her head, her body trembling, “This might be easy for you, to come back into my life after I tried so hard to fucking forget you, but it isn’t for me, okay?” Balling her hands into fists, she cried, “And I can’t be all happy when I’m scared you’re going to get shot right in front of me by some psycho that lives next door or for all I know, my dad himself. He doesn’t even have to chain me because his voice is in my head! I just, I can’t, Adam.” If she accepted his invite, this could be the biggest mistake she ever made. His father would come for her, her father would come for him. There was no way they could pretend everything was okay. Eventually his dad would find him, all the while her dad did what he could to protect his Precious. She wasn’t meant for a happily ever after and she’d be a fool if she thought she could ever have one, and have Adam too.

Kylee stood there before him, shivering or shaking, he couldn’t really tell whether it was her emotions, the rain or both. He looked at her drowned visage and still even then, at her most vulnerable, she was filling his heart. For those who walk in storm, the affairs of the heart are laid bare. “You think this is easy for me? I’m not some kind of fucking machine. I’m a man. A man with a heart that has always belonged with you. You want me to stand here and list off the reasons why I couldn’t come back? I can do that. You want me to count all the fucking reasons why even as we stand here like absolute idiots in a catagory whatever-the-fuck monsoon arguing that I’m still fucking in love with you then I’ll do that too!”

Shit. Fuck. Did he really just say that? Did he really drop the bomb on her? Oh Callahan you idiot. Should’ve stuck to being a robot like Roddy. Gets you in trouble less. Fuck it. He said it. Can’t turn back time. Might as well go all in.

“Yeah,” Adam took a step closer to the Grimm girl, his heart beating with the force of a bullet train. “I said it. Wanna fight about it?” He stepped toward her again, in the same motion cupping her face with both of his hands and bringing her lips to his in a kiss that he had desired for nearly ten years. Just like when riding a dangerous line, one had to commit.

Her eyes widened when their lips met, locked in passion, warmth, and tenderness. Now, quite literally, he stole her breath away. Their faces dripped and through the chill, she found comfort and a mutual need. Around them, they were surrounded by rain, but on the inside she felt sunshine, hope, and excitement. Resting her hands on his chest, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Being in his embrace, together in the rush of rain, washed away all her insecurities, all her doubts, and all her pain. It seemed like the world around them ceased to exist and all that was there was him and her.

How strange it all felt. To kiss someone you loved in the rain. When he pulled away, she was bewildered, but calm. Before he opened his mouth, she shook her head, signaling him to not say anything. To not ruin the moment. Instead, she grabbed his hand and kicked his board up, catching it in the air.

They really should get going.

Her nipples were seeping through her bra and tank. And she wanted a steamy shower and hot cocoa.

“Okay. You win.”

“I always do. Wait until you see my trophies.”

Adam really didn’t know what to make of what just happened. In the span of seconds, he had admitted love, kissed her and watched her kick his board into her hand effortlessly, which might’ve been the hottest thing he had ever seen. She was soaked and still looked absolutely radiant. He was trying to do the gentlemanly thing and not look at her chest which was very visible. Holding on to her hand, Adam paused for a moment, to soak in the moment. Without a word, he led his Ky through the storm towards the apartment complex.

They already went this far and where she was at emotionally, she knew that fighting her urges were a waste of time (and a lost battle). Going from Mei to Natalia kind of made Kylee a borderline nympho. When she felt it, she needed it. She needed it badly. Something Wes couldn’t keep up with, she had learned within the first week of them dating.

Morally right or not. Kylee was no angel. Mei was quick to make her realize that. Her gateway drug. Natalia, on the other hand, tempted her to do bad things, constantly. A hit she didn’t want to quit. That is until her ptsd got too bad, and not even Natalia could help her with that. Then again, she never did tell her ex about her trauma. Or even about her controlling father. Natalia had enough grief from being at the shooting that day too, but also Kylee was observant and knew Natalia still had lingering feelings for Niles Sinclair.

“There’s only one trophy I want to see,” she teasingly admitted, burying the thoughts of her boyfriend and her exes in the back of her mind. She was young and she was horny, and there weren’t opportunities like this when your first love confesses to you in the rain. She’ll deal with the consequences later. Worry about her problems tomorrow.

To add incentive, she went out of her way to look down at his package and smirk up at him. Yeah, this was one hell of a day. She didn’t know what was going on anymore but right now, she was happy and ready to be greedy for some Adam cake.

“I love you too, by the way. Stupidly so.”

Hearing the words turned Adam’s blood to piping hot magma. What the actual fuck was happening right now? It was intense and crazy and mad but it felt right. As he guided Kylee into the apartment block and towards his ground floor home, he couldn’t help but feel like his life in that present moment was reflective of the chaos raging outside. He was on the run. Working in a coffee shop to make ends meet so that he could run away again. He literally crashed into the girl he had longed for and now he was leading her to her apartment after interviewing their childhood friends about some suspicious times going on in town. What in the blue hell was Adam Callahan’s life right now?

He unlocked the door to his apartment and allowed Kylee to go in first before he closed the door behind them. “Everything you were expecting?”

Earlier that day, Adam had run into his apartment to drop off her bag of books and then they were off to the park. This being the first time she walked into his humble abode, she could finally look around and see the boy she adored through the things he owned. His apartment was exactly how she expected. With old skate decks for the skater boy, film reels and movie posters for the film nerd, and a large wall and case completely dedicated to trophies and medals for the killer martial artist. But none of that mattered right now as much as she loved to see it. Putting his board down in the entry room and slipping off her shoes and wet socks, she chuckled, “Some things never change.”

She was quick to leave his side, taking off her cardigan and tank top, revealing her black bra, “Do you have a washer here? Oh and where’s your bathroom?” She turned on her heel, holding her wet clothes, practically topless. It was just her in a bra and short shorts. “I could really use a shower,” she sensually invited.

Adam was almost speechless at the sight before him. At this point, based on tone of voice he had two options: tell her where the shower is and then go sit on the couch like the good boy he was or he could show her where the shower was and do everything that he had dreamed about in all the years he was away. Oh the humanity and hard decisions. “Washer is in the kitchen,” He motioned behind a corner wall behind the brunette as he placed his beloved camera down on a nearby table.

He had to pause for a second. It was taking a minute for his brain to compute everything that was happening. Adam was no genius. He was just a dude with a camera and a skateboard. He peeled off his wet t-shirt to reveal a body that legitimately could’ve been sculpted out of stone. His abs were sharp and his arms toned and muscled. He was lean but obviously had quite a strong workout routine. “The shower is in that room to your left. It’s a bit tricky to turn on.” He dropped his wet tee on the door and moved closer to Ky. “I better come help.”

Guess they were dealing with their clothes later. After placing her phone on the coffee table, near her backpack, and her cardigan and tank on a nearby wooden bar stool, Kylee found herself glancing at his body occasionally. Not realizing how much he grew, the Mayor’s daughter was quick and eager to return to him. She turned around and innocently asked, brushing her wet hair over her shoulder, “Before you do that, can you help me with my bra?” Kylee was a woman on a mission. By the time they hit that bathroom, both of them would be naked.

Well this was just insane but as he thought earlier, commit to the line right? Adam edged closer to her, his breath bouncing off of her neck as he began to unclasp her bra strap. Once it hung loose away from her back and dropped to the floor, he took his hands and ran them down Kylee’s shoulders and arms. Her skin was as soft as Adam had always dreamed. The thought and memory of the woman before him had really gotten him through the darkest of times and now she was here with him. Maybe they needed to walk in storms more often. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck, inhaling her scent in an act that caused his body to be struck by lightning.

His kiss gave her goosebumps. It was crazy how she went from jealousy to desperateness in the course of what? Thirty minutes? She didn’t wake up expecting to come across the first man she ever felt sparks with but here she was. About to give him everything. All of her. Body, heart, and soul. Turning around, Kylee trailed her nails up his built chest, admiring his chiseled physique before putting her pointer finger under his chin and beckoning him to her lips.

She wanted to taste him. He looked so good. His wet shoulders, his abs, and his face glistened under the lights of his apartment, only making him that more desirable. She wanted him. All of him. And she wanted to show him what he’s been missing. This wasn’t the virgin Kylee he knew before he moved to Pinehurst. No, this Kylee knew what she wanted and knew exactly how to show it. Glancing up at him with her sex kitten eyes, she bit her bottom lip, the storm outside only causing the tension between the two to rise.

Adam placed his hand beneath Kylee’s dark hair as she grabbed onto him with fierce strength. As their lips came together, a flash of lightning signified the chaos that enveloped their union. He pushed her forward against the wall of his apartment, dominating her with his superior size. He didn’t know what the cutie held. At this point he didn’t really care. Adam Callahan was kissing Kylee Grimm. He had loved her from the moment Roddy introduced them, through their ghost hunting days and his captivity in Pinehurst. He loved her still, to this day, Adam still loved Kylee.

As they ravished each other feverishly and the two became lost in each other, not too far from them, on the nearby coffee table, Kylee’s phone lit up with the Caller ID: Daddy.

They didn’t make it to the bathroom.

"I don't see him," Ollie fretted as the three men arrived at the picnic site, Francis making sure to come to a slow stop so as not to further stress his son out. No one in the truck wasted a second after the car was parked, both doors went flying open and they all leapt out and closed the distance between themselves and Xavier and Findley. The couple was sitting in the grass, Findley cross legged and leaning back against Xavier, who had his chin on her shoulder and temple touching her own while his legs were sprawled out on either side of her, his arms enveloping her own and their fingers intertwined as their hands rested on her stomach. It was a clear sign of her needing to keep Prof grounded and Prof needing to keep her close. Ollie's shoulders dropped along with his expression as he took in the shattered platters, the wings they had jogged past in their haste to reach the other two, the soda cans on the ground in every direction, and the couple on the ground. Xavier's lip was busted but at least not really bleeding much and the reddened bruising spread down to his chin, and with a lack of Dolce came a lack of ice for Findley to put on it.

”Y’all a’right?” Callum asked outright, eyes on his friends instead of the disaster around them.

"That's your mom's-" Ollie cut himself off, a lump of guilt forming in his throat while his father and best friend began picking up the cans closest to the couple. "What happened?" Ollie finally asked once the chaos was fully registered. "Where is he?"

"He got a call, I'm guessin' from that Peach girl," Prof answered, pulling back from his girlfriend slightly to stare blankly up at them, his tone level and detached. "Dropped the wing trays tryin' to answer it. Kept his cool long enough to finish the phone call and hang up. He thrashed the setup completely before he came out of it but as soon as he did, he bolted."

Findley, who had been busy trying to calm herself and the unborn child moving around inside her belly, finally looked up at the new arrivals. It was clear that she was crestfallen about the unfortunate direction this day had taken. "He didn't hurt any of us at any point-- the table, the food and that tree over there took most of the damage," she noted, pointing to the tree trunk where faded,dried blood stains from Chase's knuckles could be seen. "Xavier's lip was from a soda can that caught him before he could step away from it after Chase flung it out."

"We need to get you some ice there, kiddo," Francis said as he and Callum finished dumping all the sodas into an intact pile and a busted pile. "Callum, find your balls and call your girlfriend, tell her I said to get here with the ice." Paling a bit at the command, Callum nodded and took a few steps away from the group to make the call as Francis took another step towards the couple. "Xavier, let me look at it.”

"I'm fine," Xavier intoned with a half lidded gaze, hooking his chin back over Findley's shoulder and tightening his grip the slightest bit, protective. A warning. Francis stopped his progress. "I've literally been stabbed before, a busted lip is nothing."

“I’m sorry, Demo,” Findley apologized to the older man with sad eyes. She felt responsible for the incident, in a strange way. If she had taken the time to carry the wings from the car to the table instead of choosing that moment to take a break, this whole incident could have probably been avoided. “I called out to him as he was leaving, but he didn’t stop. And I didn’t want to get too close just in case… you know…” she explained, jerking her head in the direction of her belly. “So I wasn’t scared of that. I know he wouldn’t dream of putting hands on me. I just didn’t want to take the risk of getting hit with what was being thrown around like Xavier was.”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s not your fault, baby girl, never,” Francis comforted from afar, respecting Xavier’s triggered possessiveness of his love. “He was already so nervous ‘bout all of this that the littlest thing was gonna strike his match. I’m just glad that you and Xavier were mostly unscathed at least. Right, Ollie?”

“Yeah,” Ollie answered distractedly, eyes trailing from Callum’s back to track whatever his friend saw while on his phone call, and saw a classic black low rider Lincoln rumble its way into a parking space next to his pop’s old beat up truck. “But what will they think?”

The vehicle in question came to a smooth stop beside the rusty pick-up truck. A young blonde dressed in an all-white blouse and skirt ensemble and matching bright pink accessories gracefully stepped out of the front passenger’s side of the Lincoln, a small pink bag hanging from her elbow. She seemed visibly anxious as her bright blue eyes scanned the vicinity for any signs of her ‘date’, as evidenced by the way she bit her sparkly, glossy, pink lower lip and how she bounced on the balls of her wedge-clad, perfectly pedicured feet.

“I don’t see him, Uncle Tazzy…” Tiffannie complained to her uncle as he exited the vehicle shortly after her, growing increasingly nervous the longer she went without seeing Chase. From a distance, she could see a group of strangers in close quarters: most of them her age, one of them visibly older-- but none of them Chase. “He told me he would be here, but I don’t see him anywhere.”

Taz surveyed the group and from all that were present he was quick to deduce who her date was. She was here to meet her friend’s family. Friend? Were they friends? And the people that stood out from the group were those he knew as the Dawsons. Good people. Demo and Zippo. Rest In Peace, Fiona. Francis’ beard seemed a bit bigger from the last time he saw him, which was a week ago when they passed each other on Main. He knew all the faces, from Oliver and Callum, who both reminded him a bit of himself, to Fin and Xavier, two kids too smart for their own good. Kids who unfortunately couldn’t see a way out of their circumstances, so they made the most of it. Whether by booze or a baby, they were surviving.

With the dessert box in one hand, having the grace of a man who worked in a kitchen all his life, Taz locked his car up and led the way. “Chase Warren, is that the boy you like?” He glanced at his nervous niece, curious how she, out of all people, got involved with some of the more well known faces of the southside. Francis was a pillar, and she found herself an in through his son.

Tiffannie’s cheeks turned pink, and she confirmed her uncle’s suspicions with a shy nod, tucking a stray strand of silky hair behind her ear. “I do. I really, really, reeeeeeeally like him-- but we’re just friends, Uncle Tazzy!” she was quick to clarify with raised hands, hoping to ease any worries Taz might have about this being another Father Joe-type incident. The furthest she and Chase had gone was her kissing his cheek and holding hands, so any concerns about Tiff engaging in any nefarious activities would be baseless and unfounded. She was a reformed lady. “Chasey and I are just friends, I promise.”

Friends. She promised. Tiffannie reminded him so much of his sister. From her faith in others to her sexual appetite. Somehow his niece befriended the most unlikely people, at least for someone of her stature. For someone like him, this was his life, he simply chose to do better, for his kids. But for Tiffannie? She knew nothing of this kind of hardship and struggle. She knew nothing of what it meant to have to think about whether or not you have to buy food one day, or pay rent instead. She was given the world and more, and that’s because Mel made sure her daughter didn’t have to experience the same things she went through. The same things Taz went through.

That’s what Taz aimed for too. To provide his kids a life unlike his. He wished his kids were grateful for all the things he provided for them, but some things were beyond his grasp. They were unhappy, and that only meant he failed them. Even after all he’s done, he still failed them. Natalia tried to cheer him up earlier but he knew. He knew his character. He knew he wasn’t a good man. But he was trying. Trying to not act so hastily. Trying to connect with his children. Trying to be a better man. This was his first step. Repairing his niece's date, if it’s even salvageable at this point.

Francis looked over to where Taz Belmonte was speaking with his niece and sighed heavily, looking down at the ground and roughly scratching the back of his head as he tried to put his thoughts in order. They couldn’t just ignore the new arrivals, but explaining what they now really needed to explain to the older man and his bubbly charge was going to require a lot more thought than he could currently put into it. He looked to Callum who stood a pretty equal distance between the two groups, and as if he sensed his gaze the blond turned around with his phone in his hands, his face dull and vacant as he read whatever she had texted him after no doubt hanging up on him mid sentence. The collector gave Francis a feeble thumbs up, confirming the ice was on the way despite however Dolce was feeling at the moment. He waved the younger man back over to their group and clasped him on the shoulder when he arrived.

“Okay, Cal: I need you to start cleanin’ up the wings now that we’ve got the cans sorted. Ollie, come with me to greet our guests. Xavier and Fin,” He looked down to where they were still sitting against the tree trunk, freezing under the icy gaze that Prof met him with. “Just stay here and try to chill out by the time we come back,” he sighed. “We’ve got this, kids.” He hardly believed himself, but he still made his way towards the car park.

“Oh yeah, let’s go say hi and tell T’s Barbie friend that he’s more of an action figure than a Ken doll, real C-4 included,” Ollie said unenthusiastically, following one step behind his father, who turned his head to give him a warning glance. “Sorry.”

Tiffannie noticed the older man and one of the younger ones depart from the group and begin to trek in their direction, her eyes widening in surprise. Why were these people coming over? Did they know her uncle? Did they know her? Because Tiff sure as hell didn't know them. As the two unknown men got closer, she let out an involuntary shriek, took a step back to half-hide behind her uncle's taller frame, and pulled on the sleeve of Taz' shirt, requesting his attention.

"Some of the people from that group over there are coming over here!" she hissed at the man in alarm before nervously scanning the area again, growing more frantic the longer she spent not spotting Chase. "And I still don't know where Chase is!"

“Tiffannie,” Taz breathed in exasperation, trying not to cause her any more anxiety than she already was experiencing. It was times like these that Natalia would tell him to connect and show he cared. It was also times like these where Taz did no such thing, not knowing how to handle the storm that was his family. This is what his wife was for. To handle the emotionally heightened situations. “That is Chase’s father. And brother. If you are concerned about your… friend, I need you to act right.” If she panicked and something bad had already happened, she would only make the Dawsons feel worse.

"Oh," the girl answered sheepishly, stepping away from behind her uncle to stand beside him instead. "I'm sorry, okay! I didn't know what they looked like!" she whined to Taz with a small pout at being chastised for something that wasn't even her fault. How was she supposed to know what Chase's family members looked like if she'd never seen them?! He hadn't told her what to look for, either: just that he would be there. "I didn't mean to be rude!"

Francis had already seen the action taken by the blonde girl, but knew full well not to hold it against her. After all, he was a six foot four, two hundred pound bearded grizzly bear making his way through a massacre of wings to meet her as a stranger. That immediate fear happened with him more than he’d ever admit to his sons, who saw him as nothing more than a teddy bear. It was worse when he was younger and still rocking an Angels patch on his jackets, and then later a Serpent patch as well, and he had almost forgotten the disappointed feeling that came with being the cause of that look. Fiona had never looked at him that way, even at their first meeting, and having her at his side as he walked down the street on the Northside had also lessened the fear instinct he seemed to trigger in strangers. He tried for a smile as he reached the two, holding his hand out to Taz for a strong shake, which he was given one, tight and firm, with both power and formality, before turning to Tiffannie.

“Nice to finally meet you, I’m Chase’s pop, Francis,” He introduced with his given name, knowing that she only knew Chase by his, and gave her an apologetic look. “We’re tryin’ to clean up right now, and then we’re gonna try and find Chase once we’ve set things right here,” he looked back at the girl’s uncle. “I’m sorry, Taz, we weren’t expectin’ this to happen. He’s been so happy recently.”

“It’s no problem, no problem at all. It’s unfortunate that—” Taz’s eyes went from Demo to Tov when he was cut off with a nonchalant comment.

“I mean, his mornin’ kinda sucked bu-” Ollie’s mumble was cut off by Francis lightly elbowing his side in reprimand for interrupting so rudely, and he let out a tired sigh. “He’s been real happy the past month, that’s for sure. Hey, I’m Molotov, T’s brother,” He introduced, nodding to the blonde. Through no fault of her own, he was now much less enthusiastic about meeting her due to the situation at hand. He tried for a smile anyways, for Chase. “He calls you Peach, right?”

The young woman nodded, blue eyes shifting from Tov's and Francis' faces in search for more information about what was going on. 'Clean up'? 'Try and find Chase'? 'Weren't expecting this to happen'? "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but where's Chase?" she asked them point blank. Small talk could be made later, after explanations were given. "When he called me twenty minutes ago he said that everything was good and that he wanted me here, but I don't see him around and you guys just said something about trying to find him. Is he not here?"

Francis and Ollie exchanged a small glance at that bit of information, well aware of the calm he retains while his fuse slowly burns before finally reaching ignition. They’ve all learned to watch and listen for that calm, to do their best to put on the metaphorical blast suits before he blows. Ever since Conan’s death, there’s been no such thing as snuffing out his blaze, only directing it and evacuating those in the way. This poor girl couldn’t have possibly known about that.

“No, sweetheart, he’s not,” Francis answered after a heavy pause. “The quickest way to say this is that he dropped the chicken wings for the picnic and…well, he doesn’t really handle sudden changes well. He may have sounded calm talking to you, and if he said he wanted you here then that’s true because he doesn’t make a habit to waste time on lies while he’s like that, but he has a condition and when things don’t go as planned he-”

“Explodes, goes off, hits the roof and keeps goin’,” Ollie cut in. “We don’t call him TNT for nothin’.”

“Tov!” Francis admonished, looking at his son reproachfully.

“Aw c’mon pop! Why are we sugar coatin’ it? The whole picnic area’s thrashed and T’s gone, we don’t have time to pretend that we aren’t all fucked up,” he argued, crossing his arms and casting his gaze to the side, landing it on the shattered pieces of Chase’s phone at the base of a nearby tree. He looked back up and met Taz’s gaze with determination. “Sorry for this Mr. Taz but I wanna go find him, not stand around talkin’ bout him. We can talk about his issues later, I’m just rippin’ off the bandaid first.”

Francis continued looking at his eldest as he spoke, concern building for him as well. This is a stressful situation for all of them, and they all knew how Oliver handled his stressful situations. A sober Oliver looking for a burnt out Chase has happened many times, but never in the presence of those they didn’t consider family. Oliver sober was not nearly as happy as an alcoholically-turnt Oliver, so these two were about to see the hidden sides of both of his sons, and he sure hoped they were ready for it.

The more details Tiffannie heard about the events that had transpired prior to her arrival, the more her heart sank with guilt. If she had done her due diligence in setting and ensuring her alarm was on, she would have been on time. No time for unnecessary anxiety to develop, no phone call to Chase would have been made, no tripping over anything to spill their lunch entrée all over the park ground, no triggering her friend to go off on his surroundings, and no reason to abandon the scene of the crime. This whole thing was her fault.

The blonde girl shifted her sights to the floor, shielding her eyes away from the men so they wouldn't notice them slowly filling with tears that eventually found a home on the concrete underneath her feet. This whole ordeal brought the concerns she'd been pushing to the back of her mind to the forefront. Was she good enough for Chase, even as a friend? They were opposites in every sense of the word. She could never understand the hardships he went through, just like he would never understand the privileged world in which she'd been raised. She couldn't relate to him or his friends. What could a spoiled girl from Los Angeles who's biggest crimes were traffic tickets for speeding and parking in places she shouldn't and who got dizzy at the smallest hint of marijuana smoke provide someone like Chase, other than more reasons to worry and lash out? He had bigger, more important things to worry about than keeping her safe from a town she didn't belong in and making her happy. That shouldn't be another weight on his overloaded shoulders.

Maybe that's why he left.

"I'm sorry…" was all Tiff could say without her voice breaking.

“Don’t you start,” Taz boomed, furrowing his eyebrows. He had observed that child since he was small, perhaps not to the extent of Francis, but Palermo was open to both south and north. There was no judgment in his House. It was a place for all. It was a place where everyone, regardless of status, were the same.

Taz understood better than most how it felt to handle issues with anger — he was an angry man. He simply hid it better than most because that’s what his wife begged him to do. “You both were fucking nervous.” The Belmonte patriarch cursed, which wasn’t something he did often. “It’s clear you like him and he likes you. There is no use in thinking of what is wrong. All we can do, right now, is think of what's right and make things right.”

Grabbing his niece and pulling her into his chest, holding her protectively while she wrapped her arms around him for comfort, he looked at his old friend, “Demo, will your son return home? You know him better than anyone. If he comes back home, especially before the storm, we can sit and talk. Until then, I really don’t think it makes sense running around town if you don’t know where he will be.” His last words were directed to Tov, as he sternly rested his eyes on the boy going through withdrawal, suffering.

“If he’s calmed down by then, yeah,” Francis answered dutifully, putting a grounding hand on Oliver’s shoulder as his son was cowed by Taz’s gaze. “But he’s got a few other places that we know he’d go, and every now and then he switches it up on us. Actually, now that I mention it,” He mumbled the last part, taking the chance to turn away from the tearful girl he was glad Taz knew how to handle and calling out across the clearing. “Ransom!”

“Yo!” The collector called back, straightening up from picking up the last of the mess, having only left the area around the quartet for the sake of their privacy. “Whatchu need, bossman?”

“Call Lost Souls and see if he turned up there. Have one of the guys check the usual apartments even if they didn’t see him come in. After that, call Mamba at work and see if he went to see her.”

“If he gets nothin’ from that,” Ollie spoke up, shoulders hunched under Francis’ hand and no longer meeting anyone’s eyes. “We should check Edenridge Tobacco.”

“Yeah,” his father replied quietly, moving his hand from Ollie’s shoulder to the side of his head and pressing him against his chest to comfort him, unintentionally mirroring the Northside duo in front of them. That night was another thing they didn’t need to be thinking of right now. “Ran can handle that.”

“I’ll call ommer Shale and have them keep an eye out,” Xavier offered, finally taking the chance to stand and bring Fin to her feet with him. “I know he doesn’t go there anymore, but maybe someone stoppin’ in saw him on the street.”

“Thanks Prof, that’d be great,” Francis replied earnestly. It was already rather windy, so he was hoping to get as many eyes out there as possible. “As for us,” he returned his gaze to both Taz and Tiffannie as the other serpents began their tasks. “We should go to our place and wait for him, in case he shows up there. I think we need to have a full conversion either way.”

Ollie, who shamelessly hadn’t moved from the position his father had him in, scoffed nervously. “Oh, joy: waitin’ and talkin’. Two of my favorite things.”