Amelia pressed her lips together tightly to stop herself from smiling too much from the way Brian was looking at her when Valerie whispered in her ear. Poor him, he'd seen her first, but Valerie barely paid her friend any attention, even when he worked so hard to be agreeable toward the media mogul. Maybe he could get lucky and steal a dance...or act as a third party in setting Amelia up with Valerie. Both sounded equally appealing to him, and he wasn't opposed to Amelia's first new friend in the city being Valerie Cartier. He could then live vicariously through her. Brian smiled mischievously, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he poured himself and Amelia a glass of Cristal. It would just be too much for him if his face winded up in the tabloids tomorrow next to Valerie's with the title, "Mystery Lover?!" He would just die.

The bartender returned with Amelia's food and set it in the center of their table before leaving. She took a stick of fried cheese and dipped it into the marinara sauce, chewing quietly. Brian followed suit and began snacking on Amelia's appetizers.
"You haven't changed one bit, Brian." She said after swallowing her food. "You said you weren't hungry, but you're eating my food..." Amelia didn't seem angry by this, just amused.
"Your food just tastes better." Brian said with a smirk, dipping into the chips and salsa now. Amelia rolled her eyes at her friend and sipped from her glass. "Try not to get too wasted, alright? I really don't want to take a taxi home..." She took another sip and chuckled to herself. "And you wouldn't want to scare Valerie off with your drunk dancing, would you?" Amelia glanced at Valerie and set her cup down. Brian shot her the look, a silent message between best friends that meant be quiet. Amelia ignored this though, Brian had been going on all night about her and a little revenge wouldn't hurt anything.

So, this was how the lower class lived and interacted. It wasn't awful, but the closeness between Brian and Amelia was incredibly strange, especially given their supposed lack of a relationship beyond the friendship level. Though, Valerie surmised, based on the slight private conversation she and Amelia had shared, Valerie was starting to wonder if their lack of a relationship came from a lack of attraction, physically, from one of the two. But she thought it best not to pry. The last thing she needed was to get invested into the private and personal affairs of two strangers she met at a club.

An audible scoff came from Valerie as the food was set at the table, and it grew louder as both Amelia and Brian began eating. It was bad enough to be ordering food at a night club, but half of it was fried food. Instead of indulging in the meal, Valerie drank down her glass of Cristal before beginning to pour herself a second. "Honestly, you two eating that crap is more likely to scare me off than drunk dancing. You haven't been to the office Christmas parties. Any dancing you do, drunk or otherwise, will look amazing in comparison."

Just thinking about the party three years ago, where one of the temp hires got so drunk that he ran around the office with his pants around his ankles and then attempted to dance only before passing out in a cubicle, was enough to make Valerie visibly shudder. "The Cristal is on my tab, but you're on your own for the food. I might be more generous and cover your drinks."

She let her remarks about the drinks the two were drinking stay firmly in her mind. If only because she was trying to be civil.

Amelia rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly at Valerie's comment about their food. She wondered what Valerie liked to eat, but the thought didn't last long as she quickly decided it was something boring like green salad. "Gee, thanks. Isn't Valerie a sweetheart, Brian?" Amelia said smoothly, no hint of sarcasm behind her voice. Brian smiled at the two women sitting across from him. "We should be able to pay on our way out. Let's go upstairs." She drank the last of her Cristal before addressing Brian and Valerie. She wasn't worried about acting sweet or charming and acted how she always did when it was just her and Brian, casual. Suddenly, Amelia was scooting toward Brian's side of the table where he was already standing up waiting for them.

Taking hold of Amelia's hand, Brian lead the two upstairs to the night club. The bouncer let them through easily with no hassle at all, just like before when they skipped the line to get into the bar. "Do you know those guys or something?" Amelia asked curiously as the bouncer unlatched the red rope to let them pass. "Yeah, Rick owns the place. I thought you knew?" He said with a bit of surprise. "Rick? Your ex? Didn't you guys have a really bad break-up, because-" Amelia didn't get to finish as Brian quickly cut her off, stammering to quiet his friend. "Yes, and he is married now and very happy his wife. We're good now." He said as they walked through the doors of the nightclub, straightening his shirt.
Inside they would be greeted by strobe lights and blaring top 40, and electronic music specially mixed by the DJ. The fans above the door were blowing quite hard and sent her blonde hair into a frenzy, whipping about like a shampoo commercial and slapping Valerie in the face, assuming she was following behind the two. Amelia reached behind her to take hold of Valerie's wrist, fully intending to take her to dance floor and get a little nasty with media mogul... Not that kind of nasty.

On the dance floor, Amelia traced her fingertips along Valerie's waist, a smile forming as she started to dance - a series of movements which consisted mostly of rubbing her parts against her partner to the rhythm of the music. Her moves were pretty provocative and would probably make watchers think she may have dabbled in the many romantic dance styles...and she had.
Amelia clearly didn't care about making anyone uncomfortable or if people watched, but once she started to move her backside against Valerie, the woman might reconsider having accepted the offer to dance with her for fear of ruining her professional reputation.

The thing Valerie hated most about dancing, especially in places like this, was the choice in music. She was raised on the Fred Astaire school of dancing - thank her parents for that, and this kind of music, this style of dance was about as far removed from a romantic waltz as you could get while still being considered dancing. Dancing close was nothing new, it was just that there was close and then there was simulating private acts in a public setting. Clearly, Amelia had no qualms about the modern dance, and before Valerie even had time to get over the poorly mixed sampling of two popular songs - just because they have similar basslines doesn't mean they should be mashed up, amateur DJ - Amelia was moving. Grooving. Losing herself in the boom of the bass and the reverb of the remixed vocals.

Valerie was dragged to the dance floor. Not in the literal sense, but her wrist was taken and her feet followed along. Her eyes scanned the immediate area. There was a crucial reason why cameras were off limits whenever Valerie was out on the town, and it was exactly for reasons such as this. The last thing she needed was some plucky paparazzi looking to get a raise by snapping a candid of a media mogul with her hands on the hips of another woman. Valerie's private life had thus far remained so, to the point that she made previous hook ups sign a legal document swearing them to secrecy or else a huge lawsuit would be in their future. The other last thing she needed was for the media world to know the details of Valerie Cartier's love life. Or sex life, as it more appropriately should be called.

Everyone around was too focused on their dance, or on their partner, and Valerie took that as a sign. While it was true that she was an awful dancer, she doubted it really mattered. Most of the people on the floor would no doubt be laughed out of any dance studio. That didn't matter here and now. Valerie placed her hands on Amelia's hips and began to slide against the other woman's movements, her frontside bumping and grinding against Amelia's backside. Valerie had to tilt her head back to avoid the hair from slapping her in the face, and yet still she was pressed close enough that her breath could be felt on the other's skin.

Valerie moved her body in time with Amelia's, rocking her hips in the same direction of Amelia's gyrations, all the while leaving her hands on the woman's hips. Her fingers pressed lightly into the skin, holding onto the woman as the two of them shared a dance. Valerie let Amelia lead, clearly she was more experienced with such things, but she was keeping up. For as provocative as the dancing was, Valerie showed no outward sign of concern.

Amelia was enjoying her time spent dancing, the delicate touches, and the close contact between the two women in the club. She was sure Valerie was enjoying it too. Despite the media mogul's silence during the whole thing, she seemed to go along with whatever Amelia suggested and for that she had to give Valerie credit. For someone so sophisticated and clean cut, she really knew how to unwind. It was probably just what they both needed, except Amelia was sure her day was a lot harder than Valerie's given recent events with The Countess. No one could possibly understand how good it felt to defeat a Super Villain...A supposedly undefeated Super Villain. This night was a celebration of sorts, and what better way to celebrate than with a super rich business woman? Not that Amelia was particularly interested in Valerie for the size of her wallet, but it was definitely fun to think about.

Smoothly, Amelia turned around so that she was almost chest to chest with Valerie. She wrapped her arms loosely around her partner's neck and leaned in towards her ear, only so Valerie could hear her over the loud music. "You're not such a bad dance partner...better than most actually." Her lips curved into a smile as they pressed lightly against the skin by Valerie's ear. She wasn't meaning to kiss her...and she didn't really see it that way, just her lips briefly touching Valerie's cheek. No big deal. "We should do this more often." Amelia said, though this meant many things to her and she was unsure if Valerie would even be apart of her future after they parted ways. It was pretty common to meet someone at a club and never talk to them again...Plus, Amelia didn't really believe anything meaningful could come of things like this. Then there was the issue of Valerie being a celebrity. No doubt Valerie was an extremely busy woman and probably didn't even have time for friendships; her friends were most likely all of the paperwork she handled on a daily basis.

As far as stress relief went, this wouldn't have been Valerie's first choice, but thus far it had proven to be acceptable. Normally a few hits to the heavy bag or a house call to the red light district or a stiff drink were how Valerie dealt with the stress that came up. Perhaps there was something to this dancing thing, though Valerie was quite convinced that it had less to do with the dancing and everything to do with the partner. Valerie had arrived angry, the events of the day having given her much to fuss over, but the anger was subsiding. She still had the thought of the earlier embarrassment in her head, but it was getting pushed aside. And soon enough things would be back to usual. Beginner's luck on the part of Stripper Girl, that's all it was.

But as Amelia spun around, Valerie's thoughts were on the present situation. Her cheeks didn't blush at the compliment, though there was a slight smug smile of satisfaction on her lips. Lips curved at the sides, her eyes narrowed like a seductress as she looked straight on towards Amelia, even as the latter leaned in to whisper her remarks. It was clear to Valerie that Amelia knew exactly what she was doing. The way she moved, the words leaving her lips, the self-satisfied smile, no doubt the routine had been practiced on any number of others over the years. But Valerie was not like them, not so easily swayed and prone to swooning over a brief skin-to-skin contact.

"But do you really mean that?" Valerie asked, speaking in a whisper as well, her lips mere inches from Amelia's ear. "Or are you just telling me what you think I want to hear? Whispering sweet nothings into my ear before you even get to the bedroom." After the sentence, Valerie lightly squeezed Amelia's hips, ending with a pinch of the woman's skin. "Let's find out how sincere you are." Before continuing, Valerie turned her head and planted a kiss directly onto Amelia's cheek, trailing her lips towards Amelia's ear, playfully biting towards the ear lobe - though she made sure not to actually bite. "You're going to give me your number. When it rings and I'm on the other end, then we'll see if you're being honest. Or if you're like all the others out there."

Valerie smirked following her reply, and in a swift movement, brought her face close to Amelia's. Valerie's lips were nearly touching Amelia's, but rather than close the gap, Valerie grinned and turned towards Amelia's other cheek, giving it the same lingering kiss she had given the opposite cheek.

Amelia tilted her head to the side just a bit, the warmth of Valerie's breath against her ears simply electrifying, and obviously Valerie knew that. From the gentle squeeze of her hips, to the subtle nip on her earlobe; it was clear Valerie was well versed in getting what she wanted, and if Amelia ever had a doubt in her mind that Valerie wanted her that quickly went out the window when she asked for Amelia's number. If anything, Valerie was the one that had her doubts about Amelia and understandably so... Anyone with open eyes could see that Amelia had run this game before, and once they tried to take it a step further she had to find a poor, but believable excuse to get the fool off of her tail. She was juvenile in that way, preferring to avoid confrontation if possible and not the type to take someone home on a first meeting...even rich media moguls.

A more genuine smile warmed her lips as Valerie leaned in for a second kiss. Amelia would be lying if she said it wasn't at least tempting to close the small space between their lips, but she knew better... She liked to see Valerie making moves, playing right into her hands. Lowering her gaze just a bit, she smoothly retrieved a business card from her back pocket. It was simple and vague... Valerie had probably seen better.
"Don't worry I'll pick up." She slid it into Valerie's hand and closed her hand over her's. "Don't lose it..." Amelia cooed, a smirk on her lips now.

Amelia Smith
Home Health Nurse
xxx-xxx-xxx

Shortly after their conversation, Brian made his way over to Amelia and Valerie. It would appear he had come to drag Amelia off, he was ready to go and he didn't have to say anything to Amelia for her to know that.

It was almost too easy, this whole 'flirting' thing. Valerie was no fool, and in the literal sense she was no idiot - she'd have to be blind to not pick up on Amelia's game, to see that Amelia so cleverly thought that she was the hunter. That Valerie was the hunted. The prey. It was cute. Cute enough to let her go on thinking that. Afterall, it was now Valerie who had the phone number while all Amelia had were memories of the dance and the small satisfaction of knowing that her drinks were getting paid for by someone with money to burn. The both of them were no doubt playing their own little games, but in Valerie's case the game was victorious. From indifference to a phone number in the span of an evening. Valerie always got what she wanted, even if what she wanted didn't want her back.

Though it was clear now that 'want' was a very broad term.

Valerie glanced at the business card, resisting the urge to scoff at the plain last name following the un-plain first name. A nurse, was it. Well, Valerie was used to doctors, but nurses had their appeal. Though they tended to have much less steady hands. A blessing and a curse. Valerie gave the business card a flick before slipping it into her dress for safekeeping. "Leaving already?" Valerie motioned her head towards Brian, "Too bad. I was just about to really cut loose."

Valerie gave a wink, keeping the playful flirtation up even still. Let the two of them leave. She had what she wanted. And she'd even cover their bill. Valerie was feeling generous.

Amelia traced her fingertips along the side of Valerie's face, moving her black her out of the way affectionately. Valerie almost looked sad to see her go, but Amelia figured that wasn't the case... Just another part of the game. That's why she had to leave, leaving Valerie wanting more of whatever this was. Brian knew that too, he had served as a faithful wingman to her during their college years. Valerie Cartier was no exception to the rule. Amelia wasn't really expecting her to call, and if she did...it wouldn't be anytime soon. Well, it might be, but Amelia had a hunch that Valerie was the type of woman to drag things out, but maybe not. A fancy businesswoman like that would probably find it more beneficial to cut to the point. After all, Valerie hadn't wasted anytime joining them at their booth.

"Mm, you can cut loose next time." Amelia brushed her fingertips against Valerie's arm as she dropped her hand from her face She turned away from Valerie to be greeted by Brian wrapping an arm around her neck and pulling her into a side hug. They left like that, side by side, easily mistakable for a regular couple. Brian looked over his shoulder to see if Valerie was still there, hoping to catch one more glimpse of the media mogul. He still had a crush on her, even more now that he knew she looked better in person.

Valerie didn't turn to watch the duo leave. To do so, to show such obvious interest would be like revealing a tell in a game of poker. So Valerie turned away from them, her back to their backs, though she did move to the side of the dance floor so as to not bother the people in the middle of their crazed routines. She planted her palms on the railing, curling her fingers around them and stared downwards towards the bar area, like some kind of guardian. Valerie stayed in her pose for a good five minutes, rolling her eyes at the change in music to something even more loud, annoying, and badly mixed. The reason for waiting was to ensure that Amelia and Brian had left. Giving a quick look around the dance area, Valerie headed back downstairs to the bar, scanning around all the while.

A bartender spotted Valerie and approached her, babbling on about the lingering tab and nonsense about a five hundred dollar bottle. "If you want to keep your job, you're going to comp the Cristal," Valerie said matter-of-factly, her voice just loud enough to be heard and to be taken seriously. "And if you have a problem with that, tell your boss to take it up with an Amelia Smith." Without giving the bartender time to respond, Valerie continued towards the exit, pushing past the crowd as she left the building.

"Nicky," Valerie was in her car and immediately pulled a phone from the glove compartment. "I want you to run a phone number for me. Make sure it's legitimate. No, you don't need to know who the number belongs to. No, it's not going to be another Elizabeth situation. Because this one is still breathing for one. Look, just run the number and stop asking questions. You don't want me to get a new Nicky."

Valerie hung up the phone, started the engine, and drove off down the streets. It had been an okay night afterall.

On the way home

"Well, that was fuuuun." Brian glanced at Amelia with a grin on his face, knowing that Amelia definitely had fun with Valerie Cartier. "Stop trying to act like you're not happy. You guys will be like Ellen and Portia, isn't that your dream couple?" He mused, glancing at the road and keeping his eyes focused forward. He was really trying to contain himself, and it seemed he was more excited about the whole thing than his best friend.

"Yes it's my ideal relationship, but all we did was dance. I'm not going to get my hopes up and start thinking about a future with this woman." Amelia glared at Brian and reached out to touch the back of his neck teasingly. "Why are you so eager for me to hook up with her? Just a minute ago you were trying to claim her for yourself." She chuckled and left her hand there resting around his neck. It was an innocent touch.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that she prefers the V to the P. Besides, I'll be satisfied going to you guys' wedding, and don't worry - there will be one, because she'll see how much of a steal you are and want you all to herself." Amelia patted Brian on the head and chuckled. That was the nicest thing Brian had said to her all night. He was a real sweetheart when he wanted to be. "Ahh, that's right. It's legal here isn't it? All hope hasn't been lost then." She opened the car door and started to get out out of the car, but paused. Leaning over to the driver's seat, she pressed a kiss on Brian's cheek before getting out and shutting the door. Amelia waved from outside and went inside; Brian waited until she was in before leaving.

Valerie turned the car onto a straightaway, scoffing as the lingering night traffic prevented her from simply speeding past and running every red light. The problem with being Valerie and not The Countess was that Valerie still had to pretend to be a law abiding citizen, both to keep up the image and because no one wanted to deal with city cops. So few of them were willing to take bribes these days. Valerie rested a palm on the steering wheel while placing the back of her other hand to her cheek, sighing in annoyance. It was good that her windows were tinted, she really didn't need some citizen trying to get buddy-buddy.

Her phone rang twice before she picked it up. Nicky was on the other line. She had to give him credit, he did work fast when he had to. "What've you got, Nicky?" Valerie asked, rolling her neck as she slowly moved the car upward in the traffic line.

"The number's legit, Val, did some digging on the owner of the number. Amelia Smith, twenty six years old. Hails from Maryland - New York must be like a new foreign country in comparison. Couldn't get much about her father, probably ran out after her mother said she was pregnant. Mother's named Adele, so clearly the women in the family have a fetish for names that start with the letter 'A'. School records are clean. She ran track in high school, and she's a nurse so she passes your brain test at least. Unless you only go after MENSA members now."

"I'm not going after anyone, Nicky." Valerie was quick to correct him on this point. "She's going after me. There's a difference. Anyway, anything on our mysterious Stripper Girl?"

"Nothing beyond what you experienced today. She's an unknown because she's new. At best, I can tell you that the internet is rallying behind her already. She's a crowd favorite, possibly because she didn't wind up mangled and bloody like all the others. It's gonna take time to get more concrete information. But don't worry. People are gonna start talking soon enough."

Valerie shook her head. That wasn't good enough. This wasn't a popularity contest, that information was useless. "Regardless, I'm installing an infra-red sensor into the suit. That bitch isn't going to get off so lightly next time."

"So when are you gonna call your nubile nurse, Val?"

"When I want to, Nicky. When I want to."

Valerie hung up the phone and made another turn. The rest of the trip to her manor was uneventful.

Amelia entered her near empty home and immediately got ready for bed, showering and brushing her teeth of the greasy fried food smell and alcohol from the bar, even catching a scent of Valerie's perfume as she pulled her shirt over her head. She hadn't noticed before, but it smelled nice...expensive like Valerie, because clearly being involved with someone like Valerie Cartier would cost her in more ways than one. Amelia couldn't decide if it was even worth the risk, or if there was a risk at all. Dammit, Brian... You've gotten into my head. She had only given the woman her number, which she was almost sure at some point Valerie would use it to give her a call sometime in the distant future. Maybe to inquire about a lap dance. She spit her tooth paste out and chuckled, thinking back on how The Countess called her a stripper. In retrospect, the whole encounter was more funny than anything... The Countess had more damage to a helicopter than to The Silver Heart, so she was still somewhat high from the victory. Winning never gets old.

Amelia yawned and slipped under her blanket on the couch, contemplating tomorrow's events. She had a full day ahead with unpacking and her new bed would finally be arriving along with some other larger pieces of furniture to fill up her cute three bedroom house. It didn't take long before the thought of laying on a mattress again put her to sleep.

---

*ding*dong*

Amelia opened the door for who she presumed to be the movers, not even bothering to check first by looking through the spy hole. Being a Super Hero often left her feeling invincible, and after beating The Countess in yesterday's fight she wasn't worried about some burly men lugging her furniture around. They were harmless compared to the real villains in New York City. "Hi, Come in!" She opened the front door wide and stepped aside to allow the movers passage. Though she was a bit annoyed to see them all walking in empty handed, only to inspect the place and ask some questions about where Amelia wanted the furniture set up. She happily showed them to her bedroom, the guest room and study room.

"Is that your husband's bike out there?" A mover asked confidently, and quite loudly in front of everyone. Amelia didn't know why he would assume she was married when there were no rings on her ring finger, but she didn't want to entertain that part of the question. Probably a poor attempt to figure out if she was single. "Haha. No, it's mine. I learned to ride a motorcycle before I got my first car." She appeared quite amused by the male's assumption, and resisted the urge to tear him a new one in front of his pals; it was an innocent question after all. Without giving him a chance to respond, she went into the kitchen where she'd left her phone and checked her missed calls.

Brian
Mom
Mom
Mom calling from Baby Sis' phone.

Amelia auto dialed her Mother's phone number and held the phone up to hear ear, waiting for an answer... As expected, there was no answer. Adele liked to call for no reason and then play phone tag with her oldest daughter. Amelia was starting to think it was on purpose. She checked her inbox and had a dozen or so unread text messages from the people in her hometown asking how the city life was treating her. Nothing that needed a response, most of them were acquaintances.

Upon arriving back at her manor, Valerie wasted no time in heading to her hidden lair dedicated to The Countess. Specifically, her workshop where modifications and upgrades were applied to her bodysuit. She turned on the lights and the circular platform in the center of the room spun to life, lighting up a computer monitor that began displaying numerical data. Her bodysuit was in a closet of sorts, though it was a closet that had some manner of technological devices coursing through its internal designs. Valerie stood over the circular monitor, her fingers gingerly tapping a few keys.

"Not even going to change out of your social clothes?" Came Nicky's voice from the entrance to the workshop. "It's late, Countess," Nicky knew the rules. In the lair, she was referred to as Countess. "And unless you were planning on doing some nefarious deeds tomorrow, you can wait on adding the upgrade to the suit. It needs to go to your optics anyway. If I were you, I'd look into a cute pair of glasses to modify. I'm sure your new nurse friend would find you irresistible in glasses. Maybe she's got a thing for that. Like you have a thing for -"

"Shut it, Nicky." Countess shot back. The details of her 'things' remained hers and hers alone, and Nicky would not mention it. "I'm not adding the infrared tonight. I'm gathering the data from my fight today."

"Oh, Countess, what would you do without me?" Nicky stepped forward and tossed a small binder on top of the circular monitor. "I went ahead and got all that data while you were out exploring the world of singles socialization. Of course, once I get more info on your nemesis the data will be better. But for now, I think you'll be glad to know that the only real damage today was pride."

"Pride? Nicky, please, I've been doing this villain thing for years. Ending things on a draw does nothing to hurt my pride. The fact that she let me go just proves that she's bound by morals just like every other idiot in spandex. But, on that matter, I'm going to need you to keep as many press away from the Statue of Liberty as you can." Valerie pressed a button on the circular monitor and it hummed off. She picked up the binder and cradled it under her arm.

"I'll need a date, but that's fine. Indulge my curiosity?"

"I intend to show Stripper Girl that you can't save everyone."

"I see. And what's the point in that? I thought you were above meaningless displays of villainy."

"Because, Nicky, I feel like making a statement. Get some sleep. And tell a servant to wake me up at seven thirty."

Nicky offered a friendly bow as The Countess walked past, leaving the workshop behind. She hit the lights on her way up and entered her room. It was quite bare considering the fact that she was living in luxury. A simple queen sized bed. A television mounted on the wall. A connected bathroom. Carpeting. A workdesk pressed against a wall. There was a poster of a policewoman hanging above her bed.

Valerie tossed the binder onto her bed, entered her bathroom, and showered and cleaned herself. Stepping out of the bathroom in her sleeping attire, she picked up the binder, turned on the television for white noise, and before she could finish the report, she was asleep.

Amelia fell backwards onto her king-sized bed and made snow angel motions on her fluffy white comforter for a good three minutes. She was just so, so happy to have a bed again, and all of her furniture in place. Now she could have guests over and have a house warming party with her family, and the few friends she managed to make in New York City. She slid off of her neatly made bed and headed into the kitchen, her mind buzzing with all of the possibilities for her house warming party. I'll need to buy some things...but that can wait until next week. Still need to get settled in.

Amelia opened the fridge and gazed inside, disappointed to find that the shelves, drawers...everything was empty. Of course she knew refrigerators didn't come stocked with food, but it would be nice if they did. Mmmm. Her stomach let out a low grumble. It had been several days since she actually put some effort into a meal. Now that all of the furniture had arrived, there was no excuse. She pushed the door and allowed it to close on it's own. "I guess I can pick up a couple of things..." She walked over to the counter and checked her phone, finding that once again there was a missed call from her mother. Amelia was just about to press the call back button, but there was someone at the door.

*ding*dong*ding*dong*ding*dong*

Amelia rushed from the kitchen and through the living room. "Coming!" She shouted, but they kept ringing the doorbell like a child. Whoever it was really knew how to push Amelia's buttons, and they'd better hope she didn't ring their neck afterwards. Huffing, Amelia turned the door knob and swung the door open with a mean scowl. Suddenly, her features softened and there was a tight lipped smile on her face.

"Danielle?! What are you doing here? Where's Mom?" Question after question, not giving the girl a chance to respond. Amelia stepped aside to let her younger sister in. Danielle grinned and came inside, her eyes widening in shock as she took in all of the nice furnishings in her sister's home. She didn't even bother answering Amelia's questions. "Shouldn't you be in school?!"

"It's Saturday." Was all Danielle said.

Angie and Michael were tourists from Iowa. Every year they went on a vacation along with their son, Brett. They liked going to larger cities as an escape from the rural trappings of their Iowa plains county. Last year they had gone to Chicago. The year before that they made a trip to Boston. This year they settled on New York. They had been in the city for a week, seeing the sights, going to places like Times Square, they had even gotten tickets to a Broadway show, though Brett stayed in the hotel for that one. They were leaving tomorrow, but decided to see the Statue of Liberty today, because no trip to the city was complete without seeing such an icon as the Statue of Liberty.

Angie, Michael, Brett, and several other innocents were currently being dangled from the top of the Statue of Liberty's crown. Their hands were bound. All they could do was dangle precariously over the ground and scream. And cry. The Countess hovered above the torch in the Statue's hand, tossing another innocent downward. The citizen screamed until the transparent rope caught him and snagged him backwards, dangling him from the rim of the torch.

"The more you struggle, the more likely it is that your tether will break. If you struggle, you're going to die." The Countess spoke, her voice amplified so the other dangling innocents over on the crown could hear her. "Or rather, you're going to die sooner if you struggle. The reason I left your mouths uncovered is so that those of you here with your families can say your goodbyes. And people say I'm heartless."

The Countess descended from the torch, landing safely on the ground below. She looked out into the bay, spotting a ferry carrying another round of tourists towards Liberty Island. Behind it was a faster boat containing members of the Coast Guard, who were honestly slow to react. They should have been here by now. The Countess lifted her arm to her mouth and spoke discreetly into it. "Let's make it fun."

Behind her, an explosion sounded. The piers on the island crackled and broke, falling burnt into the bay below. The loud sound of the explosion caused the dangling innocents to scream, and some to resume their futile struggles. The explosion could be seen from shore, and was only causing more panic. People were now seeing the outlines of the dangling people. The scene was quickly getting chaotic.

It didn't take much longer for the island to have patrol boats circling and a spotlight on The Countess. Overhead, a news chopper was hovering. "Right on cue."

"News-feeds are cutting into television and radio broadcasts, Countess," Nicky reported through the communicator device in The Countess' arm.

"Citizens," The Countess began speaking, her voice again amplified, "Behind me and above me, I have dangled every tourist that was climbing to the top of this national monument. They wanted a spectacular view, and I have given it to them. I didn't do a headcount, but my best estimate is that there are fifty people perched precariously over the pavement. They will not survive the descent. I am not holding them ransom. And they are not the only ones who will die today."

The Countess stuck her hand upwards and lifted herself up to the top of the Statue's head.

"Should anyone try to be heroic, and that goes for those idiots calling themselves heroes, I will detonate this entire island and the citizens here will have a much slower death. I am not joking."

The Countess approached a group of three dangling from the same crown point and grabbed the older man by the hair. "Tell the people your name."

"M...Michael." he weakly spat out.

"Is this your family, Michael? Good thing your son here has his mother's looks. Tell me, Michael, what would you prefer, watching your wife and son die right in front of your eyes, or having your wife and son watch you die in front of their eyes?"

"Please...please don't..." was all Michael could speak through his tears.

"Oh, but Michael, I have to. I'm making a statement. Think of it this way. You and your family and all these other people will go down in history. You'll get your name on a memorial plaque and your faces will be on television remembrance ceremonies while some bad emotional music plays. The President might even give you all a moment of silence. Now tell your family you love them. Come on now, millions are watching."

"I...I...I lo-"

Michael was cut off by a scream as before he could finish speaking, Angie and Brett, his wife and son, were cut loose and sent falling towards the ground.

"I say again. These people will die. And they will not be the only ones. This is your first lesson."

The Countess returned to the head of the statue, smiling at the screams of the falling mother and son.

Angel sat perched atop the left shoulder of the Statue of Liberty, keeping a hawks eye on the event silently. She had run into The Countess before, and it nearly cost her life the last time so she was being overly cautious. It was better to keep her distant than to engage the woman head on, and if nothing else, Angel planned on saving the civilians caught in the middle of this mess. This is going to get bad... Her wings flapped lightly behind her as The Countess grabbed hold of two of the victim's and dropped them to the ground.

Angel leaped from the stone monument and swooped down, outstretching her arms to reach for the screaming son as he fell toward the ground. The mother wasn't too far off, but she took the son by his wrist easily and rushed to retrieve the Mother, grabbing her in the same manner by the wrist. She flew toward the ferry and dropped them onto the boat. "Do NOT get off the boat! The Countess has something wicked planned, and you want to stay as far away from this as possible... If you know what's good for you." Angel flapped her wings and slowly rose off of the boat before darting off toward the Statue of Liberty again. In her hand, a flaming sword formed seemingly out of thin air. She was not worried about The Countess, her main focus was rescuing the civilians...Though there were sure to be some causalities, especially if no one else came to help.

---

Danielle plopped down on Amelia's couch with the remote in hand and turned on the television, flipping through the channels and stopping on a movie, looked like it was about to be over. "Do you have TiVo? I want to see this movie from the beginning." Two people were falling from the Statue of Liberty and there was a woman with orange angel wings rushing to save them. Probably the coolest thing she saw in a long time. "I...That's not a movie, it's the News!" Amelia shouted, panicking as a camera zoomed in on The Countess standing on top of Statue's head. "Oh God! I have to go. Tell Mom to wait here, don't go any where! I mean it!" She pointed accusingly at Danielle before rushing out the front door, vanishing as soon as she hit the front porch. There was no time to ride her bike to the statue, everyone would be dead by then! Amelia stripped out of her clothes quickly, her white and silver outfit underneath. A platform raised underneath her feet and brought her high into the sky before shooting off toward the Statue of Liberty. This was her fastest means of travel.

---

Angel flew up to reach the civilians dangling from the Statue's torch. Using her sword, she weaved through them, slashing the ropes with her fiery blade. They all screamed, but she didn't care. There was really no time to waste. As each person fell, Angel grabbed a hold of the ropes to keep them from plummeting to their death. She already had a good handful of ropes in her hand, and with her super strength Angel could stand to take more as long as their were no interruptions.