Not Quite Paradise Book One; Paradise Lost free porn video

Not Quite Paradise A Tale of Delacroix 2023 Book One: Paradise Lost Chapter 1 Things change, always do. Few things in life are truer; they either fall in line or get so far out of control that something drastic is the only way to hold on to what little piece of mind one can get. For Tim Flaherty-Sharpe, things were no different. "Thanks." He said to the day's final customer, taking the cash and putting in the register before heading to the door to flip the 'closed' sign. When he turned, he could see his beloved wife Bobbie staring out at the street. There was a twinge of sadness as he regarded the faded blue patch in her hair. It often burned with the blue of a perfect day on the ocean; now, it seemed the color of faded denim. Business had been great so far this year. Although the last six months hadn't. Since... He wished tonight wasn't date night; and it wasn't like it was something that could be avoided either. Date night... he blew air through his nose, silently laughing at the irony. It had become a chore more than anything... for both of them. Since... Back at the computer in the office, he entered the data for the day into the spreadsheets and came up behind Bobbie. "Hey." He whispered as he clasped his hands around her waist. Bobbie didn't turn her head to meet him. "Chase wanted us to come by and..." He could see she wasn't listening. He didn't need her preternatural abilities to see what it as people needed to tell Bobbie wasn't operating on all cylinders. She had been having one of her days. They had been coming more frequent of late. The only time Tim had seen her actively involved with life was when she and her friend Rachael Chadwick took on their Advocate work. Tim sometimes found himself wishing that things would go catastrophically wrong for someone. If only to see the woman he loved smile as brightly as she used to, but hadn't. Since... My Bobbie Blue. The affectionate nickname hadn't come out much these last six months. Maybe today will be the day. He wanted to help her, but how does one help someone that helps everyone. Quis auxillium ipsos auxilio? Who helps the helpers? "Sure." Bobbie sighed, shrugging. Her blue eyes showing the same diminished brightness as her hair. Closing up was done silently. Not even the usual playlist of Rush, Depeche Mode and Ke$ha (I like her, Tim defended often.) was played. The silence making Tim's thoughts echo uselessly. Both anticipation and dread filling him up like rancid buttermilk. He offered her the helmet and dangled the keys to the Vespa with a smile. C'mon, babe. Smile. "Can we just take the van? Just kind of..." An unwhispered sigh flavored the sentence as it trailed off into nowhere. Tim's face fell, Bobbie almost never turned down a Vespa ride. Those occurrences had been more frequent of late, too. He missed feeling her pressed against him as he drove his terminally uncool moped. "I... I'll get the keys." Guess I knew, have to hope. He gazed at Bobbie as she sleepwalked to the door. There were times when she seemed like her old self again, the lighthouse smile balancing out her intense blue eyes, but only when Advocate business was afoot. Whenever you're ready, babe. Just come back to me. *** The funeral had ended. Grace Pust had died at the impossibly young age of 98, and the entire population of Greenbend, Wyoming had been in attendance. A librarian that was beloved by three generations of town residents should have elicited enough tears to drastically change the floodplain. But not today. When that woman... what was her name?... Lexey... Patty Markham, the funeral director didn't have the pleasure of knowing Ms. Pust the way the others did; but, knew she was someone special to the small town. Inexplicably, so did this Lexey. No one else knew who the weird hippie chick with blue hair was either. Just showed up with one day in an electric VW Microbus. When she offered her services free of charge, Patty was skeptical, but the portfolio she showed was impressive to say the least. Patty could have sworn that the arrangement was blue. Strange. She shook her head. The whole funeral was strange. There was the usual palpable pallor of grief when the mourners began to arrive. The ceremony gave way to laughter, touching stories taken from over four decades of curating the local collection of books and records. It was unlike anything Patty had seen in all her days working in funeral homes. The room didn't feel oppressive the way it usually did either. It had been a good service. "Good service wasn't it?" The familiar voice came from behind her. Patty jumped, it wasn't the first time Lexey had just appeared. "Yeah." An out of place smile faded into existence on her face. "It was." "They really loved her." "They did," Patty agreed. "So many kids left this town to go on to universities and law schools..." "She instilled a love of learning. Nothing more groovy than that." Lexey said, hooking her loose, wavy azure hair over her ear. She wore a skirt and top that would have been at home in the eighties, alternating diagonal stripes of blue and white. Blue tennis shoes and bold blue eye shadow. "Who are you? Really?" Patty had to ask. Apart from her name, she knew almost nothing. A knowing smile answered her. "Does it matter?" Lexey said, taking a seat in one of the pews. "When I read about about Grace and what she meant to the town..." She smoothed her skirt over her legs. "I had to stop and do my thing." "I..." Patty quirked an eyebrow. "It's just that..." "I know." Lexey put on that easy smile that always reassured. "The world has changed so much that a simple kindness can be mistaken for... well anything." The smile broadened. "I guess that's why I don't." "Let's just call it Karma, hmm? A perfect storm of me just passing through at the right time, nothing more." She shrugged. "I've been totally dreaming about these jam tarts for some reason, and I just have to find them." Her blue eyes unfocused and seemed to stare off into empty space. "So close, I can almost taste them." *** Chase was looking at the dining room, such as it was. Once the new counter was installed, PERK! would finally be completely hers. "Getting out of Krakatoa was the best thing I ever did." She put her hands on her hips and turned to the mirror. Her sharp nose and noble features held brown eyes that showed both the soul of someone who had done next to nothing and had seen too much. "All I had to do was run afoul of magical beings and become a woman." Her accent had the posh quality that those from Berkshire possessed. A glance in the reflective surface of the frothing pitcher in her hand showed her sharp nose and sharper eyes. The face that would forever look pretty, yet somehow at home with a thin dusting of dirt. Being a woman may not have been in Chase Haldeman's plans, but she had made it work thanks to tightly toned figure with luscious curves and her new best friend. Bobbie had been there for her immediately after Lust had taken the then male Chase out of the running of being another Advocate. Having to relearn your entire life required a special touch that only the Advocate could provide. Unlike the other Thralls, Chase had somehow held on to some of the modesty she carried in another life. Unlike Chase and Kim, Chase enjoyed keeping her clothes on. Faye had offered her a dancer's slot; but Chase had turned it down, opting to become Krakatoa's bartender. It was honest work and the tips were good. But, most of all, it wasn't embarrassing. Those tips over last few years had all led to her ownership of the old Daily Grind coffee shop. Working the bar was the same be it alcohol or caffeine. Chase had become the master mixologist accomplishing alchemy with winning wakefulness. When the door opened, she thought it might be one of the last of the afternoon crowd. "Welcome," she said loudly as she turned away from the brewing apparatus. "Oh, is it that late already?" Bobbie nodded solemnly. Chase knew that look, it was one of those days. She looked at Tim, saw his mildly exasperated look. "You said something about." "Oh," Chase snapped, not taking her eyes from Bobbie. "New drink." She beamed, hoping that she could smile enough that it would spread to one of her dearest friends. Tim smiled a shaky smile. Chase could see their life together becoming fragile... ...Since. "What have you got for us this time?" Tim put a hand on Bobbie's, hoping against hope to feel some of the old warmth. "Well," Chase began, snapping into action. "I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day and I thought..." Bobbie was still silent. She slowly removed her hand from Tim's and rose. "I'm... I'm just going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Chase was still working, flipping levers and turning knobs like an spider on ice skates. "Tim. You know that today is six months since she..." Tim ran a hand through his hair. "You know Timmi was out when it happened, not like either of us had a choice on that one." "Don't remind me." Chase rolled her eyes. "Rach and I spent two whole days trying to track you down. Then they tried to keep me out when we came back from Mexico." Tim looked down. "She never forgave me for that." "Don't be silly. She's had a lot..." "How long?" Tim exploded. "I've done everything I could think of." He lowered his voice. "I've made plans for us to go to Europe next year. After our honeymoon in London, she's wanted to go back. Saving it for a surprise. Even have Beth and Steve coming down to run the place. But, with her like this?" "Tim," Chase soothed, tried to. Tim's voice got louder. "What happens if she finds someone that needs help in Stuttgart? There goes any chance of trying to...." He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "Trying to what?" Bobbie asked, leaning against a wall. Tim jumped, Chase winced and Bobbie straightened. "Babe..." "No," Bobbie said, leaning forward slightly. "Finish your sentence." "It's been six months, I know you need time but..." Tim was remaining calm, but the frustration was starting to bubble to the surface. "That's not fair." Bobbie pointed. "Since..." "Not fair?" Tim threw up his hands. "The only time you've been okay was when you're on some charity, helping someone." "Can't I be enough?" Tim asked pleadingly, just hoping that his wife would see his his point. She could see everyone else's. That was her gift as an Advocate. She could read people, see what it was that they needed most. It wasn't true for Thralls or other Advocates; nor was it true for Tim. Cursed to become the fashion crazed and man obsessed Timmi who had the IQ of a parsnip. ...and that was insulting the parsnip. "Bobbie," Chase interrupted. "Tim's just worried, you know..." Bobbie turned, turning her stare to Chase. Chase felt it burn into her. "How are you defending that of all things? You nearly got deported." Bobbie was misplacing her anger. Chase, being a Thrall; was more attuned to wants than needs, but it was similar. "At least you didn't get guilted into weekly sex," Bobbie continued. "Imagine having to get right back on the horse right after..." "That's not fair," Tim weakly defended. "Neither is blaming me for being an Advocate." Bobbie pointed. "I'm... just fucking forget it." Bobbie turned to leave. "Babe." Bobbie left PERK!, staring ahead as she disappeared beyond the large bay windows of the front. "She'll be back," Chase said, not really believing it. She rose and finished her task at the machine. "Guess I'm just making one." 'You sure? Things have been so different since..." Since... *** It was the dreams that brought her here. Dreams of television and pastry. They didn't make a lot of sense when they happened, but they wouldn't be ignored. Six long years had passed, and she seemed no closer to finding that which she had sought. She remembered travelling to America, the flight from Cardiff had been long, and customs longer still. Harmony Price had no choice but to endure the minor inhumanities as she crossed The Pond. The time she had spent with the Rookie had been rewarding at first. It was always a good feeling to watch someone come into her own. It was why when The Change happened... she saw her chance to put an end to it all. She wanted to find out exactly what it was that had happened. When the Rookie disagreed, Harmony couldn't see why she was so incensed by the idea. Then the dreams had started; and they hadn't stopped for the last six years. The dreams had become a compulsion, the compulsion had become an obsession. Her two hour layover in Denver showed Harmony a place that sort of reminded her of home.) Harmony sensed that the long, strange trip was nearly over. Being that jet lagged; however, would have had her thinking anything. What it did have her thinking was about that room. It was an ominous place, draped in darkened hues of pink and purple. It gave a bizarre appearance to everything, an intimidating and comfortable one. The dream always ended with the screen in front of her coming to life, flickering a bright white light that grew to encompass her whole field of vision. She knew it was a sign; having been an Advocate as long as she had, she knew when to listen. "Delacroix." Harmony read the sign as she regarded her reflection. Her telltale blue hair and eye the only color shown on the amber interior of the windows of the Robocar she was riding in. The Robocars were a fairly new development. Being driven around was something she could get used to. And it would all start as soon as she found that room. Harmony had grown tired of the game, stopping Thralls and helping people was slapping slapping a plaster on. She had seen that more than once. Helping someone only to see them fall years later to an accident or disease. The other one; now she had the right idea. Everyone got what they wanted, no one got sick, no one got old... ...and no one ever died. They just faded away, free of pain. That was a world that seemed far more in tune with the end goals of the Advocates. How Justice had missed that was beyond her. For an Aspect that could view the entire universe at a glance, she sure didn't understand the value of a cwtch. Harmony studied the town. It was obvious that there were Advocates here, The general air of the town carried a breeze that felt easy and unburdened. "Oooh, tidy," she said as the robocar rolled to a stop in front of the slightly run down motel that stood near nothing on a forgotten corner in a part of town that once housed warehouses. The patterns of darkness swirling showed her the twisting needs of those who had stayed here before, exactly the kind of place she needed to start. Lugging her trunk from the robocar, Harmony grabbed her backpack and pulled the knit cap over her mid-length blue hair. The motel didn't have many cars in the parking lot, and the exterior seemed like it had seen better decades. A few brief words to the very bored clerk had him up and moving. She could see that he had music in him, didn't want to be there. Would rather be making some kind of music. Reading his darknesses; as Advocates do, she engaged him in conversation with the few words she needed to use to make him load her luggage on one of the carts. "What d'ye play?" Her accent drew out the 'ay' into something sensuous and alien. "Those calluses don't come from handlin' luggage." "Guitar and keyboard. Picking up what I can while I'm stuck here." He spoke with a bored tone, almost dreamlike as he flipped Harmony's trunk over on to the luggage cart. Harmony filled out the registration card and paid from a thick roll of cash she seemed to pull from nowhere. "I'll be payin' cash, mun." She put down four hundred dollar bills. "I'll have more soon. Just need to pop by the currency exchange." It was a lie, and it was thrilling to do so so brazenly. A tiny nibble of the grand buffet to come. The money she put down on the table was the last of what she had. There would be more; if Harmony's time as an Advocate had shown her anything, it was that she could always make do. "It's never wrong, to sing your own song." Harmony said, signing her name to the bottom of the registration card. The clerk went back to his terminal and began tapping and clicking. Harmony said her thanks and wheeled the cart to the room with the number in her cardkey packet. The room was clean, but old. The carpet had some worn spots, and the chair had some ripped upholstery. Harmony opened the curtain and saw the meager view that the room afforded. "Bendiegedig," she said. It would all be hers soon enough. Closing the curtains, Harmony began to remove her clothes. Once divested of every stitch, she paraded around the room. Feeling the normal shame wash over her. Wash over her in waves of forbidden pleasure. *** It was another average day; the average sun rose and set averagely; but Faye Valentine, the woman now known to the world as Roxx wouldn't know. Her world consisted of the small rooms and cavernous space that made up Krakatoa, Delacroix's strip club... ...And Faye's prison.. She had been stuck sequestered within since the original Roxx performed some kind of Rite of Ascension. Relegated to the plane upon which the Aspects did whatever it was they called living, Roxx had booted the Aspect formerly known as Lust into the real world. In the end, Faye Valentine had sacrificed herself to save the world from a dark matriarch that ruled through unbridled pleasure, with the unfortunate effect of leaving Faye Valentine occupying the body with whom she had fought so hard, and dancing on the razor's edge of caving to giving the new Aspect Roxx exactly what she wanted. Keeping Roxx at bay was simple so long as she stayed in the building. Going outside... one step over the threshold of the building was all it took and Roxx was there, boring into her unconscious with her compulsions and urges. Faye was looking into the mirror. The crimson corset had recently arrived from Sweet Nothings, and she could see that for another night, 'Roxx' would once again be taking care of things behind the thin veneer of respectability that Krakatoa offered. She studied the face that wasn't hers in the mirror on the table in front of her. Inhaling sharply through the straw inserted into her nostril, the picture became clearer. Bright green eyes set into a face with prominent cheekbones and covered with smooth, ageless skin. Faye rubbed her sharp, tiny nose, ensuring the last of the product got into the tiny spaces it needed to enter. More cocaine was due in tonight, she needed to be ready for that. One of the girls pointed out a perv that smacked a couple of dancer's asses... Gonna have to send Kostya after them. She put the cigarette out, how Kim smoked those menthol things was beyond her. If I wanted a candy cane, I'd eat one. No, she mused, still smelling the smoke from the expertly blended cigarettes... send Mikhail, he's more creative. Faye looked at the box of custom colored cigarettes with their gold foil filters, debating on whether or not to smoke yet another one. They did help pass the time. It was another Thursday night, the weekend loomed with shipments and getting the VIP rooms set up, everything needed to be just right. She could do it with her eyes closed, only by smell and one nostril clogged with a particularly good batch of Colombian. Faye rose and ran her hands along her sides, the robust, D cup breasts rippled with gooseflesh as skin touched skin. She scanned the ticker that ran horizontally along the top of the wall. Someone of Roxx's position would customarily would show stock prices and business dealings from around the globe. Not this one, it instead showed the current state of most of the world's sanctioned (and many unsanctioned) tournaments and the positions of the mind boggling array of teams from around the world. Each team was battling for supremacy in all the arenas of combat that modern eSports had come to occupy, even the new drone combat leagues. The business ticker was in the shower, it's where her best ideas came to her anyway. Kuala Lumpur? Those guys again? From her sealed, soundproofed room, Faye could feel a door open behind her, there was a slight drop in temperature and the tiniest of tiny nanobreezes. The lights fluttered, incoming call. The video screen came to life with a snap of her fingers and a sharp face appeared. "Vitaly, preevyet." His prominent nose jutted further out than the rest of his face did, the nanomirrors projecting his visage in front of the shiny black surface. It seemed to hang in the air of its own will. "Roxx. Dobra deyn," Vitaly said. Roxx... She hated that name, hated it more than everyone hated Nickelback. And that was saying something. There was a time when a never ending party sounded like a great thing. Hell, the only thing. It's not a party until something gets broken. But once everything lay in pieces, it stopped being a party. The tiny bits of her former life falling farther and farther away from anything she had wished for even in her most hushed nightmares. Now, Krakatoa was just a business to run; albeit one with certain... limitations. Perils of being a drug lord, I guess. Faye had to be the physical face of the place. And mostly out of self preservation, she had kept the business running. Though mostly just to keep her still shapely ass out of jail. Faye had picked up Russian out of necessity, and Japanese for fun. No one ever expected a girl that looked like she did to be able to utter both perfect Russian and flawless Nihongo. And, out of boredom, she had eventually dipped into the merchandise. In fact, like her predecessor; she was intimately familiar with the wares of Krakatoa, from the girls to the bartenders, to the narcotics. She had done the best she could to make the best of a bad situation. ...and that just wasn't enough some days. She wanted to go out, sit under a tree; drink in the silence. Enjoy feeling the sun on her face... Have a life beyond weighing grams and studying business patterns. Faye decided on that cigarette, reaching for the lime green one, she lit it with a personal laser lighter. She inhaled slowly. Most of all; Faye just wanted her old friends back, her old self back. She had stopped seeing everyone. Mikhail and Kostya had standing orders to keep them out. Faye couldn't stand the thought of her friends seeing her like this. On the wall sat a drawing, lifelike in its clarity. It depicted Faye Valentine and her friends sitting at a table playing Dungeons and Dragons. With Bobbie as the dungeonmaster. She laughed for a moment, it may have been the hashish, but picturing Bobbie as a stern DM just seemed the most fitting thing in the world. For all of her goody two shoes qualities... Everyone should have a friend like Bobbie. She smiled. Rach, the fine details of her face were the most detailed, her blue hair and black shirt hung while pale arms jutted out, pointing at the polyhedral dice. Zoe, sitting in the corner with Kim flipping the rest of them off. Chase trying to look serious, but the laugh was beginning in the tiny lines that added contour. It was the only way she could see them anymore. She wouldn't allow them to be dragged down with her. What she was doing was for them these days more than it was for her. Faye had forgiven Nikki for her betrayal, they had been able to bury the hatchet. Friends like they had been could overlook even such major indiscretions. It turned out that time heals all wounds while wounding all heels at the same time. Even now; however, Faye refused to let Nikki see what she had eventually become. There's always a balance to things. Bobbie had said once, Rach had disagreed just to make her point. Faye laughed softly. The full length mirror showed Roxx's cold, detached countenance. Her face didn't show how tired she was, the eyes just as bright as ever. No one was looking anyFaye wanted to smash that mirror into a billion pieces; she knew it wouldn't even make her feel better. I'm sure Kostya is tired of replacing it. "I am not high enough for this shit." She grabbed the blowtorch and sat at the low table littered with bottles of liquor and cans of that awful energy drink that Chase seemed to have an endless supply of. You're better than this and you know it. The nagging voice in the back of her mind sounded a lot like Bobbie's. She sometimes wondered if she had started her vacation in narcoland just to hear both her and Rach nagging her one more time. Faye inhaled on the cigarette again and just wished for something to happen. Good or bad, it had to be better than the eternal waiting game. *** "She'll be back. You know how she's been since..." Chase was soothing Tim, who was sitting at one of the tall stools that were gathered at one end of the bar. His head was resting on his hands. Chase could see things in the wants that translated into needs, and she could easily read from the blue and red hues that twisted around him. God, Bobbie. How could have not told me it had gotten so bad? "Look, duder." Chase said, her voice sounding more Picadilly Circus as it rolled like cold tree sap. "She always gets a bit..." "I know she does, Chase." Tim peeled his face from his hand. "It's just, everything is going to shit. Money's fine, but she's..." He held it out in the direction she had gone, then let fall to his side with a slap. Chase laughed. "You know she helps people, it's what brought you two together. I mean it. " Chase waved downward over her lithe, shapely form. "I mean, look at me. If it wasn't for her..." "I know, I really shouldn't have said that." Tim stared down at the counter. "Then why did you?" Chase leaned all of her weight downward onto the tamping block, she levered the basket into the receiver and fastened it into its nest. "You had to know it would do sod all to help." "Why would she make things more difficult on purpose." The words came out evenly, denoting a declarative sentence rather than an interrogative one. Chase worked her magic on the wide, flat mug. The letters spelling out 'PERK!' in white slowly appeared on the side. "Bobbie's Bobbie. She'll be back, but..." "You better be ready to apologize, don't think I've ever seen her that angry." Chase looked out the door. "What's this?" Tim asked as the cup was set on the plank in front of him. Chase undid the machine's receiver and knocked the used espresso into the waiting trash can. "She'll be back, she's never left you hanging." "Has she?" "No," Tim responded. "She hasn't." But he looked out the door nervously anyway. *** I'm going to leave him hanging, I swear. Bobbie was walking, and without the benefit of her headphones. She knew her anger was misplaced, at least in part. The things Tim had said out of earshot bothered her. He had to know that she wasn't completely back up to speed... ...Since. "If I ever needed to drown out the world..." She wanted a beat in her head, not a remix of the argument she just had. Who the hell does he think he is? Bitching about what I do, knowing full well that..... Dammit. It wasn't just Tim, though; Everything seemed out of balance. Granted, many of the other women of the age group in which Bobbie had found herself had all made drastic changes in their lives, Bella had; as a lawyer, gone on to several wins and more than a few contempt charges, Amber had left town and hadn't been in contact in a while...How is she doing? After she and Kurt had stopped seeing each other, Kurt had also drifted away. Others her age had a social life... Others aren't Advocates. Shut up. Why? We haven't spoken in so long, did you just think everything was gonna be just peachy forever? This is kind of what you wanted isn't it? Boring, simple.... Just things aren't simple now that they're so boring? She shut the thoughts away. Things were always less boring when Faye was around, no one had been to see her over a year. Rach hadn't understood why, but even she was turned away. Only Chase caught the nearest glimpses of her, and even then always behind a closing door. Faye... Even she had forgiven Chase, which Bobbie couldn't understand. "Yeah." The time for doing the normal thing was long past. She'd understand, she had to. She had no idea how long she had been walking, but it had been long enough for her shadow to begin to fade like an elder god returning home to his eldritch resting place. She kept her gaze low, there were still people roaming the streets. Some heading home, some heading to... She shook her head. The dark shadows swam around those caught in her peripheral vision. It took every fiber of her being to not stop to see what she could do to help them. Maybe Tim had been right, maybe I should take some time. Nothing's been right since... Since... Bobbie Flaherty-Sharpe looked up when the beat started to catch inside her head. Gathering her bearings, she recognized where she was. Krakatoa. Bobbie swore and started to turn, the door swung open and two large, middle aged men in tailored suits stepped out looking as ugly and squat as the weapons she knew they carried. Mikhail and Kostya, the unrelated twin bodyguard/bouncers. Roxx's gargoyles. "Faye." Bobbie whispered. It had been a long time; since she had needed to locate Timmi on that fateful journey that nearly saw Chase deported. Maybe catching up with an old friend was just what she needed. She began to approach the twin columns of stone. *** There was a townhouse close to the town center, inside of that townhouse there lived two women, neither of whom were what they seemed on the surface. Rachael Chadwick; Advocate, similar to Bobbie, the slender figure with the modest curves and blue Advocate eyes. That; however, was where the similarities ended. Where the blue in Bobbie's hair merely covered a large patch in the front, Rach's once blonde hair had become a shade of electric blue that reached her shoulders. While Bobbie could bake nearly anything edible, Rach's baking skills limited to microwaving Hot Pockets. Her oven was the kiln that baked her clay statues, they had come in handy more than once healing ailments and doing things that only years of therapy could accomplish in minutes. "Rach?" Chase said with her posh accent. Her brown shirt was covered in small pictures. Closer study would reveal Hieroglyphics that any third year student of Egyptology would translate as "Tutankhamen was adopted" and "Not tonight, it's my pyramid.", the joke was lost on everyone else, and that was just the way Chase liked it. "What's up, Chasey?" Rach asked, seeing the youthful face still carried some of the tension from PERK! "Bobbie lost the plot at Tim..." The air and sound were sucked out of the room like an unchecked airlock. The clink of a dropped spoon into the metal sink broke the silence like a bull in a china shop. "Hold on... they fought?" Rach stopped what she was doing and turned with an incredulous look. "Like, in front of you?" "Yeah, yelling and everything." Chase undid her black apron and hung it on the coat rack. "You two eating silly sarnies again?" She shook her head. "It's in the water, that's for sure." "Look at the calendar." Chase pointed. Rach put her face into a hand realizing the significance of the indicated date. "Shit, totally didn't remember." "And you all came to visit, how none of you remember it..." "I had a show that week." It had bothered her how Bobbie seemed so defeated unless something happened to picque her Advocate's instincts. "Besides, we both took off to go save an RV full of drunk frat boys from Timmi." Chase widened her eyes and quickly shook her head to the negative. Rach put hands on her shapely hips. "What's wrong with..." "Tim's outside, I wanted to make sure you weren't..." Rach squinted. "I only fuck the poolboy when you're gone overnight, you know." "Naked." Chase laughed nervously. "I was gonna say naked. Bobbie took off and you know how he gets when Timmi comes out and..." "Tonight?!" Rach barked. "Great, That's gonna end well." "She'll come back. I sent a message, she'll be here," Tim said, leaning on the doorframe. "Sorry, Tim. She's fun and all, but the repair bills are ridiculous." "I... I know." Rach could tell he was biologically incapable of cracking a smile. "What happened?" Rach directed her gaze at Tim. "I made the mistake of complaining," Tim said. He exhaled through his nose in an ironic half laugh. "I really shouldn't have; but what else am I gonna do? I thought it might break her out of her funk. I can't stand seeing her like this any more. I mean, she's gonna have to move on eventually. Am I just supposed to give up? Trying to keep this life I was lucky enough to get, Timmi notwithstanding." Tim looked at the assembled women. "Sometimes I think she's worth it. The price I had to pay to get all of this, to know all of you." "Awww," Chase said. "Don't get all sisterly now," Rach said. "Time for all of that later." "She's been like this ever since...." Tim was beating himself up, trying to understand. He had moved on, why couldn't she? "Things like that are hard to fathom sometimes." Chase's voice became distant. "She was born a dude. I mean, how does that..." Knowledge of Bobbie's complex history still occasionally confounded him. "Don't give us that shit. Dudes are people, too." Chase flushed red, this was a sticky subject. "Go on." Can't win for losing today... Tim's thoughts were spiraling downward today, and all he could do was watch it as passed by again and again. Chase and Chase's face fell. "Imagine Bobbie as anything other than how you know her." Tim raised a finger and inhaled as if to speak, but it was as plain as the nose on his face that he had nothing. "Look," Chase lowered her voice, the flush fading. "I didn't fight it hard. Thought it was cool as hell when it happened. From what everyone tells me, Bobbie fought like a sloth. She, like everyone else just thought of her as a normal person," "Yeah," Rach agreed. "Me? Kids? That's about as likely as Chase not ordering a Hawaiian pizza." "Fuck you," Chase said. "I like pizza with pineapple on. Christ, are you still on about that?" "Not now." Rach raised her voice. "Can we give the sitcom routine a rest?" Voices raised, but Tim wasn't listening. All he could think about was Bobbie, and what he could do to get back in her good graces. The inner light she gave off was only made more obvious by its absence. *** "I wanna see Roxx," Bobbie said. The unrelated twins looked at each other with a look of mild amusement in their nearly identical eyes. "Now." Bobbie pointed at the ground with one slender finger. She'd been turned away before, but tonight she wasn't having it. The two men looked at each other again for a long second. One opened his mouth to speak. Bobbie didn't allow him to. "You want to be very careful what you say to me right now. I'm not having the best day, and you're not fucking with it any more." "I know enough dirt on you and this place to bring it to the fucking ground. You going to let me in or not?" Everyone in Delacroix knew of Bobbie's famously sunny disposition, to see her like this... Mikhail jerked his head and stepped aside. Some Russian mumbling followed, but Bobbie didn't hear. The music was too loud and the darkness was palpable. Bobbie hated coming here, the darknesses inside people just as loud as the music. She saw the stairwell leading up to the VIP lounge, the center of the web where Faye found herself. She did indeed have enough dirt on pretty much everyone employed by Krakatoa, but she'd never use it. There was no way she would ever send Faye to jail; considering their history, Bobbie would let almost anything slide when it came to Faye. The plum colored velvet rope was no problem for Bobbie as she vaulted a leg over it. The 'Closed for Renovation' sign had dust on it. How long has she kept it closed? "Stay," Nikolai said with as much menace as he could muster. It was as plain as the nose on his face that no matter the level of menace, it wouldn't be effective today. The big man rapped on the door and opened it just the tiniest of cracks. "Roxx." The trilled r sounded rumbly. "Someone's here.." Bobbie could see the fear radiating off of him, she wondered what could possibly be wrong. You afraid Faye's going to kick your ass? "What the fuck are you talking about, what did I tell you?" The loud burst came through the door, Bobbie smiled, the old Valentine Venom, sweet as it hit your ear, but it burned all the way in. "Unless they have a fucking warrant, they can talk to..." "It's the girl from the bakery. She says it's important." Nikolai's English had improved immensely, and Bobbie wondered how much came from study, and how much came from Roxx. "And I'm not going away either," Bobbie yelled over the din "Now open the goddamn door." The door vaulted open and Faye Valentine stood before her topless, wearing a gaming headset. "Bobbie?" It may have been Roxx's body, but the stance and carriage of said body was pure Valentine. The sight of a friend thought lost, the friend she needed right now. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here." The tight red line of her mouth coupled with Roxx's 'resting bitchface'. When Bobbie didn't smile or have a sarcastic comment, her trained eyes moved to Bobbie's. They stood liquidly, the blue seemed distant, it appeared to Faye that there was no chasing her off, not right now. There had to be a lot wrong for Bobbie to be here. "Let her in," Faye said. "But..." Nikolai looked at Bobbie, then to Faye. "Roxx..." Faye's cold expression returned with a new frigid fervor. "Did. I. Stutter?" Nikolai stepped aside as her boss ran forward and embraced the blonde woman. Bobbie had to hide a look of distaste. For whoever she was on the inside, she still saw Roxx. The collar tattoo proclaiming 'Expensive Taste' standing out against her alabaster skin, the red hair giving her the appearance of an unstruck match. "Do svidanya," Faye/Roxx said, turning her smiling face into an impassive mask of stone. The large man took the hint and turned away, leaving them alone. *** Seeing Bobbie was the last thing Faye expected to see. So much so, that she forgot that she had been in the middle of a phone call. "I missed you, girl." She was reluctant to let go. "Faye?" a familiar voice tugged at Bobbie's ears. The tightness of her grip had the headset biting into her ear. "Tycho?" Faye said over a shoulder. "Something's come up, you're gonna have to find your own server to ruin, Those guys from Kuala Lumpur are making a run for a leaderboard sweep. Go ruin their day." She discommed, even pulling off headset was an alluring act of such seductive power, Bobbie had to gasp. Faye slowly turned back to Bobbie, hands on hips in a way that seemed cold. "Maid hasn't been in, didn't think anyone was coming." Faye said, no trace of shame in her half nudity. She moved a large mirror that obviously had recently housed a large amount of something white and powdery. She dragged a finger along its surface, then ran it along her gums. Bobbie recognized the gesture, she frowned. Jeez, Faye. Is this why? Pulling a shirt depicting Sailor Moon wearing bondage gear over her head, Faye started to explain. "Was gonna go out there tonight, haven't made an appearance in weeks. Can't lie and say I don't like the attention." She grabbed a kitchen torch and a large glass apparatus. Bobbie recognized it, it was a bong; and one far nicer than one she had ever seen in her old days as Robb. "But, it seems like I'm never high enough for this shit lately." The torch was run along the bottom or a piece of what looked like, but couldn't be glass. A slender metal rod was in her other hand. Faye disengaged the torch after the unglass started to glow red. Placing the rod into the glowing crucible, the central chamber started to fill with thick smoke; which Faye inhaled like a pro. She exhaled fully and coughed a few times before turning to face her old friend. "So, what brings you to my wretched hive of scum and villainy?" Bobbie teared up, she wasn't sure if it was seeing Faye in this state, seeing her in Roxx's body... Or Tim. It was all too much as Faye looked at her with eyes as bloodshot as the day is long. Faye's stoned smile ran away from her face as if it was on fire. "Damn. I see why you liked this stuff." Faye studied the resulting cloud, she reached for her tumbler of scotch. "That was a big one." She giggled after she swallowed. "It's Tim, isn't it? Did he cheat on you? I'll send the Droogs in." Faye ran the wand through the goo one more time, she reengaged the torch. "Wait. It wasn't one of my girls, was it?" "Faye!" Bobbie raised her voice. Seeing her oldest friend in these straits made her want to help, so much so that her tears were instantly forgotten. But what could the Advocate do? Given what she had been through, lecturing her about the dangers of intoxication wouldn't help. And it looked like she was already quite aware of them. "What?" Faye's smile didn't quite leave. "I'm bored out of my fucking mind." She reached into a box next to the sofa; pulling out a long black cylinder . It's not a party unless something gets broken. Only this wasn't meant to be a party. "If someone didn't just shut everyone out." Bobbie looked down and around. The room was littered with lingerie, she spied some men's items in there. "That isn't the Faye Valentine I know." "Bonus points for the angel. Do I fucking look like Faye?" There had been no rumblings of the newly christened in years. At least not in Delacroix... That had been both Faye and Bobbie's greatest fear, that her old nemesis would come back with her newfound power and make life for everyone difficult. Faye had been safe in the fortress Roxx had constructed as a bulwark against the very thing she had become. "Christ, Faye I worr..." Roxx's face gave Faye's trademark eyeroll; often imitated, never replicated. "You worry, I know. Sit down, you're making me nervous." She cleared a pile of cables from an Italian leather sofa. "Now what made you think you would get in this time?" Her speech was slower. Bobbie could tell that something was working. Bobbie sat and started talking. Slower at first, she chronicled the trapped feeling of being stuck under everyone that needed help. Keeping Timmi on the other side of the veil becoming more of a job. Then she jumped forward in time to the argument that Chase had witnessed. Tim bringing up her Advocate work in an argument. " He spent the money from the college fund, Faye. That was for... for..." Her voice broke, and she seemed to almost implode while her eyes disappeared behind her overgrown bangs. Faye stopped mid inhalation and quirked an eyebrow. A sharp breath and a cloud of smoke later, the green eyes brightened. Bobbie's words were troubling to say the least; but there was something else hidden under it a subtext that was deep as it was dark. Faye had been in the illicit skin and drug trades long enough to see when people were hiding something. What in the world could someone like Bobbie be hiding? "What's really wrong?" Faye got closer as she relit the torch and scooped some goo onto the metal rod. "You could have pushed your way in here before now. You really hurt Mikhail's pride with that takedown of yours." Bobbie could see that trying to hide something from Faye would be about as effective as hiding something from herself. Bobbie slumped into the sofa. This isn't the woman I know, Faye thought. Bobbie, moved toward sweeping Faye into a hug that surprised her with a tightness for which she was not prepared. Embraces had so little to do with emotions these days. "It's my fault," Bobbie whispered through her sobs. "It's all my fault." It wasn't Chase, it wasn't the money, it wasn't even Timmi. "Tim's the nicest guy in the world. Seriously, one or two of the girls have a thing for him. Any other guy would treat you like..." Faye could see Bobbie's sobs starting again, the tears soaking through the thin shirt. "I killed her..." Bobbie continued heaving; Faye gave pause. "I killed my little girl." *** "You know how she's been." Chase said, still trying to get Tim's mind off of the afternoon's events. "Some days are better than others, I kind of hoped it could be like the old days," Tim admitted. "Some days, she's all smiles and happy again." He smiled wistfully "They're my favorite days. It's usually after she helps someone." The smile faded Rach smiled at the memory, scrubbing her hands through her electric blue hair. "You know how that affects us." She smiled in memory, "It is pretty wonderful." "So wonderful that I can't be enough at least some of the time?" Tim angered for a second. "Every time I try to do something, in comes some problem that does a better job of fixing her than I can." The sadness appeared on his face. "I think she still resents Timmi for..." "You can't 'fix' her, Tim," Rach continued. "She has a lot on her plate. Do you have any idea how many of those damn statues I turn out? Finally starting to sell some bigger pieces, but..." "And keeping Timmi in the box.." Tim slumped. "I feel like that's all my fault." He turned to plead his case. "I took her to Vegas once, random weekend getaway. She just wanted to go to the buffet..." "Now that's just crazytown bananapants," Chase said, knowing that Bobbie hated chicken nuggets unless she made them. Damn, did it really change her that much? "What am I gonna do?" Tim felt tears leaking, he thought he had been done crying years ago when Bobbie came into his life and just... ....Fixed everything. The way she does, the way Advocates do. He could never repay her for everything she had done. Now, he just felt selfish. "She's a part of me, Chase." *** There were tears standing in those matching blue eyes. It was a depth of distress that she had seen before, just never on someone as placid as Bobbie usually was. "I didn't..." Faye's face took on a tone of distress. I killed my little girl? Even to Faye's stoned brain, that sounded like... "Bobbie," Faye said reassuringly. "You don't even kill flies." Bobbie's eyes glazed over. "We got married, and everything was great for a while. Business was booming. Last year I told Tim that we were pregnant. Started seeing the doctor, taking the vitamins. Reading the new versions of the same books everyone reads." This was true distress, at least the way Bobbie displayed it it was. "Bobbie..." Faye went unheard as Bobbie trudged on. Her sobriety began to phase in through. "I even stopped drinking coffee." Bobbie half laughed the salt of her tears hitting her tongue, trying to compose herself was getting more and more difficult. "Okay, now I know you're full of..." She sat upright. Bobbie, killing babies and not drinking coffee. Faye focused her eyes again, wishing for the colorful assist she had grown accustomed to. Bobbie cut in. "I was at the bakery, rolling out the umpteenth turn on the puff pastry dough when I... I just doubled over..." Bobbie sniffled again, the long inhalation sounding ragged. "Beth and Steve were there, she called an ambulance. I knew something was wrong." "Tim wasn't around." She chuckled for a second. "Timmi was. She was really upset." A half chuckle issued forth. "It was like I could see Tim in there, wanting to cry. But all that came out was how we should hit the club later." "Then Rach and Chase went to hunt her down.They found her in Mexico, Chase almost got deported.." Bobbie looked up. "Tim fell all over himself apologizing... and crying." She looked back into her coffee. "Never did forgive himself for that." She lowered her voice. "Sometimes I don't think I did, either." A sniffle and a half forced grin. "We were going to name her Aurora... Goddess of the Sunrise..." The smile was bittersweet, Faye could see that Bobbie was doing what she did best. Putting the bravest possible face on everything, even something as life shattering as... as... "It was a miscarriage." Bobbie's eyes narrowed, obscuring the blue orbs within through a veil of tears. "I lost her..." "It's okay." Bobbie sniffed. "You didn't know, how could you?" Bobbie looked deeper at Faye; past her, through her. "It wasn't your fault," Faye reassured. "Wasn't it?" Bobbie asked, her voice breaking in the middle. "All the needs I've helped with..." "How do I know that everything I've done didn't cause it somehow? All the bad things I've taken in over the years..." Bobbie collapsed into herself, sobbing heavily. "What if it was my fault?" Empathy bloomed fully inside Faye. She went to Bobbie and hugged her again, feeling the warm sobs battering against her like a tide. "Bobbie." Faye began, sounding way too laid back. Bobbie knew she was trashed, but her eyes showed clarity that even the most sober couldn't muster. "Justice wouldn't do that." The Aspect known only as Justice may have seemed to have a vindictive streak, it always seemed to fall on the side of right. Bobbie stopped crying immediately. "Screw her. I help everyone.... I haven't heard from her in... Shit, I think Rach talked to her more recently than I have. Between all of this and Tim..." She paled. "Fuck." "What?" Bobbie sighed. "It's date night... Timmi." "Oof," Faye asked. "You've left her out before..." "Last time we almost lost Chase." "Do you have any idea what it's like in here?" Faye snapped and instantly regretted it; she could see what Bobbie needed, the one thing that seemed lost to her. Faye shook her head, the crimson hair remaining perfect as she did so. "No, of course you don't. I'm a prisoner, Bobbie." It was Faye's turn to tear up. "You noticed I'm less than sober these days..." "That's just it, this is all my fault. If it wasn't for me..." "I'd be living somewhere between giggle and fuck or perpetually five. Can you So what if Roxx is still out there?" She could see that Bobbie needed not to think. "Fuck, we need a break. I don't need to Read you to see that." She grabbed Bobbie and kissed her deeply. Faye was definitely inebriated, it was impossible to hide that from an Advocate. There was enough in her to pass Bobbie's completely nonexistent tolerance. Three things at once assaulted Bobbie. "Let's go downstairs and..." hic. "What the fuck?" Bobbie felt inhibitions fall away as the neurochemistry took over. "Oh, wow." She said as her own smile began, anguish temporarily suspended. "It has been a while." Faye smiled. "You came to my door, remember? I help people, too." The smile got evil, just like it always had. "But my help is a little different." *** "You said WHAT?" Rach said loudly, a lump of clay in her hands. "Well, I hope you feel right ashamed of yourself, mister." "Jesus. I know; and my dumb ass didn't figure it out until she was standing behind us.. I wanted to scream, what else can I do?" Rach pressed her lips together into a line so straight it could have been set with a laser. "She shouldn't have done that, either." Rach offered. "You two should consider some kind of counseling." "Counseling?" Tim looked almost apoplectic. "Yeah, doc. She's always helping people because she's like a real angel or something, and sometimes I'm just a dick." "But not all the time." Rach snickered. "Not helping." Chase admonished, the phrase sounding regal. "Oh, and I happen to become an insane blonde... bimbo." The way he said it made it rhyme with scum. "I swear it's like she never forgave me for my little Mexico misadventure." "I'm sure losing Aurora wasn't going to help much, either." Rach set the clay down. "It's just..." Tim was about a half heartbeat away from losing his shit. There was a time when he was a bit of a crier, remnants of the accident that had claimed the lives of his father and sister. But, like everyone else she whose life she came into. Bobbie drew out that pain and healed it, making him the whole person he should have been from the start. Bobbie... If ever there was a girl perfect for someone like Tim, it was Bobbie. And, he had to go and bring up the one thing that made her such a person. She just hadn't been the same. Since... *** She saw the room and left her case on the bed. The comforter was older than her target audience; opening the case, she put the lead into the powerpoint and let the lights come on. Harmony was pleased with her little creation. It certainly beat trying to play small venues Playing the game... The Game. Justice always knew what was going on; but, she never bothered to speak of it. Harmony inwardly fumed. She knew that the dreams were the answer. Harmony felt it, she knew that they all must. The Change. Like all Advocates, Harmony had tangled with Thralls multiple times in her history. She ran her hands along the sides of the trunk on the bed; once she had built The Harmony Box, though, it became a simple matter to do whatever she needed her Voice to do. The Change. When it happened, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from the universe. Harmony knew better. Everyone was letting their guard down, then she realized that this was how a war was lost. Justice never seemed interested in winning. Preserving the balance. Then, the dreams. Harmony had been right. No power vaccum could ever exist among the Aspects. She also knew that it would never end. Why, then go on preserving everything when everyone could have what they needed and wanted? She had seen what Thralls had been up to. They had certainly calmed down after The Change. The one they called Kimster Dragstrip not only seemed to not be causing trouble, but seemed to actually carve out a kind of niche for herself. And damn can she dress. Whatever replaced Lust couldn't be so bad. She wondered about the Rookie, what had happened between them wasn't something that should have happened. She had come to America to help her find her way. Lexey had been a skilled Advocate, using plants the way she used her voice. When The Change happened, she had gone her own way when she decided that she would have nothing to do with the one who replace the Queen of all Thralls. Like Justice, the Rookie had no desire to see a new path, one that would finally bring together the two disparate halves of one glorious whole. That was when the dreams had started, that was when she had had the idea for The Harmony Box. Harmony started thinking about what she'd wear once she was working for the other side. The readouts showed that everything powered up fine, and a few key presses and their resulting sounds presented a working unit. Good thing it had been, Harmony had plans for it. Big plans. Harmony opened her phone and found the local newspaper. Knowing what Advocates were like, the trail leading to Cheapskates was marked with cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Finding the nest of Thralls was just as easy. She found it odd that this... Bobbie Flaherty-Sharpe... didn't just stop them from.... Preserving the balance... What bullshit. The pictures of Krakatoa's interior were that of any well designed nightclub, but the last picture made her gasp and drop the device. In the background of a picture showing a woman that was obviously a Thrall with blazing red hair and green eyes that were pinpoints of light she saw the door. The door from her dreams. She planned to go to bed early, some Advocate habits were good things. Now, they were really good things because that made them predictable. She would meet this Bobbie; but first, she would go to Krakatoa. The door beckoned from the display on her phone. The long journey was finally over, Harmony Price would get what she wanted. After all, the thing she wanted... ...she also needed. *** "So..." Faye laughed her ridiculous out of breath laugh. "They came in.. Hudson and Hobson. Bunch of cops behind them. Start rolling the place, turning everything over. I just sat there with my bourbon." They were leaning over the counter of the VIP kitchen. One of Krakatoa's cooks had come in and thrown together some quick sandwiches and appetizers. Bobbie was wide eyed. "What did you do?" Having to worry about police was something left far behind in Bobbie's past. She couldn't imagine hiding anything she was doing The laugh continued. "Nothing. The shipment was in the hollow under the false bottom in my booth. Can't say I wasn't about to shit a brick." Bobbie guzzled her lemonade. "God, this is good. I'm so high right now." She giggled before reaching for the pastrami sandwich on the table in front of her. A quick nibble of the pickle spear and a bite of the sandwich. "This bread is amazing." Faye rolled her eyes. Bobbie's heart leapt to see those green orbs rotate in that way that only Valntine could muster. "You should say that, bitch. It's yours." Bobbie laughed. "I missed you." It came out muffled by bits of pepperonici and pastrami. "You could come by more often. I'll roll out the red carpet and..." Bobbie deflated, realizing what she had said. "Sorry." "So, enough about me." Faye looked evenly at Bobbie. "What did his dumb ass do this time?" Bobbie grabbed the empty glass and frowned. Faye shook her head and pushed a button. One of the two bouncers came in with a fresh carafe. "Tim and I haven't really been okay these last few months. It's not like he isn't trying it's just..." Bobbie still had the artificial smile lit while she guzzled half a glass of the citrusy beverage. "What happened, exactly?" *** It was getting late and Tim was getting tired, but he was afraid to sleep. He kept watching the time, living in mortal fear of the sudden rock hard erection and subsequent dumping of vital fluids that was his only warning. "Why don't you try to just relax?" Chase soothed. "If Timmi wakes up, we'll keep an eye on you. Don't worry. She's just as big a fool for you as you are for her." Tim tried to smile, but just couldn't. "Timmi? Or Bobbie?" "Try not to think about it." Chase left the room and returned with a blanket and pillow. "Look," Chase said mock sternly, using the very Britishness of her voice like a cudgel. "I didn't get deported and I'd like to see them try." She winked. "I may be a Thrall, but prison isn't on my list of things to do." The smile came peeking out from around a distant corner. "Thanks, Chase." "Yeah, the goodest Thrall," Rach practically shouted. "Hangovers for everyone!" She set down the clay that started to take on the shape of what was at this early stage either a dog or a platypus. "Be as good an excuse to see Faye as any." Her voice picked up notes of nostalgia. "Wish I could stomach that place. It even stopped being fun talking shit about the weirdoes that are always there." Rach picked the clay back up. "Who's got the first watch?" "Opening in the morning," Chase said. "So, that means..." "Fine," Rach said. "Good thing I don't punch a clock." "Oh, I don't know." Chase said. "Sometimes punching it just makes you feel better." "When are you gonna take a break?" Rach began. "You're as bad as him." She waved a hand at Tim. "Sorry, Tim." "Don't start that shit again." Chase pointed. "I'll hire someone when business picks up." "I'm gonna need more clay." Blue hair flipped angrily as Rach left the room. *** Faye had kicked everyone out of the VIP lounge. EVERYOOOONEEEE! Bobbie hadn't been up there in ages. The d?cor had changed a little. More polished wood, the old flatscreens had given way to the new TruD projectors. "One of the good things about being the boss." Faye made sure that the panic room doors she had installed as a last resort were secure. "I can always find an empty space." Faye secured the door and poured herself some bourbon in the bottom of a highball glass. "Now talk." She swirled the amber fluid in the glass. "What could possibly drive a wedge in between you two?" Bobbie squirmed uncomfortably, the wound still too fresh to discuss. Faye retrieved the torch and bong, the laborious process of heating the apparatus and dispensing the prescribed amount looking as practiced as a tea ceremony. "C'mon." Exhaling, she stood and walked towards her one of her oldest friends. "I may be a bit toasted." She laughed. "He's tired of..." Bobbie barked, the high still not dulling her anger enough. Her voice lowered. "Playing second fiddle." "Is that all?" Faye straightened up in surprise. "At least I don't have to worry about rent or getting laid anymore." Faye's blas? expression as she reached for the ebony lacquered box. Opening it she pulled out one of the pastel cylinders and put it to her lips. Bobbie recognized them. "When did you start smoking?" "When I started drinking heavily, doing cocaine and smoking pot." Faye nodded. "Just seemed like something I should be doing." Her eyes twinkled. "So, of course, these are the most expensive. Thought rolling my own would look tougher, just made me look like a 14 year old trying to take off a bra." Bobbie laughed with a snort, she knew she should still be angry with Tim, but couldn't be. Maybe it was the company, or the... "I know I can't help it, but I think I needed to get trashed, Being an Advocate is so... taxing.." Bobbie's sides hurt from the amount of laughing she had done. It ended on a sigh. "Now now..." Faye pointed. "What would Justice say?" "Fuck her!" Bobbie said suddenly, her face switching gears so fast that a transmission had to have been left behind somewhere. "I help everyone, is it too much to ask for just one little thing..." "What would you have done? Found me a baby on the black market?" Faye frowned. "That's not fair. I don't wanna be cooped up in here anymore." She looked up at some imagined point. "I want to see the sun again, sit under a tree." "You never did those things before," Bobbie said, sniffing through a half chuckle. "And now I kind of regret it." Faye refilled her tumbler, added some bitters and soda water, she added a curled rind. Faye sipped, then nodded. "Y'know. I should be fitted with some Advocate wings. Think I've got room on my shoulder?" The remark stunned Bobbie into silence. "You? Surely you can't be serious." Faye swallowed a tiny sip. Her expression remained stony. Roxx's 'resting bitchface' only softened minutely by the presence of Faye. "I'm always serious." "And don't call me Shirley." Bobbie's silence continued, the movie reference missing its mark. "I'm not fucking kidding." She set the drink down and started ticking fingers. "Drugs, prostitution, gambling... illegal eSports tournaments... I've managed to get just about all of Delacroix's criminal activity to breeze through here one way or another. Considered getting a fez and a hookah. Point is, I keep the shit at shoe level." A cruel smile formed that made Bobbie think that Roxx had reanimated her former body. "Sometimes, they're so bad, we take care of it for you." Bobbie opened her mouth. Was that a movie reference? Faye lifted her drink. "Yeah. I saw M. Saw a lot of things in here." She put up a hand and sipped again. "You don't want to know." "Sorry. I guess for once, I'm thinking of my own problems." Bobbie looked down. There she was again, putting a damper on an otherwise good evening. "I'm sorry, for everything that happened. You shouldn't be here." Another laugh. "Not owning the place anyway." Bobbie looked around at the plush surroundings. A comfortable prison is still a prison. "Easy for you to say, you don't have to make weekly payments to Bogdan and Yevgeniy. " Faye leaned over. "And whatever happens in that room." Bobbie quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, sometimes a girl disappears, then I get another one." Bobbie narrowed her eyes. Faye sipped again. "I don't know, and I don't wanna know. But enough about our problems." She set the glass down. It started as a hug. But that's how big things always begin... ...very small. Bobbie hadn't been with a woman besides Timmi in a long, long time. And that was mostly out of obligation to do what she had to do to get her husband back. So, when Faye kissed her again, the thoughts of the chore of 'date night' faded like tears in the rain. But something stirred in her after so long, something she didn't expect. Passion; sudden and full, Bobbie kissed back. She responded, Faye's hands doing things differently to how Tim would do them. Not that it was wrong in any way... just different. Story of my life? Bobbie wasn't keeping thoughts too straight, what with the remnants of high grade bourbon, hash oil, and cocaine leaving her far out of her faculties. And, as always with Faye, the feeling was just what she needed. It was almost catharsis made physical. Any port in a storm? Faye was a gleaming dock made of the finest woods and metals Faye, knowing all she did of all the ways of human vice, could sense Bobbie's building passion. She grinned. Bobbie just stared into those laser green eyes, rational thought flew out the window like an errant toaster in a cyclone. Hesitantly, the blonde woman's hand slid up the silky side flat stomach, Faye bit her lip as a thumb brushed a nipple. "The last time we were like this, Justice..." Bobbie stopped moving abruptly. "She's not here right now." She raised up to kiss Faye, getting another dose of her pharmacopoeia. "But you are..." She kissed at her neck. "Let's see what I've been missing." Bobbie closed her eyes, and for a moment she was with Tim again. Then Bobbie's pants lost a button. Date night had become a bit methodical, like preemptive doses of an antidote for the poison you just drank, Dr. Jones. But this was something more. Part friendship, part sisterhood... All some privately held taboo that levered some of the weight of the world away from her shoulders. *** Chase was responding to the kettle, making sure that her biscuits were in the right place, since taking her current form cookies were biscuits and chips were fries, and crisps were chips. Tim often gave her some mocking over it, but it was absent tonight. "You shouldn't have brought up her..." The way she moved jiggled the 'Fly Emirates' logo that sat underneath the mighty Man U crest. "I know," Tim said into his own cup of tea. "I was hoping she would ..." "Would what?" "I dunno." He looked up. "Yell at me... anything." He lowered his voice. "Well, then you succeeded," Chase said. "And." Tim checked the time. "Timmi, even when she's not around she ruins things for me." Chase put out a reassuring hand. "Don't worry about that, she'll be okay." She laughed her musical British laugh. "Still going to voicemail?" Rach asked, grabbing a Coke from the refrigerator. "Yeah," Tim said, finally sipping the tea. "She's okay. Do you really think anyone out there would let anything happen to her?" "Yeah," Rach agreed, downing half the can. "She's out there, just staring into a coffee or a salad somewhere. She'll snap out of it." "I don't want her to snap out of it, I want it to stop." The liquid in the cup sloshed as he set the cup down. "She really wants a kid. Doctor says I'm fine, but there's no test for Timmi, could be me could be her, a combination...It's bothered us for years." "Never thought it would end up like..." "Bobbie's not ending anything. You two are like..." Rach crushed the can with one hand. "Romeo and Juliet?" Chase offered. "Hardly... couple of whiny teenagers that killed themselves after a two day fling? Please." Rach smiled at Tim. "Whatever it is you two have, it's forever. I should know." Her voice started to sound distant. Faye's imprisonment inside of Krakatoa had left Rach visiting less often than she would like, but she had to grow up some. Leaving Faye to the perpetual party that she wasn't invited to, nor had she asked for. It had been a tough time since Roxx had left the world of people, Ascending to become something like a god. Things hadn't gone too well for anyone, and this just capped it. Like a pressure cooker set to blow. Tim sipped his tea again, tiredness was creeping in, along with the fear that he would be blonder than he wanted to be when he woke. "Don't worry about Bobbie, Tim," Chase said. "You just get some sleep." Tim seemed to wait a very long time for sleep to come. *** Bobbie's panties had a tear in them, not one that could be recovered; or even worn until a suitable replacement could be found. One of the polymer fiber ribs jutted out of Faye's corset. A chair sat on its side and upended drinks pooling up on the carpet. Faye surveyed the damage and thought nothing of it. Cleaning crew's not gonna like it, but it's what I pay them for. Besides, she reasoned, wouldn't be the first time. "Why didn't we do that when we were teenagers?" Bobbie lay there high and dazed. Faye ran a hand gently along the side of Bobbie's face. "Because you were making googly eyes at Tim before setting off on a career to see what being a Thrall felt like." She rose and found a flimsy robe which she left undone. "You're no slouch yourself." Faye refilled her snifter with brandy. Faye drank and bared her teeth against the burn, turning and pouncing on Bobbie again. "You know we can do this all night, right?" Faye was drunk and high on more than the substances in her room. She hadn't had any real company in quite some time. Well, minus the males whose heads were bitten off with her sarcastic wit once they had poured out their vital essences. They kissed again. Bobbie grabbing the back of Faye's head, the silken crimson hair tightening in her fingers. She knew that she was feeling this way because of the onslaught of intoxicants contained in Faye's kisses coupled with her weak Advocate's constitution. Where Faye was teeth and claws, Bobbie was lips and hands. She was tender, gentle; forcing Faye back into a rhythm that was less frantic. More... just more. Faye could tell that Bobbie needed this, she would have said no had she been in complete possession of her faculties. What Faye had a hard time fathoming was how she, too needed this. The gentle caress of Bobbie's warm hands stirring parts of her that had only been shaken. ...never stirred. Bobbie didn't see Roxx, the flame haired thrall that had so recently both haunted their existences in ways she couldn't believe. She had won, promoted herself to some level of Godhood. Things had been so quiet, The world still saw Roxx, they feared her. But Faye was trapped inside just as sure as Roxx had been trapped inside Krakatoa. Nearly no one knew about Faye's habitation of Roxx's former shell. No one save the friends that high school bequeathed her, and the supernatural experiences that seemed to follow her around like a lost puppy. Should have gotten a dog years ago. Bobbie was far better at this than Faye had thought. She knew from experience with Rach that being with an Advocate was different from being with a Thrall. Her time in Bobbie's body had showed her that, as well as what true love could feel like. Faye cried out as orgasm took over her body, allowing her to feel the closeness she craved but did not know she needed. Both women lay shuddering and quivering in each other's arms. "I guess we both needed that," Faye said, Bobbie giggled in her still inebriated state. "Tim never did tha...." Bobbie gasped. "Timmi." Exertion had left her with a sheen of perspiration and fatigue in her muscles. "Shh," Faye cooed, smoothing Bobbie's hair. "She'll be okay." The closeness was something that she wanted to wrap herself in, like a blanket. ...or burrito. Damn munchies. "Yeah." Bobbie smiled. Bloodshot eyes standing out sharply against her pale skin. "I'm still mad at him anyway. "We'll be fine," Faye said with a heavy sigh as she looked around. "We usually are." "Usually." *** Roxx waited. She had been waiting for what seemed like for so long, sometimes the going was easier. Pulling all the subquanta together to make even a small piece was painstakingly slow. With no real concept of how long she had been pulling, it was enough to effect something at Krakatoa. The other little, random pushes had caused some ripples in the world she used to call home. Roxx would have smiled if she had enough face to do so. The silence was the worst part. It wasn't really a complete silence, there was the endless grinding of atoms. It made music of a type. The burning beacon from before flared again and Roxx concentrated, bringing as much of herself to bear as she could muster into a single point. It could only be one thing, neighbors were scarce. The surge took a demonstrable amount of effort, but such efforts were becoming simpler, more precise. Faster, it needed to happen faster. The bottomless maw of her hunger knew no bounds. The trickles coming in did little to keep the edge off. More, she wanted more. Needed more. *** CLANG! Tim was cold as he woke. He studied his surroundings and noted how empty and clean everything was. "Tim Flaherty." A voice said, it sounded like music to him. Bobbie. He saw her, flowing robes standing tall and royally. White robes set off the piercing blue eyes. "Bobbie?" Tim blubbered. "I'm sorry, I..." He moved towards her, only to be stopped in mid motion. "I understand the mistaken identity, but I am not of whom you speak." "Justice." He gasped, he tried to back up. "Yes," she said, seeing the recognition. Do I bow? Salute? Call her Your Eminence? Having the magic of Advocates and Thralls in his life was one thing, but seeing an entity that was the headwater of all that magic turned him to blathering as only Tim Flaherty knew how. "I've only heard stories from Bobbie and Rach, and..." Words and thoughts were jumbling up faster than he could think them. Here she was, the being that could do anything... and had chosen to give him everything. It was awe, wonder... many other things blending together. Tim just wanted to keep his urethra from trying to crawl away. "What do you fear from me?" Justice appeared confused by his sudden blurting. "You have done nothing wrong that I can find fault for." "Our argument." The grip slowly loosened and Tim moved creakily. "I really wasn't trying to say that..." Newfound resolve bubbled up inside him. "Wait a minute. " He pointed. If anyone here had done anything wrong it was Justice. "Where were you then? With Bobbie? After the miscarriage, she hasn't been the same and..." "I am aware of your quarrel." Tim stood there both surprised, and not surprised. "Both of you crossed lines. Both right and both wrong as usual. Your petty disagreements mean little to me." "I can't lose her. She..." He went to his knees. "She's all I have." "Then what I say will be all the harder." Tim was really wishing for that bathroom. "What...?" No one ever uttered those words without following it up with the worst of news. "Bobbie will be occupied with an urgent matter; and to do so, your bakery must continue operations as usual." "Occupied?" Tim looked up. "What does that mean for..." "Bobbie must still be seen as the head." "Now wait a minute. We live there, I..." "And you shall continue to do so." Justice continued. "You have shown yourself to be adaptable, I trust you to make do. Upon meeting Bobbie, you became the person you should always have been." Tim's eyes filmed over, there was a sense of finality in her words. It sounded like Justice was saying that Bobbie would be leav... "Don't...." It was a single word, spoken with everything he could muster. "She's the best part of me." "And she will continue to be." Justice soothed. It seemed condescending to Tim."Her tasks keep her busy enough, and yet she wishes the added responsibility of motherhood." She nodded. "I chose well, but it cannot be allowed as of yet. The magic that exists inside you allowed for the child that..." "You should tell her that!" Tim barked. "What it's done to her, to us? I can't stand to see her like this anymore. Not fair for someone called Justice." "SILENCE!" Justice's skin took on a blue tone, the eyes turning pale. Lightning crackled in the distance. A tiny smile formed. "Sometimes, you two are too much alike." Tim felt his body flood with the biochemistry of fear as Justice closed the distance between them. This was not the entity he thought he was dealing with. Knowing Bobbie, tales of their Aspect had reached him. Admittedly in a manner that was often over his head. But this... this seemed more in line with Lust. Justice stepped back and studied. "Your dedication to her is admirable." "Whatever happens to me isn't important." Tim stood, his eyes pleading. The fear standing down. "I only care about her." "Then it is settled." CLANG! *** She waited. She had been waiting for what seemed like for so long, sometimes the going was easier. Pulling all the subquanta together to make even a small piece was painstakingly slow. With no real concept of how long she had been pulling, it was enough to effect something at Krakatoa. The other little, random pushes had caused some ripples in the world she used to call home. Roxx would have smiled if she had enough face to do so. The silence was the worst part. It wasn't really a complete silence, there was the endless grinding of atoms. It made music of a type. The burning beacon from before flared again and Roxx concentrated, bringing as much of herself to bear as she could muster into a single point. It could only be one thing, neighbors were scarce. The surge took a demonstrable amount of effort, but such efforts were becoming simpler, more precise. Driving a wedge between those two Advocates was entertaining and it certainly felt like the musical one would be the one to come to her. Things were finally starting to happen. Faster, it needed to happen faster. The bottomless maw of her hunger knew no bounds. The trickles coming in did little to keep the edge off. More, she wanted more. Needed more. MORE! *** CLANG! Bobbie knew where she was, she crossed her arms and waited, when the wind started to rise she knew what was coming. Justice. Bobbie thought back to when they first had met. She had been Robb then, someone to whom making bad choices was a full contact sport; his life draining away from the gunshot wound that ended his life. Bobbie was fit to be tied, she knew that she hadn't exactly been the model of virtue that night with Faye, but it was something she would deal with later. Now, she had some things to say. And Justice was going to listen. "It's about fucking time you showed up." Bobbie pointed fiercely. "All this time, I've handled everything that got thrown at me. Everything, I help everybody and the only one who was there to help me was Chase. The only one!" Bobbie rambled on, finally able to give voice to all of her concerns. " Tim and I...." Her expression gave way to one of pleading. "I've got Timmi to keep put away, and... and..." "I just want to give up." She slumped. "Have you finished?" Justice's face remained stony. Bobbie broke down, continuing the slump until she sank to her knees. "It's not goddamn fair, Justice. My little girl... Aurora." She sobbed. Justice floated to her and laid soothing hands on her. "Tim, Faye...Why do they all have to pay? Have I done something wrong?" "Is that what you believe?" Bobbie reddened to match her eyes. "What else could it be? How could it ever get so bad that Tim said that..." "Bobbie." "No." Bobbie rose, cutting the Aspect off sharply. "I've stood down and taken all the blows, we let Roxx ..." "SPEAK NOT OF HER!" Justice roared, Bobbie suddenly wanted to destroy a ring in a volcano somewhere. "She has caused more than enough problems, and will continue to do so. However; there may be a way to stop her still." Bobbie looked up. Stop Roxx? Even after all this time, Justice knew it to be possible. Bobbie listened; and to her mind, giving Roxx what she deserved might have made up for the loss of her child. Leaving Faye in her prison of drugs and sex So it had to be. "It will be hard, and will require a sacrifice, from both of you." Justice's face seemed filled with worry. She turned and narrowed her stony gaze. Justice finally smiled. "You have been a skilled Advocate, between yourself and Rachael... Somehow a baker and a sculptor..." "Something is happening with The Newcomer, and I believe that things have become...." She turned back to Bobbie. "...Unpredictable. There is not much time." Justice looked nervously away. "Things will be balanced, as they always are. And Bobbie..." Bobbie's tears cleared up instantly. "Remember who you are." CLANG! *** Rach heard the CLANG! And just knew what was about to happen. Justice didn't appear often, and when she did, it was usually something big. Far bigger then either one of Delacroix's Advocates could handle alone. "Rachael Chadwick." Justice was.... sitting? It seemed like a large cushion. Is that a tuffet? A flash of crimson and emerald caused her to turn her head briefly. And there's your spider. Bobbie and Rach... Good cop bad cop of the Karma police. "There is a matter you must attend to." Justice looked into Rach's identical eyes. "Bobbie will be called away, and you..." Rach screwed up her face. "I can't bake. I'm not screwing Tim either, he's nice and all, but..." "Those things will not matter. I chose them because of past circumstances." Rach was confused, but when talking to Justice, confusion was just par for the course. "Do you still look forward to kicking a little ass?" Rach nearly laughed, Justice had never used that particular word before. Having it come back to haunt her like this had a playful sense of... Justice. "Things are not as I would like them." Justice was turning her attention to the red and green flash that came again. "With Bobbie playing her part, you will be needed to help Tim in a way that should be familiar to you." "For wha..." CLANG!