Post by Daniel Tej on Jun 18, 2012 16:33:59 GMT -5
((Originally posted Apr - May, 2010))
Breath caught in her throat at the sight of the black Mustang parked at the curb in front of the Inn. Her heart stopped beating for a split second. Shoving away the misplaced memories, she took the porch steps two at a time. She gave a polite, though icy cool, nod to Broody and the Minotaur before crossing the porch towards the front doors.
Broody looked over his shoulder at Riley as she passed him, frowning a little. "She hates me," he said quietly to Horam. "I can't figure out why."
She tossed a look over her shoulder to Broody and smirked at him. "Read the Gangstar lately?" Then she slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind her before moving to the bar. She slipped through the break in the bar. Hmmm... Standing with hands balled into fists and resting on her hips, she cocked her head to the side and considered the bottles lined up on the back wall, like good little soldiers. What to drink, what to drink? Slender, nimble fingers brush against labels and she finally snags a nearly-empty bottle of single-malt. "When in doubt, stick to what you know," she said quietly and poured two fingers of the amber liquor into a highball glass before adding a splash of water and giving the glass a swirl. She moved down the bar and settled on a stool there, crossing those impossibly long legs gracefully. Setting the highball glass down on the counter in front of her, she digs in her over-sized bag and pulled out a dog-eared paperback. Tonight's selection was The Canterbury Tales. Cracking it open and laying it flat, she held it with one hand while the other was wrapped protectively around her glass.
Broody soon entered the commons room and ordered a beer from the cute little thing behind the counter. While awaiting his beer, he leaned toward Riley and nosily tried to peek at what she was reading
Without looking up, she pulled the book closer and said, "Do you mind?"
"That's not the Gangstar." He informed her helpfully.
"Wow. You're a regular Sherlock, aren't you?"
"That's... uh..." He narrowed his eyes to read the book's spine. "Chaucer?" He smirked. "I saw him in Knight's Tale."
Now she did look up, caramel brown gaze meeting heart-achingly familiar green. A single, sculpted sable brow rose and she slowly shook her head. "Answer a question for me?"
He snagged the beer with a nod of thanks to the girl, twisted the cap off and tossed it in the general direction of the trash can. He took a swig of the beer. "Depends on the question."
"Fair enough." Again, that smirk that almost reached her eyes. "Have you ever actually read a book?"
He smirked. "That's your question?"
She nodded and took a sip of her scotch. "You were expecting something else?"
"Do comic books count?"
A raised brow was the only answer he received for the comic book question. He could interpret it as he liked. Her eyes lowered to her book again.
He just couldn't help himself and the smirk widened. "I was expecting you to ask if I was available." He smiled as she reburied her head in her book and took another swig of his beer. "Hey, a graphic novel is still a novel."
Sighing deeply and very slowly, very deliberately closing her book, she returned her gaze to Broody's face again. She studied him for a long time before answering, "Do I look that...deperate to you?"
"Do I look that unattractive to you?" He reached out to pat her shoulder or attempted to anyway.
This time the smile did reach her eyes, though it was tinged with pity. She leaned away just before he touched her, so his hand merely patted the air. "I will not deny that you are certainly nice to look at. The rest though..." She gave a little shrug.
"Ah-ha! So you admit it! You have noticed!"
"I'm not blind."
"Dean one..." He swiped a finger at the air. "Priscilla zip."
The comforting scent of Leopard who'd just entered the Inn drew the evening's first true smile, but she didn't turn to face him. "Priscilla?"
"You look like a Priscilla to me. Like Priscilla Presley. It's a compliment. Trust me. An unattainable beauty. That's you." He knew when someone was out of his league.
Daniel smiled at the sight..and scent...of the Jaguar, and headed across the room towards her and the bar.
She made a thoughtful moue at that. "Unattainable, for certain. Well, at least when it concerns you."
Dean frowned, a hand pressed against his chest, feigning injury. "I'm hurt."
Now she did turn to seek out Daniel in the crowd. He was right there behind her, caught just before he dropped into a stool next to her. "Good evening, sundari."
She leaned in and kissed him softly. "Hey, English." She slid her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. "All done for the night?"
He returned that kiss with something resembling relief, breaking it only reluctantly to nod. "Thankfully. Been a hectic day. You are a sight for sore eyes."
She gave him a soft smile. "Better busy than bored, eh?" This time, she closed the book and left it closed, laying next to her highball that was definitely in need of a refill.
"Mm...usually. Not when people start fights in the middle of the lunch rush, though." He nodded to her sadly empty drink. "Need some more?"
"Wait, what? A fight?" Riley watched as Broody took his beer and headed outside. He was probably going to sulk after being picked on by someone, who apparently wanted nothing more than to tease a friend.
"Some elf and some orc had the beginnings of a scrap," he replied, nodding.
"Really? Huh." She took a sip of her scotch.
"I've no clue what it was about. There wasn't even an argument first. The orc just walked over and slugged the elf. Of course, he vanished an instant later, but that wasn't much comfort to the hapless elf. Poor bastard hit the wall like he'd stepped in front of a bus. I had to carry him to that healer two blocks away."
“Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.
"When the broken bones heal, probably."
She sighed. "It's gotta be that drug. The one John and Harper were talking about. Tensions have always been high, but lately..." She trailed off and shrugged. Lifting the glass of scotch to her lips, she finished it off and slid it towards Daniel. "Yes," she said with a smirk.
He nodded in agreement. "Must be, yeah. More scotch?"
She nodded and slid off the stool, stretching a bit. "Thanks. I'll meet you at the hearth, okay? Be right back." She turned and headed out the door.
"Sure." He took the empty glass and went to find a refill, possibly even something for himself.
Slipping soundlessly out the door and then went to lean against the railing a little ways away from the porch swing. "Nice night, huh?" she said quietly, not loudly enough to disturb Broody's ...well... brooding.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax, swinging the porch swing back and forth with a foot. He cracked an eye open at the sound of a voice and glanced over at Riley. "I guess."
"So, what's your story?" She turned to glance out at the stars, not looking at him now. Sometimes people felt more comfortable talking when there was no eye contact involved.
Was she trying to make small talk or what? He arched a brow at her. "I don't even know your name."
"Riley. I'm assuming you're not Broody, right?"
Both eyes were open now and looking curiously at the woman. "I've been called worse, but no. I'm Dean."
She nodded and then turned to look at him, easily making out his form in the half-light of the shadowy porch. "So."
"What do you wanna know about me for? Writing a book? You could call it To Hell and Back, but I think that title's been taken." There was just a hint of bitterness in his voice.
She arched a brow, again startled at the similarities between this man and her Rhys. "Literal Hell?"
"Only one hell I know of, unless you count Rhydin."
She chewed her bottom lip and slid off her perch on the top of the railing. "Listen, for the record, I don't hate you. I don't even know you. But you remind me of someone who..." She paused for a second, her heart suddenly in her throat making it difficult to breathe let alone speak. She coughed a little and continued, "You remind me of someone I'd rather not think about. So..." She shrugged and then turned to go inside.
He was watching her carefully, as if he saw her for the first time really. He wrinkled his forehead at her, as if trying to sort out what she was trying to tell him. He seemed to get the jist of what she was trying to say and he frowned sadly at her. Someone had obviously hurt her and for some reason he reminded her of him. "Sorry," he muttered stupidly, unsure what else to say. It couldn't have been him. He'd have remembered someone like her. He sighed again, turning away from her to look out at the Rhydin sky, wondering just how far from Earth they really were.
Shrugging, she said with forced casualness, "Not your fault. You're not him." She paused on the way to the door, standing even with Dean. "You should be thankful that people care about you enough to give you sh*t." And with that strange and dubious bit of advice, she slipped inside, making for the solace of the Leopard. Foregoing the rigid formality of a chair, she slid bonelessly into English's lap and threw her arms around his neck, laying her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and breathed his scent, something that she was rapidly beginning to equate with home.
Riley's sudden arrival was a surprise, but a more than welcome one. Daniel wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed lightly, purring against her. "Welcome back."
She sighed softly and then leaned down, digging through her bag and pulling out a small photo album. She flipped through it to a specific page and showed it to him. "He look familiar?"
He looked down at the picture, then glanced toward the door, and back at the picture again. "He looks quite a bit like that man who just left."
"It's not, though. It's Rhys," she said softly. She closed the album and stuck it back into her bag, curling up with him again. "That guy, Dean or whatever, thinks I hate him because I can't stand to be around him. It hurts, you know? Just to look at him. It hurts." Her fingers were playing with the little fringe of hair at the nape of his neck, her voice soft still.
He turned enough to kiss her forehead softly, answering just as quietly. "I can't imagine what it must be like. Like seeing a ghost from your past."
"Mmm," she said with a nod. Opening her eyes, she glanced at her drink which was sweating a ring into the wooden table upon which it sat. She reached out for it and took a sip, enjoying the burn as the scotch snaked down her throat to curl up in her belly. "I have a proposition for you," she said softly.
He raised a brow. "Now that is a loaded statement if I ever heard one."
She chuckled and nipped gently at his earlobe. "I've been gone from Tucson and Boston for a good long time now. People are no doubt freaking out about it, too. So I thought I'd use Mindy's friend's portal thing and go home for a while. Just to...check things out and see my parents."
He shivered slightly at the nip, even while nodding. "You're probably right. I'm sure they'd want to know how you are."
"Do you want to come? Meet them? See my old stomping grounds?" She held her breath, hoping he'd say yes.
"You'd want me to come?" The way she talked about her past, he was surprised she would.
She nodded and looked up at him. "Yes. I think my parents would like to meet you. It could be fun. We could even hop across the Pond and see your folks, too."
"I would love to go with you, sundari," he said, smiling. "I think it will be fun, too."
She grinned. "Perfect." She gave him a big hug and a kiss, her hands gently cupping his face.
He made a sound meant to convey agreement, since words would be difficult with his mouth against hers. Oh well, the eager return of her kiss was answer enough.
Sighing happily, she sat back and made a thoughtful face as she began to plan for their absence. "I'm gonna ask Taya if she can keep an eye on the Studios while we're gone. Do you have someone to keep an eye on the Cafe?"
“Not that I'd trust to run it. I'll just have to close it down while we're going. There'd be no one to cook, anyway."
She chewed her lip. "That means you'll lose money, huh?"
"Lose it? I don't know if that's the right word, since it's money I haven't yet made. I won't lose anything, except for the rent...though maybe I can work out some kind of deal with my delightful landlord," he finished, grinning widely.
She chuckled. "Whoring yourself out for rent? Tsk, tsk."
His eyes widened with mock affront, and he gave an exaggerated gasp, "I would never suggest such a thing."
A dubious brow raised, she merely said, "Uh-huh."
He leaned forward and nipped her lower lip. "Naughty," he murmured against it.
She chuckled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Yeah, but you love it."
"You're right, of course," he replied, smiling.
"Of course," she said, as though there had been any doubt. "Hungry?"
He nodded. "You?"
"Famished. I was thinking maybe we could check out that little Italian place near the Market?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." He stood, easily lifting her with him and set her gently on her feet.
She curled her fingers through his and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as they moved towards the door. She pulled open the door and held it for the Leopard. Turn about's fair play, after all.
He grinned and bowed elaborately to her, then stepped out the door.
She smirked at the ridiculous bow and stepped outside, taking in a deep lungful as she did so. Barely glancing towards Broody...Dean, rather, she moved down the stairs into the cobblestone street in front of the Inn. Wrapping her arm around English's waist, she pulled him closer and started off towards the Marketplace. "I feel like I should be singing, "We're off to see the wizard"."
"Oh? And which of us would be the Lion, then?" He chuckled, leaning against her.
"You, duh. I'm Dorothy. Or maybe you could be Toto instead?"
"Not a chance." He made a little disgusted face at the thought of being a dog. "I'll stick with the Lion."
"Oh, all right then. But we'll have to find me a Toto. I don't think I can be complete without a Toto."
He laughed, shaking his head. "What would you do with a dog?"
"Scare the ever-lovin' sh*t out of it?"
"Exactly."
She chuckled and then they turned the corner, disappearing into the night.
Riley felt...off today. Nightmares and sudden realisations had her even more quiet and introspective than normal. As a foil to her mood, she'd dressed in a brightly patterned dress and had pulled her hair back into a French braid, the tail of which now hung over one shoulder. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain, long legs crossed, nose in a book as she waited for her Leopard.
Daniel came up the street from WestEnd, strolling along at a pace that looked relaxed but somehow moved him through the Market quickly. He was carrying a blanket and a takeout box with the Bodhi Tree's logo on it, but the delectable scent of food rising from it didn't distract his nose from the Jaguar's scent. He paused at the edge of the little plaza where the fountain stood, smiling at the sight of her sitting there, engrossed in a book. He liked watching her when she was so relaxed.
Then the Leopard's scent caught her attention and she looked up, caramel gaze sweeping the area until she found him. She waved a little at him, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the take-away box in his hand.
His smile grew when she looked up and spotted him. He crossed the open area with easy strides, stopping right next to her and setting the box down on the edge of the fountain so he could lean in and kiss her lightly. "Good afternoon, sundari."
She returned his kiss, making a tiny noise, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek gently. "Hi, there. Wanna sit on the grass?"
He smiled, nodding to her, one hand reaching down to pick up the box and the blanket it had been sitting on. She rose and tucked her book back into her bag, and tugged on Danny's hand, leading him towards a small copse of trees on a near-by lawn. "What's for lunch?" she asked as she took the blanket from him and spread it on the grass. She settled down on it gracefully and swept her legs underneath her body.
"Well, let's see. He sat cross-legged on the blanket and pulled the box onto his lap, opening it and peering inside as though it was a surprise to him. First, he pulled out a copper-and-orange lily and handed it to her. "This is for you."
She grinned and took the flower from him and tucked it behind her ear. "It's beautiful, thank you," she said softly.
"No one will notice, next to you," he replied, smiling and digging back into the box, pulling out a pair of plates, each with a seekh kebab, a couple of samosas, and a large piece of paratha naan. He set one plate in front of her, then put his own down and finished the setting with two lidded cups of mango lassi.
"You're gonna spoil me, you know." She reached out and grabbed the lassi, peeling off the lid and taking a sip. "Mmm... So good. Have you given any further thought to my proposition?" she asked around a mouthful of kebab.
"It's every Cat's right to be spoiled sometimes," he said, grinning. He tore off a piece of the naan and took a bite, then raised a brow at her question. "What sort of thought? I hope you don't think I'm going to change my mind about going with you."
She shook her head. "Not about going, no." She shifted a little and slid her shoes off, setting them next to her bag and idly ripped her piece of naan into small bits before nibbling at one.
"What, then?" Something was on her mind; that much was clear. He watched her intently while chewing on some tasty kebab.
"Well... You came here by accident. I came here because...there was nothing for me on Earth anymore. I wanted to be here. So... What happens if we go back and you decide you don't want to return here with me?" Her voice was hushed, eyes lowered to her plate.
He set the food down and reached over, taking her hand in both of his. "On Earth, all I was doing was wandering about aimlessly, looking for a place where I really fit. I haven't seen my parents in years, not because I don't like them, or because they aren't wonderful people, just because I was bored in England." He stopped for a moment, gauging her reactions. Her hands lay still in his, her eyes coming up to meet his as he talked. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Since I got here, it's been different. Almost right from the start, I've felt more at home than I ever did in all the places I went to on Earth. Look at me, running my own business. I've got friends here, a job, a place to live." He paused again, took a breath, and went on. "When I'm with you, I feel like I could be at home. Do I sound like a prat, yet?"
She shook her head, not quite sure what a prat was. "So... So then you'll come back?"
"Of course I will. Assuming you want me to."
She snorted, as if the very idea of not wanting him around was patently absurd...which it was. She squeezed his hands gently and then picked up a kebab, her appetite returning with gusto now that she knew for certain how he felt about their trip.
He chuckled. "You're cute when you're all nervous, sundari." He took a long drink of the mango lassi and dug back into the food before it got cold.
She gave him a raised brow kind of look down the skewer of her kebab.
He'd have stuck his tongue out, but it was busy with food.
Finishing her kebab, she washed the last mouthful down with more lassi and then paused for a moment. "Have you ever met a girlfriend's parents before?"
"Once or twice," he nodded. "Why? Have you every brought a boyfriend home to meet yours before?"
She smirked a little. "Only Andy. You may have some big shoes to fill."
"I'm up for it," he said confidently. "I have British manners to carry me through even the most harrowing dinner conversation." He grinned widely.
She giggled. "Is it true that the English think every thing is better with tea?" She put down her naan and raised her hand, miming holding a teacup - with her pinky finger held aloft, of course. "Pip-pip, old man. Wot's that you say? Your wife's run off with the gardener and has left you with a nasty case of crotch-rot? Would you like some tea?"
He dissolved into laughter, rolling onto his back on the blanket and clutching his sides. It took him a full five minutes to recover; every time he looked over at her, it sent him into another fit of laughter. Finally, he got control of himself and wiped his eyes. His sides ached, and his cheeks hurt. "Oh, sundari, I love you when you're silly."
She laughed with him, though not quite as raucously. It had been a very long time since she'd allowed herself this level of freedom just to be silly for the sake of making someone laugh. It felt good. It felt luxurious, in fact.
He turned onto his side, still chuckling, and propped his head up with one hand and sipping his drink with the other. "It's nice to laugh, isn't it?" Yes, he knew exactly what she was feeling.
She nodded and laid down on her stomach, bending her knees so that her feet were in the air. She locked her ankles together and slowly swung them back and forth. "I haven't felt this good, this free in..." Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember back. "Well, let's just say, in a very long time." She looked down at the blanket in front of her and then back up at Daniel from under the fringe of her lashes. "Thank you," she said softly.
He shook his head, smiling. "Believe me when I say that it's every bit as much my pleasure as it is yours." He glanced over at her swinging feet, and raised a brow. "You realize a good portion of me wants to pounce on those feet, right?"
She smirked. "I'd like to see you try."
"The only thing holding me back is not wanting to ruin your lovely dress. You just wait, though. When you least expect it..." he trailed off, grinning wickedly.
She chuckled. "Uh-huh." Then she sobered and glanced up at the clock tower. "I should be moseying back to the Studios. I have another class this afternoon and I need to find Mindy, too." Moving gracefully, she sat up once more and reached for her shoes. "Movie night tonight?"
"Of course. What will we be seeing this time?" He sat up as well, and gathered up the plates and cups, putting them all back in the box.
"Hmmm... How about The Shining? I'll make dinner." She put her shoes on and stood, smoothing down her dress and patting a hand over her hair. "Let's say...8:00? My place?"
He rose smoothly to his feet, nodding. "Sounds perfect to me, I always enjoy being cooked for, instead of vice versa."
"And I haven't killed you yet either, so it all works out." She grinned and slung her bag over her arm, then tucked her free arm through his. She kissed his cheek softly, nuzzling gently against it with her nose.
"Honestly, your cooking isn't that bad," he replied, grinning. He turned his head and snuck in a quick kiss on her lips.
"Gee. I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not," she said with deadpan delivery as they began the walk south, back to the building. "Have you been busy today?"
He shrugged. "Off and on. People have been coming in waves." He dropped the box into the first trash bin they reached, then pulled her against his side, enjoying the cool breeze in the air.
"How's the new woman working out?" As they walked, she was glancing at the various food stalls they passed. What would she make for dinner tonight? Last week, it had been Mexican. Earlier this week, they'd gone out for Italian. Maybe just something simple? A steak, potatoes, some green salad?
"Oh, she's great. She's like every Indian grandmother you've ever seen. Cooks better than I do, and doesn't take any cheek from the customers at all."
She laughed at that. "Does she threaten them with a rolling pin or a spatula?" She paused by a butcher's stall and selected two small fillets and some bacon. As the butcher's boy wrapped her purchases, she glanced over to a green-grocer's stall, eyes moving over the lettuces and various other vegetables.
"A rolling pin, of course. They hurt more," he replied, chuckling. He eyed the meats she was purchasing, inhaling their delightful aroma. "I can hardly wait to see what you do with those."
"Nothing fancy," she said as she accepted the packages from the boy and added them to her bag. "Gonna wrap them in slices of the bacon and grill them. Maybe some roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and a green salad, too?" She turned and headed towards the green-grocer's.
"Who needs fancy, when you've got tasty?" He nodded in agreement with the salad.
"Exactly." She selected a head of perfect-looking butter lettuce, an orange bell pepper, some radishes, an ear of corn, a cucumber and a few carrots. She paid for the produce and slipped them into her bag. "Okay. I'm done. Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm set."
Nodding, she slipped her arm through his and they set off once more, headed across the bridge to WestEnd.
****
Setting the glass down on the counter next to Danny-Boy, Riley climbed up to her knees on the stool and leeeeeaned across the counter to put the bottle back. Then she sat back and kissed Danny's cheek softly. "Hi. How're you?"
"I'm good, and better now," he replied, rubbing his cheek against her. "How has your day been?"
She gave him a little shrug and played with the rings of condensation left behind by her glass. "Tired," she finally said softly.
He nodded. "That nightmare took a lot out of you," he said. He wanted to ask her more about it, but it was pretty obvious she didn't want to talk about it.
She nodded and glanced side-long at him. "Sorry you had to be there for that," she said, again very softly.
"Don't be. I'd like to think I helped you feel at least a little better," he replied, very quietly.
She watched Broody sidle past, a slightly amused little smirk on her lips. Then she turned back to Danny and gave him a genuine smile, one that lit up her eyes. "You did. Thank you."
He nodded again, smiling. "You're very welcome."
"You ready for tomorrow?" She leaned against the Leopard, her chin hooked over his shoulder, mouth scant inches from his ear.
"I'm excited. Not sure I'll be able to sleep a wink tonight. You?" He slipped one arm around her shoulders, stroking her hair lightly.
"Nervous. Scared. My Mama-san's gonna murder me."
"Because you've been gone so long?"
"Yeah, and because I didn't tell her that I was leaving. And with everything that happened prior to my leaving, I'm relatively certain they think I'm dead. Or worse."
"Well, perhaps they'll be so overjoyed to find you're not dead, that they'll refrain from murdering you again," he chuckled.
She laughed at Danny's response and kissed the side of his neck, right above the big vein. He shivered at the kiss, purring softly deep in his chest. She let her lips linger there for a few beats of his heart before sitting up straight and rescuing her drink, which was feeling forlorn and ignored.
"I have a plan to get to Boston from New Orleans," she said quietly.
"Oh?" He titled his head, listening.
"Well, I need to make a side-trip in New York. So I figured we could fly out from New Orleans to JFK and then you could go on to Boston, snag us a room and I'll be along a few hours later."
"You don't want company in New York?" he asked.
She licked her lips and fidgeted a little. "Well, I'm going to pay my respects to...a friend's mother." Memories of the dream she'd had last night came flooding back and she pressed her hands over her stomach.
"Ah, I see," He nodded. He had a good idea who she was talking about, but there wasn't any reason to press about it. Some things just have to be done alone. "Sounds like a workable plan, then."
"You're okay with it? I mean, going on to Boston alone?"
"Certainly. It won't be the first time I've traveled alone." He grinned.
She kissed his cheek softly and gave him a big hug. "You're amazing," she whispered in his ear.
He held her close for a moment, smiling. "It must be you, bringing it out in me," he whispered back.
"I think, honestly, it's the other way around. You're...refreshingly well-adjusted. Almost normal, you know?" Her eyes danced wickedly.
"Me? Normal? I didn't learn to be human until I was a teenager, if you'll recall." He chuckled quietly.
"Like I said. Normal." She winked and then flicked a glance towards Broody McHotpants and the blond who was currently hanging all over him. She frowned and then turned so she couldn't see them at all. "I really, really need to get out of here. Porch swing?"
"Anywhere you want," he said with complete sincerity.
She nodded and abandoned her drink on the counter. She slipped off her stool and made a beeline for the door, not saying anything to anyone in her passing. He followed, weaving through the crowed with fluid ease, never once brushing against anyone.
Air. Air was good. Huge, gulping lungsful of air are awesome. They help clear the head, stave off weeping, settle the stomach. She bent over at the waist, hands clutched to her stomach, eyes clenched shut. "It's not him, it's not him," she was mumbling under her breath, a mantra against the sudden barrage of memories. He stroked her back lightly, not entirely sure whether he ought to say something, or give her time. She turned and hugged him tightly, pressing her face into his shoulder. "I have to know," she whispered. "I have to know for certain, if he's dead or alive. Not knowing is killing me."
He squeezed her hard, harder than would be comfortable for a human. "You will. You'll know when you go to New York." He really did know why she was going.
She nodded and just stayed in his arms for a moment, feeling safe and protected. She was beginning to feel guilty for putting him through this emotional washing machine. She'd warned him, though, before they'd become involved. She'd told him to keep his distance. He clearly hadn't listened. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Stop apologizing," he said softly. "You haven't forced me into anything. It's me making the choice. Really."
She looked up at him, dry-eyed, but the tip of her nose was red - a sure indication that she'd been crying. "I'm f*cked up, Danny. So much sh*t in my history, so much heart-ache and pain and just...crap. I'm broken. Lani was right."
He shook his head vehemently. "She wasn't right. You're not broken. Bent, maybe. Damaged, possibly. Not broken, though. I've watched you healing for almost the whole time I've known you. Seen you laugh and relax, even open up about things. Don't think for instant that it's time to give up." He stopped for a moment, trying to decide how to continue. "I'd be very disappointed if you did," he finished quietly.
"Yeah?" She sighed deeply and then wiped a hand down her face. Turning out of his arms for a moment, she sat down hard on the porch swing and tugged him down next to her. Once he was settled, she snuggled close next to him, almost as if she were trying to climb inside his body. "I sometimes wonder if I'm poison. Like... I seem to ruin everyone's life." She stopped talking, trying to resist the urge to hold a self-pity party.
He pulled her tight to him and shook his head again. "You haven't ruined my life, sundari. Rather the opposite, in fact. I'm happier now than I've ever been."
She raised a dubious brow and looked up at him. "There's time. We've only known each other for a month."
He looked down at her, almost frowned. "Maybe you shouldn't say things like that. Sometimes it sounds like you hope things would go bad."
"Maybe hope's too strong a word. Maybe expect would be better."
"Isn't there some saying about your expectations influencing your reality?"
"Self-fulfilling prophecy." She sighed softly and snuggled closer still. "Know what I wish?" she said quietly, knowing that words have power and if the wrong words are overheard by the right ears, disastrous consequences might ensue.
"What do you wish?"
"That I'd lost my memories while I was with Maeve."
"If you'd lost your memories...you wouldn't be you."
"No, I'd be happier. Less...f*cked up."
"I...," he said, then stopped and sat silently for a long time. Finally, so softly even Lycan ears would have to strain to hear it from more than a few feet away. "I'd probably not have met you if you had."
No words to respond to that, she just hugged him tighter, thanking whatever gods or maybe her karma for him being in her life.
He just held her silently, running his fingers through her hair. For the life of him, he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't either come out idiotically or incoherently.
She sighed softly and closed her eyes, putting a foot out to send them slowly back and forth. The motion soothed her.
His eyes slowly closed, too, as they rocked back and forth. He could both feel and smell as she slowly relaxed, which was a relief. It was probably better if he didn't try to say anything more at the moment, so he just kept stroking her hair softly.
"Do you think it'd be possible to stay in Cat form? Never shift back to human?" She asked this quietly, almost as if she's afraid to give voice to the thoughts.
"Um," he said, startled by the question. "Probably not. Sometimes the shift happens without conscious thought."
She nodded and pushed them more, the speed of the swinging picking up a bit. "It'd be easier to be a cat. Less...crap to deal with. Less emotional stress and abuse."
He nodded. "It's true, there is less stress. But...there's less of the good emotions, too."
She nodded and leaned back, closing her eyes and just being for a while, letting the scents and sounds wash over her. "It'll be so different on Earth. So loud and bright and crowded."
"So many people. One thing I don't miss."
She chuckled softly. "I like the people. I like watching them and trying to figure out what makes them tick."
"That's not so bad, I suppose. It's just the unthinking air that surrounds most of them that bothers me."
She snorted. "They're sheeple. They do what the TV and the magazines and the politicians tell them to do. But occasionally, you get flashes of intelligence. Those are the ones I like to look for."
"Sheeple. I like that. It fits," he said, smiling.
She grinned and stirred. "Maybe we should go home and try to sleep? Big day tomorrow."
He nodded. "It's probably for the best. Though 'try' might be the operative world."
"Too bad I can't take anything to ensure sleep," she said softly.
"I recommend one Leopard cuddle," he said facetiously.
She grinned and then stood up, reaching down to him. "Let's go try that out, shall we?"
He took her hand and stood, nodding. "We may have to try a few times before we get it right."
"Think you're...up...for it?" She grinned wickedly at him as they descended the porch steps.
He glanced sidelong at her, raising a brow. "Naughty kitty. I think I can manage."
"We'll see." She steered them in a general westerly direction. "We'll see, Little Leopard."
"Well, we'll give it the old college try, shall we?" His laughter followed them down the street and out into the night.
****
Well I looked my demons in the eyes
Lay bare my chest
Said do your best
Destroy me
You see I've been to hell and back
So many times
I must admit
You kinda bore me
“Empty” – Ray LaMontagne
Driving along the Staten Island Expressway, Riley saw the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge looming in the distance and her heart began beating in triple time. The last time she'd driven this way was some ten months earlier, on her way from Janet's brownstone in Brooklyn to Newark Airport. She'd received a phone call from Deacon the day before, telling her that Orla had been murdered and that Riley had been made executor of her estate and needed to come back to Tucson to begin making arrangements. She and Rhys had had a fight that night, and she'd ended up telling him to stay behind in New York. He was going through a bit of a rough patch and was clinging to her. She selfishly decided that she couldn't deal with everything – losing Orla, making her memorial service arrangements, tending to the woman's will and Rhys's issues, too. That had been the last time she'd seen him.
It had also been the last time she'd set foot in New York. Even when, three months later, John's plane had gone down somewhere over Nebraska, she hadn't attended his funeral. She'd chickened out, knowing that Janet and Gina both would hate her for it. She'd avoided the women's phone calls and hadn't returned their emails or their letters. And then she just disappeared, running away from what she was sure would soon become Hell on Earth.
When Riley and Daniel had stepped out of the women's room in a little place called O'Riley's Bar & Grill, on the outskirts of Baton Rogue, she was certain that they would be walking into a world straight out of either Zombieland or Mad Max. What they found was...well...surprisingly normal. Mindy's contact, Gustave, an egghead if ever Riley had seen one, had been waiting there for them. He arranged a flight from New Orleans International to Newark for Riley and a connecting flight to Boston for Daniel, gave them money and identification and reminded them that the portal only worked on a three-day cycle.
The flight from NOLA to Newark had gone off without a hitch. They moved through security without any problems and the flight had been smooth. She'd spent the forty minutes between connecting flights instructing Daniel where to grab a hotel room once he got to Boston and arranging her own flight to Boston some seven hours later. When his flight was called, she kissed him good-bye and then had gone direct to the Enterprise Rental kiosk, procured a 2010-model Mustang and began the hour-long trek to Brooklyn.
She crossed the Verrazano and turned north, headed towards Carroll Gardens, which according to the latest edition of New York Magazine, was amongst the ten most desirable places to live in NYC. Riley had certainly enjoyed her visit there last year. Mature trees, tidy brownstones with front and back gardens, lots of kids playing in safe streets. She'd loved it so much, in fact, she'd told Rhys to look into a place to live while she was in Tucson. Apparently he'd done as she instructed because she received phone calls for the next six months from some Realtor in Manhattan.
Exiting the 278, she began searching for Smith Street. Ah-ha! There it was, she pulled onto it and began looking for Janet's home, creeping along as she looked at house numbers. Number 256 – Janet had painted the front door a beautiful Wedgewood blue and she had some pink geraniums blooming in pots on the front stoop. She found a parking spot across the street and turned the car off, but didn't climb out. She just sat for a long time, staring up at the house, wondering what she'd find inside.
Riley spotted a brunette with a little blond-headed boy walking towards her car. “Oh, god,” Riley whispered and ducked down behind the steering wheel. It was Gina and Joey. They turned up the walk-way of Janet's house and went inside. “Oh, wonderful,” Riley said. “A triple-pronged attack.” Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the car, part of a song playing out in her head.
Looking both ways before crossing the street, despite it not being a particularly busy crossing, Riley slowly slunk up the walk to Janet's front stoop. If she were a dog, her tail would be squarely between her legs. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the bowling ball of dread that had taken up residence in her gut, she mounted the stairs and knocked. And then smoothed down her clothing and ran a hand over her hair.
It was a minute or two before anyone came to the door, a voice heard calling as the door was pulled open. "Joey! No more cookies. You'll ruin your dinner."
Ohsh*tohsh*tohsh*t, Riley thought furiously and wondered if it was too late to run away.
The pretty dark-haired woman turned back around to see who was at the door, hoping it wasn't yet another well-meaning neighbor come to pay their respects. Gina looked just like Riley remembered her. She had changed from work clothes and was wearing jeans and a pink sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, pink flats on her feet. Her face blanched at the sight of Riley and for a minute, she thought she was seeing a ghost.
Riley took a deep breath, plastered on what she hoped was a contrite smile, and said, "Hi, Gina." Riley chuckled nervously and fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "Is this a bad time? Am I interrupting dinner or something?"
"Riley?" Gina asked incredulously, hardly believing her eyes. She almost looked like she was on the verge of fainting.
She nodded and took a step forward, an awkward hand coming up to catch Gina's elbow...just in case. "Yeah. It's me."
"We thought you were dead," she whispered, after taking a minute to find her voice. What did you say to someone you thought you'd never see again? Tears filled her eyes at the sight of her old friend.
She nodded again. "Yeah... I...uh...sorry. Stuff just...went to crap." Her eyes, too, filled with tears and she took another step forward, reaching for Gina to fold her into a hug.
Memories flooded back, some good, some bad. The night they went out for dinner. The day at Coney Island. The last time they'd seen each other and said goodbye. She returned the hug, overjoyed to see Riley alive and well, despite everything that had happened.
She whispered, "I'm so sorry, Gina. I'm so f*cking sorry."
She assumed Riley was offering her sympathies regarding John's death and she nodded her head, carefully wiping the tears from beneath her eyes.
She stepped back and awkwardly sniffed, wiping at her cheeks with fingertips. "Is Janet here?" Riley asked in a hushed voice.
"No, she... she's still at work." She stepped out of the apartment and onto the stoop, glancing over her shoulder to check on Joey, who was doing his homework in front of the TV. "She's been like a mother to me, since John..."
Riley nodded again and took Gina's hand, sliding her fingers through the smaller woman's and giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. F*ck... I'm sorry for so much. I'm an assh*le." Clearly, Riley's potty mouth hadn't gotten any better. If possible, it'd gotten worse.
She returned the hand squeeze, shaking her head in denial of Riley taking the blame. "No, you're not." Before the neighbors noticed and started asking questions and maybe for autographs, she asked, "Do you want to come in?" She let go of Riley's hand and pulled the door open, stepping back inside and waiting for her to follow.
"Yeah, I'd love to." Riley stepped inside and her knees went weak with the sudden assault of memories. The last time she'd been in this house had been the morning she and Rhys had discovered Peanut... She shook her head and moved further into the living room. She smiled at Joey and gave him a stiff little wave.
"Would you like some coffee? Joey and I made some cookies yesterday." The boy was too young to really understand what was going on around him, and he only waved back at his mother's friend. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. He was too nervous about the cookies he had hidden under his shirt to greet her anyway.
"Sure, coffee would be good." She trailed after Gina, squinting hard at the kitchen table, looking for signs of an ashtray or cigarette cartons.
"Where have you been? Everyone's been so worried." She asked the obvious question, wanting to know before it hit the papers, as she went about pouring two cups of coffee.
She blew out a deep breath and sat down hard on a chair at the table, elbows propped in front of her, chin in palms. "Well...after...you know...I just couldn't..." She sighed softly, knowing she sounded like the worst kind of quitter ever. "I couldn't be here any more. So...I went to see a former client and asked him to...relocate me."
She had to pause a moment to stop her hands from shaking before she reached for the coffee pot. "After?" She turned back to Riley, setting both cups on the table. After what? After she left the City? After she lost the baby? After the car accident? After the plane went down?
"After everything. I tried to hack it for awhile. I stayed in Tucson, continued working for about six months after Rhys...disappeared. But I just... I couldn't anymore."
Gina frowned sadly, suspecting Riley didn't know what had happened to Rhys. If she had, she might not have left. If that was the case, it was going to be awkward as hell telling her. She turned her back to fetch the cream and sugar. "Where did you go? I tried getting in touch, but... it was like you dropped off the planet."
"Something like that, yeah." How to explain Rhy'Din to Gina?
She set the cream and sugar on the table, along with two spoons and then turned away again to fetch a tray of cookies. "You went underground? Into hiding?" It was the only thing Gina could think of that would explain Riley's sudden and complete disappearance.
She chewed at her lower lip as she doctored her coffee and stirred it absently. "Did John ever talk to you about portals?"
She didn't really feel like cookies or coffee, but it felt comforting to do normal things. She set the plate of cookies on the table. If you looked hard enough, you could tell which Gina had made and which Joey had made; Gina's were uniformly shaped and sized, where as Joey's were all irregular. She shook her head as she took a seat across from Riley at the table. "No, John didn't like to talk about work much. He didn't like to worry me."
Well, crap. "Okay. I've been...uh...in an alternate dimension. A place called Rhy'Din. And it's kinda like here, only...crazier. Not only are there Lycans and vamps, but there's like dragons and cyber men and...and...people from the future and from the past, too."
She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, furrowing her brows at Riley. It sounded crazy, but after everything she'd seen, nothing really surprised her anymore. "Dragons? Cyber... men?" As if the City wasn't crazy enough.
"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I know I probably sound like a crazy person, but I swear it's true."
She might have sounded crazy to anyone else, but to Gina, who had been engaged to a Wizard, whose best friend had been a demon hunter, and who was sitting across from a Lycanthrope who might as well have come back from the dead, nothing sounded crazy. She smiled weakly and touched Riley's arm to reassure her. "It's me, Riley. I don't think you're crazy."
She sipped her coffee, suddenly remembering it was sitting there in front of her. "Thanks," she said gratefully.
"Are you staying or going back?" Gina asked suddenly.
"I'm going back. I... I have a life there now."
Gina nodded again, shifting her gaze to look into her coffee cup.
Riley lapsed into silence, looking down into her cup as well. This wasn't going as badly as she had expected it to. Gina hadn't tired to murder her yet. Maybe there was hope.
What was she supposed to say now? Was she supposed to tell her that Rhys wasn't dead but might as well be? Was she supposed to tell her how she sorry she was for everything that had happened and how she hoped she'd find happiness in her new life? An awkward silence seemed to settle around them.
"Maybe I should get going. I'm flying up to Boston tonight, to see my parents."
She nodded again, turning the cup between her hands. "Why did you come here?"
She sighed deeply. "To lay the dead, I guess. I've been... I've been having a lot of horrible nightmares and I just wanted to...see what is real and what's been made up by my screwed up mind."
"What kind of nightmares?"
"I dreamt that Janet started smoking," she said with a smirk, sidestepping the real meat of the dreams.
She looked surprised at that and then she actually smiled a little. "Janet doesn't smoke."
"Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh? But in this dream I had, she was sitting right here, with like an entire pack full of butts in this old glass ashtray."
"Janet's probably handling it better than any of us." She looked back at her coffee again. "She said she always knew it might happen someday. Janet has been my rock through all of this."
Riley nodded and finished the coffee before putting the empty cup down on the table and running a finger around the rim of it. She bit her lower lip and looked up at Gina from under the fringe of her lashes. "And...any word?" She prayed that Gina knew what she was talking about and would need elucidation.
She lifted her gaze, arching a brow. "About Rhys?" Riley nodded, swallowing past a lump in her throat. "You don't know, do you?"
Riley snapped her head up, her heart racing, adrenaline pumping. "Know what? There's news? Is he okay? Is he here, in the City?"
"He's..." She drew a slow breath to gather her words, frowning again. "There was an accident."
She blinked, her heart freezing now. "An accident?" she asked breathlessly.
"A car accident. He..." She paused a moment again, chewing her lip. "He's alive, but he... He had major head trauma. He's not the same, Riley. He doesn't remember me. He doesn't remember any of it. I don't know what brought him back to Brooklyn. He's working in a diner. You wouldn't even recognize him."
Her eyes filled with tears and she looked down at the table. The tears spilled over, dropping into her lap and leaving splotches on the thighs of her jeans. "Is he here then? In the city?" she whispered.
She nodded, her heart aching with sadness, not only for Riley, but for all of them. "He's... different."
Riley made no sound, just sat, still staring down at the table, silently weeping. She wanted to see him, even if he didn't remember her. She had to see him, just to prove to herself that he wasn't dead or being held prisoner or something horrible. She needed to lay the dead, the ghosts of memories that were haunting her every night. Maybe once she'd seen him, she'd stop dreaming about him, stop looking for him in every crowd and she could get on with her life...without him.
She reached for Riley's hand and gave it a small squeeze. She knew what she was feeling. She'd lost John forever. She'd never see him again. No one would ever take his place. "I don't understand any of this."
She squeezed Gina's hand, too, like clinging to a life saver. "I don't either," she whispered.
"But I have to believe Johnny is at peace now. That he's in a better place. And I'll see him again someday." Tears filled her eyes at the memory of John and at everything they all had gone through.
The corner of her mouth curled in a tiny smile. "I'm pretty sure he's reincarnated as like...a spoiled Siamese or something." She chuckled softly.
She smiled a little. "I hope he finds his way home then. I miss him."
"Be on the look-out for suspicious cats. Or dogs, maybe."
She nodded, trying hard not to cry. She thought she was all cried out, but talking about John made her heart ache with grief and loneliness. "John was the one who brought the stray home, not me." She was talking about Rhys, though it was Gina who'd introduced them.
"I know," she whispered. Indeed, she did know exactly how Gina was feeling. She'd been feeling that way since July of last year.
"I can take you to see him." She dabbed at her tears.
"Thank you." She stood up and took her coffee cup to the sink, washed and dried it and set it in the drainer next to the sink. Then she glanced at her watch. She had three hours until she had to leave for the airport.
"I don't know where he lives, but I know where he works."
She nodded, thinking it was probably better that way. She could see him at work and avoid making a scene in public. Maybe. "You should stay with Joey. Just tell me where it is and I'll go."
"How much time do you have?"
"The plane leaves in about four and a half hours. So...three hours?"
"He's at Cole's Diner. It's not far from Carroll Park. You know where that is?"
She nodded. "Just down the street from here, yeah?"
She nodded and wiped at her tears again. "It's not far."
She moved to wrap Gina in a hug again. She had no idea when or if she'd ever be back.
Gina moved to her feet to return the hug, the tears coming again. "Riley...I'm so sorry."
"Me, too." She squeezed her as tightly as she dared and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Take care of yourself, and Janet and Joey, too." Riley let Gina go and moved towards the door, her steps heavy as if her body wanted her to stay here.
"Take care of yourself, too." She felt suddenly wrung out as she watched Riley go. There seemed like there were so many things left unsaid between them. Things that might have been and would never be. Part of her was happy Riley was alive and making a new life for herself. The other part of her grieved for the old life they'd both left behind.
She stopped with her hand on the door knob and turned, giving Gina some small ghost of her usual ****, half-smile. "See ya."
"Good-bye, Riley," she told her quietly, smiling softly. In her heart, she didn't think she'd ever see her friend again.
She winked and then turned and stepped out of the house. Moving like an automaton, she crossed the street and slipped into the rented car. She sat for a long, long while, trying to work up the nerve to either commit to going and seeing Rhys or fleeing back to the airport. Shoving the car into gear, she took off for this diner. She'd just sit in the parking lot and look in through the window. Maybe he wouldn't even be there. Maybe it was his day off.
****
But if there was a single truth, a single light
A single thought, a singular touch of grace
Then following this single point, this single flame,
The single haunted memory of your face
I still love you
I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves
Like galaxies in my head
"A Thousand Years" - Sting
Riley drove back and forth in front of the diner at least five times as she waffled with the decision - to stop and see Rhys or not. She knew he was alive. She felt good knowing he was alive. Would it be better in the long run to just be happy knowing he was alive, or would it be better for her to park the car, climb out of it and go inside and speak to him.
Gina said he didn't remember her, didn't remember anything that had happened the previous summer. Head trauma, Gina said. Riley suspected she knew better. Nikki had had something to do with it. Fate, or at least one of them anyway, had stepped in and given Rhys... Given Rhys what? A fresh start? A new life? But why had Nikki given him this without Riley?
"F*ck it," she grumbled as she swung into the tiny parking lot of the diner and shut off the car. She peered through the windscreen and in through the big window in the front of the restaurant. Two waitresses were working and she thought she could make out a tall male figure at the grill behind the counter. He seemed to have a mohawk. "No way," Riley whispered. "No f*cking way."
She climbed out of the car and slung her bag over her shoulder, still staring at the busily-working man at the counter. Maybe it really was Rhys's day off. Well, good, since she still hadn't decided if seeing him and knowing that he had no memory of her, of their relationship, of their child, was a good thing or not. Glancing around quickly, Riley started towards the diner and entered, a little bell ringing as she opened the door.
"Have a seat anywhere and I'll be right with ya," a tiny red-headed waitress said to Riley with a huge, friendly smile on her elfin face. Riley nodded and went to sit down at the counter, caramel gaze still on the man at the grill, whose back was to her.
She looked him over carefully. Same build, same breadth of shoulders, narrow waist, long, strong legs, perfect butt. The tattoos and the hair, though... No. It couldn't possibly be Rhys. He turned and Riley's jaw fell to her chest. Their eyes locked - caramel meeting green - and she felt as though she'd been stabbed in both lungs and in the heart as well.
"Rhys?" she breathed.
Breath caught in her throat at the sight of the black Mustang parked at the curb in front of the Inn. Her heart stopped beating for a split second. Shoving away the misplaced memories, she took the porch steps two at a time. She gave a polite, though icy cool, nod to Broody and the Minotaur before crossing the porch towards the front doors.
Broody looked over his shoulder at Riley as she passed him, frowning a little. "She hates me," he said quietly to Horam. "I can't figure out why."
She tossed a look over her shoulder to Broody and smirked at him. "Read the Gangstar lately?" Then she slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind her before moving to the bar. She slipped through the break in the bar. Hmmm... Standing with hands balled into fists and resting on her hips, she cocked her head to the side and considered the bottles lined up on the back wall, like good little soldiers. What to drink, what to drink? Slender, nimble fingers brush against labels and she finally snags a nearly-empty bottle of single-malt. "When in doubt, stick to what you know," she said quietly and poured two fingers of the amber liquor into a highball glass before adding a splash of water and giving the glass a swirl. She moved down the bar and settled on a stool there, crossing those impossibly long legs gracefully. Setting the highball glass down on the counter in front of her, she digs in her over-sized bag and pulled out a dog-eared paperback. Tonight's selection was The Canterbury Tales. Cracking it open and laying it flat, she held it with one hand while the other was wrapped protectively around her glass.
Broody soon entered the commons room and ordered a beer from the cute little thing behind the counter. While awaiting his beer, he leaned toward Riley and nosily tried to peek at what she was reading
Without looking up, she pulled the book closer and said, "Do you mind?"
"That's not the Gangstar." He informed her helpfully.
"Wow. You're a regular Sherlock, aren't you?"
"That's... uh..." He narrowed his eyes to read the book's spine. "Chaucer?" He smirked. "I saw him in Knight's Tale."
Now she did look up, caramel brown gaze meeting heart-achingly familiar green. A single, sculpted sable brow rose and she slowly shook her head. "Answer a question for me?"
He snagged the beer with a nod of thanks to the girl, twisted the cap off and tossed it in the general direction of the trash can. He took a swig of the beer. "Depends on the question."
"Fair enough." Again, that smirk that almost reached her eyes. "Have you ever actually read a book?"
He smirked. "That's your question?"
She nodded and took a sip of her scotch. "You were expecting something else?"
"Do comic books count?"
A raised brow was the only answer he received for the comic book question. He could interpret it as he liked. Her eyes lowered to her book again.
He just couldn't help himself and the smirk widened. "I was expecting you to ask if I was available." He smiled as she reburied her head in her book and took another swig of his beer. "Hey, a graphic novel is still a novel."
Sighing deeply and very slowly, very deliberately closing her book, she returned her gaze to Broody's face again. She studied him for a long time before answering, "Do I look that...deperate to you?"
"Do I look that unattractive to you?" He reached out to pat her shoulder or attempted to anyway.
This time the smile did reach her eyes, though it was tinged with pity. She leaned away just before he touched her, so his hand merely patted the air. "I will not deny that you are certainly nice to look at. The rest though..." She gave a little shrug.
"Ah-ha! So you admit it! You have noticed!"
"I'm not blind."
"Dean one..." He swiped a finger at the air. "Priscilla zip."
The comforting scent of Leopard who'd just entered the Inn drew the evening's first true smile, but she didn't turn to face him. "Priscilla?"
"You look like a Priscilla to me. Like Priscilla Presley. It's a compliment. Trust me. An unattainable beauty. That's you." He knew when someone was out of his league.
Daniel smiled at the sight..and scent...of the Jaguar, and headed across the room towards her and the bar.
She made a thoughtful moue at that. "Unattainable, for certain. Well, at least when it concerns you."
Dean frowned, a hand pressed against his chest, feigning injury. "I'm hurt."
Now she did turn to seek out Daniel in the crowd. He was right there behind her, caught just before he dropped into a stool next to her. "Good evening, sundari."
She leaned in and kissed him softly. "Hey, English." She slid her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. "All done for the night?"
He returned that kiss with something resembling relief, breaking it only reluctantly to nod. "Thankfully. Been a hectic day. You are a sight for sore eyes."
She gave him a soft smile. "Better busy than bored, eh?" This time, she closed the book and left it closed, laying next to her highball that was definitely in need of a refill.
"Mm...usually. Not when people start fights in the middle of the lunch rush, though." He nodded to her sadly empty drink. "Need some more?"
"Wait, what? A fight?" Riley watched as Broody took his beer and headed outside. He was probably going to sulk after being picked on by someone, who apparently wanted nothing more than to tease a friend.
"Some elf and some orc had the beginnings of a scrap," he replied, nodding.
"Really? Huh." She took a sip of her scotch.
"I've no clue what it was about. There wasn't even an argument first. The orc just walked over and slugged the elf. Of course, he vanished an instant later, but that wasn't much comfort to the hapless elf. Poor bastard hit the wall like he'd stepped in front of a bus. I had to carry him to that healer two blocks away."
“Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.
"When the broken bones heal, probably."
She sighed. "It's gotta be that drug. The one John and Harper were talking about. Tensions have always been high, but lately..." She trailed off and shrugged. Lifting the glass of scotch to her lips, she finished it off and slid it towards Daniel. "Yes," she said with a smirk.
He nodded in agreement. "Must be, yeah. More scotch?"
She nodded and slid off the stool, stretching a bit. "Thanks. I'll meet you at the hearth, okay? Be right back." She turned and headed out the door.
"Sure." He took the empty glass and went to find a refill, possibly even something for himself.
Slipping soundlessly out the door and then went to lean against the railing a little ways away from the porch swing. "Nice night, huh?" she said quietly, not loudly enough to disturb Broody's ...well... brooding.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax, swinging the porch swing back and forth with a foot. He cracked an eye open at the sound of a voice and glanced over at Riley. "I guess."
"So, what's your story?" She turned to glance out at the stars, not looking at him now. Sometimes people felt more comfortable talking when there was no eye contact involved.
Was she trying to make small talk or what? He arched a brow at her. "I don't even know your name."
"Riley. I'm assuming you're not Broody, right?"
Both eyes were open now and looking curiously at the woman. "I've been called worse, but no. I'm Dean."
She nodded and then turned to look at him, easily making out his form in the half-light of the shadowy porch. "So."
"What do you wanna know about me for? Writing a book? You could call it To Hell and Back, but I think that title's been taken." There was just a hint of bitterness in his voice.
She arched a brow, again startled at the similarities between this man and her Rhys. "Literal Hell?"
"Only one hell I know of, unless you count Rhydin."
She chewed her bottom lip and slid off her perch on the top of the railing. "Listen, for the record, I don't hate you. I don't even know you. But you remind me of someone who..." She paused for a second, her heart suddenly in her throat making it difficult to breathe let alone speak. She coughed a little and continued, "You remind me of someone I'd rather not think about. So..." She shrugged and then turned to go inside.
He was watching her carefully, as if he saw her for the first time really. He wrinkled his forehead at her, as if trying to sort out what she was trying to tell him. He seemed to get the jist of what she was trying to say and he frowned sadly at her. Someone had obviously hurt her and for some reason he reminded her of him. "Sorry," he muttered stupidly, unsure what else to say. It couldn't have been him. He'd have remembered someone like her. He sighed again, turning away from her to look out at the Rhydin sky, wondering just how far from Earth they really were.
Shrugging, she said with forced casualness, "Not your fault. You're not him." She paused on the way to the door, standing even with Dean. "You should be thankful that people care about you enough to give you sh*t." And with that strange and dubious bit of advice, she slipped inside, making for the solace of the Leopard. Foregoing the rigid formality of a chair, she slid bonelessly into English's lap and threw her arms around his neck, laying her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and breathed his scent, something that she was rapidly beginning to equate with home.
Riley's sudden arrival was a surprise, but a more than welcome one. Daniel wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed lightly, purring against her. "Welcome back."
She sighed softly and then leaned down, digging through her bag and pulling out a small photo album. She flipped through it to a specific page and showed it to him. "He look familiar?"
He looked down at the picture, then glanced toward the door, and back at the picture again. "He looks quite a bit like that man who just left."
"It's not, though. It's Rhys," she said softly. She closed the album and stuck it back into her bag, curling up with him again. "That guy, Dean or whatever, thinks I hate him because I can't stand to be around him. It hurts, you know? Just to look at him. It hurts." Her fingers were playing with the little fringe of hair at the nape of his neck, her voice soft still.
He turned enough to kiss her forehead softly, answering just as quietly. "I can't imagine what it must be like. Like seeing a ghost from your past."
"Mmm," she said with a nod. Opening her eyes, she glanced at her drink which was sweating a ring into the wooden table upon which it sat. She reached out for it and took a sip, enjoying the burn as the scotch snaked down her throat to curl up in her belly. "I have a proposition for you," she said softly.
He raised a brow. "Now that is a loaded statement if I ever heard one."
She chuckled and nipped gently at his earlobe. "I've been gone from Tucson and Boston for a good long time now. People are no doubt freaking out about it, too. So I thought I'd use Mindy's friend's portal thing and go home for a while. Just to...check things out and see my parents."
He shivered slightly at the nip, even while nodding. "You're probably right. I'm sure they'd want to know how you are."
"Do you want to come? Meet them? See my old stomping grounds?" She held her breath, hoping he'd say yes.
"You'd want me to come?" The way she talked about her past, he was surprised she would.
She nodded and looked up at him. "Yes. I think my parents would like to meet you. It could be fun. We could even hop across the Pond and see your folks, too."
"I would love to go with you, sundari," he said, smiling. "I think it will be fun, too."
She grinned. "Perfect." She gave him a big hug and a kiss, her hands gently cupping his face.
He made a sound meant to convey agreement, since words would be difficult with his mouth against hers. Oh well, the eager return of her kiss was answer enough.
Sighing happily, she sat back and made a thoughtful face as she began to plan for their absence. "I'm gonna ask Taya if she can keep an eye on the Studios while we're gone. Do you have someone to keep an eye on the Cafe?"
“Not that I'd trust to run it. I'll just have to close it down while we're going. There'd be no one to cook, anyway."
She chewed her lip. "That means you'll lose money, huh?"
"Lose it? I don't know if that's the right word, since it's money I haven't yet made. I won't lose anything, except for the rent...though maybe I can work out some kind of deal with my delightful landlord," he finished, grinning widely.
She chuckled. "Whoring yourself out for rent? Tsk, tsk."
His eyes widened with mock affront, and he gave an exaggerated gasp, "I would never suggest such a thing."
A dubious brow raised, she merely said, "Uh-huh."
He leaned forward and nipped her lower lip. "Naughty," he murmured against it.
She chuckled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Yeah, but you love it."
"You're right, of course," he replied, smiling.
"Of course," she said, as though there had been any doubt. "Hungry?"
He nodded. "You?"
"Famished. I was thinking maybe we could check out that little Italian place near the Market?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." He stood, easily lifting her with him and set her gently on her feet.
She curled her fingers through his and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as they moved towards the door. She pulled open the door and held it for the Leopard. Turn about's fair play, after all.
He grinned and bowed elaborately to her, then stepped out the door.
She smirked at the ridiculous bow and stepped outside, taking in a deep lungful as she did so. Barely glancing towards Broody...Dean, rather, she moved down the stairs into the cobblestone street in front of the Inn. Wrapping her arm around English's waist, she pulled him closer and started off towards the Marketplace. "I feel like I should be singing, "We're off to see the wizard"."
"Oh? And which of us would be the Lion, then?" He chuckled, leaning against her.
"You, duh. I'm Dorothy. Or maybe you could be Toto instead?"
"Not a chance." He made a little disgusted face at the thought of being a dog. "I'll stick with the Lion."
"Oh, all right then. But we'll have to find me a Toto. I don't think I can be complete without a Toto."
He laughed, shaking his head. "What would you do with a dog?"
"Scare the ever-lovin' sh*t out of it?"
"Exactly."
She chuckled and then they turned the corner, disappearing into the night.
Riley felt...off today. Nightmares and sudden realisations had her even more quiet and introspective than normal. As a foil to her mood, she'd dressed in a brightly patterned dress and had pulled her hair back into a French braid, the tail of which now hung over one shoulder. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain, long legs crossed, nose in a book as she waited for her Leopard.
Daniel came up the street from WestEnd, strolling along at a pace that looked relaxed but somehow moved him through the Market quickly. He was carrying a blanket and a takeout box with the Bodhi Tree's logo on it, but the delectable scent of food rising from it didn't distract his nose from the Jaguar's scent. He paused at the edge of the little plaza where the fountain stood, smiling at the sight of her sitting there, engrossed in a book. He liked watching her when she was so relaxed.
Then the Leopard's scent caught her attention and she looked up, caramel gaze sweeping the area until she found him. She waved a little at him, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the take-away box in his hand.
His smile grew when she looked up and spotted him. He crossed the open area with easy strides, stopping right next to her and setting the box down on the edge of the fountain so he could lean in and kiss her lightly. "Good afternoon, sundari."
She returned his kiss, making a tiny noise, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek gently. "Hi, there. Wanna sit on the grass?"
He smiled, nodding to her, one hand reaching down to pick up the box and the blanket it had been sitting on. She rose and tucked her book back into her bag, and tugged on Danny's hand, leading him towards a small copse of trees on a near-by lawn. "What's for lunch?" she asked as she took the blanket from him and spread it on the grass. She settled down on it gracefully and swept her legs underneath her body.
"Well, let's see. He sat cross-legged on the blanket and pulled the box onto his lap, opening it and peering inside as though it was a surprise to him. First, he pulled out a copper-and-orange lily and handed it to her. "This is for you."
She grinned and took the flower from him and tucked it behind her ear. "It's beautiful, thank you," she said softly.
"No one will notice, next to you," he replied, smiling and digging back into the box, pulling out a pair of plates, each with a seekh kebab, a couple of samosas, and a large piece of paratha naan. He set one plate in front of her, then put his own down and finished the setting with two lidded cups of mango lassi.
"You're gonna spoil me, you know." She reached out and grabbed the lassi, peeling off the lid and taking a sip. "Mmm... So good. Have you given any further thought to my proposition?" she asked around a mouthful of kebab.
"It's every Cat's right to be spoiled sometimes," he said, grinning. He tore off a piece of the naan and took a bite, then raised a brow at her question. "What sort of thought? I hope you don't think I'm going to change my mind about going with you."
She shook her head. "Not about going, no." She shifted a little and slid her shoes off, setting them next to her bag and idly ripped her piece of naan into small bits before nibbling at one.
"What, then?" Something was on her mind; that much was clear. He watched her intently while chewing on some tasty kebab.
"Well... You came here by accident. I came here because...there was nothing for me on Earth anymore. I wanted to be here. So... What happens if we go back and you decide you don't want to return here with me?" Her voice was hushed, eyes lowered to her plate.
He set the food down and reached over, taking her hand in both of his. "On Earth, all I was doing was wandering about aimlessly, looking for a place where I really fit. I haven't seen my parents in years, not because I don't like them, or because they aren't wonderful people, just because I was bored in England." He stopped for a moment, gauging her reactions. Her hands lay still in his, her eyes coming up to meet his as he talked. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Since I got here, it's been different. Almost right from the start, I've felt more at home than I ever did in all the places I went to on Earth. Look at me, running my own business. I've got friends here, a job, a place to live." He paused again, took a breath, and went on. "When I'm with you, I feel like I could be at home. Do I sound like a prat, yet?"
She shook her head, not quite sure what a prat was. "So... So then you'll come back?"
"Of course I will. Assuming you want me to."
She snorted, as if the very idea of not wanting him around was patently absurd...which it was. She squeezed his hands gently and then picked up a kebab, her appetite returning with gusto now that she knew for certain how he felt about their trip.
He chuckled. "You're cute when you're all nervous, sundari." He took a long drink of the mango lassi and dug back into the food before it got cold.
She gave him a raised brow kind of look down the skewer of her kebab.
He'd have stuck his tongue out, but it was busy with food.
Finishing her kebab, she washed the last mouthful down with more lassi and then paused for a moment. "Have you ever met a girlfriend's parents before?"
"Once or twice," he nodded. "Why? Have you every brought a boyfriend home to meet yours before?"
She smirked a little. "Only Andy. You may have some big shoes to fill."
"I'm up for it," he said confidently. "I have British manners to carry me through even the most harrowing dinner conversation." He grinned widely.
She giggled. "Is it true that the English think every thing is better with tea?" She put down her naan and raised her hand, miming holding a teacup - with her pinky finger held aloft, of course. "Pip-pip, old man. Wot's that you say? Your wife's run off with the gardener and has left you with a nasty case of crotch-rot? Would you like some tea?"
He dissolved into laughter, rolling onto his back on the blanket and clutching his sides. It took him a full five minutes to recover; every time he looked over at her, it sent him into another fit of laughter. Finally, he got control of himself and wiped his eyes. His sides ached, and his cheeks hurt. "Oh, sundari, I love you when you're silly."
She laughed with him, though not quite as raucously. It had been a very long time since she'd allowed herself this level of freedom just to be silly for the sake of making someone laugh. It felt good. It felt luxurious, in fact.
He turned onto his side, still chuckling, and propped his head up with one hand and sipping his drink with the other. "It's nice to laugh, isn't it?" Yes, he knew exactly what she was feeling.
She nodded and laid down on her stomach, bending her knees so that her feet were in the air. She locked her ankles together and slowly swung them back and forth. "I haven't felt this good, this free in..." Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember back. "Well, let's just say, in a very long time." She looked down at the blanket in front of her and then back up at Daniel from under the fringe of her lashes. "Thank you," she said softly.
He shook his head, smiling. "Believe me when I say that it's every bit as much my pleasure as it is yours." He glanced over at her swinging feet, and raised a brow. "You realize a good portion of me wants to pounce on those feet, right?"
She smirked. "I'd like to see you try."
"The only thing holding me back is not wanting to ruin your lovely dress. You just wait, though. When you least expect it..." he trailed off, grinning wickedly.
She chuckled. "Uh-huh." Then she sobered and glanced up at the clock tower. "I should be moseying back to the Studios. I have another class this afternoon and I need to find Mindy, too." Moving gracefully, she sat up once more and reached for her shoes. "Movie night tonight?"
"Of course. What will we be seeing this time?" He sat up as well, and gathered up the plates and cups, putting them all back in the box.
"Hmmm... How about The Shining? I'll make dinner." She put her shoes on and stood, smoothing down her dress and patting a hand over her hair. "Let's say...8:00? My place?"
He rose smoothly to his feet, nodding. "Sounds perfect to me, I always enjoy being cooked for, instead of vice versa."
"And I haven't killed you yet either, so it all works out." She grinned and slung her bag over her arm, then tucked her free arm through his. She kissed his cheek softly, nuzzling gently against it with her nose.
"Honestly, your cooking isn't that bad," he replied, grinning. He turned his head and snuck in a quick kiss on her lips.
"Gee. I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not," she said with deadpan delivery as they began the walk south, back to the building. "Have you been busy today?"
He shrugged. "Off and on. People have been coming in waves." He dropped the box into the first trash bin they reached, then pulled her against his side, enjoying the cool breeze in the air.
"How's the new woman working out?" As they walked, she was glancing at the various food stalls they passed. What would she make for dinner tonight? Last week, it had been Mexican. Earlier this week, they'd gone out for Italian. Maybe just something simple? A steak, potatoes, some green salad?
"Oh, she's great. She's like every Indian grandmother you've ever seen. Cooks better than I do, and doesn't take any cheek from the customers at all."
She laughed at that. "Does she threaten them with a rolling pin or a spatula?" She paused by a butcher's stall and selected two small fillets and some bacon. As the butcher's boy wrapped her purchases, she glanced over to a green-grocer's stall, eyes moving over the lettuces and various other vegetables.
"A rolling pin, of course. They hurt more," he replied, chuckling. He eyed the meats she was purchasing, inhaling their delightful aroma. "I can hardly wait to see what you do with those."
"Nothing fancy," she said as she accepted the packages from the boy and added them to her bag. "Gonna wrap them in slices of the bacon and grill them. Maybe some roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and a green salad, too?" She turned and headed towards the green-grocer's.
"Who needs fancy, when you've got tasty?" He nodded in agreement with the salad.
"Exactly." She selected a head of perfect-looking butter lettuce, an orange bell pepper, some radishes, an ear of corn, a cucumber and a few carrots. She paid for the produce and slipped them into her bag. "Okay. I'm done. Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm set."
Nodding, she slipped her arm through his and they set off once more, headed across the bridge to WestEnd.
****
Setting the glass down on the counter next to Danny-Boy, Riley climbed up to her knees on the stool and leeeeeaned across the counter to put the bottle back. Then she sat back and kissed Danny's cheek softly. "Hi. How're you?"
"I'm good, and better now," he replied, rubbing his cheek against her. "How has your day been?"
She gave him a little shrug and played with the rings of condensation left behind by her glass. "Tired," she finally said softly.
He nodded. "That nightmare took a lot out of you," he said. He wanted to ask her more about it, but it was pretty obvious she didn't want to talk about it.
She nodded and glanced side-long at him. "Sorry you had to be there for that," she said, again very softly.
"Don't be. I'd like to think I helped you feel at least a little better," he replied, very quietly.
She watched Broody sidle past, a slightly amused little smirk on her lips. Then she turned back to Danny and gave him a genuine smile, one that lit up her eyes. "You did. Thank you."
He nodded again, smiling. "You're very welcome."
"You ready for tomorrow?" She leaned against the Leopard, her chin hooked over his shoulder, mouth scant inches from his ear.
"I'm excited. Not sure I'll be able to sleep a wink tonight. You?" He slipped one arm around her shoulders, stroking her hair lightly.
"Nervous. Scared. My Mama-san's gonna murder me."
"Because you've been gone so long?"
"Yeah, and because I didn't tell her that I was leaving. And with everything that happened prior to my leaving, I'm relatively certain they think I'm dead. Or worse."
"Well, perhaps they'll be so overjoyed to find you're not dead, that they'll refrain from murdering you again," he chuckled.
She laughed at Danny's response and kissed the side of his neck, right above the big vein. He shivered at the kiss, purring softly deep in his chest. She let her lips linger there for a few beats of his heart before sitting up straight and rescuing her drink, which was feeling forlorn and ignored.
"I have a plan to get to Boston from New Orleans," she said quietly.
"Oh?" He titled his head, listening.
"Well, I need to make a side-trip in New York. So I figured we could fly out from New Orleans to JFK and then you could go on to Boston, snag us a room and I'll be along a few hours later."
"You don't want company in New York?" he asked.
She licked her lips and fidgeted a little. "Well, I'm going to pay my respects to...a friend's mother." Memories of the dream she'd had last night came flooding back and she pressed her hands over her stomach.
"Ah, I see," He nodded. He had a good idea who she was talking about, but there wasn't any reason to press about it. Some things just have to be done alone. "Sounds like a workable plan, then."
"You're okay with it? I mean, going on to Boston alone?"
"Certainly. It won't be the first time I've traveled alone." He grinned.
She kissed his cheek softly and gave him a big hug. "You're amazing," she whispered in his ear.
He held her close for a moment, smiling. "It must be you, bringing it out in me," he whispered back.
"I think, honestly, it's the other way around. You're...refreshingly well-adjusted. Almost normal, you know?" Her eyes danced wickedly.
"Me? Normal? I didn't learn to be human until I was a teenager, if you'll recall." He chuckled quietly.
"Like I said. Normal." She winked and then flicked a glance towards Broody McHotpants and the blond who was currently hanging all over him. She frowned and then turned so she couldn't see them at all. "I really, really need to get out of here. Porch swing?"
"Anywhere you want," he said with complete sincerity.
She nodded and abandoned her drink on the counter. She slipped off her stool and made a beeline for the door, not saying anything to anyone in her passing. He followed, weaving through the crowed with fluid ease, never once brushing against anyone.
Air. Air was good. Huge, gulping lungsful of air are awesome. They help clear the head, stave off weeping, settle the stomach. She bent over at the waist, hands clutched to her stomach, eyes clenched shut. "It's not him, it's not him," she was mumbling under her breath, a mantra against the sudden barrage of memories. He stroked her back lightly, not entirely sure whether he ought to say something, or give her time. She turned and hugged him tightly, pressing her face into his shoulder. "I have to know," she whispered. "I have to know for certain, if he's dead or alive. Not knowing is killing me."
He squeezed her hard, harder than would be comfortable for a human. "You will. You'll know when you go to New York." He really did know why she was going.
She nodded and just stayed in his arms for a moment, feeling safe and protected. She was beginning to feel guilty for putting him through this emotional washing machine. She'd warned him, though, before they'd become involved. She'd told him to keep his distance. He clearly hadn't listened. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Stop apologizing," he said softly. "You haven't forced me into anything. It's me making the choice. Really."
She looked up at him, dry-eyed, but the tip of her nose was red - a sure indication that she'd been crying. "I'm f*cked up, Danny. So much sh*t in my history, so much heart-ache and pain and just...crap. I'm broken. Lani was right."
He shook his head vehemently. "She wasn't right. You're not broken. Bent, maybe. Damaged, possibly. Not broken, though. I've watched you healing for almost the whole time I've known you. Seen you laugh and relax, even open up about things. Don't think for instant that it's time to give up." He stopped for a moment, trying to decide how to continue. "I'd be very disappointed if you did," he finished quietly.
"Yeah?" She sighed deeply and then wiped a hand down her face. Turning out of his arms for a moment, she sat down hard on the porch swing and tugged him down next to her. Once he was settled, she snuggled close next to him, almost as if she were trying to climb inside his body. "I sometimes wonder if I'm poison. Like... I seem to ruin everyone's life." She stopped talking, trying to resist the urge to hold a self-pity party.
He pulled her tight to him and shook his head again. "You haven't ruined my life, sundari. Rather the opposite, in fact. I'm happier now than I've ever been."
She raised a dubious brow and looked up at him. "There's time. We've only known each other for a month."
He looked down at her, almost frowned. "Maybe you shouldn't say things like that. Sometimes it sounds like you hope things would go bad."
"Maybe hope's too strong a word. Maybe expect would be better."
"Isn't there some saying about your expectations influencing your reality?"
"Self-fulfilling prophecy." She sighed softly and snuggled closer still. "Know what I wish?" she said quietly, knowing that words have power and if the wrong words are overheard by the right ears, disastrous consequences might ensue.
"What do you wish?"
"That I'd lost my memories while I was with Maeve."
"If you'd lost your memories...you wouldn't be you."
"No, I'd be happier. Less...f*cked up."
"I...," he said, then stopped and sat silently for a long time. Finally, so softly even Lycan ears would have to strain to hear it from more than a few feet away. "I'd probably not have met you if you had."
No words to respond to that, she just hugged him tighter, thanking whatever gods or maybe her karma for him being in her life.
He just held her silently, running his fingers through her hair. For the life of him, he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't either come out idiotically or incoherently.
She sighed softly and closed her eyes, putting a foot out to send them slowly back and forth. The motion soothed her.
His eyes slowly closed, too, as they rocked back and forth. He could both feel and smell as she slowly relaxed, which was a relief. It was probably better if he didn't try to say anything more at the moment, so he just kept stroking her hair softly.
"Do you think it'd be possible to stay in Cat form? Never shift back to human?" She asked this quietly, almost as if she's afraid to give voice to the thoughts.
"Um," he said, startled by the question. "Probably not. Sometimes the shift happens without conscious thought."
She nodded and pushed them more, the speed of the swinging picking up a bit. "It'd be easier to be a cat. Less...crap to deal with. Less emotional stress and abuse."
He nodded. "It's true, there is less stress. But...there's less of the good emotions, too."
She nodded and leaned back, closing her eyes and just being for a while, letting the scents and sounds wash over her. "It'll be so different on Earth. So loud and bright and crowded."
"So many people. One thing I don't miss."
She chuckled softly. "I like the people. I like watching them and trying to figure out what makes them tick."
"That's not so bad, I suppose. It's just the unthinking air that surrounds most of them that bothers me."
She snorted. "They're sheeple. They do what the TV and the magazines and the politicians tell them to do. But occasionally, you get flashes of intelligence. Those are the ones I like to look for."
"Sheeple. I like that. It fits," he said, smiling.
She grinned and stirred. "Maybe we should go home and try to sleep? Big day tomorrow."
He nodded. "It's probably for the best. Though 'try' might be the operative world."
"Too bad I can't take anything to ensure sleep," she said softly.
"I recommend one Leopard cuddle," he said facetiously.
She grinned and then stood up, reaching down to him. "Let's go try that out, shall we?"
He took her hand and stood, nodding. "We may have to try a few times before we get it right."
"Think you're...up...for it?" She grinned wickedly at him as they descended the porch steps.
He glanced sidelong at her, raising a brow. "Naughty kitty. I think I can manage."
"We'll see." She steered them in a general westerly direction. "We'll see, Little Leopard."
"Well, we'll give it the old college try, shall we?" His laughter followed them down the street and out into the night.
****
Well I looked my demons in the eyes
Lay bare my chest
Said do your best
Destroy me
You see I've been to hell and back
So many times
I must admit
You kinda bore me
“Empty” – Ray LaMontagne
Driving along the Staten Island Expressway, Riley saw the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge looming in the distance and her heart began beating in triple time. The last time she'd driven this way was some ten months earlier, on her way from Janet's brownstone in Brooklyn to Newark Airport. She'd received a phone call from Deacon the day before, telling her that Orla had been murdered and that Riley had been made executor of her estate and needed to come back to Tucson to begin making arrangements. She and Rhys had had a fight that night, and she'd ended up telling him to stay behind in New York. He was going through a bit of a rough patch and was clinging to her. She selfishly decided that she couldn't deal with everything – losing Orla, making her memorial service arrangements, tending to the woman's will and Rhys's issues, too. That had been the last time she'd seen him.
It had also been the last time she'd set foot in New York. Even when, three months later, John's plane had gone down somewhere over Nebraska, she hadn't attended his funeral. She'd chickened out, knowing that Janet and Gina both would hate her for it. She'd avoided the women's phone calls and hadn't returned their emails or their letters. And then she just disappeared, running away from what she was sure would soon become Hell on Earth.
When Riley and Daniel had stepped out of the women's room in a little place called O'Riley's Bar & Grill, on the outskirts of Baton Rogue, she was certain that they would be walking into a world straight out of either Zombieland or Mad Max. What they found was...well...surprisingly normal. Mindy's contact, Gustave, an egghead if ever Riley had seen one, had been waiting there for them. He arranged a flight from New Orleans International to Newark for Riley and a connecting flight to Boston for Daniel, gave them money and identification and reminded them that the portal only worked on a three-day cycle.
The flight from NOLA to Newark had gone off without a hitch. They moved through security without any problems and the flight had been smooth. She'd spent the forty minutes between connecting flights instructing Daniel where to grab a hotel room once he got to Boston and arranging her own flight to Boston some seven hours later. When his flight was called, she kissed him good-bye and then had gone direct to the Enterprise Rental kiosk, procured a 2010-model Mustang and began the hour-long trek to Brooklyn.
She crossed the Verrazano and turned north, headed towards Carroll Gardens, which according to the latest edition of New York Magazine, was amongst the ten most desirable places to live in NYC. Riley had certainly enjoyed her visit there last year. Mature trees, tidy brownstones with front and back gardens, lots of kids playing in safe streets. She'd loved it so much, in fact, she'd told Rhys to look into a place to live while she was in Tucson. Apparently he'd done as she instructed because she received phone calls for the next six months from some Realtor in Manhattan.
Exiting the 278, she began searching for Smith Street. Ah-ha! There it was, she pulled onto it and began looking for Janet's home, creeping along as she looked at house numbers. Number 256 – Janet had painted the front door a beautiful Wedgewood blue and she had some pink geraniums blooming in pots on the front stoop. She found a parking spot across the street and turned the car off, but didn't climb out. She just sat for a long time, staring up at the house, wondering what she'd find inside.
Riley spotted a brunette with a little blond-headed boy walking towards her car. “Oh, god,” Riley whispered and ducked down behind the steering wheel. It was Gina and Joey. They turned up the walk-way of Janet's house and went inside. “Oh, wonderful,” Riley said. “A triple-pronged attack.” Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the car, part of a song playing out in her head.
Looking both ways before crossing the street, despite it not being a particularly busy crossing, Riley slowly slunk up the walk to Janet's front stoop. If she were a dog, her tail would be squarely between her legs. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the bowling ball of dread that had taken up residence in her gut, she mounted the stairs and knocked. And then smoothed down her clothing and ran a hand over her hair.
It was a minute or two before anyone came to the door, a voice heard calling as the door was pulled open. "Joey! No more cookies. You'll ruin your dinner."
Ohsh*tohsh*tohsh*t, Riley thought furiously and wondered if it was too late to run away.
The pretty dark-haired woman turned back around to see who was at the door, hoping it wasn't yet another well-meaning neighbor come to pay their respects. Gina looked just like Riley remembered her. She had changed from work clothes and was wearing jeans and a pink sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, pink flats on her feet. Her face blanched at the sight of Riley and for a minute, she thought she was seeing a ghost.
Riley took a deep breath, plastered on what she hoped was a contrite smile, and said, "Hi, Gina." Riley chuckled nervously and fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "Is this a bad time? Am I interrupting dinner or something?"
"Riley?" Gina asked incredulously, hardly believing her eyes. She almost looked like she was on the verge of fainting.
She nodded and took a step forward, an awkward hand coming up to catch Gina's elbow...just in case. "Yeah. It's me."
"We thought you were dead," she whispered, after taking a minute to find her voice. What did you say to someone you thought you'd never see again? Tears filled her eyes at the sight of her old friend.
She nodded again. "Yeah... I...uh...sorry. Stuff just...went to crap." Her eyes, too, filled with tears and she took another step forward, reaching for Gina to fold her into a hug.
Memories flooded back, some good, some bad. The night they went out for dinner. The day at Coney Island. The last time they'd seen each other and said goodbye. She returned the hug, overjoyed to see Riley alive and well, despite everything that had happened.
She whispered, "I'm so sorry, Gina. I'm so f*cking sorry."
She assumed Riley was offering her sympathies regarding John's death and she nodded her head, carefully wiping the tears from beneath her eyes.
She stepped back and awkwardly sniffed, wiping at her cheeks with fingertips. "Is Janet here?" Riley asked in a hushed voice.
"No, she... she's still at work." She stepped out of the apartment and onto the stoop, glancing over her shoulder to check on Joey, who was doing his homework in front of the TV. "She's been like a mother to me, since John..."
Riley nodded again and took Gina's hand, sliding her fingers through the smaller woman's and giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. F*ck... I'm sorry for so much. I'm an assh*le." Clearly, Riley's potty mouth hadn't gotten any better. If possible, it'd gotten worse.
She returned the hand squeeze, shaking her head in denial of Riley taking the blame. "No, you're not." Before the neighbors noticed and started asking questions and maybe for autographs, she asked, "Do you want to come in?" She let go of Riley's hand and pulled the door open, stepping back inside and waiting for her to follow.
"Yeah, I'd love to." Riley stepped inside and her knees went weak with the sudden assault of memories. The last time she'd been in this house had been the morning she and Rhys had discovered Peanut... She shook her head and moved further into the living room. She smiled at Joey and gave him a stiff little wave.
"Would you like some coffee? Joey and I made some cookies yesterday." The boy was too young to really understand what was going on around him, and he only waved back at his mother's friend. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. He was too nervous about the cookies he had hidden under his shirt to greet her anyway.
"Sure, coffee would be good." She trailed after Gina, squinting hard at the kitchen table, looking for signs of an ashtray or cigarette cartons.
"Where have you been? Everyone's been so worried." She asked the obvious question, wanting to know before it hit the papers, as she went about pouring two cups of coffee.
She blew out a deep breath and sat down hard on a chair at the table, elbows propped in front of her, chin in palms. "Well...after...you know...I just couldn't..." She sighed softly, knowing she sounded like the worst kind of quitter ever. "I couldn't be here any more. So...I went to see a former client and asked him to...relocate me."
She had to pause a moment to stop her hands from shaking before she reached for the coffee pot. "After?" She turned back to Riley, setting both cups on the table. After what? After she left the City? After she lost the baby? After the car accident? After the plane went down?
"After everything. I tried to hack it for awhile. I stayed in Tucson, continued working for about six months after Rhys...disappeared. But I just... I couldn't anymore."
Gina frowned sadly, suspecting Riley didn't know what had happened to Rhys. If she had, she might not have left. If that was the case, it was going to be awkward as hell telling her. She turned her back to fetch the cream and sugar. "Where did you go? I tried getting in touch, but... it was like you dropped off the planet."
"Something like that, yeah." How to explain Rhy'Din to Gina?
She set the cream and sugar on the table, along with two spoons and then turned away again to fetch a tray of cookies. "You went underground? Into hiding?" It was the only thing Gina could think of that would explain Riley's sudden and complete disappearance.
She chewed at her lower lip as she doctored her coffee and stirred it absently. "Did John ever talk to you about portals?"
She didn't really feel like cookies or coffee, but it felt comforting to do normal things. She set the plate of cookies on the table. If you looked hard enough, you could tell which Gina had made and which Joey had made; Gina's were uniformly shaped and sized, where as Joey's were all irregular. She shook her head as she took a seat across from Riley at the table. "No, John didn't like to talk about work much. He didn't like to worry me."
Well, crap. "Okay. I've been...uh...in an alternate dimension. A place called Rhy'Din. And it's kinda like here, only...crazier. Not only are there Lycans and vamps, but there's like dragons and cyber men and...and...people from the future and from the past, too."
She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, furrowing her brows at Riley. It sounded crazy, but after everything she'd seen, nothing really surprised her anymore. "Dragons? Cyber... men?" As if the City wasn't crazy enough.
"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I know I probably sound like a crazy person, but I swear it's true."
She might have sounded crazy to anyone else, but to Gina, who had been engaged to a Wizard, whose best friend had been a demon hunter, and who was sitting across from a Lycanthrope who might as well have come back from the dead, nothing sounded crazy. She smiled weakly and touched Riley's arm to reassure her. "It's me, Riley. I don't think you're crazy."
She sipped her coffee, suddenly remembering it was sitting there in front of her. "Thanks," she said gratefully.
"Are you staying or going back?" Gina asked suddenly.
"I'm going back. I... I have a life there now."
Gina nodded again, shifting her gaze to look into her coffee cup.
Riley lapsed into silence, looking down into her cup as well. This wasn't going as badly as she had expected it to. Gina hadn't tired to murder her yet. Maybe there was hope.
What was she supposed to say now? Was she supposed to tell her that Rhys wasn't dead but might as well be? Was she supposed to tell her how she sorry she was for everything that had happened and how she hoped she'd find happiness in her new life? An awkward silence seemed to settle around them.
"Maybe I should get going. I'm flying up to Boston tonight, to see my parents."
She nodded again, turning the cup between her hands. "Why did you come here?"
She sighed deeply. "To lay the dead, I guess. I've been... I've been having a lot of horrible nightmares and I just wanted to...see what is real and what's been made up by my screwed up mind."
"What kind of nightmares?"
"I dreamt that Janet started smoking," she said with a smirk, sidestepping the real meat of the dreams.
She looked surprised at that and then she actually smiled a little. "Janet doesn't smoke."
"Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh? But in this dream I had, she was sitting right here, with like an entire pack full of butts in this old glass ashtray."
"Janet's probably handling it better than any of us." She looked back at her coffee again. "She said she always knew it might happen someday. Janet has been my rock through all of this."
Riley nodded and finished the coffee before putting the empty cup down on the table and running a finger around the rim of it. She bit her lower lip and looked up at Gina from under the fringe of her lashes. "And...any word?" She prayed that Gina knew what she was talking about and would need elucidation.
She lifted her gaze, arching a brow. "About Rhys?" Riley nodded, swallowing past a lump in her throat. "You don't know, do you?"
Riley snapped her head up, her heart racing, adrenaline pumping. "Know what? There's news? Is he okay? Is he here, in the City?"
"He's..." She drew a slow breath to gather her words, frowning again. "There was an accident."
She blinked, her heart freezing now. "An accident?" she asked breathlessly.
"A car accident. He..." She paused a moment again, chewing her lip. "He's alive, but he... He had major head trauma. He's not the same, Riley. He doesn't remember me. He doesn't remember any of it. I don't know what brought him back to Brooklyn. He's working in a diner. You wouldn't even recognize him."
Her eyes filled with tears and she looked down at the table. The tears spilled over, dropping into her lap and leaving splotches on the thighs of her jeans. "Is he here then? In the city?" she whispered.
She nodded, her heart aching with sadness, not only for Riley, but for all of them. "He's... different."
Riley made no sound, just sat, still staring down at the table, silently weeping. She wanted to see him, even if he didn't remember her. She had to see him, just to prove to herself that he wasn't dead or being held prisoner or something horrible. She needed to lay the dead, the ghosts of memories that were haunting her every night. Maybe once she'd seen him, she'd stop dreaming about him, stop looking for him in every crowd and she could get on with her life...without him.
She reached for Riley's hand and gave it a small squeeze. She knew what she was feeling. She'd lost John forever. She'd never see him again. No one would ever take his place. "I don't understand any of this."
She squeezed Gina's hand, too, like clinging to a life saver. "I don't either," she whispered.
"But I have to believe Johnny is at peace now. That he's in a better place. And I'll see him again someday." Tears filled her eyes at the memory of John and at everything they all had gone through.
The corner of her mouth curled in a tiny smile. "I'm pretty sure he's reincarnated as like...a spoiled Siamese or something." She chuckled softly.
She smiled a little. "I hope he finds his way home then. I miss him."
"Be on the look-out for suspicious cats. Or dogs, maybe."
She nodded, trying hard not to cry. She thought she was all cried out, but talking about John made her heart ache with grief and loneliness. "John was the one who brought the stray home, not me." She was talking about Rhys, though it was Gina who'd introduced them.
"I know," she whispered. Indeed, she did know exactly how Gina was feeling. She'd been feeling that way since July of last year.
"I can take you to see him." She dabbed at her tears.
"Thank you." She stood up and took her coffee cup to the sink, washed and dried it and set it in the drainer next to the sink. Then she glanced at her watch. She had three hours until she had to leave for the airport.
"I don't know where he lives, but I know where he works."
She nodded, thinking it was probably better that way. She could see him at work and avoid making a scene in public. Maybe. "You should stay with Joey. Just tell me where it is and I'll go."
"How much time do you have?"
"The plane leaves in about four and a half hours. So...three hours?"
"He's at Cole's Diner. It's not far from Carroll Park. You know where that is?"
She nodded. "Just down the street from here, yeah?"
She nodded and wiped at her tears again. "It's not far."
She moved to wrap Gina in a hug again. She had no idea when or if she'd ever be back.
Gina moved to her feet to return the hug, the tears coming again. "Riley...I'm so sorry."
"Me, too." She squeezed her as tightly as she dared and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Take care of yourself, and Janet and Joey, too." Riley let Gina go and moved towards the door, her steps heavy as if her body wanted her to stay here.
"Take care of yourself, too." She felt suddenly wrung out as she watched Riley go. There seemed like there were so many things left unsaid between them. Things that might have been and would never be. Part of her was happy Riley was alive and making a new life for herself. The other part of her grieved for the old life they'd both left behind.
She stopped with her hand on the door knob and turned, giving Gina some small ghost of her usual ****, half-smile. "See ya."
"Good-bye, Riley," she told her quietly, smiling softly. In her heart, she didn't think she'd ever see her friend again.
She winked and then turned and stepped out of the house. Moving like an automaton, she crossed the street and slipped into the rented car. She sat for a long, long while, trying to work up the nerve to either commit to going and seeing Rhys or fleeing back to the airport. Shoving the car into gear, she took off for this diner. She'd just sit in the parking lot and look in through the window. Maybe he wouldn't even be there. Maybe it was his day off.
****
But if there was a single truth, a single light
A single thought, a singular touch of grace
Then following this single point, this single flame,
The single haunted memory of your face
I still love you
I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves
Like galaxies in my head
"A Thousand Years" - Sting
Riley drove back and forth in front of the diner at least five times as she waffled with the decision - to stop and see Rhys or not. She knew he was alive. She felt good knowing he was alive. Would it be better in the long run to just be happy knowing he was alive, or would it be better for her to park the car, climb out of it and go inside and speak to him.
Gina said he didn't remember her, didn't remember anything that had happened the previous summer. Head trauma, Gina said. Riley suspected she knew better. Nikki had had something to do with it. Fate, or at least one of them anyway, had stepped in and given Rhys... Given Rhys what? A fresh start? A new life? But why had Nikki given him this without Riley?
"F*ck it," she grumbled as she swung into the tiny parking lot of the diner and shut off the car. She peered through the windscreen and in through the big window in the front of the restaurant. Two waitresses were working and she thought she could make out a tall male figure at the grill behind the counter. He seemed to have a mohawk. "No way," Riley whispered. "No f*cking way."
She climbed out of the car and slung her bag over her shoulder, still staring at the busily-working man at the counter. Maybe it really was Rhys's day off. Well, good, since she still hadn't decided if seeing him and knowing that he had no memory of her, of their relationship, of their child, was a good thing or not. Glancing around quickly, Riley started towards the diner and entered, a little bell ringing as she opened the door.
"Have a seat anywhere and I'll be right with ya," a tiny red-headed waitress said to Riley with a huge, friendly smile on her elfin face. Riley nodded and went to sit down at the counter, caramel gaze still on the man at the grill, whose back was to her.
She looked him over carefully. Same build, same breadth of shoulders, narrow waist, long, strong legs, perfect butt. The tattoos and the hair, though... No. It couldn't possibly be Rhys. He turned and Riley's jaw fell to her chest. Their eyes locked - caramel meeting green - and she felt as though she'd been stabbed in both lungs and in the heart as well.
"Rhys?" she breathed.