One minute I was deep in a dream about soft lips and intense green eyes, the next I was sitting naked in my bedroom floor, tangled in the sheets, and still dazed from the three-foot drop off the bed. Confused, I looked around at all the stuff that was formerly on my bed, including myself. The room tilted slightly as I tried turning my head.

"Morning, sunshine" a familiar voice called from the doorway. Holding my head and cracking open my eyes, I found myself looking up at the woman who was usually my favorite cousin.

"What?" I managed to get out. My mouth was Sahara-dry and my throat felt like it had been sandpapered. I couldn't figure out why on earth I was awake this early on a Sunday morning at the beginning of my vacation, especially when I was still very much feeling the effects of the night before. She smiled at me, entirely too happy for the ungodly hour.

"It's a surprise. Get up and get a shower. I'll go make you some coffee...and if you don't I'm coming back with ice water." I glared at her, still trying to find my voice.

"You're an evil bitch, you know that?" I asked.

"Yep" she said, tossing me my robe. "Shower. Now."

I toyed with the idea of tossing a pillow at her retreating back, but as I was in no shape to counter the retaliation that was sure to follow, so I refrained. I managed to get to my feet before I got dizzy again, and I lost a few minutes leaning against the wall, waiting for the room to right itself.

Five minutes later I was standing under the steaming hot spray, letting it clear some of the cobwebs from my mind. Sighing in pleasure, I let my mind go blank and just enjoyed the hot water. However, the warmth was quickly erasing the brain-fog and I knew I had to get on with it before I was drug out of my apartment naked and covered with soap.

Reluctantly, I raised my hands to start washing my hair but stopped short when one hand started stinging fiercely. Lowering it down to eye level, I soon saw the problem. The knuckles of my right hand were swollen, bruised and still seeping blood. More dried blood flaked off to float down the drain as I stared at my hand, desperately trying to remember hurting myself but coming up shockingly blank. Obviously I had hit someone recently, I just couldn't recall who or why.

Finally lowering my hand, I quickly took stock of the rest of my body. My left ass cheek and the back of my thigh was tender too. Still desperately groping for any vestiges of memories, I finished my shower, dressed, and made my way downstairs to the kitchen on autopilot.

Drawn by the smell of fresh coffee, I stepped into the kitchen. Tee was leaning over the counter, reading something and idly scratching Bigfoot's belly with one foot. I glared my dog.

"Some watchdog you are. Traitor." she just rolled her golden eyes to look at me for a second before collapsing back under the stroking foot, looking for all the world like a large, over-stuffed striped pillow.

"Hey, she barked once or twice when I came in. You were just dead to the world." Tee said, turning to look at me.

"And just how much did you drink last night?" she asked.

I raised my eyebrow and shook my head. Big mistake, that.

"And Friday night, too. The girls took me out Friday night then the party was last night. And I don't remember."

A thought slipped into my mind at that. I was supposed to have stayed at Mandie's last night. Dashing over to the kitchen window, I pulled the shades apart. My Mustang was sitting in the driveway. Thank God. But that still didn't explain how I got home or who I punched. Remembering my hand, I held in out to Tee. She studied it for a minute then looked back at me questioningly.

"Don't have a clue." I said. "Obviously, I'm not in jail, but home in my own bed, alone. So I really don't know."

"You'll know soon enough, you know how your friends are. Anyway, I packed for you while you were in the shower."

I was gulping down coffee and couldn't answer right away. She was entirely too perky.

"Thanks. You wanna tell me where we're going now?" She grinned even wider, if that was possible, and shook her head, sending her red hair flying.

"Nope. I told you it was a surprise. After all, you're only turning twenty-five once." I groaned.

"Don't remind me" Being older than me, she shot me an evil look for that comment.

"Finish that. We need to get on the road. It's already almost ten."

"Alright already. But I need food"

"You are so weird. You're the only person I know that gets up starving after a night of drinking."

I just shrugged. Then, not knowing how long we were going to be gone on this little adventure, I looked at Bigfoot, thinking. I couldn't leave her alone.

"You dad's coming to get her in a little while. It's already taken care of."

Half an hour and a steak and cheese biscuit later, we made the turn to head towards Tennessee. This surprised me, I was figuring on a 'surprise party' at the farm, which was in the other direction.

"We're not going to the farm?" I asked, surprised.

"Nope. And I'm still not telling you. You might as well try to get some more sleep. It might help your disposition."

My head was beginning to throb mercilessly, and the bright July sun was stabbing into my eyeballs despite the dark sunglasses I was wearing. Digging around in my purse, I found some pain meds and downed two, and was shortly curled up in the seat of her Escape, out for the count.

The next time I became conscious, we were in the parking lot of a motel. It could have been any number of anonymous hotels that spring up beside the interstate. The sun was setting in a glorious blaze of color, and I had absolutely no idea where I was. It was getting annoying.

"'Bout time you woke up, sleeping beauty." Tee said to me through the open door. I slid my legs out and leaned my head on the door and looked at her through my shades.

"You feel any better?" she asked, slipping the straps to our bags onto her shoulders.

I finally stood up, and my legs immediately starting complaining their long confinement, tingling and burning. My head still felt like it was going to explode and my eyes burned. I just grunted in response.

"I'll take that as a no." she said as she swiped the key card and pushed the door open.

I flicked on the light. We could have been anywhere within a day's drive from home for all I knew. I flopped down on the bed, deciding that the way I felt, I could care less.

We spent the rest of the evening in relative peace, watching tv and ordering a pizza, all the while talking idly about any and everything. I'd long since given up on getting any pertinent information out of her. She'd also hijacked my cell phone and hid it so well I couldn't find it. I admit, I pouted for a little while before I came to the conclusion that I didn't want the damn thing anyway. Whatever was going on could damn well wait til I got home.

Sadly, I was once again comatose by about eleven p.m.

The next morning, after my shower and coffee, I stood at the end of my bed, wrapped in a towel and peering at the clothes she'd packed me. I had absolutely no idea what to wear, since I had no idea what we were going to be doing. However, I couldn't be to upset, because I finally felt human again. My brain was working and everything.

The bathroom door finally opened, starting me out of my thoughts. Tee emerged toweling her hair. I gave her my best pitiful look.

"I don't know what to wear."

She rolled her eyes and came over to rummage through my bag. A few minute later she tossed her picks in my hands and shoved me toward the bathroom.

"Go get ready, we got places to be." she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am" I said sarcastically as I escaped into the bathroom.

A little while later, I stared critically at my reflection. I couldn't do anything about the height, which was about 5'3 on a good day. But for the rest, I thought I looked pretty damn good. God knows, I'd certainly worked hard enough on my body, losing quite a bit of weight a few years ago and keeping it off. Oh, I'm definitely not perfect, I'm short, curvy, and solid but I'd long ago given up on pleasing anyone but myself, so it was all good.

I'm moderately pretty, I guess, I thought as I studied myself. My face is pretty heart-shaped and my features small and even. My lips are about my favorite thing about my face, because they're naturally dark pink and shaped like a cupid's bow, and my beauty mark sits just above the left corner of my mouth. Most other people like my eyes, 'cause they're big and a brown so dark it's almost black. The match my skin, I guess. It's always a golden color no matter the season, but now I was sporting my fairly dark summer tan. I like to think with the dark skin, dark eyes, and curly black hair that's currently liberally streaked with red I look exotic. I hope so anyway. God forbid I be 'cute.'

The outfit was one of my favorites, though. I smoothed my hands down the white tank top that hugged my moderately-large sized chest and small waist. It was emblazoned with intricate representation of a pin-up style devil girl tattoo. The black cargo capri pants sat low on my hips and black and white Addias flip-flops completed the picture. It also displayed every tattoo on my body, from my own devil girl on the back of my right shoulder, to the Asher family crest upper part of my left arm, and the intricate leg band that graced my left ankle and foot.

With the July humidity, I knew better than to try to straighten my hair, so mousse and curls it was. I had to admire the way the red wove through the black ringlets as I leaned forward to check my lip gloss. I'm way to old for a face-full of makeup and had long ago cut the routine down to the minimum: bronzer, powder, eye makeup, and either lip balm or lip gloss.

Finally done, I walked back into the other room to fetch my jewelry. I almost always wore two pairs of princess-cut diamonds that I'd had since college in my ears, so they would do. I slipped my favorite necklace on, a black diamond and ruby skull and crossbones that I'd found by sheer dumb luck, and I considered it my good luck charm. Fastening it under my hair, I turned to Tee for her approval. Her grin got even wider, if that was possible.

"You look great." she said. "Perfect."

Damn it, I couldn't tell anything about her plans from what she was wearing. Honestly, if you didn't know us, you would have no idea we were related. She's a few inches taller than me, and is a very fair skinned, green-eyed redhead. She's also a different body type, with bigger shoulders and smaller hips than me. She was wearing typical, cute summer attire consisting of a white, cherry-print tank top, denim shorts, and sandals.

She had her purse and keys in her hands. So I put on my best attitude and slid my shades on as we stepped out into the blazing July sun. I couldn't help but smile at her, no matter what she had planned for me.

"Let's rock out" I said, opening the passenger side door.

The countryside rolling by outside my window still didn't clue me in. Rural, lush and green it could have been home except for the grade of the land. It was flatter here, wherever here was. I just couldn't get worked up about it, though. It was a perfect summer day, warm with the sunshine pouring down and the sky gleaming sapphire blue. The wind was whipping my hair into a fair imitation of Medusa, and it brought the scents of wild honeysuckle and fresh-mown hay with it. I wanted to laugh with the joy of simply being alive and freed from my everyday life.

There was no conversation between us for a long time as we navigated the two-lane back roads. Tee seemed confident of where we were going, but that didn't necessarily mean we'd get there. We turned the radio up and sang along at the top of our lungs, and I was dancing around in my seat like a crazy person.

We were winding down our rousing rendition of Beyonce's "Upgrade U" when she slowed and navigated the Escape into a gravel wide spot at the side of the road. I watched curiously as she rummaged in her bag for something. After a few minutes, she pulled out a length of black satin that looked suspiciously like someone's tie and held it out triumphantly. Oh hell no.

"That's NOT what I think it is, is it?" I asked, crossing my arms. If I'd been standing, they'd be on my hips by now.

"I so am not putting that on." I said defiantly. She glared right back at me.

Well, twenty minutes and a fierce argument later, I was flying blind. I didn't like it, it set my nerves on edge. In my line of work, I was used to having all my senses at my disposal going into an unfamiliar situation and not being able to see, especially, made me nervous. By the time the car rolled to a stop, my adrenaline was spiking and my heart racing simply from the unknown.

Because I did trust her with my life, I let her open the door and guide me across a parking lot. I could feel the heat radiating from the blacktop and hear traffic. A door opened in front of me, washing cool air over my skin. I stopped just inside the door, unsure. Tee gave me an impatient little shove from behind, so I took another couple of steps and didn't bump into anything, so far so good.

I could hear rock music playing, but that's about all I could tell without my eyes. Suddenly, someone touched my face. I jumped and automatically went into a defensive pose. I hadn't even felt anyone move around me. Tee spoke from behind me, so I know it wasn't her touching me.

"Relax, it's ok." I could tell she was a few steps behind me, slightly to the left. But that still didn't solve the problem of who the fuck was touching me.

Now whoever was tugging at my hair, un-knotting the makeshift blindfold and pulling it away, the satin whisking smoothly over my face.

My eyes immediately popped open. I found myself staring up into a pair of mischievous green eyes.