NOTE: I want to be able to show a peak into Mallory's head and let you all know that Mallory isn't the completely unaffected hard ass she's got Lester half-convinced she is. Inside, she's just as flustered as he is, and while you're seeing his thoughts, outwardly, he seems cool and calm to her, too.

Hopefully, these little mini-chapter interludes will give you a better insight into the Mallory character, and even her brother, and will maybe make Santos Slide a little more fun.

Look forward to hearing what you think.

SPOILERS: Sure. Consider it all spoiled.

RATING: Language, sexual references, adult across the board. Not for kiddies, obviously.

.:ONE:.

[Set between chapters four & five of Santos Slide]

Mallory shut the front door and leaned back against it, taking a deep breath. Her heart was hammering like a drum. It was almost impossible to appear unaffected by Lester Santos when they were conversing normally. Forcing herself not to draw Lester's gun out of its holster and open fire on Bobby for interrupting while Lester had his tongue down her throat had been a heroic effort on her part. She'd only wanted to shoot at someone more than that one other time and the circumstances had been much less enjoyable.

She heard her brother boot the Xbox back up and refastened her disheveled hair and straightened her clothes before walking into the great room. Ice looked up at her from scrolling through menus and raised his brows slightly.

"Yo," he greeted her. "You're neck okay?"

Mallory reached a hand up to where Lester had managed to nip her particularly sharp and pressed against the spot gently, feeling a mild bruise forming. She smirked at him and nodded.

Ice shook his head and turned back to the screen. "Grab me a beer?" he said, logging his own account into the system and choosing game parameters.

"Sure," Mallory answered and headed for the kitchen to snag a few more beers and her smokes out of her purse. She opened the pack and peeked inside. Twelve left. She was doing pretty good this month. If she only had two tonight and one a night for the rest of the month, she'd just be finishing up the pack come the first of July.

When she sat next to him on the couch he already had the ash tray out and his own pack of smokes on the coffee table.

"We can't make this a habit," she said, referencing the indoor smoking.

"I know, but I'll be in my own place tomorrow and we'll be taking our smoke breaks over the phone again at night," he answered, starting the game countdown as she fastened her mic to her ear. He popped the top of each of their beers with his lighter and placed them next to the ash tray.

Mallory leaned back into the couch, idly flipping through her files while they waited for more players to join, mentally replaying the experience of having Lester's six-foot-two and smokin' hot body pressed against hers.

"Earth to Rielle."

Mallory raised her brows at her brother, smirking. "What?"

"You look like you've got number one on the mind and nothing else. I thought you got laid recently."

"I did. There's a reason it's number one."

"Christ. And what will you do with this guy?"

"The usual. Now shut up, the game's starting."

Mallory gestured toward the screen and they began blasting their way through the match. While smacking down the other team, Ice switched to Russian and picked their conversation back up.

"What about Tom?" he asked.

Mallory heard their other teammates all chime in, commenting on the language change.

"Shut the fuck up," she told them in English before replying to her brother in Russian. "What about Tom?"

"I thought there was something going on there." Ice stuck a grenade to a guy that had just blasted her in the chest with a shotgun, saving her ass.

"Something besides what's been going on for the past seven years, you mean?" She camel toed a guy she'd just killed with a melee assassination, switching to English to taunt him. "Are you dead? I think you are." He screamed a few obscenities before respawning and she laughed.

"So you're still just friends that fuck," Ice said.

"If I feel like it, yeah. Neither of us wanted it to ever be more than that." The match concluded, her and Ice sweeping the field, and they exited the game lobby to avoid conversing with their fellow players.

Ice switched back to English. "You never wanted it to be more, and maybe he started that way, but I think something changed for him." Ice put his controller on the coffee table and lifted his beer to his lips, raising his brows at her, waiting for a reply.

Mallory placed her controller next to his and also grabbed her beer. "You know I can't be there. I can't lie to him. Or any of them."

"Maybe you don't have to lie to him," he countered.

Mallory stood and looked down at him, jaw clenched. "Yes, I do. They all think I'm kidding. I kept telling them exactly what I am and they all laugh 'cause they think I'm joking and I laugh because they think I'm joking, but you're the only one that knows I'm not. Really knows." She turned away, expelling a breath. "They couldn't really handle it."

Ice slumped into the couch, considering. Finally he nodded and lit up a cigarette. Mallory sat back down, lighting up as well.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she asked, and there was no real uncertainty in her voice, but she knew Ice would be brutally honest.

"I hate it, but yes. I'd like to think Tom could handle it, at least, but I don't think he could. He might even put a brave face on it, but he wouldn't really get it."

"It doesn't matter. I'll miss them, but I can visit. Call, email, whatever. But I can't have him, or any of them, a part of my life every day any more. I'd have to tell."

"And Santos? You think you could tell him?"

"What the fuck does Santos have to do with this?"

Ice held up a hand, placating. "Nothing. Everything. I don't fucking know. There's something there, and I liked him. I liked Bobby, too." He began scrolling through content, looking for a movie or a television show to watch. "They could handle it." He glanced at her. "They'd even get it."

Mallory digested this for a moment. "Maybe. I don't know. We just got here, for fuck's sake. You're talking like I've found 'the one' and I'm more interested in getting laid and maybe getting a mutually satisfying friendship on a personal and professional level out of the bargain."

"You don't need 'the one'. You need 'the two, three, or maybe even four'. You're such a fucking slut."

She laughed and grinned at him. "What of it? And I'm an ethical slut, if nothing else."

"Moderation, and plausible deniability, in all things."

Mallory knocked the neck of her beer against Ice's, still smiling. "You know me so well."

#

YO: So, an interlude. And mysterious, hopefully. Obviously, Mallory and Ice don't have to mention what they're talking about to each other, so you're just going to have to follow along with this (which may also include Ice POV, eventually, but we'll see) and Santos Slide to find out all of Mallory's deep, dark secrets.

I'd love to hear what you think of this interlude/chapter. Feedback is feasted on and gloriously enjoyed. Thank you.

GAMEROLOGY:

Melee Assassination: In Halo, sneaking up behind an adversary and killing them with a fist or the butt of a gun to the back of the head. Other games may have a knife for this type of kill technique.

Respawn: After an in-game death, your avatar will respawn in a (hopefully) safe location so you can continue with the match. In online Halo play, respawns are unlimited and you will continue to come back to life until the point goal is met or the timer has lapsed.