A/N: Hello, and welcome to volume four of the Interesting Hobby Series. This will be posted quickly, in the same fashion as the third volume. Remember that this story is rated M. And please don't be afraid to review. We love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

-- Mel and Chuck

VOLUME FOUR

MAY 2540

Dani's knees buckle and I forget about her fuming parents in favor of catching her before she gets trampled. Not that the chances are very likely; the second Mr. Gray came in, people started moving away, subconsciously aware that they did not want to be near him. She opens her eyes only moments later, though. Wishful thinking, that she'd get to black out and miss the coming fury.

"Let's go outside," Mrs. Gray says flatly. She looks just as pissed as her husband, and it scares me. Dani and I nod, and we leave the club with her parents at our backs. Dani's arms are straight down at her sides, and every few steps one of her hands nervously tugs at the hem of her dress.

We end up in an alley, where there is a couple drunkenly groping each other. Mr. Gray sends a light shock of electricity their way, and they leave immediately. Dani's breath hitches, and I know she's trying to keep her emotions in check. Her fear is palpable, and I don't blame her. I'm not feeling so smooth myself right now.

"Kale, when you were younger you and I had a chat about respect for my daughter. Do you remember the conversation I'm referring to?" Mr. Gray's voice is low; he's barely in control of his anger.

I nod. "Yes sir."

His fist comes out of nowhere, splitting my lip and making me stagger.

"Then how the fuck do you explain what I just saw?" He grabs my wrist as he speaks, twisting my arm around and behind my back until I am on my knees. "You were fucking my daughter in a public place, so that people could see you. You used Danielle as an object, demeaned her." He twists my arm even higher up, until it comes out of the socket and I'm seeing black spots in my vision.

"Daddy, stop," Dani speaks up. "Don't hurt him. He wasn't using me." I can tell by her voice that she is blushing furiously. "It's not like I didn't want it."

Mrs. Gray looks up at her daughter. "Were you using protection, Dani?"

Dani looks at the ground and shakes her head. "No, ma'am," she mumbles.

Mrs. Gray has angry tears running down her face as she slaps her daughter. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

"I'm sorry, Mama. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again." Dani's mother chokes back a sob.

"Claire," Mr. Gray says. She bites her lip hard, squeezes her eyes shut, and nods. He looks to his daughter.

"Danielle, your mother is correct. If you are not looking to raise a child, then take precautions. You are not stupid, and I expect you to act accordingly." Mr. Gray's voice is cold, colder than I've ever heard him speak to her. She nods, blinking rapidly to hold back her tears. He turns back to me.

"Kale, if you don't exercise care in this regard as well, there will be consequences." He kicks me hard in the groin. Shit, it hurts. "Be glad I didn't cut it off."

I almost black out at the idea, but am brought back to my senses by the thousands of volts he's pouring into my body. My body is rigid and twitching, screaming. He looks down at me, his fingers smoking.

"If you disrespect my daughter again, I will kill you." I nod weakly and struggle to my feet.

"I am extremely sorry, sir. I'm sorry, Mrs. Gray." They leave without another word and Dani is at my side.

"Are you okay, Kale? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I can't believe they did that," she says. "Oh my God, I'm so mad."

"Don't be, Dani. I'm fine." It was still the most intense orgasm I've ever had—almost worth the aftermath. Being watched was…Jesus, it was incredible. But my girlfriend's parents are pissed, so I guess I'll have to suppress my exhibitionist tendencies for now.

"Let's go home. It's been a long day."

MAY 2540

We get back to the apartment and my balls are still aching. Mr. Gray definitely knows how to kick. Dani ushers me into the living room, closing the door and dead bolting it behind us before leading me to the couch. That tight little sheathe of a dress has ridden up her thighs again. I can smell myself between them. I almost swoon.

"God Kale, I'm so sorry. I'll never speak to him again. It's awful what he did to you-"

"Dani, stop it," I say, eyes darting up to meet hers. They're beautiful and wide and blue and I feel like I could fall into them. "You can't stop speaking to your father. It would upset you both." Not to mention he'd probably blame and kill me for the rift.

She shakes her head stubbornly and blinks furiously.

"No," she says, "He's gone too far this time."

I'm starting to get a headache in addition to sore testicles.

"Let it go," I plead, rubbing the twinge at the nape of my neck and closing my eyes tight.

Her eyes are watering now with unshed tears and I can hear her angry thoughts.

--can't believe he did that. I'll never talk to him again as long as I live. He needs to stop trying to run my life, and why is it any of his damned business if I want to fuck my own boyfriend in public? And I can't believe she slapped me. She fucking slapped me—

"I can't," She whispers, turning her back on me and stalking into the kitchen area, "They've meddled for the last time. They don't have that fucking right anymore. I'm nineteen god-damned years old; I deserve to have my own life sometime!"

I secretly agree, but I'll never tell her that. Besides, what her parents do, they do because they love her. They worry about her. It's more than I could ever really say about my parents—I steer my thoughts quickly away from that topic.

"Dani, you're being juvenile," she whirls around, eyes flashing fire before she locks that gaze steadily on mine.

"Don't you start with me Kale Flint Romanov," she hisses. The sound of my last name on her lips makes me flinch. I haven't heard it in ages. "Or I swear to God, I'll stop talking to you too."

I shut up very quickly. Dani's just pissed enough to follow through right now.

"Besides, it's not like we were doing anything they've never done. And we were enjoying our selves. What the hell is so wrong with that?

"Maybe our carelessness?"

Dani's expression sobers instantaneously. "It was one time," she says dismissively, trying very hard not to make eye contact.

"People conceive from one time, plenty," I say dryly.

Across the room, Dani shudders at the thought. I take a peek into her head and see her stranded amid mounds of filthy diapers and dead infants. The nightmare makes me frown. I've never been a huge fan of children. I can't really see myself taking the time to make a go of the whole father thing, but if Dani ever did want a child… I'd definitely go the same route as the Grays. Adoption is the only way to ensure what we need in family members… immortality.

"And so you see why your parents think protection is important."

She nods vaguely. "Yeah, whatever. So we need to work on that. It doesn't give them the right to assault us," she insists, "Or threaten you like that."

"Dani, I don't know if you've noticed, but your parents are over 500 years old. They basically have the right and ability to do whatever they damn well please."

"Bullshit. They need to learn to let go."

I sigh from the couch and stand. The ache between my legs has become a dull pulse. "Or maybe we need to learn to hide things better." The thought of hiding things from the Gray's excites me in a way I hadn't expected. I see Dani pause at the suggestion. I don't think it's ever something she's really considered. The Gray family is remarkably open with one another.

"What do you mean?" she asks, body going tense.

I approach her from behind, wrapping my arms around her small waist and pulling her back to nestle against me.

"Maybe we just need to be more… reserved in our excursions, more aware of our surroundings." I kiss her neck softly, letting my tongue trail down to her shoulder.

"Maybe," she concedes, turning to face me.

The ache in my balls has disappeared miraculously, replaced by an altogether different sort of pulsing.

JUNE 2540

We're coming back from a job when I hear Leave Danielle and come across the street. We need to talk.

"Why don't you escort Ms. Malenicia to Ketra, Dani? I'll be right back," I suggest. She raises an eyebrow but continues her course with the woman in tow. I don't bother to mention where I'm going or why—she's still not talking to her parents.

I trot across the street into an ancient-looking diner. Mr. Gray is sitting in a booth near the door. "Sit," he gestures to the other side of the booth. I do, taking a quick assessment of the other people here. I don't yet have the ability to sense what other people have, exactly, but if Mr. Gray knows I don't have something here, he'll let me know.

"I asked you here so that we could resolve our little issue and move forward," he starts. I keep my face carefully blank. I know he can hear my every thought, but I find that a calm outward appearance helps keep things civil. I didn't spend the majority of my young life with this man for nothing.

"I meant what I said last month. Your current living arrangements do not release you from my earlier directives. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir. Only...I'm not going to stop sleeping with her altogether." His left eyebrow goes up, but I continue, "You had to know that the course of our lives together would lead to this. And I care about her." I stop talking, feeling my face grow warm.

His face twists into a wry smile. "I never said you had to stop, Kale." My blush intensifies. God, I don't want to think about this with him.

"But—" and his voice grows serious again "—I do expect you to do something about your professed feeling. If you don't intend to marry her soon, then you and I are going to have a problem again, and my solution to that problem won't be particularly amenable to you."

I pause for a second. Of course I'm going to marry Dani. I've never thought otherwise—she's my best friend and I've never wanted anyone else. The fact that he felt the need to bring it up at all concerns me.

"Just clarifying," he says. "It's gratifying to know that I made the right decision."

"Which decision are you talking about? The decision to show me how to empathize, or take me under your tutelage, or live with your daughter?" I ask curiously.

"All of the above." He leans slightly forward now. "Kale, it's time for us to…shake things up. I am going to create a new world from this current mess, and I want you to help."

"I don't understand what you mean. A new world?"

He sighs patiently. "Hundreds of years ago, the distribution of power was very different. I saw fit to change it and put myself in charge. I ruled the earth for a while before choosing to continue in other pursuits, and left it to its own devices. Now it's time for me to revolutionize the way the world works once again. I'm offering you the opportunity to stand at my side."

I take a minute to absorb all this. Raised as I was, I didn't learn much about the world outside my home until around age fifteen. But I can't imagine anything else. The grime, the common fear of the unknown, everyday violence, even the orphanages on the edge of the city…I assumed it was always this way. I suddenly feel very ignorant, and the feeling prickles under my skin, irritating me.

"How?" I ask him simply. It seems like a task too big to accomplish, too big to even begin.

"It will be easier than last time," he tells me. "Nations used to be a lot more organized, better prepared to deal with threats of this magnitude, and there are less people in the world than there have been historically. The plan is to assemble an army of sorts, pawns I can use, since I can't be everywhere at once. I'll be using influence and mind-manipulation as much as possible, but there are times when that simply isn't feasible. An army would be used mainly for this continent, since transporting them would be more trouble than it is really worth, but it will free me up to concentrate on other situations.

"Some areas of the world have managed to instate leaders and create rudimentary governments. I intend to destroy these and assimilate the remaining populations into the growing empire. Expansion is the next logical step, and after that it is simply a matter of molding things to fit my order."

Wow. He really does know what he's talking about. "Where are you going to find soldiers?"

Mr. Gray smiles. "I won't. You will. You work as a finder, with access to hundreds of files. Locate the people we need, and extend the offer to them. If they accept, we can decide where to send them for further instruction. If not…" he shrugs, "kill them." Sounds easy enough.

"When are we going to start all this?"

"Very soon. I'll let you know when to reach out to people, but in the meantime, start keeping tabs on people at work," he says.

We stand and he looks back toward the kitchen. An older, plump woman stands behind the counter, clearing dishes.

"Go order some coffee. Jaclyn could use a sympathetic ear, and her shift will end in an hour."

I grin. "What's she got?" I haven't gotten anything for almost two weeks, and it's wearing on me.

"The same gift as your mother."

My face stays neutral and my mind has cleared itself of any thoughts or memories that might betray me. "Please don't." He smirks and turns to leave.

"What about afterwards?" I ask him.

"Leave it. I don't have time to wait around to play," he calls back.

I watch him leave, then sit at the counter to strike up a conversation with this stranger. Time to learn.

JULY 2540

Since my conversation with Dani's father, since he put the seeds of dominance in my head… I've been distracted. Dani can tell, and its bugging the hell out of her. The other night, I was so busy scheming that I didn't even notice when she started to get that look in her eye. Believe me, I won't ever make that mistake again, especially if she takes her retribution like she just did.

I came home this evening from working late, gathering information Mr. Gray had asked for. Dani was cooking; the smell of baking chicken and her mother's casserole permeated the tiny apartment. I could practically taste the food from the doorway. And then I got into the kitchen.

She was standing by the stove, stirring some sort of sauce in a small pan as it simmered over flame… And she was completely nude but for a pair of high heeled stilettos and an apron I'd never seen before. My jaw dropped.

And then, she tossed her hair and looked back at me, not even flinching and as brazen as could be. "Oh, you're home," she said, turning back to her cooking as if I didn't have an excellent view of her long blonde hair brushing the top of her ass and the blonde cleft between her thighs.

I hadn't been able to speak. I didn't know what to say. She wasn't showing any signs of interest… other than the nudity. She was just cooking, humming under her breath as she stirred.

"Dani?"

"Dinner will be ready soon," she said abruptly, "Go wait at the table." I did. I couldn't help myself. I think I would have done anything for her in that moment. She was a fucking fantasy come alive.

It took her another ten minutes to finish the food, and when she pulled the casserole and chicken out, I nearly fainted. All my blood had pooled between my legs and I was feeling lightheaded with hunger, both sexual and food related. She but a plate in front of me and took off her apron. Those pert and perfect breasts were hanging free, swaying as she walked and beckoning for me to wrap my lips around the tight peaks and…

The smell of the food distracted me again as she took her seat across from me, crossing her legs, those high heels still on her feet… And my gaze traveled up those smooth legs to the firm expanse of her stomach and lingered on those breasts again before trailing up to half smiling lips.

"Eat your food, Kale," she ordered, taking up her fork and dipping into the casserole herself. God she was fantastic, naked right in front of me and acting like nothing was wrong, like she wasn't trying to torture me.

So I ate, staring at her the whole time when the food didn't envelope me completely. The daughter of Claire Gray is a goddess in the kitchen.

By the time I was done with my meal Dani was only half way through hers. I contented myself by watching her eat, taking slow bites and chewing thoroughly before swallowing. I loved watching her swallow.

It was when she had finished and cleared out plates that she finally addressed me.

"I'd like to have sex now," she said matter-of-factly, jutting her breasts out and putting her hands on hips. Those stilettos were a good distance apart on the tile of the floor and I could see very clearly where her thighs separated.

I called her a tease then and she said something I couldn't really hear about how I should pay more attention if I didn't want her to make propositioning me a few hours work.

And that's how we ended up here, me sprawled on my back across our mattress and her curled next to me, long blonde hair stuck by a sheen of sweat to my skin.

"Why have you been so distant lately," her voice is soft, almost innocent. It's the voice I've never been able to deny anything in all my life.

"I haven't meant to be. I just have a lot on my mind."

I can hear her frown. "Like what?"she asks.

I sigh. Somehow, I don't think this is information Mr. Gray would share with his wife, but Dani and I… we try very hard not to keep secrets from one another.

"Your father." She grows stiff against me. She still hasn't forgiven him for the scene in the club. We've missed weekly dinners for two months now.

"You don't have to be worried about him," she says bitterly, "He won't ever be a problem for us again."

"Dani, I really wish you would let that go. I'm not holding a grudge."

"They're not trying to run your life like they're trying to run mine," she retorts. I sigh again and bring my hand to my forehead where a headache is quickly developing.

"Whatever. That's not what I meant anyway."

"What did you mean then?" She nestles closer to me. Her breath is soft and ticklish against my ribs.

I stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes, letting her shallow breaths caress my skin in the moment before I speak.

"I talked to your dad last month," she growls at my words, "And we discussed something big."

"How big?"

"World domination, big."

Dani holds her breath for a second and then chuckles wryly. "He's gone off the edge," she says breathlessly. The way she says it, so doubtful and derisive… it makes me cross. I sit up on the bed and swing my legs over the side so my feet meet the floor.

"I'm not kidding, Dani," I say.

"Of course you are. Daddy would never seriously consider world domination. Jesus, even the words are trite."

Now I'm pissed. I've spent the last month working on this "trite" plan, and she's treating it like nothing more than a fantasy. "What would you know?" I hiss, "All you do every day is go to work and then come back here and waste your time. You act like one of the sheep your father and I are trying to lead."

The sharp intake of breath and the look on her face, like I've slapped her, tell me I've gone too far.

"God, Dani. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." I slide back onto the bed, reaching for her, but she's up and storming across the room before I even have a chance to touch her.

"If spending time with the person I love on a daily basis makes me a sheep… then you can just go fuck yourself," she calls as she rushes into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and turning the shower on full force.

Wow. I've screwed up royally. Still, she doesn't have any idea of the scope of this thing Mr. Gray and I are planning. She doesn't understand that it's not just about power… it's about molding the world into something useful. It's about giving the chaotic world a semblance of order and purpose. And a little bit about power. She doesn't understand that when this happens… she'll be one of the two most powerful women in the world. She'll be a Goddess not just to me, but to the rest of the world as well.

She'll come around. I guess until then I'll just have to grovel.

SEPTEMBER 2540

I'm fucking hungry.

I haven't taken any more abilities since the woman at the diner. Jaclyn was a classic sob story, and combined with the fact that she had the ability to get an object's history by touching it, it added up for an unsatisfying experience. I ended up thinking way too much about my mother, and I haven't been able to get the whole thing off my mind.

Things with Dani have smoothed over, mostly. A few days of apologizing and worshipping at her feet got her hackles down, but she's still not on board with her father's vision, and we've only recently resumed family dinners at their house. We don't talk about Mr. Gray's plan for the world at home—it just pisses us both off.

But seriously, I can't concentrate. I'm starving for something new, and all this other emotion is just making it worse. And in order to satisfy the hunger, I have to go out and take on some stranger's perspective and act like their problems are mine and empathize with them…

"Kale, what the hell?" I look to see my knuckles skinned and broken, and my blood on the brick wall at my side. Dani's face is anxious. "Are you okay?"

"No," I snap, "I'm not. I need to find someone." I kick a nearby trashcan viciously, but it does nothing for my rising temper.

"Okay, well, that's our job. So let's go," Dani says as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. She takes my hand and leads me back to the center, where she starts pulling out files at random.

"Here's one we've used before, Quaid Henson—"

"No names," I interrupt. "I don't want to know their names. I want what they have."

She goes on as though I haven't even spoken. "A teenager with the ability to breathe underwater."

Totally cool, but no. Even though teenage problems might be easier to listen to, something tells me not to choose this one. "Keep going."

"A man who can paint the future. He lives close by."

"Why the hell would anyone need a painter?"

"The future, Kale. Some people care about it, you included, I believe." She snaps her fingers to get my attention. "Yes or no?"

"Yes. Let's go, now."

We weave in and out of crowds, making our way to the painter's apartment. He opens the door suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Hi," Dani starts, "We're with the employment agency, and as part of the new safety measures that have been instituted, we're asking that all registered members undergo a short interview process." She's put on her professional voice, and the disarming smile that gets people to trust her.

"Interview process?"

"Yup, just as a precaution, to ensure that all our members are safe and healthy, and also to help our clients feel secure. It's just the smartest business move for us," she explains. Her unwavering smile and easygoing attitude get us into the dining room, where the three of us sit at the table.

"So how's this work?" he asks once we are seated.

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions, get to know you. Don't think of it as an interview so much as a friendly chat," I tell him, practically shaking with eagerness. I want it so much. The power itself—sure, that's useful. But it could be essentially worthless and I would still want it. I just need to learn, need it almost like a drug. Mr. Gray assures me that the hunger will become manageable after a few hundred years, maybe sooner.

So the guy starts talking and I listen. I typically use just the tiniest bit of an endorphin boost, to make them feel good about spilling their guts to me. Never fails. I relax as he starts opening up to me. At first he just talks about painting, bills, normal stuff, but then he goes and plunges into the deep end.

"I used to have a family," he tells me. "A wife and three kids. But the pressure, the stress, was too much for me. I didn't want to deal with it anymore, so I left. Picked up and moved here."

I bite the inside of my cheek. Focus, Kale, focus. Ignore the fact that you think this guy's a scumbag and empathize, dammit.

"How old were your kids?" I ask him, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"My daughters were six and ten, and my son was thirteen. He hated me anyway."

I'm tense now, clenching my teeth. "Maybe you just needed to spend more time getting to know him. You know, try harder to be a good parent, a guiding force in his life."

The painter's face is vaguely scornful. Don't talk to me about my kid…guy probably doesn't know the first thing about family or parenting…

I stand up and Dani reaches for my arm. "Kale, just try for a second to see things from his point of view," she says in a low voice. Yeah, he's a jerk, but you want his power, so just try—

"Fuck that," I growl, and pin the man so he can't move from his chair. "You bastard."

"What are you doing?" he cries. "You can't judge me! I thought this was just supposed to be an interview!"

"Kale—"

"Go away, Dani. Go back to the center; I'll meet you later." The man shakes his head frantically.

"Kale," she says softly, standing but not reaching for me, "He's not your dad. It's okay." At her words, my fingertips start burning, flames licking from my hands.

"Go away," I repeat stubbornly. "I still need what I came for, and empathy's not going to happen." My best friend sets her jaw and folds her arms.

"If you're going to kill him, I'm not leaving you alone."

"Fine." I turn my back on her and saw off the top of his skull, just the way my mentor taught me, barely even noticing his screams. I run my fingers down the longitudinal fissure of the brain, feeling for the right spot…there it is. I inhale deeply as I understand how his power works.

"Yes," I breathe, satisfied.

Dani watches me calmly, not a trace of fear or disgust on her features. After all, she is her father's daughter.

"Feel better?" she asks. I nod and go to wash my hands in his sink. I feel slightly ashamed now, of the fact that I allowed my emotions to override my control. But Dani understands.

"You gonna try it out?" She holds out a paper and pencil, face excited. I can't help but smile at her.

"Sure," I agree, sitting down. I come back to myself ten minutes later, looking down at a rough sketch. It's the world, with the four of us standing on top of it. Dani's face is impressed, and despite the day's bad mood, I can't help but think that maybe this is what will convince her to believe in her father and me.