"You spoke to Handsome Jack like that? The Handsome Jack?!" Jess shrilled over the phone. The girl's sudden outburst almost made Elizabeth drop the device from its resting place between her cheek and shoulder; her hands busy with homework. The brightness of the computer screen illuminated her face and paper as she worked tirelessly on a Mind and Behavior worksheet. Her thumping heart betrayed her languid disposition. She couldn't quite forget last night as much as she wanted to.

"I didn't know it was him, Jess," Elizabeth mumbled. She heard an exasperated groan resound over the line, "How could you not?" Elizabeth hated to admit it, but she was right. How could she not recognize the man she had been taught since grade school was the "savior" of Pandora; the same man who the children of Pandora pledged their allegiance to every single day of their lives?

Since middle school, everything had shifted for the worse. She was only thirteen at the time but she could remember the exact moment Handsome Jack came into power. She could distinctly recall how her parents were consumed with worry when they discovered their boss, the former CEO of Hyperion, had vanished and the position was immediately filled by this nameless man; this Handsome Jack.

Her parents would often wonder about the sudden, not to mention mysterious disappearance but after a while and after a few dropped investigations, they grew to learn that it was best not to ponder such things out loud.

Elizabeth was only twelve at the time but even then she knew something was seriously awry when the man's face suddenly started appearing everywhere she looked; at school, on buildings, on television. His constant stare would have made her uneasy were it not for his overwhelming charisma. He had a funny way of attracting people and managed to charm the citizens of Pandora right out of their socks including her parents.

That admiration soon turned to confusion and terror when Jack declared his rule over the state; an authority that was practically handed to him. No one quite understood how he had obtained such a high power, but they were a fool to question it. Nothing Jack did was ethical. They would just leave it at that.

Things were never quite the same for the people of Pandora after that. Hell was a loose term to describe day to day life.

Jack was more of a dictator than anything he claimed to be and he had the backing of many wealthy companies and families to assure he stayed in that position. It was well-known he had the perpetual support of one of the most powerful families in the country, the Hammerlocks, and their constant patronage was anything but frugal. Their aristocratic lifestyle was infamous, so it was no surprise the two fascist parties clicked almost immediately.

Elizabeth could feel her skin crawl as she pictured that stupid face popping up on her television set to preach once again about the change he was willing to bring to the "rat hole" known as Pandora. The only problem: the only change people saw was the increase of slums and the decrease of jobs.

She knew she should count herself lucky, though. Her parents, loyal employees to Hyperion, were secure in their job status. Being miners they were not rich by any means, but they were well enough off as far as being able to survive. Still, was surviving really the same as living?

"You seriously didn't know?"

"Oh, totally. That's why I made a total ass of myself in front of the most powerful man in Pandora. Real good thinking on my part I'd say," Elizabeth quipped as she brought her mouth down into an upside down U shape and nodded like an idiot, "Of course not! He just waltzed in like he owned the place and started getting weird, so I accidentally decided to be an asshole. It was a spur of the moment thing!" Elizabeth whined recounting the terror that was fresh in her mind.

"He does own the place Lizzy! Moxxi may run it but she works for him all the same," Jess said, "And how the hell do you accidentally decide to be an asshole? You're lucky he didn't off you right there!"

That made Elizabeth pause. She put her pencil down trying to think rationally.

"Jack's just a guy with a lot of power. He's not a murderer, Jess," She said, trying to convince not only her friend but herself as well.

"I'm not so sure," Jess said, her voice growing smaller over the line. Elizabeth wondered if there was a bad connection, but she soon realized it was fear weighing down her friend's voice.

"He's a shady guy, Liz. He's been in so many scandals and has walked clean from every single one. If he murdered you, he would have enough power to get out scot-free." It felt as if a large apple had lodged itself in Elizabeth's throat. She tried to dislodge it but it refused to budge.

"I heard he throws people in front of trains or ties bricks to their feet and drowns them in the lake. Or-" Jess rambled over the line becoming more and more frenzied. Elizabeth could feel her heart's pace quicken with Jess' growing hysteria.

"I don't really want to have this conversation before I have to go to bed, please," Elizabeth tried to laugh but it came out choked. The line was silent for a long while as the two girls tried to think of something to comfort one another.

"He was hot though, right?" Jess finally asked. Elizabeth sighed and nodded to no one in particular, "Very."

They talked for a few more hours avoiding the topic at hand and instead elected to talk about the cute mechanic girl, Janey, Jess had a crush. One who just so happened to be involved with the coach of the rugby team; a stoic, powerhouse of a woman who Jess said could knock her flat on her ass if she so much as looked at Janey. "Lucky girl," Jess commented.

After awhile they both bid each other goodnight. "I'll see you tomorrow, chickadee. You still on for coffee in the morn'?" "You know it. I'll pick you up around nine if you want," She offered. As much as Elizabeth wanted to sleep in on her day off, she craved human interaction that didn't set her on edge much more. "Sounds good; see you then!" And with a click she was gone and Elizabeth was left alone with only her thoughts and her homework.

She began to itch at her head through her sandy blonde hair to try and scratch out the image of Handsome Jack's smug mug from her brain. Jess didn't have to remind Elizabeth that Jack was a guy that shouldn't be messed with. She had heard countless stories from whispers exchanged in class to slurred chit chat held at Moxxi's bar and everywhere in between. Some were full on horror stories that kept Elizabeth checking the locks on her windows at night.

One time when she was working the morning shift at Sugar and Spice, she had overheard the radio report the death of a man who had literally had his throat ripped out right outside of city of Lynchwood. When she returned home to research it more thoroughly she found that, coincidentally enough, all evidence pointed to Jack. Still, he walked away unscathed from the charges.

And the one thought that continued to nag at the back of her head like a fly that was just out reach of swatting was that no matter where she went or where she hid, he would find her if he truly wanted to.

As CEO of Hyperion, one of the leading corporations in the whole country, Jack held all of Pandora within the palm of his hand and that included Pandora's vast resources. Pandora was definitely shitty but ever since Eridium had been discovered in the area, things had been slightly less shitty.

Too bad Jack was sucking every bit of it dry like the leach he was. He was reaping all the benefits of the invaluable ore for himself and not saving a penny of it for the people he ruled over. Jack claimed he wanted what was best for his people but how could he when hispeople were dying in the street; most by his hand?

And the way he spoke made it seem Pandora was hardly enough to quench his thirst. He wanted absolute control; that much was certain, and at this rate he would get it. He already had his claws rooted deep into Elpis and it wouldn't be long before he took it for his own. Next would be Promethea, Artemis, and she hated to admit it but the whole country was not out of question.

It was no secret everyone was terrified of the powerful man. He was like some sort of God. It was as if he had a stigma attached to his name. The mere mention of the name "Handsome Jack" had some of the biggest politicians cowering. It sure had that effect on her.

What did Elpis even look like anymore? Elizabeth could only slightly recall their yearly family vacations to Concordia but that had been at least a decade ago. Ever since Jack had the borders of Pandora loaded to the nines with guards and checkpoints, barely anyone left. Only the highly wealthy ever got to see the outside world anymore. Oh, how she loved Elpis. Hardly any death, zero to no murders. It was great.

Although, the crazies of Pandora were one thing; Jack was another. To think, millions of lives were being held captive in the hands of a single psychopath and she could feel hers wriggling right under his thumb. She had to face that she had been caught within the spider's web and all because she had decided to be a dick to the biggest dick in the land. She had been out dicked.

There had been some talk of rebels gathering an army in the city of Sanctuary, but she waved it off. They were probably just a bunch of vigilantes who were in way over their heads. Still, she couldn't help but admire their cause.

Once she was done with homework, she fed Horatio who swam around contently in his bowl and plopped down into the welcoming mattress which seemed to fit to her form perfectly. She snuggled deeper underneath the cool sheets as the anxiety of the day faded some. She let out a dramatic sigh, a groan and then a moan (in that order) and tried to telepathically thank her former roommate for transferring to Fyrestone University. She loved staying up late with no one around to bother her.

The dorms were fine for her freshman and sophomore year, but now that she was embracing seniority, she was ready for a change. If it weren't for the cost, she would pay for her own place in a heartbeat, but since she was flat broke and her parents were not coughing up any cash, the dorms would do. And dorm life undoubtedly sucked, but being alone and being able to do whatever hell she wanted had its perks.

Jess always reminded her she could have guys over whenever she wanted or that she could throw parties on the weekends, but all Elizabeth really wanted to do was eat ice cream in her underwear and watch Echoflix.

Her head met with the softness of the lavender colored pillow as she flicked her bedside lamp off. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she looked outside to the stars. Before sleep could set in, she caught herself thinking about him again and she scolded herself. Handsome Jack. What a narcissist.

9:16 a.m.

Elizabeth's eyes peeled open as she was met with the blaring of "Flawless", Jess' ringtone. She slapped her hand down on her phone and brought it up to her ear to mumble a, "Hello?" "I'm guessing you overslept?" It took a while for her process. She squinted from the glare that shone in her eyes through the translucent curtains. "…Oh, shit! I'm so sorry. I'll be there in ten!"

9:26 a.m.

The sky was drearily overcast that morning, refusing to let the sun shine. Cold air whipped through Jess' short black hair, freezing her skull. Her feet padded the pavement in rhythm as she attempted to accumulate heat in her numb toes. Her dark, slender fingers trembled in time with her chattering teeth. She was on the corner of the street when she saw the little, blue 2003 Honda Civic trudge up the road pathetically. She smiled when she caught sight of the driver who looked close to death. She saw the window roll down and the blonde driver leaned across the passenger's seat to wink at her. "Hey, babe, you come here often?" She said; her hair clearly untouched from the night before. "Business or pleasure?" Jess laughed and hopped in.

"I'm so sorry I overslept," Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose, "I just stayed up way too late." The heat warmed Jess up from the inside out and instantly put her in a good mood. "It's cool. I should have known to tell you to pick me up at eight, cause then you would have been ready on time," She stuck a tongue out teasingly and looked into the passenger mirror to fix the headband in her hair. That's the one thing Elizabeth always appreciated about Jess. No matter how many times she screwed up, Jess retained the ability to forgive and forget. It was pretty admirable.

They arrived at The Clap Trap and as soon as they stepped in the doorway they were welcomed by warmth and the smell of freshly pressed coffee; the chilly air melting off them instantly. They shed their layers and took a seat on the worn arm chairs by the electric fire place. A electric blonde waiter came buzzing over to them with a smile planted firmly on his face and fervor in his step. "Welcome back to The Clap Trap, ladies! The usual?" He asked. His baby blues seemed to be busting with excitement.

"Yeah, thanks, Clap," Elizabeth nodded to the waiter who she recognized from her Water Aerobics class, but for the life of her, could never remember the name of. She usually just defaulted to the nickname she bestowed upon him when they first met. Unbeknownst to her, he appreciated it immensely. He might have been annoying but he was nice enough, and he made some damn good coffee.

When they were alone, Jess looked up at Elizabeth with a timid smile. "You get a call from Moxxi yet about the…you know?" She asked, tentatively side-stepping over the sensitive subject, but still longing to know if her friend was truly safe.

Elizabeth sighed and took a long look at the paintings decorating the brick walls; most of them created and donated by local students. She had always thought about donating one of her pieces, but she doubted she was good enough. It would probably just be thrown in the back with all the other failed works. Or maybe she was too critical of herself.

She also noticed the cracks in the wall the portraits were attempting to conceal. Cracks defined no doubt by years of decay and lack of money inflow; both an obvious catalyst to the gloomy deterioration. It seemed to her everyone was in the same boat. They were all sitting on a gold mine yet the money was nowhere to be found.

Her gaze traveled around the room looking for anything else worthy of note and hoping to avoid the question entirely but before she could lose herself in thought, Jess snapped her back.

"Liz, stay with me," Jess said, "Don't ignore the question, please. I'm worried about you." Elizabeth could hear the chatter of the other patrons and suddenly became self-conscious. She really didn't want to speak too loudly if they were going to be talking about him.If he really did have as many connections as people believed then there would no doubt be some nearby. She looked up at her friend who looked back expectantly. "I haven't-" Elizabeth started.

"Here are your drinks!" Clap announced making both girls jump in unison. They simultaneously shot him a glare, but he continued to smile. "Ignore the puffing burn marks on my arms. I spilled both of your drinks all over myself the first time around, so I am in tremendous pain! Enjoy your drinks!" He said and bounced away. The girls gave each other the side eye and Jess muttered a brief thanks while Elizabeth tried to stifle a laugh. They then took a drink and entered a new layer of heaven.

"Okay, so…?" Jess said giving a wave of her hand for Elizabeth to continue. Elizabeth sucked in air and looked to the side; her shoulders hunched.

"No, I haven't gotten a call. I'm not even sure Moxxi knows what happened," She said, squeezing tighter on her Chai Latte.

"Then you have to tell her. If anybody can do something about this, it's Moxxi," Jess said and Elizabeth put a finger to her lips for her to quiet down. The last thing she wanted was for them to be noticed. They were quiet for a few moments.

"Maybe he forgot about it. It was probably just another normal Friday night for him. You know, threatening a college kid; same old, same old. He probably doesn't even remember what you look like," Jess offered and added, "I mean you are just another plain white girl." Her amused expression was met with a hard stare from Elizabeth.

"He told me he was going to make my life hell, Jess," Elizabeth said, "And I think he's winning."

Suddenly, "She's a Lady" blared out of Elizabeth's phone startling the two girls. Jess roared with anger making the other patrons turn, "If this keeps happening I am going to have a heart attack at twenty-three!" Elizabeth looked down to her phone cautiously, knowing too well whose ringtone it was.

Moxxi lit up the phone screen; her tightly curled hair outlining her beautiful, heart-shaped face clad heavily with makeup as per usual. Elizabeth hardly ever saw the woman without her makeup or her work outfit on since she insisted it was "bad for business", but the girl secretly enjoyed when the woman let her guard down around her. It made her feel like a confidante of sorts. Plus, she thought her southern accent was cute.

"It's Moxxi," She gulped. Jess took a light sip of her caramel macchiato and set it down gently as if the slightest movement would overload her friend.

"She's probably just telling you to not come in to work tomorrow because you're just…" Jess struggled to find the right words then pumped her arm with weak enthusiasm, "such a damn good worker."

With a swipe of her finger, Elizabeth reluctantly answered the phone, "Hey, Mox. What's up?" She could feel herself shaking; her seat squeaking in response. The shaking lessened once Elizabeth felt a warm hand land on her and found Jess rubbing her arm.

"Hey, sugar. Just calling to check up on things. Haven't heard from you in a while," Moxxi's naturally cool tone was unusually on edge; an edge that Elizabeth couldn't place. Was it anger, maybe fear?

"I'm good," Elizabeth said softly, unsure how to continue. She absolutely hated not knowing what to say. Jess quietly inched herself closer to the phone to eavesdrop; her ear suctioning on to the cover.

The line was quiet for a second before Elizabeth started again, "Listen, I have to tell you something about the other night. There-" She was cut off with an abrupt hush.

"Shush, sugar. Let's save this discussion for when we're in person, alright? Meet me at the bar and we'll talk this out. You're not in trouble, darling. We just need to make a few...arrangements if that's alright with you."

"Of course, no problem," Elizabeth laughed nervously. Huge problem.As she internally screamed; all the sirens in her head blaring at a deafening roar, Jess was simultaneously freaking out by her side. "I'll stop by around seven?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sounds perfect; see you then," Moxxi affirmed briskly; the nonchalant velvet of her voice falling momentarily. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Jess and Elizabeth sat in silence for a beat, until Jess put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and both of their brown eyes met, "You're boned."

Moxxi's Red Light, 6:57 p.m.

It took around ten minutes for Elizabeth to find a parking spot in the over-crowded lot. The doors were overflowing with people trying to get into Moxxi's Red Light and the crowd didn't look pleasant. It certainly wasn't the type you'd see walk into church worship on a Sunday morning.

She took a moment to scold herself for her brash judgement. They were probably all wonderful people with wonderful backstories and they all scared the crap out of her.

It didn't help that her vision was slightly blurry from the two shots Jess insisted she take before leaving for the bar; graciously donated by the way straight from Jess' personal stash. She wasn't a fan of drinking and driving, but dying in a car crash was the least of her worries.

Elizabeth tapped the phone in her pocket nervously remembering that Jess had told her to not to hesitate to call if things started looking shady. She stuffed her hands deep within her pea-colored fall jacket and kicked a few stray pieces of gravel into the street. Despite the cool and calm pulse of the night air, Elizabeth felt a bead of sweat drip down her spine. With a deep gulp of breath, she dove into the crowd and pushed her way through the booze and body odor.

The strobing red and purple lights blinded her momentarily as she wrestled through to the heart of the bar; the chilly nip of the fall wind replaced with the thick suspension of grinding bodies. Elizabeth's step quickened as she felt a pelvis catch her in the hip. Her hands and eyes automatically flew above her waist; unwilling to see or touch anything she might regret. When she was directed to the back room by one of the bartenders, she suddenly felt a pit grow inside her stomach.

Her footsteps were lead as she trudged towards Moxxi's office and gripped the doorknob for support, wobbling some. She mentally cursed herself for being such a light weight.

The pounding of the bass thumped her heart out of her chest and clouded her already muddied thoughts. She felt like she was going to be sick. With a push, she lightly pressed the door open.

"Moxxi, you in here?" Elizabeth peeked in and saw the chair to Moxxi's desk swivel around to face the opposite wall. That hurt a bit. Was Moxxi really that pissed? The way the woman usually talked about the "Handsome Jackass" made the girl think she would have been given a raise on the spot. What was going on?

Elizabeth shut the door, cutting the boom of the music off as a way to readjust herself.

She then mustered up the courage to continue, "I wanted to talk to you about the other night. I'm sure you've already heard and I'm so sorry. It was a huge mistake. That guy- that Handsome Jack threw me for a loop. I had no idea it was him and I was really disrespectful and I just don't know what to do, Mox. I really need your help."

The chair creaked almost tauntingly but it never gave her the satisfaction of turning around. The maddening silence made her desperation rise. She took a few steps forward, furthering herself into the room; the smell of citrus and cranberries making her nose tingle. The decorative hanging lights attached to the ceiling and walls produced a soft glow that matched the fruity scent. The black spinning chair slowly rocked back and forth patiently, seeming to coax her on.

"Moxxi, please, he's going to kill me!" She pleaded but was only met with silence. After all they had been through, this was how she was going to treat her? The remaining alcohol left in her system heightened her emotions. Anger flooded her senses and she began to see red. Elizabeth clenched her fists as she took a few more sharp steps forward and yelled, "Answer me!"

The last step was all it took. Now that she was close enough to the desk, the soft scent of fruit was overthrown and suddenly replaced by something that gave her pause. The smell was infamous. It made her head spin as it wrapped itself around her entire being. She tried to place the richness of the smell, but her thoughts were jumbled from the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

All she could seem to remember was how intoxicating that smell was; that smell of rum, cedar and…vanilla. Her hand flew to her mouth in realization as she let out a muffled, "Shit."

There was a playful tut-tut from behind the leather swivel-chair, "Language."

Much to her horror, she knew that voice; it was the same voice that had plagued her thoughts for the past few days.

"Still no manners I see. And who do you think I am; some kind of a psycho who eats babies? Good Christ!" He laughed; she could see his hands emoting enthusiastically at his sides. "But you are right about one thing, baby." The chair spun around and she was met face to face with the nightmare himself.

Jack grinned up at her, his eyebrows knitting themselves tight over his heterochromia.

"You made a huge mistake."