A/N: Thank you for reading this story
Also, there's another small continuity error: Marcus is a bit far off from aging, but since the Baldwins need something to do, he's growing up in the near future. In reality, he'd only be halfway to becoming a kid… or maybe two thirds, depends on how you spin it.
Another one: Gabe and Kim don't know each other, although it'd seem likely that they would given that Kim and Sam are siblings… so pretend that doesn't exist either. Sorry!
This A/N is super long (matches this chapter: 10 pages), but does anyone know whether Chastity's an executive assistant or an executive? The wiki gives me conflicting reports… no matter; I'll say the latter.
XX
Chapter 3: A Dog in Politics
Ana and Ramir Patel were enjoying a night of lying on the bed and staying up late.
"Honey, did you know that a baby can hear your voice as early as sixteen weeks into pregnancy?" Ana asked, her curly black hair in a ponytail. "That means our little baby probably already knows our names."
"That's silly, Ana," Ramir responded, flicking through the channels on television. "Our baby doesn't know language yet."
Ana murmured a response, enamored in the cooking book she was reading. "I'm hungry, Ramir."
Uh oh, Ramir thought. Whatever his wife wanted for a meal would probably be outlandish and difficult to obtain at the hour. "Stop reading cooking books, then. Read about cleaning."
She pouted. "But the damage has already been done…"
"What do you want?" he sighed, setting the remote. She grinned.
"I think spaghetti with meat sauce and a side of cake. Ooh, also some blood oranges." She scrunched her nose. "And some ice cream."
Ramir chuckled at his wife. "Good thing we have leftover spaghetti. I'll make a run to the store and you can have that first." She nodded excitedly as he got up to go to the kitchen.
He loved no one more than he loved his wife. She was a fantastic girl. Ana was pretty, smart, funny, and a great person to be around. The only problem was her desire for so many children.
When her parents had died as a teen, he had begged his traditional father to let her move in with them, which he did. His mother had died when he was a child, so he knew how it felt for a parent to die. He knew that had been a stretch for his father. Letting a boy and a girl live together? That was abominable. Ramir was just lucky that their parents were friends.
He opened the refrigerator and took out a plate of spaghetti. "Do you want this warmed up, sweetie?" he called.
"Cold!" she shouted back. He heard the sound of A Pleasant Life's theme song playing.
"Oh, you're not watching that terrible soap opera again, are you?"
"No, I'm watching the kid's channel!" she replied, laughing. "Just get my spaghetti!" He walked back with the plate and a fork in hand. Ramir set the plate on their bed.
"I'll be right back, Ana," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Oranges, cake, and ice cream?" She nodded, eating the spaghetti already.
"Blood oranges," she said, muffling her words with the pasta. He nodded and started to the garage.
The gender of the child was to be a surprise, mostly since Ana was childlike in that way. She loved surprises. If it was up to Ramir, he would make sure that he knew everything about the kid, but his wife really wore the pants in the relationship.
Driving off to the market, he kept his ever-alert eyes on the road. The market wasn't too far away. Hopefully he remembered his wallet…
Good, he did. It was in his pocket. When he pulled up to the market, there were a few cars parked outside. He spotted a few teens – they looked like townies – hanging out, the clerk eyeing them. The clerk looked to be seriously contemplating kicking them out.
Ramir killed the engine and got out. He realized he was already in his pajamas. Whoops.
"Good afternoon and welcome to Finer Fare," the clerk greeted. He frowned at his outfit. "Someone's out late, aren't they, Ramir?"
"The wife," Ramir grunted at the boy. His name was Ryker, and he was a sort of nerd. The kids didn't seem to pay him much mind.
The boy chuckled. "That's the pregnant one, right?" Ramir nodded wordlessly, heading to the produce section and picking out a few of the blood oranges. "Those are out of season."
"I know, it's too hot," he said. "Hopefully they come from Aurora, although that might be too cold." Ryker shrugged, leaping over the counter.
"If you shits think about stealing from the register, you're dead!" Ryker shouted. "What else do you need?"
He thought about it for a moment. "Get me a pint of vanilla ice cream – she's grown sick of the mint chocolate chip," he said. "And chocolate, how about it. I also need cake… but not an entire thing, you know? Do you have, like, a slice?"
Ryker chuckled and headed back to the freezer, examining what they had. The building used to be a convenience store before it was converted into the full grocery store. "Hm… we have slices of marble, German Chocolate, and ice cream wrapped. Any look good?"
"Get me the marble and the ice cream. Oh!" he said, remembering something. "Tomorrow she'll want apples and yogurt. Also I should make some vegetarian curry tomorrow after work…"
Ryker returned, setting the ice cream and cake slices on the counter before hopping back over. "Dude, I'm taking tips from you. If I get married, I should be this perfectly devoted husband and crap." One of the girls with the boys looked up at Ryker, but he didn't seem to notice. Ramir rubbed his chin and dropped the produce on the pile. "Yogurt? Regular or flavored?"
"Regular," he said, looking around for some vegetables and spices for the curry. Hopefully she would be able to eat it; if not, he'd make it another day.
Even though he'd rather be out at parties and socializing, he made sacrifices because of how good a person Ana was. Ramir figured he didn't deserve her.
Once he had everything, he set it in front of Ryker to ring it up. The boy was quick and had the total: seventy-five dollars and thirty eight cents. He immediately got his wallet out and flicked a one hundred dollar bill to him. The boy picked out his change and started to bag his items.
"Thanks for your help, Ryker," Ramir said, giving him a tired smile. Ryker nodded.
"See you in a couple days for more random food," Ryker said, waving him out. Ramir piled the bags in his passenger seat and started to return to his house.
XX
Tara was dropped off much later than seven o'clock. She figured she was in deep with her father, but he wasn't there. All there was on the apartment door was: "Tara, I had to take care of something. I'll be home late. You can order takeout, I left money on the table. –Daddy."
She ripped the note off and jammed her house key into the door. Why wasn't her father there? Although, she had to admit, not getting in trouble for being home late was great. She ditched her backpack on the couch and made a break to the kitchen. There was a twenty-dollar bill on the table and two numbers: Chinese and pizza.
Before deciding to order something – it was nine, after all – she checked the refrigerator for something to snack on. There wasn't anything good, but she did see a bag of chips and cereal. That sounded good enough.
Pouring a bowl of both of them, she started eating before she flopped down on the couch. Taking out her math book and the remote, she started watching television – she was able to multitask – and hunkered down. All of a sudden, her bedroom phone rang.
Tara got up and answered it. "Hello?" she asked, expecting it to be her father.
"Tara, did you get in trouble?" the hushed voice of Justin questioned.
"Oh my god, you'll never believe it: my dad is out late tonight," she said. "He didn't even notice me. Can you believe it?" she said. Justin laughed.
"That's great," he said. "And it was super fun tonight."
She laughed with him. "Oh my god, totally. I can't believe Heath actually came out and that we didn't get caught!" She smiled to herself. "Look, I have to do math homework, and I'm sure my dad will call, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Before hearing his response, she hung up.
That Justin was a really great friend. She walked back to the living room to watch more television, do more homework, and finish her snack.
Her cell phone lit up and she took a look at it. One of her friends, Zoe, was texting her. She decided to ignore it, mostly because she wanted the evening to herself.
Once she was finished with her food and her homework, she put everything away and went to shower before she went to bed.
It was around ten thirty when she finally managed to get to bed. The second her lights went off and her head hit the pillow, she heard her father come home.
XX
Isabel woke up early and got her husband up. "Honey," she whispered, "could you get Marcus to Carlos' house this morning? I have an interview." He opened an eye and stared at her. "Yeah, I'm interviewing to become a cop. Since Marcus is growing up soon, I figured it would be good to add to the household income."
Benjamin rubbed his eyes, but did tell her, "That's great, sweetie!" She nodded and headed to Sofia's room to wake her up for school.
Her daughter was sleeping soundly in her room she shared with Marcus. He was sleeping as well, and she didn't want to wake him up yet. The boy was getting a little big for his crib. Isabel lifted the covers off of her daughter and quietly woke her up. "Sofia," she whispered. "It's time to get up."
Sofia groaned but she got up. Isabel handed her a green sweater and a skirt, along with a white oxford shirt that was lying on her dresser. Sofia sleepily took them and headed to the bathroom.
Then she headed over to her son. He seemed to know she was coming and roused himself, standing at the edge of the crib and crying for her. He knew how to talk due to a rigorous weekend session, and now he didn't stop.
"Mommy," he said as she lifted him out. She quickly dressed him in overalls and a clean shirt and set him on the floor. He immediately crawled over to the toy box. "Do I go to Uncle Carlos today?" he asked in a baby voice.
Isabel crossed her arms and nodded. "Yes, sweetie. Daddy is driving you."
Sofia came out in the ensemble and grabbed socks out of her dresser. "Hey, mom? A girl from school wants to come over some day – would that be okay?" she questioned. Isabel turned to her daughter.
"Sure, sweetie, which friend? Sunny?"
"No, Sally." Isabel frowned.
"I thought you didn't like Sally." Sofia looked at her mother and smiled.
"Don't you always say to be civil to everyone? I'm trying, mommy, and she'd like to come over. I think it'll be fun. So, today?" she asked. Isabel laughed a little.
"Sure, honey. If her parents say it's okay. Who are her parents, anyway?" Isabel asked. Sofia went to her closet and picked out some matching green shoes.
"Her mom's dead. Her dad's Timothy Riley." Isabel frowned at her daughter's language.
"That's not a nice thing to bring up, honey," Isabel said.
Sofia shrugged. "It's true. She moved here when her mom died. She's buried at the art museum or something since she loved art." Isabel nodded and took Marcus' foot to put his shoes on. "So she can come over today? You'll be there, right, mom?"
Isabel nodded as she put the toddler's socks on. "Yes, honey. I have an interview at ten this morning, but it shouldn't last too long." Sofia nodded. "I think daddy's making breakfast. Would you like to go help him?" She nodded and dashed off to the kitchen.
"Mama," Marcus said. She grinned at him and picked him up.
"I suppose you want to go help daddy with breakfast too, don't you?" He nodded enthusiastically, his curly black hair bouncing with his head. "Alright, let's go."
XX
Kim sighed, seeing her sister curled up on the bay window. She was staring out into their yard. She approached her quietly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kim asked cautiously. Sam turned and shook her head.
"No, I'm fine," she replied, turning away from the window and setting her bare feet on the floor. "I have to get to work this morning."
Kim caught her elbow. "Can you afford to be late? I'm worried about you." Sam laughed.
"You, worried about me?" But she stopped and faced her.
"I have the day off. Do you have any vacation time you'd be willing to sacrifice? Heck, maybe we can meet up with Chaste and Gabe." Sam shrugged. "Although I know Chastity works today."
Sam managed a laugh. "The wildest of us has the best and most stable job. It boggles my mind." Kim smiled and the sisters walked downstairs. "I guess… I could call in sick."
Kim winked at her. "See, now you're thinking like me." Sam bit her lip. "What is it?"
"Gabe works today," she squeaked. Kim shrugged.
"Then it's just the two of us. What say you to going out to breakfast?"
Sam nodded and went to the kitchen's phone.
XX
Chastity lounged in her office. It was a fantastic office, with a spinny chair, a giant desk made of mahogany, and a ton of papers she got her assistant to do. She hadn't gotten there by doing work. She'd gotten there by "kissing a lot of ass."
Her business suit didn't seem business-y. It was gray and the jacket was a size too small, accentuating her figure.
She did a turn on the chair and planted her heels on the floor. Her suit didn't have a skirt. No, it had dress pants, making her look taller than she was.
Gordon Wolosenko, a socialite in the city, was her exec assistant. He burst in the door, panting, sweat visible on his brow.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Ms. Gere," he gasped. Chastity rattled her nails on the desk. "I'll do overtime, anything, just please don't fire me."
Chastity shrugged. "It's your work you'll have to take home," she said, pointing to a stack of papers on her desk. "Shoo."
She grinned internally as the man sheepishly grabbed the papers and walked away. Her power was a nice perk from the job. He left, and she picked up her phone idly from the desk.
Carlos had messaged her. She sighed. The old dog didn't know a tease when he kissed one. And besides, he had that Jessica Peterson sniffing all over him. Why not choose her?
Oh, right. Because Chastity was actually interesting. Whoops.
Her boss quietly knocked on the door and proceeded in. Armand DeBateau. Chastity was reminded why meetings were so awkward.
"Hello, Chastity," he fumbled, glancing around to the ground. "I, um, there's paperwork – "
"Already pawned it off to Gordon," she shot back, glancing at her magenta nails.
"Um, aren't those – nails, are they dress code?"
She glared at him. "I didn't get to where I am because of my dress code, Mr. DeBateau." She sighed and flipped her phone open. Gabe was texting her. "Hold on one second."
"But, Chastity, you can't have your phone on at work – "
"One. Second."
She opened the text and read that Gabe had to work late. Chastity groaned, opened her desk drawer, and threw her phone in there. "Yes?"
"Aside from the paperwork, there's a meeting on Sunday at two, and they want you to make it," he said quietly. Chastity rolled her eyes.
"Who invited you to my party last night?" she asked, popping a piece of mint gum into her mouth. "You know, you completely spooked Sam."
He still didn't make eye contact, but he smirked. "Did I?"
She crossed her arms and kept her eyes on him. "Yes. And you know it. God, you have that nice demeanor and it's all fake."
He dragged the chair in front of her desk out and took a seat in front of her. "I'd be careful about what you say, Chastity. I have your job."
"Your other execs are brainless idiots who have to be told what to do," she said. "I'm the only one who actually does something with this job."
"You're smart. But there are alternatives," he said quietly. "I can find an excellent substitute with the right amount of money."
Chastity chuckled and spun around in her chair. "You could just pick your daughter. I'm sure she's very apt to take over the executive position."
He fell silent. "Exactly," Chastity got up. "I'm going to the water cooler."
She got up and passed by a familiar face. "Oh. Connor?" she said, raising an eyebrow. His eyes flickered up to her. "I didn't know you worked here."
He stood and nodded, his awkward demeanor apparent to Chastity. He was decently attractive, but his glasses and his weird clothes didn't reinforce that view.
"Well, um, yeah, I switched jobs," he muttered. "The boss came to work and offered it to me. I was… surprised."
She nodded. "You want to get a drink with me?" she offered. He exhaled and nodded. "Awesome. Come on."
XX
Phoebe arrived at the coffee shop all the way from Magic Town. Her subjects made her want to explode because of how stupid they were, so she needed an escape.
Also mischief. She loved mischief.
She threw her broom against the side of the building and stormed into the building. Most of the business owners were scared of her. The smart ones saw through her sickly sweet demeanor.
It wasn't like she cared. If anyone started to protest, they'd simply die.
"The usual," she said before she caught a seat at the bar. "Move, idiot." The man who sat beside her moved his things over a seat. The shy barista poured her an espresso.
"…I am so glad you convinced me to call in sick!" a familiar voice bubbled. Phoebe glared at the barista and she started talking to another customer. Taking a drink, she casually turned around.
Hm, she thought, seeing the familiar bobs of two sisters. How strange. Samantha has work today.
Taking a swig of the liquid, she grimaced before slamming it down on the counter and yelling at the girl. "I told you to get me espresso, not crap."
"This is what we've always had," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, what can I do to fix this?"
Phoebe suggested she get lost. The girl looked as if she was about to cry.
Anyone who didn't know she was supposed to be good was absolutely terrified of her. It was the opposite with Frances.
She grimaced again at the thought of the name, taking another drink of the foul coffee. It was like a shot of alcohol: you chugged it to make yourself look cool.
Frances was too good at heart. The fact that she was messing around with Kimberly made Phoebe want to dispose of her. But she couldn't. It wasn't in the contract.
Listening in on the Cordial's conversation, she chewed her lip. Seeing a man staring at her, she glared back. The last thing I need is a stupid guy falling in love with me unless I dictate it.
The nearest city was only eight hours away. Dead people from Belladonna in their rivers didn't worry anyone.
"So, do you like Gabe?" Sam asked. Kim rolled her eyes. That girl, to Phoebe, was the antichrist. That is, if Phoebe was Christ, which, in her world, she was.
"Yeah, he's nice enough. The ponytail's a nice touch. Was it Chastity's idea?" Phoebe figured out they were talking about their friends, a set of roommates. The man was decently attractive, but shy and plain, a lot like Samantha. He was also a writer, something Phoebe despised.
Sam nodded, taking a bite of some scrambled eggs. "It's cute, isn't it?"
"The last thing a guy wants to be called is cute, Sam." Kim took a bite of the cinnamon roll she had ordered. I hope you get fat. Kim looked up at her sister and smiled. "You like him, don't you?"
Sam frowned. "Well, of course I do, as – as a friend."
"You know exactly what I mean, Samantha Elise Cordial," she said. Samantha rubbed her hair, hiding her reddening face from her sister. It was her tell, Phoebe knew – whenever she was embarrassed, she hid.
Poor little anxiety-ridden girl, Phoebe sympathized.
"I – he's handsome," she said, looking up at Kim. She giggled.
"Of course he is, but you two are also shy as heck, intellectual, and nice," she explained. "It's why he and Chaste aren't together."
"What, they got together?" Sam asked too quickly. Phoebe snickered to herself, downing the rest of the espresso.
"Get me the hottest, least fattening thing you have," Phoebe barked. The girl nodded and went to work.
"No, no! Calm down, Sam," Kim ordered. Sam stared at her water. "I'm just saying, since they've been friends so long, if there was anything there, they would be together. But Chaste has told me he's too much like a brother. And who wants to do their brother?"
They both laughed quietly. Phoebe received the scalding hot black coffee and started sipping it. Waking up wasn't the purpose of her excursions at the coffee shop. She liked it because of all of the gossip she could use.
"I guess it makes sense. Sometimes differences make a relationship work, and sometimes it's too much," Sam said sagely. Kim nodded. Then she frowned.
"You had Phoebe and Connor over on Wednesday, didn't you?" she questioned. Sam nodded. "And Connor's roommate… what's his name?"
"Geoff," Sam filled in helpfully. "Phoebe invited them over for me. Said I'd like Connor. She was wrong, though."
Phoebe was intrigued at the turn in the conversation. It was about her – Kim had noticed her.
"He seems nice enough. Or is it because of Gabe?" Kim asked, grinning. Sam shrugged.
"I don't know… He seemed kind of desperate. Also he's nerdy."
"So's Gabe," Kim pointed out. Sam shook her head.
"He has a ponytail. That makes him cool." Kim started to laugh loudly.
"Take off your three pairs of rose colored glasses, Sam. You guys are perfect for each other because you're so socially awkward." Sam looked down. "I love your awkwardness, though."
"Whatever, Kim!" she said teasingly. "I'll pay the bill and then we can go shopping."
"And then we can go visit Gabe at the Convenience Store," Kim teased, putting on her jacket and heading out the door. Phoebe turned around so Sam wouldn't see her. Sam smiled at the cashier and paid their tab.
While waiting for change, she glanced around, her wavy brown dress swaying slightly with her. Phoebe watched her and they met eyes.
A confused appeared on her face as Phoebe turned away from her. "Phoebe?" she muttered to herself. Phoebe blinked and immediately saw hands that most certainly weren't her own. Fantastic, she thought, grinning. Now she looked like a Phoebe-esque lumberjack.
"Oh…" she whispered, frowning as she received change. "Thank you," she greeted, walking out of the coffee shop.
"Humans are so interesting," Phoebe said, chuckling to herself as she faded back into Phoebe. She took a final sip of espresso.
XX
It was a slow day at the convenience store even though it was a Friday. Gabe was asked to stay late to help the teenaged worker out. Ryker was his name and he was a nice enough boy, even though he was a rebellious nerd.
"Man, thanks for helping me with the shift," Ryker said, hopping over the counter. It was late, around eight, and Gabe had racked up so much overtime he wasn't even tired. This was… he counted with his fingers – five hours of overtime.
"No problem. I'm making bank on this night," Gabe replied, taking a drink out of his water bottle. "I have to work until eleven, which is almost twelve hours."
"Yeah, see, I had school," Ryker said sourly. But the pace was picking up, as people started pouring in to buy beer and party snacks. "Do you throw parties, Gabe?"
"Yeah. Had one last night," he said. "We beat the rush and break up the week by doing them Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays."
"We?" Ryker asked. Gabe sighed, ringing up the chips of a townie. "You have a girlfriend?"
Gabe mulled that over. If it was up to him, he would tell the entire city – no, the entire world – about Sam, but he had specifically asked about a girlfriend.
"No, but I have a roommate that's a girl. She's also a friend," he said, politely greeting the customer. "That'll be twelve dollars and thirteen cents." As the man fumbled for cash, Ryker asked him more questions.
"What's she like?"
"Wild," he said. It was true. Chastity was wild. She always had been. In elementary school, she'd worn neon socks and colorful headbands. In middle school, she'd gotten four piercings on both ears, a nose stud, and wore ridiculous makeup. In high school, she'd broken down and gotten her belly button pierced, perfected her makeup, and shaved her head. And then they'd moved in together, where she finally managed to make the look appear fashionable.
He frowned. "Like, do you guys – "
"Don't ask," he said. "No way." The man took his receipt. "Have a nice day."
A crash sounded, followed by a thud on the tile floor. The white floor cracked, but that wasn't what Gabe concentrated.
"What in Creator's name – " he started, looking at the broken window. It was at the edge of the store, and a cinder block had been chucked in the window, effectively breaking it. A little girl who was walking near there started crying.
Gabe glanced at Ryker. "Call 911 and then call the boss. Tell him some jackass is throwing cinder blocks through windows – " but before he could finish, another block was heaved through the window. "I'll be right back."
Even though Gabe was a nerd, he worked out. He wasn't weak. So whoever was terrorizing the customers was going to get a smack down…
All at once, cinder blocks were thrown through the remaining three windows. He opened the door and saw five people in dark clothes and masks standing there.
"Hey, hey, hey, we've got a biter," someone chuckled. "Hey there, Gabriel."
"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, realizing that he was vastly outnumbered. Even though two of them were girls, they were muscular, frightening girls. "You're scaring children."
"That's the point, genius," a girl jabbed. The leader, a man with a large stature and a red mask instead of a black one, stepped out in front of him.
"Quiet, Amber," he hissed. "Now when the police question you for this, you get to deliver this message, okay, Gabriel?" Gabe frowned. "Yes, Gabriel Green. You live at 108 Bella Park Road. Your roommate's Chastity Gere. You have close ties with the Cordial family, Samantha and Kimberly?"
"Stop," Gabe said. "I get your point. What?"
"We want you to tell them to get the dog out of politics." Gabe raised an eyebrow. "They'll know what I mean."
"Who do I tell this? Mr. Wright?" he asked sarcastically. The man stepped forward and grabbed Gabe by his collar. He smelled distinctly of tomatoes, which was strange to Gabe.
"You're going to get a specialist all the way – get this, a specialist from Strangetown. You tell him this." The five began to file away as soon as Tomatoes set him down. "Oh, get a load of the graffiti around back."
Gabe frowned and stepped back inside. Ryker slammed down the phone as soon as he got back.
"The police are on their way but they're dealing with a lot of other incidents," he said. "There's been three other stores attacked the same way and the Rutherford household has – where are you going?" Gabe motioned for him to follow.
"What did the boss say?" he questioned.
Ryker shrugged. "She said she can't deal with this right now since she was having a breakdown."
"Typical Jessica," Gabe scoffed, unlocking the back door and allowing Ryker to cross through first. He walked a good distance away from the building and turned.
"Holy crap," Ryker said breathlessly. "What is this?"
In front of Gabe stood a masterpiece of spray paint and posters. All over said "High Rollers" in neon graffiti. There was whitish paint, which was beginning to dry and glow. The posters had pictures of dogs with business suits, presiding on a podium.
Gabe gasped and rubbed his head. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?" he asked Ryker.
"Um, yeah," he said, laughing hysterically. "Good thing it's a Friday, right?"
XX
TL;DR Ana and Ramir Patel are introduced and Ramir buys random food for cravings. Tara misses getting in trouble because her dad's at a party (the party last chapter). Isabel is on her way to an interview, and Sally comes over to Sofia's house later. Sam blows off work to hang with Kim. Chastity is at work, revealing that Armand has a dark side, and she also meets Connor Weir there. Phoebe spies on Sam and Kim at breakfast. Gabe works with Ryker super late, collecting ridiculous overtime, when someone breaks their windows, tells him to tell a military professional about dogs in politics and then graffitis their wall.
This Teal Deer is too long.