Chapter 04: Lifting the Mask

The Gag Lab was where Abby sometimes came when she didn't feel like showing her face aboveground. Lab Rat was always glad to see her too, even when it seemed like everyone else just wanted her to go away. So it was with a warm smile that she made her way into the Gag Lab with a tissue held over her nose to stop the bleeding as best she could. She found Lab Rat sitting at his computer desk, though he wasn't doing research. The sound of shouting and explosions were coming from the video game on the screen.

"This game has some great graphics, doesn't it Hermes?" Lab Rat said with a chuckle. "You can practically feel the blood splatter on the walls."

"The mark of a true piece of art." Abby quipped with a half-smile.

"Abby!" Lab Rat whirled in surprise with a smile, which quickly faded when he saw her. "Abby!? Are you okay? What happened to you?" He quickly rushed to her side, slipping an arm around her waist to help her. She winced and grunted when his arm slipped over the bruise where Paige's knee had connected. "Oh, oh, sorry, careful. Come on, why don't you let me take a look at you?" He carefully led her over to the table in the center of the room, pulling out a chair and helping her sit down.

"Thanks." Abby heaved a sigh of relief to be off her feet. "I tried to talk to Paige earlier and things didn't go like I'd hoped."

"Paige did this to you?" Lab Rat lifted his eyebrow. "I figured you could take her."

"Hey, I wasn't expecting it, alright?" Abby huffed.

"Alright, alright. I'm gonna lift your shirt a bit, okay?" Lab Rat asked. Abby nodded and lifted her arms so Lab Rat could lift her sweater and shirt off of her stomach, grimacing slightly at the sight of the large bruise forming on her side, and several smaller ones dotting her stomach. "You two must have really had it out."

Abby nodded. "I've never seen her like that before. It's like she completely lost her mind." Lab Rat let her shirt down, then moved across the Gag Lab to pull some things out of one of the desk drawers he could use to treat her wounds. "She just won't talk to me about what's been bothering her, and whatever it is is just getting worse."

"I thought you and Paige were mortal enemies." Lab Rat pointed out as he approached her again and pulled her hand away from her face to treat the bruises there first and wipe away the dried blood with one of his washrags. "Why do you even care what's bothering her? Why not just leave her alone and let her deal with it?"

"Yeah, well…" Abby shook her head slightly, though she was careful not to disturb him as he washed her face. "I just don't know. For one day it was like we actually started to get along, and I really liked it. She wasn't so bad once she stopped making fun of me, and she's actually a really good actor. I just don't know why she's acting like this."

"Well you can't make someone be your friend, Abby, you know that as well as anyone." Lab Rat told her as he finished wiping at her face, then pulled her sweater and shirt up from her stomach. She grabbed the clothes to hold them out of his way while he went to work cleaning the bruises down there, then rubbing some blissfully cooling salve on them. "Sometimes the best you can do with someone is just let them know you're willing to help, and see if they come to you."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, you're right… it really is none of my business, and if she doesn't want my help, I can't force it…" She watched Lab Rat apply the salve to the last of the bruises, then take the ice-pack and press it against the large one on her side. "Oooh!"

"This'll help the swelling on that bad boy, just hold it there for a while." Lab Rat told her. Abby nodded and reached down to hold the ice-pack in place while Lab Rat stood up straight and gave her a comforting smile. "You can hang around here for a while before you go home, if you want. I just got this new game this morning that I think you would find interesting."

"Paid for by the Bureau?" Abby replied with a soft snicker.

"Hey, it was necessary to make sure our computers are still top-of-the-line." Lab Rat winked. "What kind of secret organization runs on outdated hardware?"

"Guess I can't argue with that." Abby smiled. "Alright then, let's see it."

***

Abby decided to take Lab Rat's advice, and leave Paige to her own devices for the next couple of weeks. Aside from a gentle touch and a smile at rehearsal the next day, she didn't say anything to the girl, or interact with her in any notable way. Paige still looked understandably upset, but didn't attack or snap at her again. Rehearsal that day went as well as ever, though there was still a definite coldness in Paige's eyes that made Abby wary, but she didn't bring it up.

Things stayed this way for the next several weeks. They came together for the rehearsal, and then promptly went their separate ways. They worked hard to make sure their performances were as good as could be, and they were both steadily improving, but sometimes Abby thought she caught sight of Charlie shaking his head during one of their scenes together. It was possible he noticed the tension between them… but there was nothing she could do about it even if he had.

One day as the actors milled about in the auditorium waiting for the day's rehearsals to start, Charlie walked into the building with a broad grin on his face, addressing them all with a wave of his hands. "I have big news! Today we'll be having our very first dress rehearsal, because the costumes you'll all be wearing have just arrived." He waved behind him as several other men in blue outfits came in, pushing several racks of very fine-looking clothing with them.

"Hey, nice! It's about time!" Paige exclaimed with a grin while the rest of the cast started chattering among themselves.

"Everyone line up to get your costumes, and you can change in the rooms in the back. We need to make sure they fit, and perhaps having these will help you understand your characters just a little bit better." Charlie moved towards the racks. "Single line, please, no need for shoving and fighting, the costumes aren't going anywhere."

Abby slipped into line with the others, eager to see what kind of outfit Rose would be wearing. She seemed like a gentle, outwardly conscious kind of character, so it had to be something modest, she thought to herself.

She could barely contain her eagerness until she reached the front and Charlie smiled down at her, holding out a black and white dress dangling freely from a hanger, with a pair of shining white shoes in his other hand. "Here you go, Rose. Made just for you, in your size. Let me know if it doesn't fit."

"Thanks!" Abby snatched the dress from him and ran towards the girls' dressing rooms. She slipped inside and rushed to one of the stalls, where she quickly disrobed and slipped the dress on over her head, brushing it down with both hands before slipping her shoes on. When she was dressed she opened the door, and was instantly greeted by the sight of herself in the mirror.

"Oh wow, so cool!" She giggled to herself. The dress was beautiful, a sleeveless gown that flowed down around her knees in layers of black and white fabric, while the top came inward across her chest and back until the very top closed tightly around her neck, where a collar came up right underneath her chin. Prominently displayed on her chest was a glittering jewel. It was obviously fake, but it was still very beautiful. "This has got to be the greatest dress ever."

"Too bad you're going to be upstaged, Archer." Paige's haughty voice said from behind her. Abby turned to look behind her at one of the other stalls, freezing when she spotted Paige.

Paige was standing with her hands on her hips and a cocky grin on her face, wearing a pair of long blue-jeans with several rips in them, and a white wifebeater on her torso over a black sports bra that could be seen through the thin fabric. There was a scarf wrapped around her hair, covering it except for the back, which was joined by the tail of the scarf dangling against her back. "I think we both know who wears the pants in this relationship." She quipped with a wry smirk.

"Geeze, Paige, you look so…" Abby looked her up and down in disbelief.

Paige snickered. "Keep your eyes to yourself, Archer, unless you're fruitier than I thought." She moved past Abby, watching her out of the corner of her eye until she passed and made her way towards the exit. After she disappeared Abby finally blinked and shook her head, realizing that was the first time Paige had spoken to her in these last few weeks. Maybe whatever had been bothering her was starting to let up?

The rest of the audition went as normal, though Abby definitely saw and felt a difference in the way the actors performed. They were more energetic somehow, and some of them took special care not to break character even when they weren't on-stage. Charlie seemed to watch with special care while Abby and Paige were rehearsing some of their key scenes together. They weren't doing any of the kissing scenes today, much to the dismay of those boys present, but they had way more scenes to rehearse than just those ones.

"How can you suggest we lay down and let them win?" Paige growled in the middle of one of their scenes together, clenching her fist in front of her. She really looked like the kind of girl you'd find hanging out on the street in these clothes, which Abby supposed was the point. "How can you suggest that they may be right!?"

"I suggest no such thing!" Abby replied vigorously. "But we cannot stand against the world, Amy. Its strength is too great, its burden too heavy. We would be crushed as nothing…"

"Then let us be crushed, Rose…" Paige gripped her hands firmly, glaring into her eyes with a fiery look. "Let us be crushed, let us burn, let us be torn asunder by the grasping hands of hatred, just let us be together…"

Abby blinked slowly and moved a little close to her. "Forever…"

Charlie clapped lightly from his seat in the front row, followed quickly by the rest of the cast. The two girls separated, since that was the end of this scene, standing together awaiting Charlie's judgment. "You both continue to shine like stars." He told them with a smile. "As do you all. I see I was completely correct in looking for people like you to do this for me instead of looking for professionals. I have never seen a cast so genuine or dedicated, and I thank you all for your efforts."

"Now all of you, take the rest of the week off and come back this Friday so we can make final adjustments to your costumes, and by then we should have another surprise for you as well." Charlie nodded and gestured toward the dressing rooms. The kids were all chattering excitedly among themselves as they headed into the dressing rooms to change back into their usual clothes, some mumbling about how they wanted to keep the special costumes.

Abby changed quickly, placing her dress and shoes on the rack with everyone else's costumes before turning to leave, but Charlie placed a hand on her shoulder before she could reach the exit, holding onto her. "Hang back for a few minutes, will you, Abby?" He asked. Abby blinked, then realized that Paige too was being held off to one side while the rest of the cast left without them.

Once they were all gone Charlie walked back to one of the auditorium seats and plopped himself down, looking up at them with a studying gaze. "So, what's going on with you girls? Are there any troubles in your personal lives? Problems with the play?"

"No, of course not." Abby shook her head.

"Yeah, the more we do this, the more I like it." Paige nodded. "It's like we're sticking it to the man."

Charlie chuckled. "Well, that is a part of what the play is about, but not all of it." He looked at them for a few more moments before taking another deep breath. "I just want you to know that if there's anything wrong, at all, you can come to me with it. My job here is to make sure that you're comfortable enough to give this project everything you have, because I'm relying on you two more than anyone else."

Abby grew worried. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Not really, I've simply noticed a change in the way you two regard each other. It's like you're more… reserved, guarded. But perhaps I'm just imagining things." He flashed them a smile. "An old man becoming a perfectionist in his advanced age, perhaps." He stood up and wrapped his coat tightly around himself. "You girls just try to relax, and remember if there's anything I can do for either of you, just let me know. It's my job to keep your minds at ease, and I feel that you've become my friends. Do you understand?" Abby and Paige nodded silently, and he turned to leave, his long coat swaying behind him.

The two girls turned to regard each other, and Paige put her hands on her hips. "I blame you."

"Yeah, you do that." Abby rolled her eyes. "Paige, we can't keep doing this. We're losing whatever we had when we first started this, at this rate by the time show time comes we're both going to be kicked out of the play."

This made Paige pause. This was her chance for stardom, Abby knew she wouldn't let it slip out of her hands for no reason. "So what are you suggesting, Abby?"

"We need to get to know each other, we need to be able to connect or this play isn't going to work. I mean, before, we fought all the time, but we still understood each other. Now I have no idea what's going on with you. It's like you've become a different person."

"Oh please, I have not." Paige huffed and turned to leave. "And I have nothing to share with you."

"Please, Paige, just come to my house and let's talk for a while, that's all I'm asking for." Abby rushed up behind her, making her way down the sidewalk.

"Why?" Paige threw her hands up and whirled on her. "What do you want from me!?"

"Just to talk. That's all, and it'll be good for your career." Abby told her calmly.

Paige rolled her eyes and huffed, glaring at Abby with an annoyed expression on her face before she finally spoke. "Fine, if it's what it takes to keep this gig, I'll come to your stupid house."

"Okay, that's all I ask." Abby kept her cool, though inside she was mentally cheering for herself. "Come on, my place is this way." Abby turned to lead Paige down the sidewalk towards her house, already mentally planning everything she was going to say. She had to be careful, Paige had been volatile so far, to say the least, if she said the wrong thing Paige could go right back to not talking to her, and that was the very last thing she wanted.

The strangest thing was… she wasn't sure why she cared anymore. Paige was such a pain in the butt, even when Abby wanted to be nice, that she knew she should have given her up and brushed her off long ago, yet she was still determined to get close to her, to help her. There had to be some reason, she was sure…

They reached Abby's house and they went inside the empty living room. Oh yeah, Abby reminded herself. Ty was over at Naomi's studying until nine, and her parents were probably out getting dinner or something. They had the house to themselves… well, things would probably be easier this way anyway.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Abby closed the door behind Paige.

"Milk sounds pretty good." Paige looked around at the house curiously, walking further into the living room to examine the furniture while Abby made her way into the kitchen.

She poured two glasses of milk, then came back out into the living room to find Paige sitting daintily on one end of the family sofa. She looked pretty uncomfortable, with her hands gripping her knees while her eyes darted around the room as if taking in every nook and cranny in search of an escape route. Abby took a deep breath before approaching the sofa and holding one of the glasses out to her with a gentle smile.

"Thanks." Paige grabbed the glass from her and took a sip while Abby slipped onto the couch beside her. "It's a um… a nice place, here." Paige muttered, as if more to say something than because she really thought so.

"Thanks." Abby smirked slightly, and felt the silence close over them both once again. Abby mentally berated herself for letting the silence stand. She'd wanted to get close to Paige for a reason, she couldn't just sit here and not act on it now that she had Paige here. "You really have been acting different lately, Paige." She said in a soft voice. "I've been kind of worried."

Paige didn't roll her eyes this time, though she did let a slight smirk tug at her lip. "You're one to talk. I've never seen to be so annoyingly clingy before, especially since you've always hated me."

Abby blushed slightly. "Well yeah, but I only hated you because you were such a pain in the neck. It's like you were TRYING to make me hate you."

"So why did YOU change, Abby?" Paige took a sip of her drink, looking at Abby out of the corner of her eye. Abby glanced back in surprise, not expecting to have this turned around on her. "If you got me here to pick my brain, I think I deserve to know why you care so much. It makes no sense for you to just suddenly do a complete turnaround."

Abby looked at her for a moment, then pursed her lips and looked down at the carpet. She was right, of course, it didn't make sense. She was also right that, if Abby was so adamant on getting at the truth, Paige too deserved a straight answer. "The truth is, that day I came to your house, I saw a side of you I never thought existed." Abby glanced over at her again. "I wasn't sure if it was real or if you were faking, but that was the first time I've ever seen you as something other than a selfish conniving bitch. You looked like you were suffering, and I thought maybe all the meanness, all the overbearing attempts at being better than me was just a mask for that. I just had to know."

"Hmm." Paige hummed thoughtfully, swirling her milk around in her glass.

"Now it's your turn." Abby turned towards her eagerly. "WAS it all just a mask? What happened to make you need to pretend to be mean all this time?"

Paige shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm not pretending anything, Archer. I can do whatever I want, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to be the best at whatever I want to do. There's no pretending involved there, it's just how I am."

"What about Marco?" Abby demanded boldly. She saw Paige's eye twitch at the name, but before she could get up Abby grabbed one of her hands in both of hers, clinging to it as if to hold her in place. "I'm sorry if I seem out of line, but that has me worried too. I know something happened… something really bad. I just can't piece together what it was. Did he cheat on you? Dump you? Is that why you're so determined to keep control?"

Paige blinked in surprise and looked over at her. "You mean you don't actually know who he was?"

"Just that he was your boyfriend, and… he kissed you." Abby blushed.

"But how would you think that outside of… my… oh my God, you read my diary!" Paige slammed her glass down on the end table beside the sofa and leapt to her feet. "How DARE you!"

Abby leapt to her feet as well. "I was worried about you!"

"I don't care!" Paige was flushed with anger. "You had no right to read my personal diary! How did you even get it!? Did you break into my room and steal it!?"

"I returned it, didn't I!?" Abby futilely defended herself. She wasn't going to lie, she wasn't going to deny what she'd done, since she knew it was wrong.

"UGH!" Paige roared with her fists clenched. "I can't believe I was actually thinking of going through with this stupid 'bonding' thing with you!" She whirled to march towards the front door.

Abby nimbly spun around her to get between her and the door, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Paige, hold on, I'm so sorry, okay? I wanted to find out what was happening with you, but when I saw that you'd actually ripped out pages from it, I knew I'd done something wrong."

"Gee, you think!?" Paige roared.

"It was the wrong thing to do, but I wouldn't have done it if you'd just been honest with me. That first day in your room it was like you were opening up for just a few minutes and I… liked it. I liked the idea of being your friend, but then you just totally shut down again, and it doesn't make sense for someone to do that. That's why I was so worried, Paige… I wanted to make sure there wasn't something keeping you from being my friend… or anyone else's friend." Paige growled and looked away from her. "Even those people you do hang out with aren't really friends, are they? Why not? Does it have to do with Marco?"

Paige looked up at her eyes, glaring daggers into Abby's eyes, but she took them without flinching, letting her anger flow how it may. "What on Earth did he do to you, Paige?"

"He kissed me." Paige replied stiffly. "Lots of times."

"What's so bad about that? Lots of kids kiss, it's actually kind of cute." Abby told her.

"He was twenty-seven." Paige added in a low growl. Abby stared at her blankly for a moment, then her eyes widened when she started to get the idea of what she was saying.

"Wow… Paige…" Abby stuttered.

"Don't, don't you dare do that! Don't you dare tell me you're sorry, or how terrible it was, or how evil he was!" Paige exclaimed. "I saw that look on your face for years after people found out about what happened, on everybody I knew! My parents, my friends, even the freaking cops who were investigating gave me that same sad, PITYING look!" She put on a squeaky, mocking voice. "Awwww look at the poor, poor little victim girl who's going to be scarred and pathetic for the rest of her life!" She growled. "Well I am not pathetic, I don't need anyone's help and I don't need their sympathy!"

Abby just stared blankly at the blonde in front of her. She looked like she was on the verge of exploding at a moment's notice, her eyes shining with a kind of venom even Abby had never been exposed to before. This was it, Abby thought to herself. This was why she didn't want any real friends, why she entered every single contest the school held, why she was always so over competitive… she was trying to prove herself. Prove that she was above being a weak victim.

Abby nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. "Trust me Paige… if there's one thing I know about you after knowing you for this long, it's that the last thing you are, is weak and helpless." She flashed her a gentle smile. "You're so strong you're a pain in the butt."

Paige stared at her for a moment, then chuckled with a half-smile of her own. "Only because you're not strong enough to handle me, Archer."

"Yeah, you may be right." Abby chuckled back, looking at her eyes. She had never thought of Paige before as anything besides a royal pain in the butt… but now that she was looking again, she realized that Paige had always had something in spades that even Abby could learn a thing or two from. Boundless confidence and self-assurance. Just like her character in the play, Abby realized. Could Charlie have seen this in her from the very beginning?

After another few moments she realized she was staring openly, and Paige was staring right back with a curious look in her eyes. At last Abby broke the stare and looked down at her shoes, more just for something else to focus on than because she was interested in them. "Um… thanks for telling me, Paige… I know that must have been pretty hard."

She looked up when she felt Paige's finger touch her chin, pushing it upward to look into her eyes again. "Yeah, well… you were just so freaking insistent, not much else I could do. You're as much a pain in the butt as anyone."

Abby smirked slightly. "I'll take that as a compliment." She felt Paige's finger stay on her chin for a few more moments, her baby blue eyes staring into Abby's. Abby was surprised to find that her face seemed to be moving closer when suddenly, she felt Paige's lips press gently to hers.

Abby didn't pull away, instead pressing her lips firmly up against Paige's in a return that proved she was more than ready for it. They held the kiss, neither speaking or even thinking as it continued. Abby felt Paige's hands slide up to her elbows, holding her arms in place as softly as the touch of her lips. Abby pressed her lips slightly harder against Paige's, her heart beating in her chest as her own somewhat shivering hands rose to rest against Paige's hips.

As suddenly as it began, the kiss ended, and Paige pulled back to look into her eyes. Abby was panting by the time it did end, her mind and heart racing as she stammered through her shock, and several other powerful feelings she could barely name.

She tried to ask what that was, but before she could they were kissing again, and this time Abby felt herself fall back onto the sofa, landing on the thick cushion and leaning against the back with Paige right on top of her, leaning against her torso. Abby was shivering as her arms wrapped around Paige's neck, wrapping tightly around her and holding her as close as possible.

They had no idea how long passed, wrapped in one-another's embrace, the kiss only growing in passion with every passing minute. Soft coos and moans echoed out of the living room as they stroked and petted one another, rolling on the couch until Abby found herself on top of Paige lying lengthwise across the sofa, with the blonde girl completely at her mercy.

The soft click of a lock opening went completely unnoticed. It wasn't until she heard a pair of footsteps stop just inside the front door that she realized someone else was in the room, and by then it was too late. She opened one of her eyes and let the kiss break, glancing down to see her mother staring at them with wide, stunned eyes. Abby stared back at her for several moments, still feeling Paige's chest rising and falling against her own as the girl shifted uncomfortably beneath her.

Paige gently pushed Abby off of herself and slid out from under her, reaching up to brush her somewhat messy hair into place with one hand. "Hey, Mrs. Archer." She flashed a slight smile. Her mom didn't respond, just staring at them like they just turned into vampires. "I'm gonna…" Paige gestured toward the door, flashing a glance at Abby before leaping from the couch and quickly making her way out of the house, brushing past Abby's mom, who still stood frozen in the doorway.

Abby cleared her throat and reached down to pluck Paige's pink beret off of the coffee table, where it had fallen in the heat of the moment. "Mom?" She finally spoke. "Are you okay?"

At last her mother blinked for the first time since Abby had spotted her. "We need to talk."

So Abby found herself sitting awkwardly on the living room sofa, clutching Paige's beret like a life-preserver while her mother sat in front of her, opening and closing her mouth like a drowning fish. "Abby… you see… when a man and a woman love each other very much…"

Abby groaned and rolled her eyes. "Mom, it's the 21st century, I know what sex is."

Her mother huffed, looking a bit red in the face. "You kids today…" She grumbled under her breath. "I'd just like to know what you were thinking just now."

Abby raised her eyebrow. "What I was thinking? That it was kinda nice."

Her mother shivered. "Abby, you know what you were doing is wrong, how did you even get that idea in your head?"

"What idea? Kissing?" Abby scratched her head. "I've had that idea for a while, now."

"No, sweetie." Her mother shook her head a bit too forcefully. "Kissing… her."

Abby stared at her for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "You mean… a girl?" Her mother nodded. "Mom, does it really matter if it was a boy or a girl I was with? It was just a kiss anyway, it's not like we would've had sex even if she was a boy. I'm not that dumb."

"I know that, sweetie, I trust you. I just… worry about you." Her mother told her. "I've never seen you lean, you know, that way. I just want to make sure everything's all right, that you're okay. Did someone say something to you at school about this? It was some boy who put you up to this, wasn't it?"

"No, mom, nobody put me up to it." Abby replied sharply. Right after she said it though, she realized it wasn't really true. This play had had the topic on her mind for the last few weeks… what if it had done the same to Paige? What if they only did this because of the play? "Well… I don't think so, anyway."

"You don't think so?" Her mother pressed softly.

"Well… in the play, Paige and I sort of have to kiss for our roles." Abby told her softly.

Her mother's eyes widened. "What? Your play? I thought it was a play for children!"

"Well, not really." Abby shook her head. "The stars are all kids, but the play itself is for everyone."

"I see." Her mother narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then reached out to touch her daughter's knee. "Get some sleep, Abby. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Oh… okay…" Abby was a bit wary, but she didn't want to argue anymore, especially since her heart was still racing after what happened with Paige. So she leapt to her feet and raced into the back to her bedroom, away from her mother's staring, prying eyes.

She had a lot to think about, she realized as she plopped down on her bed. She hadn't really thought about the way the play was written before, honestly it hadn't even occurred to her that there was anything strange about the fact that it was such a huge romance starring two girls. Was that what made her think about Paige that way? Was it what had brought them as close as they were? More importantly though, was Charlie just using them for their sex appeal…? Boys obviously liked seeing girls kiss, as the boys in the play proved. The thought made her shiver. She had to find out as soon as she could, right after school tomorrow…

To Be Continued