Sweet Doves, thank you for the reviews! They make me happy.
Enjoy!
Songs: Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney, Hunger by Amaranthe
"It's perfect, Regina. Thank you, Mayor Cochran." Katy smiled at the two women and then wandered into the abandoned warehouse.
It wasn't much, but Katy apparently saw something that they never thought possible. Hazel eyes glanced around the empty building with a sense of awe and appreciation. The youth center had become Katy's baby. She'd fought for it before The Council, held fundraisers, begged for donations of time or money or supplies. Now, this day, she helped Captain's dream take its first breath of life.
"Sweetheart, here are the keys," Regina said and handed her the small ring of only two keys. It was a huge undertaking.
"Katyline!" A male accented voice called from the door. Regina watched Katy's shoulders slump forward in frustration. She turned begrudgingly and found a few classmates led by a well-muscled boy with sandy blonde hair similar to Katy's. All of them held mops or buckets or brooms or some sort of cleaning supplies.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" The boy exclaimed and glanced around in awe similar to Katy's a few moments ago. "I saw Marco loading boards and hardware at his shop. He should be here soon."
He smiled brightly at Katy, his eyes softening slightly. "I always liked your hair in a braid."
Katy rolled her eyes and punched the boy in the gut. He doubled over and leaned on his mop, catching his breath. "Regina, Stacy, this is Jacob. We grew up in the same village in The Enchanted Forest. He has grown more annoying over the years."
"Hey," the boy gasped. "Bet I can still beat you in a race, even with a bruised diaphragm," he challenged, and the fire of competition lit in Katy's hazel eyes.
"In your dreams, plow boy," Katy dropped her voice menacingly. Regina and Stacy glanced at each other and then at the other teenagers rolling their eyes or giggling at the obvious flirtation that Katy seemed completely oblivious to.
"Ready?" Jacob asked and tossed his mop to the side.
Katy rolled her eyes. "Stakes?"
"Whoever loses has to be slave for a day," Jacob offered, a glint of hopefulness in his eyes.
"Fine," Katy conceded and took her place at his side. "When I win by at least a three second lead, I also want a ride to school everyday next week. Henry is murderously chipper in the morning."
"Oh come on, Katy-don't, you like your…"
"Go!" Katy yelled and took off towards the opposite wall of the warehouse.
Jacob scrambled to catch up, but Katy practically flew the distance. Even had the start been fair, the boy would have lost pathetically. Katy smirked, barely breathing hard by the time Jacob reached her.
She held up a hand, thwarting his step towards her. "Don't." She ordered.
"Katy-don't, I'm your slave boy, remember?" Jacob taunted his rediscovered friend who was wound too tightly for her own good. She squawked indignantly when he caught her around the waist and hefted her lithe body over his shoulder.
"Jacob! Put me down this instant!" She ordered to no avail as the boy trotted dutifully towards the group of people they seem to have forgotten existed.
"Can't do that. It's my duty to fulfill your every need, and right now, you need to cross this warehouse," the boy taunted, enjoying his role as slave far too much.
"Uhhh, what the hell is wrong with Katy?" Ruby asked as she entered with Alex in one arm, the other around Belle's shoulders.
Any answer stopped short when Katy yelled again. "You do realize that I have the ability to paralyze you from this position. Put me down!"
Jacob snickered, and Katy retaliated by clasping her fists together and bringing them violently upon his back. The boy fell limp to the ground and remained there. Katy stumbled a step and then caught herself gracefully. She straightened her clothes and stalked away from the moaning boy.
"Uhh, Katy, what did you just do to him?" Ruby asked, slightly freaked out. Had she honestly just paralyzed a person?
"Pressure point," Belle answered for the group. "He'll be fine in about half an hour."
Katy adjusted her shoulders and glared at the prone teenager in the middle of the floor. "Unfortunately."
"Marco's here!" Henry chirped and sprinted into the warehouse. He blew past the older kids and adults and slammed into Katy's gut.
Her face turned red instantly in anger. "Don't. You are like an insect that cannot be squashed or repelled." She pushed her little brother away roughly, and he bounced onto his butt. He sprang up immediately and dusted himself, not one bit embarrassed. Katy was just being Katy.
"Goddamn it!" announced Emma's arrival. All eyes turned to find white goo on her neck and shirt from Annabel's spit. She switched arms with the infant, keeping her from her own mess.
Regina smiled tenderly. "I do believe you've become her favorite target, Darling."
Emma glared. Regina relieved her of their daughter and then pulled Emma into a lingering kiss. "Good morning," she whispered as she pulled back.
"Sorry that I didn't make it to bed last night," Emma answered.
"Mmm, thank you for allowing me to sleep while you tended our fussy daughter," Regina countered the apology. "Remind me to thank you later." She winked and kissed Emma again.
The teens giggled and blushed. Some of them whooped and hollered, and the women parted with endeared but irritated grins. Emma rolled her eyes as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, revealing a white tank top beneath. She'd come prepared.
"Must you women constantly slobber over one another?" Bethany sniped, heels clicking smartly against the concrete. Emma snorted at the younger French and pulled a wipe from the diaper bag and handed it to Regina who cleaned the spit off her neck and chest.
"Guess Belle got all the sex appeal," one of the guys whispered, but it echoed in the empty structure.
"Enough," Belle threatened coldly, and all of the teens had the propriety to look adequately shamed. "Put those damn brooms and buckets to use. Preferably at the other end of this building. Right now." The teens followed her instructions, poking fun at Jacob as they passed.
"You needn't defend me, librarian," Bethany sniffed indignantly, insulting her big sister and her support at the same time.
Belle stared at the impossible little snit that was her sister. Could she do nothing right? She removed Alex from Ruby's arms and sat her gently on the floor. Bethany squeaked when Belle wrapped her arms around her lover's neck and very visibly shoved her tongue into Ruby's mouth. When Ruby overcame her shock, hummed sensually into the attention, and slid her hands over Belle's waist, Bethany huffed and stomped towards the volunteers setting up her table and chairs where she and Stacy intended to tag team the signups for volunteers willing to teach classes.
Stacy chuckled. "She is a terror, but I've gotten more work done in the past week than I have since Regina's leave. And I've finally had a free night to spend with my fiancé," she dropped casually.
"What?" Regina asked, more from shock of how the information was delivered than the information itself. "When?"
"Archie proposed two nights ago," she gushed girlishly. "I just wanted everyone together before I told you." She squealed, practically vibrating in place. Stacy was still as excitable as ever.
"Miss Cochran, you intend to deafen my daughter, don't you?" Regina sniped. Stacy shrugged and presented her ring, undeterred by her former mistress' irritation.
The response died in her throat when Lauren's voice called from the door. "Look who I found!" She announced happily. Amelia clung tightly her arm and leaned against her friend for support. It'd only been four days since her accident, but she'd only lost a ruptured spleen thanks to Eva.
Emma rushed forward and took her other arm while Belle snatched a chair and set it off to the side. Amelia settled into the seat gratefully as Emma knelt at her side. The surgeon looked frail and hoary but in high spirits, as she should be. She nearly died, saved only by the freak luck of her sink leaking which led her to be a few minutes late to check on her potion.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Emma asked tenderly.
"Indeed," Bethany reinserted herself into the conversation. "You nearly died, Dr. Shepherd. I imagine the mental trauma as terrifying as the physical reality of your own mortality." Her voice crossed between morbid fascination and harsh mockery.
Everyone stared at the young woman, some in shock, others in disdain. Belle seethed, "Have you positively no soul? Do you enjoy seeing Amelia in pain?"
"I enjoy seeing all involved in the world of magic in pain," Bethany answered honestly without a trace of shame or wariness of her psychopathic behavior.
Belle stepped into her personal space, her face an inch from that of her taller but younger sibling. "Get the hell out of my sight before I make you hate magic more."
The French women faced off, and Bethany might have given in first, recognizing that everyone in her life at the moment only tolerated her at Belle's behest. A loud bang and the crash of what sounded like a bucket of screws skittering across the floor echoed in the larger space. Belle jumped, falling into a defensive stance with her magic at the ready.
"Babe, it's okay," Ruby intervened immediately practically hip bumping Beth out of the way. Belle hadn't flashed but been startled by the loud sound. She touched her shoulders lightly and then rubbed her biceps when she met no resistance.
"Henry dropped a bucket," Ruby informed her, pointing at her ear for emphasis on how she'd obtained the information.
"I'm sorry," Belle breathed and lowered her shaking hands as Ruby pulled her into a hug.
"Nothing to apologize for," Ruby forgave easily for the entire group. "I do think that's your cue to take off, though. It's only going to get louder."
Belle nodded, her fight with Bethany forgotten, and kissed her partner. "Alex, time to go help Granny, Sweetheart."
The young girl smiled up at her mothers from the back of the boy in the middle of the floor and then sprinted towards them without preamble. Ruby scooped her up and kissed her all over, making her daughter squeal and giggle in sheer joy.
"Wolf!" The girl howled, and Ruby joined in. Belle rolled her eyes and took a steadying breath. "Love you, Wolf."
"Love you, Tater Bug," Ruby whispered back and then kissed her daughter on the cheek before handing her to Belle. The librarian lowered her to the floor and took her hand; Alex wanted to walk everywhere now because she was a big girl… according to her three year old mind, anyway.
"Alex, go give Temma and Amelia goodbye kisses. Be easy." Belle encouraged her daughter and watched her wobble away for a moment.
When she fixed her gaze upon Ruby's once more, air caught in her throat at the love and devotion and concern in those beautiful brown eyes. "Are you okay?" Ruby whispered for her ears only. She nodded and kissed the wolf.
"Do you want to wear my cape? I'll need my strength today, anyway, so no sense in getting it dirty." Belle's heart swelled at the offer, and she nodded, not trusting her voice.
Ruby pulled the cape over her head without untying it. Brown eyes lightened to a dark yellow before Ruby pulled the wolf under control and shook her head. Strength and senses increased almost painfully as the full power of the magnificent creature she controlled filled her completely. It was wolf week. Belle watched in fascinated admiration and accepted the red fabric over her head.
"Love you," Ruby whispered and kissed her cheek.
Belle hummed, instantly finding her confidence and footing once more. "Love you. I'll see you for lunch. Try not to hurt yourself." She pecked her lips and moved past her.
"Stacy, please ensure that I am listed for the six o'clock slot on Wednesday evenings for dance classes." The mayor nodded wordlessly. "Lauren, please go check on Jacob. He should be moving in the next few minutes." She pointed towards the teen that poked one too many times at her fierce warrior of a niece.
"Katy?" Lauren said.
"Katy," a unison answer echoed on the block walls. Lauren snorted with a wide grin and ambled towards the boy.
Belle left without further comment, clearly upset by her almost outburst and the palpable tension with her sister. Alex gripped her finger tightly. Regina sighed deeply as she watched the tortured librarian disappear around the corner.
"She'll be okay, Regina," Emma soothed her wife's unspoken concerns.
Regina smiled. "I know. She's stronger mentally than perhaps any of us. I simply haven't the heart to tell her that her testimony made no difference in The Council's decision to depose me."
"Seriously?" Amelia barked. "Those pretentious pricks are honestly stripping you of your titles?"
"Mmm," Regina hummed and smiled brightly at Emma. "I'm only slightly upset about the title of mayor, but I'm quite looking forward to being a stay-at-home mother and wife."
"Me too," Emma agreed and pressed a kiss to her wife's cheek and then Annabel's soft hair.
"Love you, Squidgelette," she whispered. "Seriously, Babe, tell her today before the grapevine does."
Regina nodded, kissed Emma, and followed Belle.
"She almost seems relieved to have all of her royal and mayoral responsibilities taken against her will," Bethany observed aloud, reminding everyone of the presence they'd been adamantly ignoring.
"She is," Emma bit at the pompous young woman. "So is Belle, and if you don't start showing her some respect, I'm going to take my badge and gun off and give you an old fashioned ass-whoopin' without magic. If you think you know her or understand what she thinks and feels, I'm telling you right now that you don't know a goddamn thing about your big sister who has done nothing but help you. So gather your proverbial excrement, Princess, before I toss you back into your father's flower shop and shackle you to the wall myself."
Emma stomped towards the door, stopped, turned to the side and clenched her fists. "We all understand that you have been through some bad shit. Join the club, sister. You're in good fucking company, Belle included. But do not believe for one second that you have earned or deserve anything we have given you, and if Belle says the word, we're done. Do you understand?" Bethany nodded apprehensively, not having expected the verbal assault.
"Good. Now, give us a reason to keep you around if she gets fed up with you," Ruby added as she passed the flustered assistant and clapped Emma on the back as they head towards the entrance where Marco's truck sat.
Stacy crossed her arms and huffed, "I expect you to be on time in the future," and walked away from her assistant.
Amelia hated everyone for leaving her alone with the bitchy 19-year-old. "Don't look at me." She raised her hands in mock surrender, her tone telling the girl that she'd not find any sympathy from her even if she wasn't able to get away from her.
"You're being a cunt, and you just got put in your place," Amelia continued. "Take the spanking like a big girl and make it up to them if you want to stay in the group. Blood doesn't mean much when it comes to family, not with these people. They've all lost far too much to count on blood for anything."
Bethany pulled up a seat and sat beside the recovering doctor. "What do you mean?"
Amelia sighed. Fucking hell. Of course the girl glommed onto her. "I mean that most of the people they consider family are not bloodkin. Regina, Emma, Belle, and Ruby. They're a foursome. It's like a weird circle jerk of heroic proportions."
"What's a circle jerk?" Bethany asked, distaste clear in her voice.
Amelia rubbed her forehead. "Never mind. Look, long story short, they are inseparable. You name it, and they've been through it together. Which means when one of them is particularly vulnerable, the other three circle the wagons until she gets back on her feet. Belle just happens to be the one on her ass right now. They haven't quite been to hell and back for each other, but I've been told that Neverland was pretty damn close."
Bethany wrinkled her nose at the vulgarity but ignored it in exchange for more information. "And why should Belle need protection? She appears to have everything she's ever wanted." Contempt bled into her tone, and Amelia sighed, trying to find patience for the angry teenage princess.
"Bethany, you need to ask your sister that question. Just believe me when I say that she does not find joy in using magic. It's actually quite painful for her, emotionally and physically."
Amelia waved her hand in dismissal. "Now, go find someone else to bug because you won't get any sympathy from me if you fuck up the chance to be a part of this family. No matter how much bad crap you tell me about or how bad I feel for you, I will always side with them. If you're fucked up in the head, they're the people you want on and at your side.
"Not to mention, they've saved my life more than once and gave me the ability to walk again. That's not mentioning the fact that I actually have a fucking family who loves and supports me just the way I am, no matter what. Not one person who really knows them will turn against them.
"Not even Ruby," Amelia laughed and then quieted as her eyes glazed with memories. "We can't stand the sight of each other most days, but she saved my life not even a week ago. I'd do the same for her at the drop of a hat," Amelia confessed, knowing in her heart that it was the truth.
"So," Bethany started and smoothed her clothes self-consciously. "You are stating that their only weakness is those for whom they care." Statement, not question.
Warning bells blared in Amelia's head, and she stiffened in the chair. "I think Stacy is waiting for you," Amelia said and nodded towards the mayor. Why the hell did Bethany want to learn the weaknesses of her friends?
"Of course," Bethany conceded regally and stood. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."
"Bethany," Amelia called to her when she took two steps away, "Why were you late?"
"Oh, I had an early appointment at the hospital for some blood work," Bethany answered, but nothing in her voice or behavior indicated a lie. "The issue is a relatively new development that I do not wish to further discuss. Good morning, Dr. Shepherd."
Amelia stared after the girl with a heavy heart and pounding head. She was hiding something. "She's a piece of work, isn't she?" An amused voice derailed Amelia's dark thoughts.
"Caleb, what are you doing here?" Amelia asked, hating the girlish lilt in her voice.
"Well," the man started and sat in the recently vacated chair and took Amelia's hand. "I figured that Katy could use as many able hands as possible. I promise to volunteer here more often if you're going to be around until you recover."
Amelia swallowed anxiously when his brown stubble scratched on the back of her hand as he pressed a kiss there. "Are you buttering me up?" Amelia groused, feigning irritation at the sickly sweet comment.
"If I say yes, will you pretend I said something cooler?" He asked, clearly as anxious and bashful as she in their… whatever in the hell they had.
He'd been volunteering at the hospital for a couple months and had been at her side nearly every second when Emma and the others were unable to help her through the pain of recovering from surgery without pain medication. She was smitten in a way she'd not really ever felt before, and it scared the crap out of her.
"I think you'll have to work harder than that," Amelia teased and pursed her lips.
Caleb scratched his head, racking his brain for something witty. "What if I said that I think the fact that you can do magic without being magic is sexy as hell?"
Amelia cocked her head to the side, mouth twitching with the effort of concealing her stupid, goofy smile. "Better, but not quite."
Caleb sighed dramatically. "What if I asked you to come over to my apartment for dinner tomorrow night?"
Amelia's smile faded slowly, and she averted her gaze. She pulled her hand free of his and clasped them in her lap. "As much as I'd love to, Caleb, I'm not having sex for at least another few weeks."
"Hey," he caught her attention gently and cupped her cheek, bringing those deep, brown eyes to his much lighter hazel. "I said dinner, not sex. I'm not that kind of guy. I was a humble blacksmith in our world, and I'm a construction worker here. I don't have a lot to offer, but I do have respect for women. I want to get to know you, Amelia."
"I…" Amelia stuttered, stopped, studied the sincerity in his eyes and the boyish smile on his face. "Why?"
"Because I think you're interesting."
Amelia laughed humorlessly at the comment. "I'm a mess."
"Granted," Caleb agreed easily, following her thoughts as though he'd done it his entire life. "But you're an intelligent, sexy, talented, gorgeous, interesting mess that I very much like. I'll admit the fling with The Savior gave me pause, but I'm thinking…"
"Don't call her that," Amelia clipped, cutting him off immediately. "She doesn't like it."
Caleb nodded and dropped his eyes, apparently anxious that he'd insulted one of Amelia's closest friends. "Sheriff Swan?" Amelia nodded her approval, and Caleb glanced up at her without raising his head, boyish grin returning.
"I like having sex with women, but I'm not sure I could ever be in a relationship with one. I'm already insane, and women are practically insane by nature. Too much insane either gives you True Love like Emma and Regina or Eva and Lauren, but with my luck, I'd be the headline in a murder-suicide story." Amelia laughed, her good mood genuine.
She studied Caleb for a long moment. Her eyes slipped shut in irritated acquiescence. "Dinner tomorrow."
Caleb smiled brightly, and Amelia melted a little more. "Where can I pick you up? You're not staying at Granny's are you?" His sudden sincere concern excited her heart into a frantic rhythm so loud in her ears that she felt certain he heard it.
"I'll be sleeping on the couch at the Swan-Lucas mansion until I can find another place."
Caleb nodded, satisfied that Amelia would be properly cared for. "Six okay? It will take me about an hour to make dinner, but I don't want to leave in the middle of it to come get you if you don't mind watching me cook."
Amelia raised a eyebrow. "A man who wants me to watch him cook? I'm not sure any woman could say no to that. Six is good." Her stomach fluttered as she accepted the offer.
Caleb glanced around to find everyone else working while he chatted up Amelia Shepherd. He kissed her hand again and met her eyes over her knuckles. "I should probably get to work. Promise to watch my butt as I walk away?"
Amelia laughed outright and then grabbed her stomach. "Promise," she gasped, smiling despite the sharp pain in her side. And what a fantastic ass it was. He glanced over his shoulder, and she raised an eyebrow, smirk tugging her lips.
"Fucking move!" Ruby snapped at the smitten man. She carried two loads of boards, one under each arm. Emma had the other end of one and another younger man she didn't recognize had the other.
Amelia laughed silently, lips clamped in teeth to prevent the sound from escaping. Caleb whirled on one foot, barely missing the wolf, and then struck a pose and shot both fingers at her like guns with a click of his teeth. She rolled her eyes and cursed the girlish flutter and flush of her chest and cheeks. Caleb grinned like a shit-eating possum and then disappeared out the door. She watched every single step until no more of him remained visible and then stared at the door where he'd exited.
"What!" Emma's sudden terror broke the moment, and Amelia looked around to find Emma on her phone with a pale face and shaking hands. "How bad is it?" She listened, paced, wiped her forehead with her palm - Emma's tick of anxiety.
"Jesus F. Christ, okay. Yes, I'll get her there in five minutes," Emma's voice slipped into sheriff mode, which meant whoever called was freaking out.
Emma ended the call, and Ruby followed with an equally pale face, her wolf ears having caught every word. They each took Lauren's arm and escorted her to where Amelia sat. "Emma, you're scaring me," the nurse confessed, not even bothering to hide the terror in her eyes.
"There's been an accident at the hospital. Some kind of explosion in Eva's office. They're checking the gas lines right now. She's hurt really bad, Lauren." Emma explained gently, never relinquishing her grip on her friend's forearm and bicep.
She wavered, and Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist from the side just in case she fainted. "I'm okay," Lauren said in a strong voice. "If they have to treat her, she needs me there to cover her powers."
Emma nodded, "That's the problem they're having. No one can get close enough to help her right now. We have to go." Lauren nodded. "Rubes, keep an eye of things here. I don't want to leave Henry unattended with that damn social worker looking over my shoulder every other day."
Ruby nodded and released Lauren into Emma's capable hands. "Call Regina," she tossed over her shoulder.
Lauren quietly wrung her hands during the drive. Emma half focused on the familiar route and the distraught succubus equally. Arizona met them at the doors and led them directly to the triage room where a long line of nurses, doctors, and other staff were anxiously awaiting news of Eva's condition. The odd surgeon seer was well loved by her staff.
Compassionate hands squeezed Lauren's shoulder or nodded their encouragement. They were all there for her as well as Eva. A squall of anguish startled the nurse, and she took off in a dead sprint. "Eva!"
The door banged against the wall as she flung it open with more force than necessary. She barely stopped to assess the damage, but her right side seemed relatively unharmed. One hand slid into Eva's and the other cupped her face.
"Baby, I'm here," Lauren whispered, her voice quiet but confident. "Eva, you're okay. You're going to be okay."
"Lauren?" Eva whined. Tears flowed freely as Lauren took her anguish and gave her comfort and support and love. "Will you love me if I'm not a surgeon?"
Lauren allowed her own tears to drip onto her face and kissed Eva's temple. "Of course, you silly woman." Rather than assess the damage her lover sustained, Lauren pressed the crown of her head against Eva's temple. Eva needed her to keep her shit together. She wasn't a nurse right now, she was a distraught and emotional partner of a severely injured woman.
Emma, however, took in everything. The entire left side of her friend's body was either black or red and blistered. The burns were deep and nasty. Her body shook as if a raging fever gripped her immune system. Blue scrubs stuck to her leg and stomach. Her arm up to her elbow looked positively unsalvageable. The skin of her face and neck sported blisters and red splotches but looked relatively okay compared to her lower body.
"Eva," Emma called gently. She was still the sheriff, and as such needed an incident report. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Office," Eva rasped. "Turned on light. Patient caught me in the hallway. I hung around the corner of my office door to speak with her. Explosion. Woke up on a gurney." Eva gave her an incredibly shortened version of events.
"Okay," Emma said. "I'm not going to touch you, Eva, but we're here. Regina's on her way. You're not alone." The sheriff said what she thought she'd want to hear in this particular situation.
Eva swallowed. More tears slipped out of her closed eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.
Emma nodded, though it wasn't seen and left the room. She glanced down the hallway of concerned and scared faces. "Anyone witness what happened?"
Most everyone shook their heads. A few people said the same thing Eva just told her, and Emma clenched her jaw in frustration. The fire chief appeared at the end of the hall and jerked his head lightly, beckoning her discreetly before walking away. Emma's stomach dropped.
"Hey Mike," Emma greeted once they met up in the parking lot near the fire engine. "What the hell happened?"
Mike hung up his hat and ran a hand over his gray buzz cut. "I'm not sure, Sheriff. The fire originated on the ceiling at the light fixture, and it looks like there was some sort of accelerant. I've never seen anything like it." He admitted without a trace of shame. It was a bizarre situation.
"Son of a bitch," Emma ground out between clenched teeth. "Smart. Drill a hole in the bulb, fill it with some type of fuel, kerosene or gas or diesel… anything flammable. When the coils reach the temperature of ignition, it blows. If Eva had been inside her office, she'd have been burned alive." Righteous anger surged into her veins, and her magic tingle in her palms. She wanted justice, not vengeance. It was a small relief, but at least it was relief of some kind.
"Who would want to hurt Eva Zambrano?" Mike asked, incredulity in his shocked and numbed voice.
Emma stared up at him with hard, determined eyes. "I have no idea, but I'm going to find out."
