Author's Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Burst Angel, not mine!
Author's Note: Now we enter a "few months later" kinda montage. Fast forward time! Not much else to say but dedicated to my wifey Inuskye. She's my Jo in disguise :P She has a motorcycle Django is modeled after.
"Working the Grind"
Chapter seven "Past Faces"
Time passed. Meg was asked to move in with Jo and gladly packed her meager boxes into Kyohei's sister's car. The little Toyota was crammed with three boxes, rolled up quilts and towels, and a loose sheaf of dvd's. Distaining her dim and dirty little kitchen, Meg opted to leave her few dishes behind. Annette left stacks of gleaming white china dishes for their meals and she felt embarrassed for looking at her dollar store plastic plates.
Meg had left at an irregular time in her lease, but she had a feeling Jo or Sei had taken care of that. Her first night with Jo had been a fun one, with a home-made roast made by Annette, and a bottle of wine. Meg had stripped while dancing to music on Jo's stereo and Jo hauled her off to bed. After waking in the middle of the night to pee, Meg had tiptoed around the darkened studio, a little scared to wake Jo up. Returning to the wide bed and carefully climbing into the sheets, Meg found she needn't have worried. Meg poked, and pushed Jo and snapped her fingers right by her ear.
Jo could really sleep. Through the next few nights, Meg found that chewing on her ear only woke Jo instantly. Any other thing would make her drag and yawn.
Meg found that working side by side at the grocery store with Jo was fulfilling, but boring. Whenever she and the silver-haired girl caught eyes across the lines of customers, Meg felt her heart constrict, as if they were waiting for something.
Jo got a call on her cell while stacking boxes one day. After taking a quick look out to Meg beaming at a customer, she pushed to the back and clipped the phone open.
"Leo. This had better be good," Jo teased. Leo laughed.
"Don't shit me, girl!" he said. "Jo, your application came by my desk today."
Jo smiled. She peered out the storage room door at Meg. Her red hair caught the light…. "Yeah and?..."
"And when you gonna grab a beer with me? Cause we sure as hell need you on the force!" Leo's grin could be heard over the phone.
Jo nodded to herself. "Bring Sei, I haven't seen her in a while. Since when are you allowed to keep such an important lady out of the spot light?"
Leo slammed a door; obviously it was his office and he didn't want to be heard. "I thought we were keeping things pc."
"We are. I was only asking a question," Jo said lowly. Leo sighed.
"Come on, Jo, don't drag me out into the open like that. The chief just walked by when you said that!"
"What'd ya want instead of the usual missing me?" Jo teased. Leo ruffled through papers. The whispering was clearly audible to Jo's sharp ears.
"I was processing your paperwork, girl. You're hired if you still want to be a cop."
Jo's mind raced as she contemplated the rush of activity. No more lifting boxes, she could bust some chops….and she'd have a new car to destroy. The juvenile whirlwind of thoughts made her jump a few steps in celebration.
"Thanks, Leo," Jo said.
"No problem, kid. Now come on in here in two days to sign some paperwork and we'll get your academy dates," Leo informed. Jo hung up and peered out the storage room door. Meg was busy scanning and bagging, Kyohei bent over his own work beside her. Jo stepped back and reached for her cart and pushed it to the back of the storage area.
Up front, Meg stifled a yawn and slowly exhaled it through clenched teeth as she bagged up three bags of chips, candy, and five Hungry Man meals. The chubby old man before her kept trying to grin at her but she ignored him. After printing out his receipt, Meg deftly avoided his grasping fingers and pumped a dollop of hand sanitizer into her palm. She idly rubbed her hands together as the massively wide man lurched away. The next item was a single bottle of water. Meg silently cheered at the minimum amount of work and grabbed the perspiring plastic bottle. The loud BLEEP of the scanner sounded and Meg looked up.
"Will that be everything?..." Meg blinked as she looked up into the visage of a beautiful woman. Long silver hair cascaded in a braid down her back and red eyes stared deeply into hers.
"Yes. How much is it?" Long pale fingers counted out a few bills. Meg blinked and scrubbed a wrist across her reddened cheek.
"One dollar, eight cents," Meg read her scanner. Her palm heated as a single bill and one dime were pressed by clever, long fingers. Meg clicked her till open and fished out two pennies. The silver-haired woman grinned as if they shared a secret and raised her water in salute.
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Jo seethed as she grabbed three boxes and slammed them down onto her cart. Four cans fell out of the bottom of a cracked box and promptly rolled away from her outstretched fingers. Jo cursed aloud and snatched them up. She paced a few steps and back to the cart. Fire surged through her limbs and it took everything she had not to go for Django and unseal her hidden Desert Eagles.
Jo had taken one glance out of the storage area and had almost flown the extra fifty feet toward Meg's register to whisk her away. She had jumped, stopped, wrung her fists, and paced back to the storage room.
Maria hadn't wanted anything more than a bottle of water and had left Meg to smile and nod at the next customer. She hadn't raised a hand, but she had talked to her…. Jo kicked a box over, grunting in frustration in the back room.
Sei had taught her to control her instincts when around people. She had told her again and again that she must act in certain ways around certain groups of people. In one instant, Jo had leapt across a meeting table to tackle a man that had erroneously referred to Sei's sex as a weakness; Sei had merely smiled. But the look in her eyes when the man's small daughter had gotten hurt in the melee was beyond humbling. It rankled Jo that she had shamed Sei so. Her brute strength was needed in some moments; in others, she must keep control of herself.
But Maria had been right in front of Meg…she had touched her HAND! The jealous thoughts whirled Jo's mind like a tornado and her limbs tensed and fired, ready to propel her out the door. Stan, the other stock man, pushed to the backroom and snorted as he checked his clipboard. When he raised up, he froze as Jo glared fully at him.
"I was…yeah, smoke break?" Stan gestured to the door and backed away. Jo's red eyes watched his faltering steps as he disappeared back up front. Idiot. Jo flipped her phone open and thumbed down the contact list towards Sei. She was going to get an earful from her…..
Jo paused, took one of those deep breaths Meg was always urging her to take. In and out….just fucking count to ten…. TEN…NINE... Jo's vision began to clear as oxygen filled her brain. Okay. Situation assessed. Maria was gone, her Desert Eagles were nowhere in reach, and with an additional peek to the front area, Jo was assured her woman was alright.
A little chubby kid was pushing at Meg's stand while Meg flushed, while trying to plead with the oblivious parent. Jo took in her sweeping red hair, her lean legs and bare pale arms and felt order reassemble in her brain. Meg was alright.
It still didn't mean Sei wasn't going to hear about this.
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"Where did Jo have to go off to so fast?" Kyohei wondered. Meg shrugged. She had watched Jo kick off down the street on Django, but not without a kiss first. She had beamed and accepted a handful of bills from her silver-haired lover to buy dinner with and to catch the bus back to their studio. But still…Jo always went home with her on Django. It made Meg uneasy as to why she was being shipped off back by herself.
"I don't know, Kyo. She just said she had to take care of something… you know Jo can be rather secretive," Meg said. Kyohei watched her, worried as Meg's face fell. Her stomach clenched as she wondered why Jo wouldn't want her to go on business with her. Her mind went on several crazy notions, each of them involving scantily clad women with huge knockers and silk leggings.
"I know, Meg….but I'm sure it's nothing much! You know Jo's crazy about you," Kyohei smiled. Meg paused and recalled that morning getting ready for work. Meg had packed their lunches into her backpack and Jo tilted her chin up and captured her lips. Then Jo had wrapped her yellow scarf around Meg's neck and tucked the ends into her coat. Meg smiled.
"I know…well, I have some free time 'til Jo gets home. Do you have to go to your bar tonight?" Meg asked.
Kyohei shrugged, his smile fading. Meg had dropped out of working at Sexy Cowgirls now that Jo had quite a nest egg stashed somewhere. More and more she was a kept woman, but he didn't begrudge her stable relationship. "Not 'til 7 though! Do you want to try that new deli uptown?" he asked.
Meg nodded, grinning. "Come on, let's have dinner like we used to!"
As the two walked down the busy city street, Meg thought more about meeting Jo at home with a nice drink. She had no way of knowing Jo wasn't having as good a time as she'd thought.
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"Just calm down, Jo. Maria was on a job for me today," Sei took Jo's arm, trying to calm the steaming woman down. Jo pushed Sei's hand off and stalked down the hallway. Chen, as stolid and massive as ever, trailed his boss. He looked the same except for the silver hairs lining his temples. Jo breezed by, fury trailing in her wake.
"I don't care. She needs to stay away from Meg," Jo swore. Her red eyes lit up almost as if on fire. Sei kept pace with her, her beautiful face a mask of concern.
"Maria didn't do anything to Meg, did she? Did she touch her? Did she harm her?"
Bingo. Jo's eyes flicked to the side. "No…. she just bought a bottle of water."
Chen almost slammed into the two women when they stopped and he sighed, folding his massive arms across his chest. Sei smiled and touched Jo's arm gently.
"You see? She was just shopping. I bet…."
Jo's red eyes flared toward the gang leader. "MY store? Out of the millions in this city? Really. Find that hard to believe."
Sei did have to reflect, that it was nominally strange. She pushed open the door at the end of the hall and Jo stalked in. The room was a large gym and bright fluorescent lights made the green mats gleam. A woman dressed in knee-length exercise shorts and a sports bra was laying into a punching bag. Her long silver braid whirled with her movements and red eyes gleamed with excitement. She stopped at their approach. A fine sheen of sweat made her skin glow.
Holding the bag between her wrapped fists, Maria bowed her head in acquiescence to Sei. "Sei," she greeted her simply. Her red eyes flicked to Jo and electricity crackled.
"Jo," Maria said. Jo's fists clenched.
"You," she greeted. Sei watched the two women and pushed against Chen's broad chest, leading him back.
"You remember how they're like when they're together. Just walk back here with me…" Sei said peaceably. Chen looked down at his boss, then at the two silver-haired women. Maria let the bag fall back and walked opposite Jo. Subconsciously, Jo paced opposite her in a wide circle.
Sei's eyes gleamed as Maria launched a kick at Jo. Jo jumped, turned a flip and came down in a crouch. She sprang with a fierce uppercut that barely stopped Maria for a moment. Maria hissed through her teeth, smiled and slammed her left fist into Jo's face. Jo growled and sprang back. She and Maria danced in a circle, lean leg muscles stretching. The tendons in Maria's bare thighs pulled noticeably while Jo's muscles bunched inside her work jeans. On an unspoken command, both charged at each other again. The fight went quickly to the floor and Jo grappled on top of a struggling Maria, murder in her red eyes.
She always was the fastest one. But Maria raised her head off the ground and smacked it into Jo's neck. Jo momentarily wheezed as her brain saw red.
The sound of clapping took her attention. Maria shoved Jo off and sprang up onto her feet. She bowed to Sei. Jo shook her head to shake the ringing out of her ears and rose to her knees. Sei clapped her hands and clasped them together, smiling.
"Some things never change, hmm, Maria?" Sei asked. Maria flipped her messy braid over one shoulder and cast a look at the younger woman.
"Apparently not, Sei-san," she said. Jo stood up and scrubbed at her jaw.
"You do not come near Meg. Why did you come to my store?" Jo asked.
Maria pulled her wrist wrappings off and let the bandages flutter to the mats. "There's something that's keeping you from coming back to us. She's one of them, isn't she?"
The fury to protect Meg surged through Jo. It curled through her toes and almost levitated her off the mats. She growled. "What do you think? I met her after I left Bai Lan, though!"
"And she's good enough to keep you away from being what you are?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Jo swore. Meg had woken Jo up that morning with a funny song while burning eggs in a pan. It was endearing and refreshing and had loved the quirky smile Meg had flashed her sheepishly while she scraped black egg yolk into the trashcan. "Stay away from Meg."
Maria shrugged; threats didn't bother her. Why should they when she could open the can of proverbial badass on anyone she met? "Think about it, Jo. You're missing out on battle. You're not allowed to hit anyone working in a grocery store."
Jo swung her head to Sei who shrugged peaceably. She had to have mentioned where she was offhand and of course, Maria did her own investigating. Just like the bitch.
"Maybe not, but I can hit you," Jo drawled. Sei held up her hands as Jo cracked her knuckles. Maria merely curled her lip up, indicating her amusement.
"Do you remember what happened between us?" Maria purred. Heat slammed into Jo's face as her brain scoured up the tale-tell memory of lavender. Her nostrils had been coated with the scent as Maria's face bobbed above her, flushed and sweaty from exertion. Jo 'kehed' and looked to the side.
"You said not to fall in love," Jo swore.
Maria raised a finger in agreement. "And that girl is not your type."
"And how would you know what my type is? You were just a fuck, Maria," Jo growled.
Maria watched her coolly. "Just keep in mind, we're always watching."
"If you ever need any assistance, you can call me," Sei corrected. Jo shook her head and swept her silver hair back from her face.
"I'll keep you in mind, Sei. See ya," Jo stalked out the door. Chen moved his back to the wall in the hallway and let Sei's former protégé get on by.
Sei turned to Maria and raised an eyebrow. "Must you always push her? You know she's earned her own path wherever she chooses."
Maria turned to the bag and aimed her knee up at the middle portion of it. The punching bag rocked to the side with the strike. "She will not be herself unless she's warring with somebody. You know this to be true, Sei."
Sei watched the door, Chen shifting beyond the perimeter of it. "That's what I fear sometimes."
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Meg had been waiting at home for about an hour now. She paced the spotless kitchen and opened the fridge. On the main shelf, a brown paper sack sat waiting. Meg had taken Jo home a dinner plate from the deli she went to with Kyohei, not having the forte to begin a four course meal. Plus she didn't feel like burning another pan and seeing Jo laugh. It was great her lover could laugh off her efforts, but Meg wanted to get dinner ready so they could have a romp in the silk sheets. So Meg peeked into the paper sack at the dinner platter. She had a feeling Jo would appreciate the thought, considering she had eaten out on her tab.
Well, Jo paid for about everything as it was, Meg reflected as she turned a slow circle. The huge studio space spread out before her and Meg walked across the cold tiles to the couch and plopped on it. Her feet were encased in pink fuzzy socks and she pulled Jo's quilt across her legs. Just as she was settling in to watch Cops, the doorknob jiggled as a key was set into the lock. Meg pushed the quilt off and jumped to her feet, speeding to the entry way.
As Jo stepped inside and toed her work boots off, Meg sped right into her.
"Jo! You're home!" Meg flung her arms around Jo's neck. Jo blinked and buried her face in Meg's red hair.
"Yeah I'm home. Did you have dinner?"
Meg nodded. "And I brought you something, too! Let me get it for you." Jo watched Meg trot to the fridge and pull the paper sack out. She set it on the island and rummaged in the cupboard for a plate. Jo smiled a little. "Where'd you go?"
Bam. The flash of Maria's long silver hair spread before Jo's eyes. She blinked. Her home was in the now, and Meg's hair was red as fire. "Just had to take care of something. Oh and I saw Sei."
"Sei huh? What for? Ooooh let me guess…" Meg clattered around in a drawer, pulling out silver ware for Jo. Jo plopped on a stool at the island and let Meg serve her. She waited for jealousy to pour off her girl like wildfire. Meg instead laughed and dished out Jo's dinner. "She has a match lined up and wants you to fight in it!"
Jo blinked and shrugged. "Nah, that's not it. Sei just…wanted to meet for a second." More like she had shoved her way into a meeting, knocking out several of Sei's newer guards. They were putty compared to her skills. Jo glanced at her knuckles and covered her right hand with her left. A large bruise was beginning to form on her right hand.
"Well, maybe we should go out with Sei again," Meg suggested. She had no reason to be jealous knowing Jo was all about her. Meg slid Jo's plate across the island and took a seat across the way on her own stool. Her happy expression melded to genuine curiosity. "Jo….did you hit her head on something?"
Meg's questing fingers pointed toward her cheek. Jo cursed Maria out to high holy hell in her head and brushed her finger tip over the heat across her cheek bone. "Oh, well….I walked into the wall coming up."
Maria's smile mocked Jo's memory. Jo scowled in her mind. She picked up her fork and dug in.
"Ah, poor baby," Meg cooed. "I'm sorry that happened. Can I get you some ice for it?"
Jo chewed slowly, swallowed with leisure so she could form her words. "Sure…I guess."
Meg filled a plastic baggy with ice cubes and sidled to Jo's side of the island and pressed it against her cheek. Jo flinched at the freezing sensation. She hoped Meg would never be drawn into her past with Bai Lan, but when Maria wanted something….she usually got it.
Meg chattered idly as stillness yawned in Jo's brain. She blinked and tried to smile. But her fingers ached for her Desert Eagles.
End for now
End notes: Love that Maria more and more as I re-watch parts of the series :P She is just too awesome! Hope you liked and please review if you enjoyed it.
Sincerely, penpaninu 2/19/2012