Yes, it's been awhile. Yes, I am aware. NO I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BEAT ME UP. DANG.
Okay, either I've just been away a long ass time, or I just got more reviews than I expected; either way, thanks to CattySweet, MissG2020, anon, MizzC, insert psuedonym, instantLUNCH, BlueDolphin2011, KrisB.723, LSD1994, Kirara2468, betwixnbtw, and...wait, that's it, for the reviews! Haha. I'm insane. It's three in the morning. Ugh.
Long story short, I've been getting all my stuff together for when I move to a different state August 1st as well as getting things done to finalize me transferring to another school. My family life's been pretty...insane, but things have evened out as much as they will considering how insane we are. I finally, FINALLY found a major/minor I'm happy with: English and Art History. It took me forever to finally just do what I wanted as opposed to what I thought made the most sense and since I changed majors a good three times I'll probably graduate a semester late, but it's worth it. Oh, and I've been working more. Get money get paid. Yeeeeauuuuhhh.
...Okay, I get it. No one cares. lol.
So, here's chapter ten! Hope this SOMEWHAT makes up for the long wait.
Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine.
Back to Basics
March 19, 2016
Miami, Florida
"Ten."
"You think they're all tens, Cin."
"And you think they're all ones. What's up with that?"
"I'm picky. Sorry."
"We're rating their looks, not planning on marrying them."
Jazmine shrugged lazily, staring past her dark shades up to the clear, sunny sky. The water lapped at the sides of the dock the two women were stretched across, the tiny waves making sloshing sounds as they hit the wood. "Aren't you the one with the boyfriend?" She ignored Cindy's lip smack, sticking out her tongue. "How do you think he'd feel if he knew you were rating other men's-"
"Oh, so you gon snitch?" Cindy challenged, her voice such a perfect Riley imitation that the mulatto burst out laughing. "Seriously, though. You know I love my baby! But girl, you know I ain't blind-"
"Of course not." Jazmine shook her head, quickly rolling over to the edge of the deck as Cindy's said boyfriend himself came running past in his red swim trunks, screaming like a psychopath and throwing himself off the dock into the ocean.
"CANNONBALLLLL!"
"Oh, shit!" Cindy and Jazmine both slid back as a giant spray of water hit them both, causing them to groan in unison. Caesar bobbed up to the surface, shaking his hair out his eyes and flashing both girls a grin. "Baby, what the hell?"
"What?" He gestured to them. "Why ya'll gonna wear bathing suits if you ain't planning to get wet?"
"Bow chicka ow-"
"Jazmine, shut up." Cindy lightly shoved Jazmine's arm, rolling her eyes. "We workin' on our tans, stupid."
"Oh." Caesar tilted his head to the side, giving her a funny look. "So…you're trying to turn pinker…?"
"Get outta here!" Cindy yelled, half laughing and half angry as she kicked a spray of water at him. He ducked back underneath the surface as the blond shook her head. Jazmine stuck her own feet in the water, glancing over at her best friend.
"Thanks for coming down here." When Cindy blinked at her she shrugged and rubbed her arm. "Seriously. I mean it."
"Girl, boo." Cindy slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer for a one armed hug. "You know I got you. Plus you're acting like it was such a chore to have to spend a week in Miami-"
"She right, yo!" Caesar popped up again, treading water and ignoring the blank stare Cindy gave him. "Thanks for inviting me!"
Jazmine blinked. "But I…didn't…"
"Oh." Caesar shrugged, grinning. "Well, thanks for letting me freeload!" When he kicked more water towards them before diving back into the clear blue water Cindy snorted, giving Jazmine an apologetic look.
"It wasn't like I planned for his ass to come or anything-"
"I know. I was joking." Jazmine shrugged. "It's okay. I like Caesar." She frowned, gently kicking her feet back and forth. "I'm just really gonna miss you when you leave tomorrow."
Cindy waved her hand. "You actin like I'm not gonna see you in another month and a half. We got the entire summer! And you movin' back to Maryland! You're moving to Baltimore!" Cindy pounded herself in the chest with a fist. "I'm in Baltimore!"
"Wow! I never knew that!" Jazmine rolled her eyes. "It's almost like we're not moving in with each other…minus the part where we are-"
"Shut up, smart ass." Cindy offered her a tiny smile. "To tell the truth, I'm glad you're coming back. I never thought you would. You always talked about staying in Florida or movin' back to Boston or heading out to California…" Her eyes narrowed. "What made you decide to come back?"
Jazmine sighed, glancing towards Caesar, who was floating lazily on his back with his eyes closed and his face tilted towards the sun. "Honestly?" When Cindy nodded earnestly she shrugged. "I don't know." When Cindy looked unconvinced she shrugged again, her curly ponytail bobbing on her shoulder. "I'm not joking! I have no clue! I didn't get into Columbia, UPenn was expensive-"
"I call bullshit!" Cindy chanted, causing her to pause. "Ain't you the one with the trust fund and the inheritance?"
"Inheritance?" Caesar quickly jerked to attention, struggling to stay afloat. Jazmine rolled her eyes. "You gotta inheritance? You got money?"
Jazmine glared towards Cindy, who merely grinned in response.
"No." She looked back at Caesar, who frowned upon hearing that. "Not yet anyway. I don't get my inheritance until I'm twenty five. It's from my dad's mom." She made a face when she brought him up. "And my trust fund doesn't even kick in until my parents die, which I don't want to happen anytime soon, thanks."
"Excuse me, money bags McGee." Caesar snorted. Cindy's eyebrows rose.
"What the fuck is a money bags McGee?"
"Leave me alone!" Caesar whined, sticking out his own tongue. He splashed water towards Cindy, who stuck up her middle finger. Jazmine shook her head, yawning and staring out to the horizon. "Anyway, Jazmine better hope she make it to twenty five to cop that cash." When both Cindy and Jazmine gave him puzzled looks he twisted his face into a creepy expression, his voice taking on a mocking tone. ""You have something others want, something that others would kill for. And if you don't watch your back that's exactly what's gonna happen". Pssh, was that psycho psychic forreal?"
"Baby, that's not funny," Cindy said as Jazmine squirmed uncomfortably in her spot. "That was on the creepy side, on the real."
"Why? She obviously ain't no real fortune teller." Caesar shook his head. "She only did that whole "your days are numbered" thing to scare us and seem legit."
"Well, it worked," Jazmine mumbled under her breath. Caesar smacked his lips dismissively, waving his hand towards her.
"Come on, Jazzy." He stared at her. "You don't seriously believe her?"
Jazmine rested her hands in her lap, biting her lip. "No…" When he gave her a doubtful look she pouted. "Well if you already knew the answer why'd you ask?"
"Anyway," Cindy interrupted, giving her boyfriend a hostile glare, which he quickly interpreted as "Shut up" and swam away again. "He's gotta point. That woman ain't know what she was talking about. So, on to the next subject…what we gonna do when you get back home?" She grinned.
"…What we usually do whenever I come home from school…?"
"I say we go on a trip." Cindy flashed her a grin. Jazmine frowned.
"But if we're going to be getting an apartment together don't you think it would make more sense to save money?"
"Whateva." Cindy flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Live a little! It could be for…you know, to celebrate my big two-two coming up."
"What's so special about twenty two?" Cindy shot her a dirty look. "I'm just saying!"
"What's special is that I gotta excuse to go on a big ass trip with my best friend!" Cindy poked her shoulder. "I say France. Don't you got peoples in France?"
"Yeah, I guess…"
Cindy gave her a look. "You don't seem too enthusiastic." She whirled around on the dock to glare towards the water. "See, baby? You went an fucked up her mood bringing up that stupid fortune teller!"
"It's not that." Cindy glanced back over to her. She cringed. "Well…not really…"
"Whateva." Cindy sucked her teeth. "When you come back home you'll realize it was all just stupid ol' bullshit. And then, we can focus on more important things."
Jazmine sighed. "Like…?"
"Like getting you a man."
Jazmine smacked her palm over her face, shaking her head. "Not again. Please don't focus on "getting Jazmine a man"."
"Nope! Too late!" Cindy suddenly reached into her Jamaican bikini top, taking out a sheet of paper and ignoring Jazmine's mortified expression. "I've already got some prospects too, yo." She frowned at the soggy page that was soaked to the point of the dark ink being illegible. "Okay…well, I remembered it anyway." She balled it up and tossed it over her shoulder, clearing her throat. Caesar bobbed over as if also into the conversation. Which, with how nosy he was, turned out to be exactly what he was doing. "First off, there's Shawn Cooper."
"Uh, no." Caesar shook his head, causing the other two to glance at him. "That guy is straight trouble. Not to mention he's already got like, seven baby mamas-"
"Woooooo. Okay, moving on." Cindy shook her head, visibly wincing. "Uh…Butch Magnus."
Jazmine nearly choked. "Are you kidding me?"
"What? Girl, he got cute! And he's in the army now!"
"Cindy, I am not dating Butch Magnus!" Jazmine's nose wrinkled and she sighed heavily. "God…if you want me to date someone in the military I might as well go out with Riley!"
"Ooh!" Cindy snapped her fingers. "Riley!" Jazmine's eyes widened. "You should date Riley!"
"Cin, I was definitely kidding." The mulatto massaged her temples. "You know he's like my brother."
"Cin, your suggestions suck." Caesar rested his elbows on the deck, placing his chin on top of his hands. He shook his head. "Jazmine don't need no boys. She needs a man."
"Uh, Riley is twenty, baby."
"Yes. With the mind of an eight year old boy." When Jazmine looked ready to defend him he rolled his eyes. "Alright, he's more mature than he was, but still." His eyes narrowed and suddenly he had a mischievous look on his face. "You know who she'd be good for?"
"Uh…no one?"
"Nice, Jazz. Real nice...but no." Caesar glanced towards Cindy, grinning as if he were on to some inside joke. "Huey."
Jazmine rolled her eyes. "No."
"What are you thinking?" Cindy eyed her boyfriend. "Hun, they'd kill each other. Well…he'd kill her. Since he's physically stronger and all-"
"Hey!" When Cindy pursed her lips Jazmine shrugged. "Okay, she…does has a point."
"Yeah, but he's all jaded and grumpier than before since he got divorced." When Cindy burst out laughing he blinked. "And can I ask how that could possibly be funny?"
"Because!" Cindy threw up her hands. "How do you get married, get divorced, and get a job with the FBI all before you're done with Grad school? Who does that?"
"Huey Freeman, apparently." Caesar shrugged, looking back to Jazmine, who looked reluctant. "Plus, he and Jazmine get along."
"Yeah. And that's it." Cindy snorted. "Can you imagine them dating?"
"Can we not talk about my lack of a love life?" Jazmine blew a strand of hair out her face. "I'm not dating anyone, especially not Huey. Or Riley. Or Butch. Or anyone else you think of. I'm fine the way I am." She watched Cindy and Caesar's expressions fall. "Okay?"
Both of them nodded. She nodded as well, lying back down and staring up at the sky. There was a pause, followed by a small mumble.
"Well, excuuuuuse me for not wanting my best friend to die a virgin-"
"Cindy!"
"Well, it's true!"
Jazmine sighed. She really needed to get new friends.
"I'm kidding. Damn." Cindy glanced down at her, grinning. "If you're happy single then I'm happy for ya." She winked. "But you could always change your mind. Especially if, you know, that entire fortune teller thing doesn't kill you."
Jazmine frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as the wind kicked up. Cindy pushed off the dock, throwing herself into the water with a loud scream and a splash. Jazmine continued to study the sky, not being able to help but feel a sense of dread fill her insides.
"Chill." She looked to Caesar, who was still staring at her. "You're not gonna die. If you do, it's not going to happen anytime soon." He offered her a smile. "Okay?"
She forced herself to nod, even when everything else in her said otherwise.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Ask me again," Huey couldn't help but snap across the room to his best friend, opening the closet door. Caesar, who was slowly opening his suitcase, blinked in mild surprise. "Seriously. Ask me one more damn time. The answer ain't changed. I'm not going back to the hospital until after the twenty fifth."
"Uh…okay." Caesar scratched the back of his neck. "That was totally not what I was referring to. I was talking about you letting me crash here while my place is getting cleaned, but-"
"Oh. My bad." Huey massaged his temples, rolling his eyes. "It's just that's all I've been hearing since earlier. It's pretty annoying."
"Well, I am kind of on their side." Caesar tossed a t shirt on the bed, shrugging when Huey's eyes narrowed. "I'm just sayin! I mean, you're dying? And you're avoiding getting it worked out to save some girl who you barely talked to? That doesn't seem very rational. And being irrational isn't like you at all, man."
"It doesn't make sense. I know." Huey shook his head, shrugging. "It's just something I've gotta do."
Caesar looked like he wanted to say something else but instead he slowly nodded, staring at his friend with an unreadable expression.
"If it's what you want…I just hope you know what you're doing." When Huey merely gave him a bored look in response he shrugged again. "Forreal though, thanks. For letting me use the spare room and all."
"It's whatever." Huey started out the room but Caesar's voice stopped him.
"Do me a favor, man." When he glanced over his shoulder towards the dreadhead he smirked. "Answer a question."
"Okay…"
"Are you still operating underneath the "no emotional attachment policy", or is it safe to say you've just let the entire thing get to you?"
Huey rolled his eyes. "Nothing's gotten to me." When Caesar continued to smirk he shook his head, spinning around on his heel again and continuing out the room. "Shut up." When his words only caused Caesar to snort he closed the door to the spare bedroom, shaking his head and turning around. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Freda standing a good six feet away, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. His expression of surprise instantly fell into one of disdain.
"You could've told me I had erased memories," he grumbled under his breath, walking past her as if she weren't there and heading for the kitchen. The dead woman fell into step beside him, looking mildly amused.
"For goodness sakes, child." She shook her head. "I all but spelled it out for you." She ignored the glare on his face. "Any more plain and you would've been knocked upside the head with the truth. And I don't appreciate you talking to me in that tone."
He shook his head, inhaling through his nose. "You're lucky someone else is here. Otherwise you'd really hate my tone of voice."
"Who you talkin to, man?" a sudden yell from the spare bedroom sounded. Huey rolled his eyes.
"Your mother!"
There was a pause.
"Man, that's my line!"
Huey shook his head, ignoring Caesar. Freda glared at him for a few moments, but then eyes softened. Her eyes were so much like hers that it was like a punch in the gut just looking at her. She sighed.
"Don't be too hard on yourself." She shrugged. "Not many people would bother believing it. They'd think they were losing their mind."
"I haven't ruled that out yet," he mumbled, his voice much lower. He shook his head, reaching into the cabinet for a mug. He snorted. "It's just ridiculous that all this time…"
Freda's expression was thoughtful. "If you want to get technical, it never actually happened."
"If it didn't happen," he practically snapped. "She wouldn't have remembered it all these years. And I wouldn't remember it now." He blinked. "Is that why she almost never talked to me? Or-"
"None of that matters at this point." Freda's voice was firm. He shook his head.
"No. It does matter." He slammed down the cup and glared at her. "Maybe you're unfamiliar with having your memory tampered with, but it's enough to piss you off. So, yeah. It matters."
Freda shook her own head, frowning. After a few seconds she sat down at the kitchen table, resting her hands on her knees and giving him a look.
"You're upset because you remembered after years of forgetting."
"Uh, duh!"
Her tone was dry. "Then imagine how it is to remember and never forget when everyone else has forgotten." Her eyes narrowed. He stared at her. "You're not the only one this entire thing upset. But it happened and it's done."
"See, it's not that easy." He snorted, glaring back just as hard. "Because, if my memory's correct, which I don't even fucking know at this point-" Freda rolled her eyes. "-that would make Owen's stupid claims true."
Freda shrugged. "And what if it does?" When he blinked at her in response she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Just because as a teenager you loved her it doesn't mean you're obligated to love her now."
"I didn't say that."
"Then what are you saying, child?"
"I don't know what the hell I'm saying!" he yelled. It was her turn to blink in surprise. "I'm saying that there's a part of my life I didn't even remember, and that if I had things could have gone a lot more differently!"
"Oh, of course." Freda's voice was filled with sarcasm. "You could've been sixteen and dead." His eyebrows lifted. "But then again, Jazmine wouldn't have felt even more tempted to go to a school in a place where she'd get abducted. So at least her ending would've been happy. If your memory's so sharp you'd remember that if it wouldn't have been erased like the deal entailed, you wouldn't be here having this conversation now. You would have been gone from this earth years ago. And keep your voice down unless you want your little friend to overhear you."
"You just had to put it that way, didn't you?"
"I am merely being logical." Her eyes narrowed. "You of all people should appreciate that." When he merely glared at her in response she shrugged. "It is a hard pill to swallow, knowing that a portion of your memories were absent. Like you young people are always saying these days, "it sucks"." Her eyes bore into his own. "But there's nothing you can do about the past. All you can do is change the future." She shrugged again. "Now, what are you going to do about that?"
He stared back, not saying anything. And then he was shaking his head, grabbing his car keys and heading for the front door, not bothering to look back and see if she were still there.
"What do you see?"
She wasn't looking at him. In fact, he wasn't sure what exactly her focal point was. Either way he stepped forward, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched.
"I said-" he barked louder in order to get her attention. "What do you see?"
The woman shook her head. She was lying on the floor, her feet and hands bound together and her eyes still on the ceiling. He groaned, causing her to finally glance towards him.
"I'm not an idiot." When she looked back at the ceiling he glared. "You have to have seen something by now."
She quietly shook her head and he snorted, throwing up his hands and spinning around.
"Then what do I have you for if you can't give me what I want?" He shook his head. "I might as well just kill you now."
She snorted as if finding the entire situation funny, and shrugged as she looked at him again.
"You might as well."
His head whipped back towards her but she was once again staring upwards. He sucked his teeth, evaluating her with critical eyes.
"If you think you're doing me any favors by keeping me alive when all I'm going to do is die anyways," she finally said softly, her voice raspy. "Then you're insane." She shook her head. "I thought I'd be able to get away. I guess I underestimated you, just like you underestimated me."
"So, what?" He waved his hand. "That's it? You give up?"
She blinked, as if considering options. Then, she shrugged again.
"Guess so."
"Well." He sat down, resting his hands on his knees. "That surprises me." When her brow knotted in confusion he rolled his eyes. "What made you come to that conclusion?"
"You hit me in the head with a rock." She closed her eyes, sighing. "Why bother waiting until the twenty fourth? Why not just do it now?"
"Because-" He stopped, his eyes hardening. "I never said I was waiting until the twenty fourth."
The woman shook her head again. "Because I really need you to say things in order to figure them out." He sat up straighter. "If you do it the twenty fourth it's not gonna work. I can tell you that now. You'll have to take someone else." The way that she could talk about her potential death so casually made his eyebrows rise in surprise. She paused, swallowing and opening her eyes. She obviously didn't notice the look of shock spread across the man's face. "The twenty first is a full moon. It'll be easier to get what you want from me."
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked warily. She glared at him, struggling to sit up.
"Because either way I'm gonna die, that's why!" she nearly screamed, her own eyes hard. "Because you're going to kill me no matter what and I don't care anymore since I'm not going anywhere! If you're going to do it then at least do it right." She shook her head. "And don't go after anyone else. After you get what you need from me, just let it go."
"Let it go?" He rose to his feet again, his jaw clenching. "Let it go?" She stared back down at the ground. "That's what you think I should do? You don't even know-"
"I know," she interrupted coldly. "More than you think-"
"I had a sister." She looked up again, blinking and closing her mouth as he cut in. His expression was calm. "Did you know that?" Before she could answer he snorted, shaking his head. "Of course you didn't. Or maybe you did." He shrugged, a strand of his hair falling into his face. "You remind me a lot of her. That's what drew me to you in the first place, when I saw you that day." He paused, as if letting his words sink in. "You were very kind, even though you were suspicious of me. Even when I came for you, you didn't put up a fight. You made me promise after you there'd be no more." He eyed her. "You knew you were going to die."
It wasn't a question. After a few seconds she found herself nod slowly, which caused him to smirk. He rested his hands on his knees, his own eyes lowering.
"My sister fell in love with one of your kind." His features darkened even more than before. "He could see things that hadn't happened yet, like you. I only knew because my sister told me and made me swear not to tell anyone. And I didn't." He paused. "At least, I didn't until she was killed."
Her eyes widened. He smirked at her reaction as if there were something funny about the situation.
"Turns out not all of your kind are good." His voice was low. "Maybe I should have known that, but I didn't. Some bad people came after him. My sister was caught in between it. And because of her being with him, because he didn't bother trying to protect her, she's dead." She swallowed as he shook his head. "You ever lost someone you loved?"
She didn't say anything until she saw him look at her expectantly and realized his question wasn't rhetorical. "…Yeah." Her voice was soft. "I have."
"It sucks." He shrugged. "It sucks that she had so much going for her and thanks to some worthless freak she's gone. I want her back." His gaze flickered towards her. "That's why I need your powers, you see. It's because I want my sister back. I want revenge on the dark ones who took her life. I want them to fear me the same way she feared them before she died." When she didn't say anything his eyes narrowed. He stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head and dropping to his knees again.
"You won't try and escape anymore?" When she shook her head his brow rose with skepticism. "Are you lying to me?"
"I told you." Her voice was sad. "I'm not a liar."
"Then fine. We have a deal." He smirked, shrugging as she looked up. "The twenty first it is." He turned away. "I'll try to make it as quick as possible."
Something about his words seemed to strike a chord, for she looked up with an unreadable expression on her face. Before he could walk away she spoke again.
"When people say that," she said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "It's usually a lie." He turned around to look at her again as she took a deep breath. "The truth is that in most cases you're going to be awake the entire time. The truth is that in most cases you're going to feel the entire thing. And the truth is that in most cases, when people tell you that someone who lost their life went so quick they didn't feel the pain…well, they're lying." He blinked. She looked away. "I used to be afraid of dying, which is funny since I've always been a bridge between life and death…but I still don't know what happens after you pass on. I don't know if there's a heaven or a hell. I don't know if, after you finally pass on, if there's even anything." She swallowed heavily; her eyes filled as she finally met his eye again. "But there has to be more than this. There does. I can't stand the thought of dying after dealing with so much crap and then nothing happens. This just…" Her voice trailed off and she sniffed. "I'm not scared of death anymore. But I'm scared of the end. This can't be it. This can't be all there is."
He watched her, his own expression unreadable. After a few moments of silence that was only broken by her tiny sniffs he sighed, rubbing his head.
"There's more." His voice was surprisingly calm. She looked up, her eyes still running over. "At least, for you. There's something more than this life." When she sniffed again he nodded. "The twenty first. I'll do it then."
She nodded, slumping back against the wall. He evaluated her again, as if contemplating something.
"They say revenge destroys everything. Have you heard that?" When she didn't respond he shrugged. "All I've wanted is to pay back those who killed someone who really meant something to me. But for all the people I've killed in the process…does it make me a better person?" Before she could say anything he snorted. "Of course not. At this point I don't care what kind of person I am. I have to do this. I have no choice."
"You do." She nodded. "You always have a choice."
"Not if I want to be able to live with myself again, I don't." He shook his head. "Revenge, it does destroy everything. Even innocent people." He sighed. "There isn't hope for me, and I accept that. I don't need hope. I don't need redemption. My ending probably won't be happy and I know that. And I'm sorry about it." He snorted. "You did nothing to deserve this, and I'm sorry this is how it's going to end for you. But I need what you have in order to make this all worthwhile. I can't find my own peace until I do get my revenge. Even if it means I destroy myself." He closed his eyes. "Killing you is a lot harder than it was for the others."
She frowned sadly. "But it doesn't change anything." He opened his eyes again. "Does it?"
"No." He smirked, shaking his head and walking out the room. "Doesn't change a thing."
"Where's Skyler?"
Huey ignored the way Denise's jaw dropped when she glanced up from some papers on her desk to see him standing in front of her, his traditional scowl accented with impatience. She gaped at him in surprise, blinking.
"Freeman?" She set down the phone that had been at her ear as he rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be in the hospital."
"And I appreciate you letting me know that," he replied dryly. "But I need to talk to Skyler now. Before Owen's dumbass goes and gets us off the case-"
"Yeahhhh…about that." Denise whistled through her teeth, wincing as Huey's eyes narrowed. "He already did that yesterday afternoon. But it's fine!" She obviously thought he looked annoyed for the wrong reason. "He was perfectly okay with it, which is why I don't understand why you're here-"
"Look, is he in his office or what? I don't have all day."
Denise's eyebrow arched and she gave him a suspicious look, sitting up straighter. "He's in there, yeah, but he's kind of busy-"
"Whatever." Huey started down the hallway. "Thanks."
"Hold up, Freeman!" The sound of a chair sliding back followed by the rapid clacking of heels only made him speed up his pace. "What are you doing?"
"Minding my own damn business!" he snapped, not even looking back. Denise finally caught up to him, giving him a severe look.
"Don't tell me you're trying to get put back on." When he didn't say anything her own eyes narrowed. "Are you joking?"
"Yeah." His voice was filled with sarcasm. "This is one funny ass joke." He sighed as Denise suddenly slid in front of their boss' door, planting her feet on the floor and lifting her chin. He gave her an exasperated look. "Denise, can you move?"
"Okay, look." She put her hands on her hips. "You can't just walk in here when you're supposed to be in the hospital, looking like a ragamuffin-"
"Did you seriously just call me a ragamuffin?"
"You heard me!" she hissed, jabbing her index finger in his chest. "You need to go take care of yourself and let the others handle this."
"You don't know what I need to do," he shot back, knocking her hand aside. "Because the higher ups are only worried about finding the killer at this point. They're not worried about finding the victim."
"And you are?" Denise argued. He glared at her.
"Yeah. I am. So get out of my way."
Denise hesitated.
"I'm not afraid to make you move."
"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea…oh, did you have to make that face?" she asked when his nose wrinkled in response to her words. "Fine, fine." She waved her hand, stepping aside. "Whatever. But I'm warning you, you should probably wait. He's in a-" She stopped when Huey grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open without bothering to knock. She winced, glancing up at him when he blinked at the good eight others who blinked back.
"Meeting."
"Wow, Denise." Huey shook his head. "You're helpful."
"Hey!"
"Excuse me?" A woman who was wearing a dark blue suit sat up, giving Skyler, who was at the head of the rectangular shaped table, a puzzled glance. "Do you mind telling me who he is?"
"Either he's a ghost we all see or a zombie." Skyler shook his head, smiling gently as he glanced towards the not amused man hovering in the doorway. "It's always a pleasure, Mr. Freeman. Was your hospital stay cut short?"
"Something like that." He took a step into the room, ignoring Denise's tiny squeak. Unlike most people he wasn't exactly affected by those who held authority over him. If anything, that was more reason for him not to take them seriously. "I need to talk to you."
"Well." The woman eyed him. "As you can see, we're kind of in the middle of-"
"I believe I was talking to him." Huey's dismissive tone caused everyone's eyebrows to shoot up. "Not you. Alright, thank you." He turned towards Skyler again, who was examining him with a calm expression. "I need to get put back on the kidnapping case-"
"Excuse me." Denise suddenly darted in, stopping beside him and offering the room apologetic looks. "He's still sick and I'm pretty sure he's delusional right about now, so forgive his behavior. He doesn't know what he's talking about-"
"Denise, get out of here!" Huey snapped before turning away again. "I know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Huey, it's fine." Skyler gave him a reassuring smile, which only served to irritate him more. How many more people were going to tell him shit was fine when it obviously wasn't? "We have people on it. You don't have to worry about it-"
"See, that's where you're wrong. Because I do." He shook his head. "Put me back on it or deal with me working on it regardless. I'll do it with or without your approval."
"You're pushing it, Freeman…"
"You're irking my nerves, Denise…"
"Is this how he always addresses you?" The woman asked, her voice filled with disbelief. Instead of responding to her question Skyler simply waved his hand, slowly turning in his chair so he was facing the window.
"Everyone's dismissed." While everyone exchanged looks he snapped his fingers. "Ah, except for Freeman. Freeman, you stay."
"Ooh!" a low voice hissed. "Freeman gon get it!"
Huey rolled his eyes, watching the others slowly file out the room while giving him looks of confusion, disbelief, or annoyance. Well. It was a good thing he wasn't there to make friends. As the room cleared Skyler placed his fingertips together, glancing over Huey's shoulder with a smirk.
"I believe you were included in the "everyone" category, Ms. Stanton."
Huey shot a dirty look over his shoulder towards Denise, who was still standing there with her hands clasped in front of her. She made a face, stepping back.
"Oh! Yeah. My bad. Uh…" She jabbed her thumb behind her. "I was just, you know, guarding the door! Because people could…you know…sneak in-"
"Denise." That woman could be so damn irritating. Denise smacked her lips, spinning on her heel.
"Alright, dang!" She closed the door behind her so that it made a tiny click and Skyler shook his head, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair and staring back up at Huey. The African American took a deep breath.
"Look-"
"You know, you fascinated me the first day you came on the job." Skyler's words made him clamp his mouth shut. He shrugged as if what he was saying was common knowledge. "Innovative, resourceful, witty. Those were, and still are, some of the words that could be used to describe you. Those are words I enjoy linking to myself as well." When Huey didn't make a move to interrupt him he went on. "I have received quite the amount of backlash for letting you take over the east coast kidnappings case, being that you are not even of age to be considered a fulltime agent. I didn't care. I figured that you were the right person for the job."
He couldn't help but snort. "And now…"
Skyler looked at him like he was nuts. "What do you mean "and now"?" He shook his opinion. "My opinion hasn't changed."
Huey blinked.
"You don't think like others." Skyler tapped his forehead with his index finger. "Your thought process is clear and concise as well as limitless. You aren't afraid to think outside of the box. You aren't afraid to take matters into your own hands, which is something an overwhelmingly large amount of people can't do. And when you find a cause, you stick by it until you take your last breath. You have drive." He leaned forward. "Tell me, what made you leave the hospital early?"
Huey shrugged. Somehow, this conversation wasn't going the way he'd expected it to. "I…wanted to finish what I'd started."
"Ah." Skyler nodded, a smirk falling over his features. "That makes sense." As Huey looked away he cleared his throat to regain his attention.
"We often tell others, as well as told ourselves, that we can't let feelings get in the way of what we do," he said in a quiet, almost knowing, voice. "Personal feelings get in the way. They can hold back one from what they set out to do. But they aren't always such a bad thing."
What? "…What?"
"You see, Mr. Freeman," Skyler went on casually, lifting a hand. "Who do you think would accomplish more? The one whose impassionate logic leads them, or the one who lets their instincts and feelings motivate as well as guide them to their goal?"
Was this a trick question? "…I'm assuming you're going to tell me it's the second one."
Skyler nodded, smiling fondly.
"You see, Freeman." He spun around towards the window again, drumming his fingers on the table. "For those who run on logic, when the clock strikes five they go on with their lives. They are separated from their cause to the point where the outcome can be altered. If you have no personal motivation, then what is the point of completing the task you've set out to do?" When Huey didn't say anything he turned back around, regarding him with a look.
"I didn't choose to place you in this position because you're clever, or smart, or anything along those lines." He raised his chin. "I chose you because, despite your impatience, your quick temper, your standoffish demeanor…you were the one who I knew wouldn't just consider this case a nine to five. You may not enjoy the actions of those around you as well as those who influence our society, but you care." He shook his head when Huey went to protest. "There is nothing wrong with caring. Caring is what our society has forgotten. Not caring is why we have psychopaths who are willing to kill complete strangers. You say you have disdain for people…you don't. You hate their actions. You hate the decisions they make. But you don't hate them. Otherwise, you wouldn't bother to try and help them in the first place, would you?"
If Skyler wasn't such a sense making white man Huey would have completely dissected that theory; after all, he didn't care about people! But the more he thought about his boss' words, the more he couldn't help but wonder...when the hell did he decide to go soft?
"Today is the eighteenth," Skyler continued in a nonchalant voice, turning back towards the window. "I believe that gives you a good five days to try and save your friend?"
Of course he'd know that Jazmine was his friend. He nodded, not really letting it dawn on him that Skyler couldn't see it until he was getting a questioning look.
"Oh. Yeah."
"Then I guess you'd better get on it then, huh?" Skyler snorted, pulling out his PDA and examining it while waving his hand. "Feel free to go now."
Huey blinked at him for a few seconds before, realizing how ridiculous he looked, spinning around on his heel and heading out the door. He rolled his eyes as he saw Denise push off the opposite wall, her eyes filled with curiosity as she fell in step with him.
"What did he say?" When Huey didn't reply her jaw dropped. "He fired you, didn't he? Oh, my god, I told you not to bust in there like Ghostbusters-"
"He didn't fire anybody, so calm down." He sighed as he pressed the up button in front of the elevator, shaking his head. "You're stepping on my foot."
"My bad!" Denise quickly moved her foot, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where the hell are you going now?"
"Why is it your business again?"
"Because I'm your secretary!" she snapped as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. "I can't just tell people who come for you "Oh, Mr. Freeman's out at god knows where and I have no idea when the fuck he'll be back"!"
"…What's wrong with saying that?"
"Charming, Freeman." The doors opened and he walked out, Denise close on his heels. "Realllll cute."
"Shut up." He walked up to another secretarial desk, a brunette with drawn on eyebrows glancing up from her computer. "Sheldon in there?"
"Uh-"
"You're helpful. Thanks." Huey walked past the desk, not bothering to wait for Denise, who was apologizing to the bewildered secretary, and opened the door to see Owen sitting on his desk with his phone to his ear. The way he was grinning let on to the very obvious fact that whoever he was talking to had nothing to do with occupational purposes.
"Now you know you're the only woman for me," he was saying in an un-Owen-like baritone, not even noticing the funny looks he was getting from Huey and Denise. At least not until Huey cleared his throat, causing him to start. "Uh, just a minute…" Owen pressed the hold button before placing down the phone and, in an annoyed voice, nearly yelled "What?" He blinked. "Wait, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Great to see you too. Okay, look." Huey's eyes narrowed. "I know you think you're slick and all giving up the case by using my medical problems as an excuse, but no."
Owen smirked. "Is that what I was doing?"
"Don't patronize me, Mr. Sarcasm." Owen frowned. "Now, I'm back on it because unlike your sorry ass, I'm not declaring her a lost cause or dead until I find her. You can help me or not. I really don't give a damn." He sighed. "But, as much as I'd hate to admit it, it would help if you would get back on it." When Owen continued to stare at him he sucked his teeth. "What? Do you want a written invitation? Just do it!"
Owen blinked again, then shrugged. "Okay."
Huey paused. Even Denise looked surprised.
"…Okay?"
"Fine." Owen sat up, snorting. "Did you think I'd say no?"
"Well…yeah, actually."
"Huh." Owen stroked his chin before sliding off the desk. "Well, you were wrong. I can't just leave you to look for your little girlfriend on your own."
Huey scowled. "It's sad. For a split second, I forgot that I hated you." His tone was dry. "Thank you for reminding me."
"No problem." Owen dusted his hands off. "So, where do you want to start?"
"Aren't you going to get the girl off hold?" Denise asked, pointing past him. Owen's face fell into another flirtatious smile.
"I'm sorry, what?" When Denise gave him a confused look he lifted his eyebrows. "Your radiant presence made me forget that other women existed."
"Oh, god." Huey smacked his hand over his eyes. Denise made a face before spinning on her heel.
"Andddd that's my cue to leave." She quickly skated out the door, shutting it behind her. Owen shook his head, sighing.
"One day," he mused. "She'll realize that we're meant to be together."
"Right."
"I know. Now!" Owen directed his attention towards his younger partner. "Now, once again, what do you recommend we look at? We've been everywhere that could give us information about her disappearance. We've talked to everyone who was close to her. What else is there to look at? Her family's family?"
"Not her family's family." When Owen looked confused Huey shrugged, smirking. "We're going to have to get a serious history lesson. We're going to have to go back into their family history."
"You mean…" Owen scratched his head. "Her ancestors?"
"Not her ancestors." He shook his head again. "We've got to look at the ancestors of the other victims."
Owen's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"
"Origins." Huey shrugged. "We have to find out where this entire thing's going. And to do that we have to look into where everything started. Not for the killer. But for the victims."
"Ah. Find out more about this so-called supernatural business." Owen nodded. "Can we really do that in five days?"
Huey folded his arms over his chest.
"Do we really have a choice?"
Hell NO ya'll don't have a choice. Shoot.
This seemed horribly short to me, but according to Microsoft word this was over 7,000 words. Huh.
Thanks for reading! And cool points to anyone who can go set M. Night Shymalam (sp? Oh well, don't care) on FIRE FOR DESTROYING THE MOVIE BASED ON MY SECOND FAVORITE CARTOON OF ALL TIME (Behind Boondocks, of course. Oh, and Inuyasha). SOANGRYSOANGRYSOANGRYAHHHHH!
...And when you're done beating him up for me, leave a review!
-Kelsey