The next morning she woke up refreshed, still a little tired, but relatively ok. She rose from the couch and dressed, strapping on her weapons, and then leaving the room.
Tom was still asleep.
Casey took a menu from a drawer in the kitchen part and then gripped the phone, ordering what sounded good.
Alex awoke to find herself wrapped in Bill's arms. It was a surprisingly warm awakening from her usual life. Bill was toying with her hair. She rested her hand on his chest which rose and fell softly.
Her fingers followed the jet black lines of ink in his skin. Bill rolled over slightly and kissed her. Alex felt her breath halt. Bill watched her nervously as she forced herself to breathe again.
"Sorry," he said holding himself over her in a way that was not making it easier for her to regain her breath for more than one reason.
"No you aren't" she said crinkling her nose and making Bill smile.
"I'm sorry I scared you," he said genuinely sincere. Neither of them noticed the door crack open and a silhouette appear in the door and watch them for a moment before turning away. This was in fact the exact reason Alex did not want to be doing this... but she really really did.
Casey paid the man who gave her the cart of food and then turned to find Tom walking out of his bedroom.
She took a plate and then sat at the couch, starting to eat slowly.
She tried not to think of what she had seen earlier.
Tom sat beside her soon enough and turned on the television, starting to eat food from a plate of his own as well.
"I'll go see if Alex and Bill are up yet," Casey said to Tom. Opening the door Casey paused her eyes going wide at what she saw. Bill, shirtless, had himself held over Alex.
She remained frozen for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and shutting the door.
She couldn't have Tom, but Alex could have Bill.
She felt a spark of anger rise in her heart but quelled it, Alex deserved this. She didn't, probably wouldn't ever, so she must keep her thoughts to herself on this matter.
She didn't notice Tom asking her a question, when he finally got tired of asking her he got up and then walked to Bill's door.
He opened it and then looked in, what he saw made him stop breathing.
"What the hell Bill!" he exclaimed, Bill looked over at him, disappointment in his eyes.
Tom couldn't understand how Bill could stand to be around someone who killed people.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, leaning on the door with his arms crossed.
Bill stood up very slowly and Alex slipped out from under him her pale cheeks turning the color of roses but as she was studying the floor this could not be seen.
"Only what you've done at least once a week since we were thirteen." he said calm as he believed himself to be doing nothing wrong.
"Perhaps I should say with whom?" Tom said angrily.
"With a woman, one I care about and who cares about me!" Bill said annoyed.
"Because she's paid to!" Alex looked up at this then down she had been called worse things than a whore, she was however quite worried about how bill might take that.
"Tom what is wrong with you?"
"No Bill what is wrong with you she kills people!"
"You steal people's virginity what's the point?"
"That's not what we're talking about! She kills people."
"Well not me!"
"Bill less than twenty-four hours ago she was covered in human blood!"
"Actually about four," Casey added. Alex made a face as they all looked at her.
"She was going to kill you," she said with a shrug, "next time I'll leave her to it, no?"
"You see Bill, she's completely blasé!"
"She saved your ass."
"You're hopeless!"
"Stop fighting!" Alex said into the fray. The men froze. "Tom yes I kill people and Bill his reaction is normal." she said and walked away while both men stared.
Casey stared after her and sighed, Bill walked after her, both going out the door at almost the same time.
She turned her attention to Tom; he was glaring at the floor with his hands balled into fists at his sides.
"Why did you do that?" she asked him, cocking a smooth eyebrow.
Tom looked up at her, in truth, he didn't really know why he did that, was he jealous?
Or maybe he was concerned for Bill; the woman was a killer, dangerous.
He watched as Casey got tired of waiting for an answer and turned to walk away.
He put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, and when she turned to face him he looked down at her.
"What do you know about her? Is she safe?" he asked, eyes pleading for a straight answer.
Casey took a moment to consider her words, "She's not safe, she kills people…. But, she cares about him; even I can see that, she wouldn't hurt him if she had to. She would try to distance herself, tell him no, at first."
Tom looked over her shoulder and stared at the closed door, his brother and she were out there. He wanted to go hide Bill from her, not knowing what could happen.
Casey saw his concern written on his face, she sighed and turned away from him, his hand dropping from her shoulder.
"Leave them be Tom, if she would hurt him she would have done it by now." She said, putting the used plates back on the tray.
Tom watched her, wanting to believe her, but not knowing whether he should or not.
"Sorry," Alex said looking at her bare feet.
"It's not your fault." Bill said feeling now as not a good time to reach out to her as much as he wanted to
"It is," she said, "This is yet another reason why I should stay far far away from you."
"Please don't say that it would be horrible if you left."
"I can't believe that Bill because chances are one day I will HAVE to leave and it'll only kill us both."
"Most girls want to hear forever."
"Most girls are dumb enough to believe in forever." she said sharply.
Tom came up behind Casey while she was cleaning; he let his eyes travel over her body.
When she didn't acknowledge him he placed a warm hand on her waist, immediately Casey froze, looking over her shoulder at him.
"What?" her voice was a bit rougher than she realized.
Tom looked up at her bright blue eyes, they sparked fire.
He wanted her and he wanted to know her.
"Have you ever?" he wasn't asking anything sexual; she knew that, she knew exactly what he was asking.
"No, I might as well have though, for all the good it's done me." She told him, turning around to face him.
Tom moved closer, Casey narrowed her eyes.
Alex sat with Bill as they ate with a silence. Alex using almost every ounce of self control she had not to reach out and touch them, which given her current argument about it being better would be counterproductive.
Bill however did not have years of physical education and mental torture, he could not help but reach across the table to take her hand and she could not pull away.
Casey pulled away from Tom and sighed, Tom narrowed his eyes, "Why do you do that?" he asked, "Why do you keep pulling away? I know you want this." He told her.
Casey frowned slightly, "Because I can't, I made a promise to someone." She told him.
Tom caught her hand, "To whom? A guy somewhere? A girl? Damn it, tell me." He ordered.
Casey tried to jerk her hand away, but Tom held it tighter, it hurt slightly, "I don't have to answer you." She said coldly.
Tom snorted, "Actually, you do, we pay you, remember? So you have to answer anything we ask of you." He stated.
Casey snarled under her breath, glaring at him through fire blue eyes now.
"So answer me, who did you promise and what did you promise?" he asked.
Casey pulled at her hand again but Tom wasn't letting it go anytime soon.
"Fine! I promised an old friend that I wouldn't do anything with anyone. Because I broke her heart a long time ago, and this is my punishment." Her voice cracked a bit.
"Now, let. Me. Go!" she jerked her hand away and then picked up her work out bag, running out of the room soon after that.
Tom watched her go.
Tom never thought to turn around for the old friend who was currently trying very hard to pretend that her hand didn't exist.
Casey moved the weight up and down, concentrating on it and only it.
She needed to keep her heart and feelings in solitude; Tom was making it very hard for her though.
She needed to make this up to Alex; if she did then maybe she would be forgiven.
No matter what, she wouldn't fail Alex, not again.
Once was enough to make her feel like she deserved Hell.
….
Alex wondered why Casey was rejecting Tom. Alex was enjoying it but what did that have anything to with anything? Casey need not make up for her past grievances, no one else would.
No one else had ever offered the pretense of a care for Alex not even her own parents... perhaps she should give Casey points for that one. That idea of mercy fled from her mind at the reinstatement of the memory of Casey and Collin on the bed together. Alex's face twisted and Bill looked at her worried.
She sighed, Collin had flown over several countries to prove to her that he had not been in his right mind and that still he loved her and she hadn't taken him back why should she take Casey back.
It wasn't that she didn't think they deserved her it was that she didn't want the memory to come into her head every time she was near them, her face was beginning to look like a rain cloud and Bill was worried.
"Marcy?" he asked her.
"Just memories Bill," she said slipping away from his touch, she didn't deserve it, "I'm going for a work out."
….
Casey looked up when the door to the room opened, she expected Tom to walk through it. She was surprised when Alex came through instead.
She looked at her warily, wondering what she was doing; Alex would rather run or something.
She placed the weights back in the corner and then went inside the sauna, sitting down calmly.
After a moment Alex came in and sat down across from her.
Alex watched Casey with speculation.
"What are you doing?" she said finally.
"I was working out?"
"No, stupid, with Tom!"?"
"Nothing?"
"Why?"
"Because, you don't want me too?"
"Are you retarded?!" Alex asked before shaking her head, "I know the answer to that one."
"What so you want me to date him?!"
"Of course I don't, I hate you!"
"You lost me," Casey said.
"I don't like you, I don't want you to be happy, and you are mentally incompetent enough to go along with it!"
Casey sighed, burying her face in her hands, "Alex, I know you hate me, and I deserve it for what I did to you. I don't get why you are so upset about me being unhappy, it's what you want!" she stated, looking up at her long time friend.
"Once again this human conundrum, what happened to self preservation? I have a problem with people who are retards. It doesn't matter what I think. This is life, I'm not going to forgive you, get over it."
Casey stared at her for a minute before growling and leaving the sauna.
If Alex wasn't going to forgive her, fine, it was a wasted effort.
Tom looked up when she burst into his room without knocking.
He was sitting on his bed, which was perfect for her.
"Casey? Wh-" his words were cut off when Casey grabbed his shirt and slammed her lips into his.
If Alex wasn't going to forgive her, then she shouldn't stop herself.
"Did you have anything to do with that?" Bill asked Alex as she walked into the room.
"You bet'cha." she said with an evil smirk.
"What the hell did you say?"
"Nothing you would understand." she said leaning against him, and making him forget entirely about his train of thought.
"I feel like I should storm in there and demand to know what he is doing," Bill said still upset about the mornings interruption.
"How about we leave them be, and spend some time with each other?" she said wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We can do that," he said pulling her to the bed room. So perhaps her motives were not as selfless as they seemed.
Casey let Tom do whatever he wanted with her body; of course she had her fair share to do with him.
She watched him as he drove into her from above, his eyes hooded and his body flexing. Sweat ran down his body making his skin glow a little in the light from the restroom.
She pushed him off of her after he had stopped and then went to the restroom to clean up.
She still didn't know why Alex did what she did, why she wouldn't forgive her. But if she wasn't to be forgiven, then it wasn't her place to try to be forgiven.
Not anymore.