"Nadie!" Lawson all but exclaimed when she picked up his call. His voice was tight with concern—it was clear he was worried about her. She had missed three calls from him over the weekend, one for each day, and hadn't had a chance to call him back.

She smiled a little sheepishly.

"Hi, Dad."

"Are you all right? I couldn't get ahold of you for the last few days."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad," she assuredh him. She felt a little guilty; she had never gone longer than a 24 hour period without returning his initial contact.

She heard Lawson sigh in relief.

"I'm glad to hear that." He paused, clearly gathering his thoughts now that his daughter's safety had been confirmed.

"So, how did it go? Good, I'm assuming, judging by my inability to get ahold of you on Friday."

"Um." She hesitated. "Well, I just finished moving all my equipment into my new lab and I'm sitting in my new place which is triple the size of the prior one. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this space."

Lawson was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, there was an exasperated tone in his voice.

"Couldn't wait for the third date, huh?" he asked dryly.

"Dad!" she protested, stung. Then, she added, "It was sorta the fourth date, anyway."

Lawson just grunted in response.

"Please don't tell me you moved in with him."

"Oh, no, no, no. He just moved me into a new place of my own. Which, seriously, I have no idea what I'm going to do with. I could fit half our town in here."

"Hm. You must have made quite the impression."

"Apparently." She was quiet for a moment, and then she sighed. "How's the town doing without me?"

"Looking for some semblance of normalcy, huh?"

"My whole world has been a little crazy the last few days. So yeah, I'm sorta looking for something familiar."

Lawson huffed. "Town's mostly the same. Still have a mayor. Dylan's taken over the tours entirely. He's finally off script. Darrell's been checking in on and off the last few weeks."

"Pops isn't in town?" she asked, brows raised. Lawson groaned.

"He's off chasing fairytales. He thinks he found some clue."

"He's off hunting the Heart?!" She sat up quickly, eyes wide. "How long has he been gone? Has he found it?"

Her father sighed.

"He's been gone just a few weeks now."

"Bastard didn't tell me," she grumbled, no real heat in her voice.

"He respected the fact you're in a career now and have a life," he retorted. "You can't drop everything to go gallivanting off after a story."

"I grew up on that story, Dad. I used to daydream about finding it myself when I was a little girl. If Pops finds it without me, I'm going to be very upset!"

Lawson grunted.

"You're as obsessed with it as he is."

"Am not," she protested. "I'm not packing everything up to go after him."

"That's only because he didn't tell you when he was leaving," Lawson grumbled.

"No, it's only because I have dinner plans," she replied.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open and a pleasant male voice called, "Babe?"

"Oh! I have to go, Dad."

"The man of the hour just arrived?"

"The one and only. I'll touch bases with you later."

She hung up and was just tugging the Echo off when Handsome Jack entered the room.

"Sweet cheeks," he greeted.

"Just finished talking to my dad," she explained, gesturing with the Echo.

"What? You didn't keep him on the line so I could chat with him?" He settled down on the couch beside her while she smiled.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for you to meet my dad," she responded. "Or, maybe he's not ready to meet you."

"Oh, come on now, I'm a great guy to know!"

She laughed and leaned in to him.

"I certainly think so." She followed up her words with a slow kiss. He slid an arm around her and tucked her close, his free hand creeping across her skin beneath her shirt. She indulged herself in his taste and warmth, slipping up into his lap. He reached up under her clothes and undid her bra.

"I thought we were going out to dinner," she giggled.

"Mm… We can go out a little later," he replied, as he tugged her shirt over her head.

"Will we make it out once we get started?"

"Eh, maybe we'll go out for breakfast instead."

Once he tossed aside her clothes, he ran his hand down the Siren markings, tracing them. She watched his motions curiously.

"Don't worry, babe," he assured her, mistaking her study for concern. "I'm really not going to run."

His promise made her grin.

"I figured that after round three."

He chuckled and lifted her arm, indicating the tattoos.

"I didn't get a chance to ask earlier. What is your Siren power? Is it just awesome sex? Cause don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly fine with that."

She smiled.

"No, that just seems to be a pleasant side effect."

"Some side effect. Not that I'm complaining."

"Neither am I. My power is Phasemend. I'm a healer."

"Healer?"

"Yup. I can seal open wounds, mend broken bones, stop internal bleeding, soothe aches and pains, et cetera, et cetera."

"Seriously? Any wound or damage?"

"Most anything I've come across, with some exceptions. Lost limbs are beyond my power, I can't regenerate them, and I generally can't do much for old injuries that have already scarred, but fresh wounds or trauma I can typically repair."

He studied her thoughtfully for a long moment and she cocked her head to the side.

"What is it? You changing your mind? You going to run from me?"

"Oh, no, no. I was just wondering what effects you might be able to achieve if we boosted your power."

She looked like she might question after his thoughts, but before she could, he shook his head.

"Nah… We can look into that later. I'll mull that over." He kissed her deeply. "I have far more important things to consider right now."

She smirked.

"Like christening this house?"

"Sweet cheeks, you sure your power isn't reading minds?"

/

/

Azrae set aside the final enhanced EMP she had been spending the last few weeks creating. They were finally done. Everything was starting to align. They had brought in new soldiers, the EMPs were ready to be installed, and they had caused enough chaos in Handsome Jack's affairs that the response crews were stretched thin. There were some final touches left to set up, but they were almost ready to make a move. The only two issues still outstanding were Maya and Harolt.

"Azrae," a voice rumbled suddenly. She spun around to see Zer0 standing in the room calmly as if he had been there for hours.

"Zer0," she greeted. "Any luck with Harolt?"

"He is distracted/Dark eyes and red hair call in/Opportunity."

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you saying he's too close to his mark?"

"She is mark no more."

"What?" Anger clouded over Azrae's face. "He's been ignoring us and slacking in his duties because he fell in love with this girl?!"

"He is blinded to duty."

"He's blinded to the danger to us all!" she burst out. "If he's already falling lax in one area, it's only a matter of time before something is revealed that could end us! I would bet any amount of money he hasn't even started to try and indoctrinate her."

"I will not bet you."

She spun back to face her desk, her eyes going to the EMP, but she didn't really see it. Long, slow breaths escaped her as she worked to control her temper.

"There is good in this," Zer0 stated from behind her.

"And what is that?" she demanded over her shoulder.

"The lady works within the/Heart of R&D."

Azrae turned and faced the Assassin once more. A long moment of silence stretched between them and then she let out a breath between her teeth.

"Ok. Ok. Maybe all's not lost. I'll hunt him down and see what I can do. But I may need you if I can't talk some sense into him."

Zer0 simply tipped his head forward in acknowledgment.

/

/

"Guess what, guys?" Alexander called from the door.

"That even in our new job you have to be late at least once a week?" Lucille replied, not looking up from her workstation.

"It is almost lunchtime, Alexander," Nadie added, her lips quirked in irritation. "That's late, even for you."

"I swear, I'm going to make it up to you, Nadie." He leaned down and to the side and picked up two bags stuffed full with boxes that he had intentionally left out of sight. Steam rose from the boxes, and he immediately had both women's attentions.

"Is that…?" Nadie began slowly.

"Celebratory lunch!" Alexander pronounced excitedly.

"Hell yeah!" Lucille exclaimed, dropping everything she had been doing to come inspect the feast. Nadie joined her, looking over the dishes as he started opening them up.

"Good heavens, that's a lot of food," the gunsmith observed.

"Yup. You get to take home all the leftovers, Nadie."

"What?!" Lucille demanded. Alexander grinned.

"Kidding, kidding. There will be plenty of leftovers for everyone." As he started dolling at portions, he continued, "And save room, cause Gerty's coming up with more."

"Fantastic! Is she staying for lunch?" Nadie inquired.

"You know Gerty," he laughed. "She'll never say no to spending time with you girls. She tells me she needs to spend more time with people who are manlier than me." He pouted. Lucille laughed while Nadie smiled.

"It's ok, Alexander, we still love you even if you are a wuss."

"Ack! I am not!"

The girls just laughed.

"How's she taking the fact you're making more than she is now?" Nadie asked curiously.

"I'm not," Alexander replied simply. Both Nadie and Lucille looked at each other in surprise and then back at him.

"Seriously?" Lucille sputtered.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I'm a lot closer now."

"You are just never going to be the primary bread winner, are you, Alexander?" Nadie chuckled. Alexander beamed at her.

"Never even if I tried. Besides, I think Gerty likes it this way. She thinks of me as her kept man."

/

/

"You can't keep avoiding me," Azrae commented simply, staring at Harolt's back. He flinched and then slowly turned from watching Lucille wave him off and head home from their date.

"Azrae," he sighed, already knowing how the conversation was going to go. He had been dreading it for the last few weeks.

"Harolt…"

"I haven't breathed a word about it to her, Azrae. Yeah, I know, I should have been swaying her to our side. But she's been a Hyperion lifer. I don't know if I could swing her our way. And if I can't…" He trailed off, face collapsing into frustration.

"You fell in love with her." It wasn't a question, but he nodded miserably.

"I don't want her to get hurt, Azrae."

"Harolt, we need the information she has access to," she entreated softly, stepping forward and putting a hand on his arm. "I know you don't want to hurt her, but if we lose your help, we lose our one chance to try and take back Pandora and bring Handsome Jack to justice. Or is that something you've given up on?"

"No." He looked up at her, heat in his gaze. "I still hear my sister's screams in my dreams at night. He needs to die for what he's done." He blew a long breath out between his teeth.

"I'm sorry, Az. I got lost for a while. It's just… Lucille…"

"She quieted the screams."

"Yeah."

Azrae sighed and started hunting through her pockets.

"Ah! Here it is." She pulled out a tiny little electronic device barely bigger than a pen point tucked in a small plastic bag.

"I figured this might be a problem, so I made this for you."

"What is it?" he asked as he very carefully took it.

"Just a little listening device. Drop it into her hair—it'll latch on to a few strands and just hang out there. It will feed me any data it picks up. This way we get what we need, and your lady stays safe and uninvolved."

"Thank you, Azrae!" he burst out and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"So, you back on board?"

"Always. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Yeah, yeah. Who am I to get in the way of a lady's man caught in a woman's net."

"You'll find someone, Az," he assured her. She smiled a little.

"I doubt it. I'm too heartless. Now, take care of that bug. I only made the one."

"Gotcha." Harolt carefully stored the device in his pocket, hugged her, and quickly headed further into Opportunity, presumably after his lover. Azrae frowned as she watched him go.

"This is going to be a problem."

/

/

Nadie let out a slow, tired sigh as she let her shoes fall off her feet and pushed the door closed behind her. She had called it quits at seven, a few hours after Lucille and Alexander had left for the day. In the safety of her home, she pulled off her long sleeved shirt to let her skin breathe, tossing the shirt on the couch as she passed through to the kitchen.

"Burning the candle at both ends, huh, babe?" Handsome Jack questioned as she came into the room. She stopped in her tracks and looked him over. He was lounged back in a chair at the table, feet up on one of the other chairs. A mostly empty plate sat in front of him—clearly he had helped himself to the leftovers in her fridge.

"There is still so much work to do… The former director left that department a mess. I see you went poking around my fridge. I guess I'll have to figure out what I'm having for dinner."

"I got hungry waiting for you, sweet cheeks, and since I'm not supposed to interrupt you while you're working or some such nonsense, I made myself at home. In other news, holy hell, did you make this?" He gestured to the food with a fork before taking another bite. She chuckled.

"Oh, I wish. My cooking is palatable, but that's about all I can say for it. Alexander made that."

Handsome Jack swallowed and looked back at her in surprise.

"Squeaky made this?"

"Yup, believe it or not."

"Holy crap. Do you think he'd come over and cook us dinner?"

"You're still hungry after that?" she laughed. "If you asked him, I have no doubt of it."

He rubbed his chin in thought.

"Would he cook every night?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"For you, absolutely, but I'd prefer you didn't ask that of him. Being out every night would almost positively strain his relationship with his wife."

"Wife?" Hyperion's president repeated, brow crooked. "He's married?"

"Yup."

"To a woman?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Huh." He leaned back in his seat. "I wouldn't have guessed it."

"Heh. He is actually straight, just fairly effeminate. The only place that line gets fuzzy is when it comes to you."

When he frowned in response, she continued, "What can I say? Everyone's gay for someone. That someone for him is you."

Handsome Jack snorted.

"At least he has good tastes."

"I think so," Nadie agreed as she leaned down and gave him a long kiss. One of his hands brushed the skin of her side.

"Getting ready for playtime, babe?" he teased, his hands exploring her curves.

"No." She kissed him once more and straightened. "I just don't enjoy wearing fully covering clothes all the time. I have been known to walk around my house nude. With these things," and she gestured to the tattoos, "it's all or nothing."

"I have wondered about that. How do you not melt in that much fabric?"

She filled a glass of water up and took a sip.

"I'm a healer. My power keeps my body at an even temperature at all times, as long as the environment isn't too extreme. I can walk in sweatpants in the desert during the day and shorts and a tank top in the snow at night if I want. I just don't."

"So you never get too cold or too hot?"

"Not without being near nitrogen or magma. I also never get sick, poisoning me is difficult to say the least, and people have to make shots at me count, because if it isn't debilitating, I get better real quick."

He grinned.

"And to top it off, you're gorgeous and smart. You're like the best resilient, terrifying, and dangerous girlfriend a company's president could ask for."

She laughed at that.

"I aim to please."

Before either could say any further, her stomach growled loudly. She frowned down at it while he chuckled.

"You may be difficult to kill, but you still require all the basic necessities."

"What can I say? It takes energy to keep my body and powers going."

He held out his hand to her.

"Gimme your Echo. I'm going to call Squeaky over."

"All right," she agreed slowly, handing over the Echo, "but if his wife picks up, her name is Gertrude, and be nice."

"Gertrude?" he repeated questioningly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Yes. She's a lovely lady and if we ever need her help, she's always there for us. So seriously, be nice."

"Babe, I am the epitome of nice," he retorted even as he sent out the communication. He ignored her snort of disbelief.

Nadie heard a female voice come through her Echo after a moment and watched his brows arch up.

"Gertrude, I presume? Goodness, you sound as big—ah, is your husband home?" he continued quickly as Nadie shot him a pointed smirk. A moment of silence passed while he tapped the table impatiently.

"Squeaky!" he greeted when he heard Alexander come on the line. "Ah, there it is," he sighed, quickly pulling the Echo away from his ear as Alexander's squeal came through it. He waited a moment before replacing it.

"Yes, yes, I know I'm amazing, but you gotta stop doing that. It's annoying. Now, you need to come to Nadie's new place. We're hungry and want you to cook—" He fell silent, blinking in surprise, and then turned to Nadie in stunned annoyance.

"He hung up on me!"

The gunsmith started laughing.

"He probably got so excited that all he could think of was to get here as soon as possible. I guess I should go put a top back on." She stepped out into the living room to reclaim her shirt while Handsome Jack crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"He's so infatuated he would hang up on me just to get here sooner? Hell, it's like another Naka… Nekatima."

"Who?" she questioned, tugging her shirt back on over her head as she returned to the kitchen. He waved a dismissive hand.

"One of the R&D geneticists. I'm sure you've seen some report or another from him."

She frowned as she ran over names in her head and then shrugged.

"I've seen so many names recently, I can't say there are any bells ringing in my head."

"Don't worry about it, babe." He dropped his feet from the chair and caught her hand, tugging her over. She settled into his lap.

"What you should be worrying about is what are we going to do with our spare time until he gets here."

She tangled her fingers in his shirt and kissed him slowly, but reluctantly pulled away after a moment.

"We don't have that much time, sadly."

"What? It's probably going to take him close to an hour to get here, even if he has everything he needs."

"Oh, my dear, you don't understand the depths of his devotion. I give him about twenty minutes."

"No way. I'll give him credit for his cooking, but I don't believe he can teleport himself across town."

"Care to make a bet of it, sweetheart?" She leaned down into him, brushing her lips across his. He took a long breath, indulging in her scent, and his hands crept under her shirt to brush across her skin.

"Oh no," he retorted, grinning. "I learned a long time ago never to bet with Sirens."

"Pity," she purred softly. "How can I have my wicked way with you if you don't let me get the upper hand?"

He grinned.

"Ask nicely."

They lost track of time after that and didn't come back into reality until they heard Alexander's breathless greeting of, "I'm here!" as the front door opened. Handsome Jack untangled himself from the gunsmith's arms and glanced at the clock.

"Damn. Twenty-three minutes."

"I told you," she chuckled. "We're in here!" she called to let the blonde haired man know where they were. As he huffed into the room holding two huge bags, Hyperion's president sat up, pulling Nadie with him.

"Sorry," Alexander puffed, "had to stop to pick up some spices. Lady in front of me was paying with exact change and couldn't find all the coins. Seriously, who even uses live money these days?"

"People who want to get in your way?" Nadie offered helpfully.

"Gee, thanks," he wheezed.

"So, Squeaky, what's on the menu?" Handsome Jack questioned. Alexander looked up and made a breathless gasp that might have been a squeak. Handsome Jack frowned and held up a finger.

"Nuh-uh. If you can't talk, get in the kitchen and get to work."

Alexander opened his mouth, closed it, and quickly gathered up his groceries and scampered into the kitchen. Both watched him go and then Nadie chuckled.

"At least he didn't succumb to squeakdom. That's an improvement."

"If you say so, babe," he commented idly.

"So, how's the bandit hunt going?" she inquired into the following quiet. His face collapsed into frustration and she immediately regretted asking.

"Not good. No one's found any signs of the lowlifes, and one of my factories gets repaired just in time for another to go down. It's irritating and costing me far and away more than it should." She could feel him stiffen in anger and she responded to it, tucking herself against him. His arm slipped around her as she brushed her nose under his chin, but his grip on her was tighter than was comfortable.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go take a walk?" she offered gently. She ran her hand through his hair, trying to use the contact to soothe him. "I hate to see you so riled over this."

"I'm not riled," he retorted sharply, but she felt his fingers dig into her skin. From her place pressed against him, she could feel his heartrate spike. She let out a slow, silent breath, thinking fast.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm just trying to be helpful."

There was a tense moment in which she watched him closely, waiting to see how he was going to respond, but the danger was diffused when Alexander padded out of the kitchen, carrying two plates.

"Not dinner," he informed them as he placed them on the table, "just snacks to tide you over until I'm done."

He didn't look up at them and quickly scampered back into the kitchen, disappearing from view. Nadie pointed after him.

"See? No squeaks this time!"

Handsome Jack snorted, but she could see some of the tightness in his shoulders relax.

"There is hope." He loosened his grip on her to lean forward and study the appetizers. They were fairly simple-looking, one plate filled with some sort of spring rolls, and the other a tartlet covered with cheese. He glanced back at her.

"Suggestions?"

"The spring rolls are excellent, he's made those for us before. The tartlets are new. I haven't had those ones."

He picked up two, handing her one. He was about to take a bite, but paused to watch her as she blew on hers a time or two before risking lava hot cheese burns. He crooked an eyebrow at her.

"I thought heat and cold didn't bother you." An amused smirk curled his lips.

"I was talking about temperature of the area around me," she replied with a chuckle. "My body can adjust rapidly, but I still feel the temperature changes. Similarly, food that's too hot is still too hot. I may be a healer and incredibly resilient, but I'm not unfeeling. Just because walking in very little clothing in the snow won't kill me doesn't mean I find it comfortable. I don't enjoy burning myself if I don't have to."

When he smiled, she popped the tartlet into her mouth.

"Oooh! These are good!"

With her endorsement, he followed her lead and bit down on his, savoring the flavor.

"Wow. How'd he manage to make something this good so fast?"

"I'm pretty sure he's a wizard."

He finished off the tartlet and then helped himself to a spring roll. She took another tartlet and leaned back in the couch, enjoying the taste.

"Damn, he's good," Handsome Jack complimented, taking another tartlet and sitting back himself. "Are you sure he won't cook for me every night? I'm positive he's better than my personal chefs."

"Oh, he would, but he shouldn't."

"But sweet cheeks…" he protested, gesturing with the snack he was holding. She smiled and nestled back up against him.

"He may be a fantastic chef, but that's not a reason to risk his relationship with his wife."

"But, babe, I'd be happy. Isn't that what matters?"

She slid into his lap, straddling his hips.

"Of course it matters," she assured him, taking the tartlet he had been holding and offered it to him. He bit down on it as she continued, "But Gerty takes good care of him. He needs her and vice versa. Besides, I need him in the lab. He is my assistant, after all."

His brows crooked upward and he swallowed the tartlet.

"Are you telling me that you won't let me have him?"

She hesitated a moment before deciding to commit to the battle.

"Yup, I am."

"Babe!" he objected, blinking in surprise. "I thought you wanted to be helpful! Making him my personal chef would be the embodiment of helpful!"

"Mm, I'm sure it would be," she replied, leaning down to brush her lips across his, her fingers starting to tug at his jacket. "But he helps out in the lab, and he has tasks I need him for."

"Sweetheart, I'm sure we can find a replacement," he assured her even as his hands started roaming across her sides and back.

"No one quite like him," the gunsmith responded as he leaned forward to let her pull his jacket down his arms and toss it aside.

"But it would make me happy," he pointed out as he tugged her shirt up over her head.

"I have no doubt of that," she agreed with a purr, bending down to tug on his ear with her teeth. He groaned softly, hands going to her hips, grinding her against him.

"But I'm pretty sure I'm more than capable of making you happy," she murmured. A growl of anticipation stole from his throat as her hands slid underneath his shirt.

"Ok," he acknowledged. "Plans have changed. Squeaky? Squeaky!"

Alexander hurried out of the kitchen and stopped dead when he found his boss and his boss' boss entangled together on the couch, already half unclothed. Nadie was in the process of divesting Hyperion's president of his shirt, completely ignoring the gun designer's presence. Handsome Jack's fingers were buried in her hair which hung loose around her shoulders, a state he had only once before seen it in, and all across the side of her that faced him were intricate blue tattoos.

Without looking up from the place his nose was buried in her throat, Handsome Jack ordered firmly, "Get. Out!"

"Buh—I—" Alexander started to protest, stumbling over his words, before snapping his mouth shut and reconsidering the act of arguing. He slipped back into the kitchen, packed up what little items he had finished and put them into the fridge before gathering up the rest of his groceries. Once he had everything, he took a back path out of the house that led him nowhere near the main living room to give his supervisors their privacy. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but Alexander was patient. He knew there would be other opportunities, even if he had to encourage Nadie to allow them. He had no doubt he could do it. She was open to culinary bribery, after all.