Phoenix sat on her perch on the railing of the small foot bridge over-looking the pond in the park having a smoke.

Her little side trip yesterday had gotten her all frazzled. Now her muscles were tense and she could tell that her left arm was threatening to spasm. She was disgusted with the fact that demon had gotten away. Which was the reason for her smoke break; she had hoped that with the severe drop in physical altercations as of late that her body would begin to finally heal properly from all of those past injuries. The tension she'd been carrying around in this town though was making the pain almost unbearable. She was so tired of needing the crutch of the organic compound she'd developed to keep the pain in check.

She heard footsteps approach her.

Turning she saw the last person she wanted to see today.

She was trying to prepare herself for the emotional and mental exhaustion tomorrow would bring her.

Much like her birthday had been last week tomorrow would be another day on the calendar she really wasn't looking forward to.

"You know one out of every three smokers dies right?" Daisy informed her as she leaned up against the railing next to Phoenix.

Phoenix glanced over at her. "Well that's encouraging," she smiled.

Daisy frowned. "Why would that be encouraging?"

Phoenix took another puff of her smoke. "Obviously the other two become immortal right?" She grinned at Daisy.

"You're such an ass," Daisy told her.

She wasn't normally this rude to adults. It was just that this woman was so damn frustrating that she couldn't help it. Besides she didn't seem to mind her candor.

"Thanks," Phoenix said and returned back to her ruminations.

Daisy studied her for a moment before her eyes rested on the black necklace around Phoenix's neck. The two large, black, teeth looking objects glistened in the sunlight.

Daisy made a move to reach out and touch it.

Phoenix swiftly grabbed her hand before she could.

The meeting of their hands was electric - a current surged it's way from their hands up their arms, and down to tickle their spines. The feeling that coursed through them both shocked them to their cores. They stared at each other for one long moment unable to look away.

Phoenix cleared her throat and let Daisy's hand drop as she turned and looked away first.

"Keep your damn hands to yourself little girl," she warned her halfheartedly.

Daisy swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It's an interesting necklace…where did you get it?" Daisy asked her.

"A lesson I learned," was the only answer she would give her.

Daisy nodded her head.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Phoenix took another puff of her smoke. "You just did. But if you were wondering if you could get a twofer go for it. I doubt you'd just shut the hell up and go away anyway."

Daisy scowled at her.

"See that right there is exactly what I wanted to ask you about." Daisy jabbed her finger in Phoenix's face.

Phoenix made a move as to bite it chomping her teeth down at the air. Daisy pulled her hand away.

"I won't warn you again. Keep your damn hands to yourself," Phoenix stated drolly as she looked out at the pond.

"Why are you always so damn mean?"

"Probably for the exact opposite reason you're always so damn happy."

"So what you can't even appreciate the fact that you're alive? That's at least something to be happy about." Daisy paused and looked at Phoenix waiting for an answer.

Phoenix shied her eyes away from her and looked to her left out at the park.

"Who's to say my being alive is anything to be happy about?" Daisy didn't know if she was answering her question or talking to herself. Probably a little bit of both.

Silence lingered between them stifling.

Olivia and Natalia approached to cross the bridge laughing and holding hands.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Phoenix mumbled to herself annoyed.

Daisy looked at her strangely having heard her.

Natalia and Olivia approached them smiling.

Olivia found it odd that these two would be standing here in such a secluded spot all alone.

"Hey you two," Natalia greeted them.

"Hi Olivia, Natalia," Daisy smiled in return.

"Whatever," Phoenix stated and swung her legs around the railing and jumped down.

It was time to go. The place was getting crowded.

"Hey wait a second we wanted to talk to you." Olivia reached out and touched Phoenix's left arm that was hidden by her leather jacket.

Phoenix looked down at the offending appendage and stared at Olivia raising an eye brow.

Olivia slowly took her hand away and stared right back offering her an eye brow of her own.

"I think I'm just gonna go," Daisy stated and turned to walk away.

"You could have done that five or six minutes ago," Phoenix called after her.

Daisy turned around and flipped her the bird.

Phoenix reached up in the air as if to grab it and tucked it in her pocket.

"For a rainy day," she told her.

Daisy scowled and walked off.

"Bitch," she called over her shoulder retreating.

Olivia and Natalia just watched their interaction wide eyed and amused.

"Well I see you two are getting along," Olivia stated sarcastically.

"It is what it is," Phoenix told her making to leave the way they had come.

The exact opposite direction Daisy had left.

"Wait!" Natalia called after her.

Phoenix sighed and looked up at the sky shaking her head.

"Today of all days? Really?" she questioned the air.

Olivia and Natalia pretended not to hear her.

"We just wanted to thank you for what you did with Alan. I honestly don't think he'll be making trouble for anyone else again," Olivia told her.

"He knows what will happen if he does." Phoenix turned and told her. She pulled out her lighter and burned up the butt of her smoke.

"We wanted to invite you out to the house. Give you a chance to see you're little project." Natalia smiled at her. "We know Emma would love to see you again."

Phoenix looked down at the ground and stubbed her booted toe on the wood of the foot bridge. A small involuntary smile graced her lips.

"How is the little monkey?" she asked hesitantly.

Olivia and Natalia frowned at the nickname. "She's fine. Can't stop talking about you."

Phoenix nodded her head.

"I'll come by. It can be a going away dinner of sorts."

They frowned.

"Going away? You said you'd be here for two weeks - it's only been one." Olivia felt panicked. She really wanted to help this woman. She couldn't understand why though.

"Finished the job early. Cameras are all down. Edmund's servers have been crashed. Alan's in his place. There's nothing left for me here. Besides the little prince will be looking for revenge. Figured I'd just head him off at the pass," she told them.

Her face looked sad.

"J and Sarah should be here in a few days. They'll be happy to be home," she added.

"We'll be happy to have them back. I'm sure they'd love it if you were to stay so that they could see you off," Olivia told her.

She couldn't do that. If Jonathan showed up with her god-daughter she knew she'd never leave.

"They'll live."

"Listen we…"

Phoenix cut Natalia off. "I'll meet you out at The Farmhouse for dinner. I'm leaving Saturday evening," she told them curtly.

It was Thursday.

She turned around and stalked away. Hands tucked firmly in the pocket of her jacket and head down.

Olivia and Natalia frowned as she walked away.


"PHOENIX!" Emma screamed as she ran up to the leather clad stranger who was walking up the graveled drive way.

Phoenix smiled at the little girl; green eyes shining and dimples out in full effect.

She swooped Emma up in her arms and tossed her into the air.

Emma giggled and laughed as she was caught.

Olivia and Natalia watched the exchange from their perch on The Farm House porch.

Phoenix was a very confusing woman.

"Hey monkey," Phoenix greeted her as she tickled the little girl's sides.

"I'm not a monkey," Emma protested laughing.

Phoenix turned her upside down in her grasp. "Really cause you sure look like one to me." She laughed with Emma before sitting her down on the ground.

"How you doin little one?" Phoenix asked her.

"I'm good." Emma happily nodded.

"Still listening to your mommies?"

"Yep!" Emma gave her an enthusiastic nod.

"Good." Phoenix smiled at the girl and gave her a high five.

Olivia and Natalia approached them smiling at their interaction.

"Dinner will be ready in a little bit," Natalia informed her.

Phoenix nodded her head - face returning to that expressionless mask.

"Did you want anything to drink while we waited?" Olivia asked her trying not to feel too put off by Phoenix's obvious discomfort with them.

"No I'm good. I think I'll stay out here with the monkey for a little bit and play around with her soccer ball." Phoenix nodded towards the ball Emma had abandoned on her arrival.

The women nodded.

"Yay!" Emma squealed before frowning. "Rafe used to play with me all the time."

The three adults frowned.

Phoenix knelt down to her level.

"Well I can't take you're big brother's place but what say you and I have some fun anyway?"

Emma smiled and hugged Phoenix wrapping her little arms around the woman's neck.

Phoenix hugged her close and tight; firmly closing her eyes.

She sniffed Emma's hair.

Her eyes flew open dramatically before she could compose herself.

This was not supposed to happen!

Olivia's eyes went wide.

Natalia remembered what Olivia had told her Jonathan said about Phoenix doing that.

She smiled at them.

Phoenix broke away from Emma and stood clearing her throat.

"All right lets get to it."

Olivia and Natalia stood in The Farmhouse kitchen watching Phoenix run and laugh with Emma as the kicked around the ball.

She had taken her leather jacket off exposing her covered left arm.

Olivia frowned at the site of it. But couldn't deny how happy the two of them looked running around like a couple of kids.

Natalia came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"She looks happy."

"Yeah she does."

They returned to making dinner.


Rafe stood staring at the huge iron gate and gawked.

"What the hell is this shit?" he questioned.

Through the iron bars of the gate he could clearly see Emma playing and laughing with Phoenix.

He scowled at her.

Phoenix felt someone looking at her and turned to look down the driveway.

She saw Rafe standing at the gate.

Emma saw what she was looking at and frowned.

She didn't want to see Rafe. She was having too much fun playing with Phoenix.

Rafe waved his hand at them impatiently.

Phoenix shook her head and pulled up the hidden flap on her arm guard on the forearm side. It revealed a series of buttons and a small digital screen.

She pressed a few buttons and the gate opened.

Rafe walked through.

She closed the gate behind him.

He jogged up to the two without sparing Phoenix so much as a glance.

At least someone in this damn town knew how to ignore her.

"Hey munchkin." Rafe walked over to her and knelt down.

Emma frowned at him and looked up at Phoenix.

"It's okay monkey," she told her.

Emma nodded her head and stalked off towards the house.

Rafe didn't like Emma's new nickname at all.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He stood up and questioned her.

"Unlike you I was invited," Phoenix told him.

"This is my mother's house."

"A house you willingly left Raphael. You have no right to come here and delegate anything," she told him stoicly.

"I'm here to see my mother."

"Why so you can give her more shit and talk to Olivia like you've lost your damn mind?"

Rafe seethed.


"Hey Em what are you doing inside? You don't want to play with Phoenix anymore?" Olivia questioned her. She had come out of the kitchen only to find Emma watching cartoons in the living room.

"Rafe's outside," she told her and went back to watching cartoons.

Olivia frowned and went to look out the window.

Sure enough there was Rafe and Phoenix looking as though they were getting ready to square off.

"That damn idiot is going to get hisself killed fucking with her," she mumbled and rushed towards the kitchen to get Natalia.

She was going to need help with this one.


"You're just a scared little boy - so afraid that mommy went and got a life that doesn't revolve around him that you can't even see the forest for the trees," she told him.

"You don't know shit about me lady." Rafe grit his teeth and approached her.

Phoenix paid his advance no mind.

"Boo friggin hoo," she taunted him. "Poor Raphael, his mother went and got a life only it's not the one he would have wanted. She fell in love but not with someone he would have picked for her," she continued to goad him.

"I'm looking out for my mother. I just want her to be happy!" He yelled still approaching Phoenix.

"Your mother is happy Raphael." He hated the way she made his name sound. "Believe me there are worse things in life than that."

"Don't pretend you know anything about us or our lives!" He thundered.

"Who's pretending?"

"You don't know what's going on here. Frank said…"

"Frank? That asshole from Company? Who gives a flying fuck what Frank said? News flash Raphael Frank is just a bitter man who's pissed off because he thinks someone stole his favorite toy. The thing is it was never his to begin with. Don't you get it? He's the type of man who doesn't want to see the woman he's interested in happy unless he made her that way. He's pulling all kinds of strings Raphael yet you're the only one dumb enough to play his puppet."

Rafe got up in her face. "You don't know shit," he breathed.

"I know that you're not someone anyone in your family can honestly say they're proud of right now."

"What about you?" He stepped back flailing his hand in the air. "You telling me you're family is proud of you walking around like some slut throwing yourself at women and being…"

His words were caught off by a strong punch to his jaw. He hit the ground and Phoenix stood over him. She had pulled that punch. If she had hit him as hard as she could the little shit would be dead right now.

She yanked him up from the ground by his shirt and held him close to her face his feet dangling off the ground. "I am not a slut little boy," she fumed. "You need to learn what real respect is," She ground out.

"Phoenix," Olivia called out to her.

She kept staring into Rafe's frightened eyes.

"Phoenix let him go."

She shook her head and did exactly as she was told; letting Rafe drop like a sack of potatoes to the ground.

He hopped up and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"She fucking hit me."

"You fucking deserved it," she spat out.

Olivia approached him cautiously to try and examine the space where a huge bruise was now forming.

Rafe yanked away from her. "Don't touch me."

"Enough!" Natalia yelled silencing everyone.

They all just looked at her.

"Rafe you need to leave," she ordered.

"Ma I…"

"If you can not respect this home then you are not welcome in it. Leave."

He glared and stormed off.

Phoenix opened the gate for him.

"You didn't have to say all that for us," Natalia told her.

"Yeah actually I did. You see unlike you Natalia I don't have that much patience. What little I do have will not be wasted mincing words just to spare the ego of your grown as hell son. I'm not Olivia; my tongue is not shackled by a devotion to you that would leave me open to attack just for the sake of some foolish attempt to please you," Phoenix ranted then stormed off towards the house.

Olivia and Natalia just looked at each other.

Inside Phoenix sat down next to Emma on the couch as the girl was watching TV. A commercial was on.

"What are you in here watching?" she asked the little girl with a smile.

Before Emma could answer the show came back from commercial and the six note opening of the cartoon shook Phoenix to her core.

She turned and stared at the screen wide eyed.

Emma was watching The Power Puff Girls.

Phoenix began to shake.

Since coming to The Farmhouse she had completely let slip tomorrow's impending date.

Now though it had smacked her dead in the face.

Tears began to track down her cheeks.

"Phoenix?" Emma questioned her worried.

Olivia and Natalia came back in the house and looked at Phoenix worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"I have to go."

"But dinner…"

"I have to go."

She stood and looked down at Emma.

"Sorry monkey I uh…" a sob threatened to break through.

She turned and fled the house.

"She looked really sad," Emma's small voice rung out.

Olivia and Natalia came over to sit next to her.

"Yeah baby she did."


Phoenix ran like a bullet threw the now dark woods and away from The Farmhouse. Her arms and legs pumped furiously as she put as much space in between herself and that damn TV as possible. Sobs wracked her as she ran and tears stung her eyes. Still she ran.

Memories flooded her. Things she held onto in those darkest hours. And the things that haunted her in her nightmares.

She ran.

A scream was ripped form her lungs.

She ran.

Branches and leaves scrapped at her as she continued to move forward unwilling to stop. She pushed herself harder and harder teeth grinding against each other.

She found herself at The Lighthouse and ripped off her jacket. It was dark and no one was around.

She pulled out one of her favorite weapons from her backpack and began to practice her kusarigamajutsu under he light of the moon. She twirled the chain around and slashed through the air as tears fell down her face in abundance.

She just wanted to forget.

She knew she never would.

Still she twisted, turned, and flipped her body with the movements and slashing of her weapon. She let the pain flow feeling angry and hollow. She screamed into the night.

She got back to her motel room at midnight exactly – the new day had begun. She moved robotically threw the room removing her back pack and jacket. She moved to the bed and pulled out an object from underneath the pillow.

It was a pillow in its own right. An extra large cartoonish head served as the pillow that a tiny body supported. She stared at the Power Puff Girl pillow.

It was the red one.

Blossom.

The leader.

The responsible one.

The oldest.

She dropped to her knees and buried her face in the pillow sobbing uncontrollably

"I'm sorry," she cried. "Please forgive me."

She knelt there for long moments. Wishing she could take it all back.

But the damage was done. There was no going back.

They were gone.

And it was her fault.

As the sun rose Phoenix found herself sitting at her desk at the motel. Tears were still flowing on and off.

Six empty bottles of whiskey were lined up on the floor near her.

Her stash of cocaine sat open on the desk next to her lap top.

There were two un-snorted lines left on the mirror.

She watched the home movie on her laptop.

It was of better times.

Of happiness.

From when they were still alive.

She watched the smiling and laughing faces on the screen unable to even recognize herself amongst them.

She sat naked in the chair clutching the Power Puff Girl pillow to her chest.

She cried.


Olivia and Natalia looked up at the motel wearily.

"Are you sure about this?" Olivia questioned her.

"Yeah I remember when she showed us Edmund's cameras that there were some red dots she didn't point out. They were all around here. There was two more by themselves though down by the warehouse district."

Olivia nodded her head as they walked up to the manager's office.

He eyed them wearily.

All that screaming and wailing he'd heard last night coming from that crazy girl's room had him on edge. He didn't like the fact that these two women were now here.

"Excuse me we're looking for a woman she's about…"

"Nope - hell no. Never seen her before in my life. Look at the time; gotta go." He all but ran to the door behind the counter and slammed it behind him.

Olivia and Natalia watched him go in shock.

"Oh yeah she's here." Olivia smiled.

They walked out of the office at a loss.

"How are we supposed to find her?" Natalia questioned.

"Well let's see. Phoenix likes to be in control. She's suspicious. She'd probably want a room on the second floor from where she could monitor the ins and outs."

Natalia nodded as they took the stairs.

"Hmm she would want some privacy."

They bypassed the first rooms on the floor.

They noticed there was room at the end of the walkway.

They approached it and realized that the doorknob was different on this door than on the other rooms. It was black.

"Score." Olivia smiled at Natalia.

"Good now knock," Natalia instructed her.

"Why do I have to knock; I found the room?"

"Well you should get all the credit."

"You knock."

"I'm the one who figured out where she was staying to begin with; you knock."

There arguing was cut off when the door flew open and they were both yanked inside of the room.

Phoenix stuck her head out and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied she slammed the door closed and turned on them glaring.

Her hair was down from its normal ponytail and flowed over her shoulders down to past her hips. Her eyes were bloodshot red. Olivia and Natalia couldn't decide if it was from the obvious crying she had been doing based on the tear tracks still on her face. Or from all the alcohol she'd consumed by the looks of all the bottles. Then they saw the cocaine. Both of them frowned.

The fact that she was naked made all of this even more awkward.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she growled.

"Um we just wanted to check on you after you left the house so abruptly yesterday. Em was worried about you," Natalia told her a little nervously.

Olivia's attention was drawn towards the laptop that was paused on a video. She furrowed her brow at what she saw.

Phoenix stormed over and shut the computer off slamming her finger down on the button.

She flitted around the room first putting on a pair of shorts and then a sports bra. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail.

Her unwanted guest's eyes went wide at the site of two things.

Her tattoo.

And her scar.

All along her left arm were deep gauges that looked as if she'd stuck the appendage in a wood chipper and some how pulled it out with it still attached. Her shoulder blade looked like something had tried to take a chunk out of her.

The scaring was horrible to behold.

Olivia and Natalia felt like crying just looking at it.

Phoenix forced her arm through her black guard.

"You need to leave," she told them.

"Why don't you come back to the house so that we can talk?" Olivia questioned her.

"Get out," she mumbled as she closed up her laptop and shoved it into her backpack. She snorted up the last two lines not caring that they were watching and put her stash and kit away into her backpack as well.

Olivia and Natalia watched as she picked up the pillow she had abandoned in her chair and put it into her sea bag. She was packing to leave.

Soon everything she owned was put away and she was fully dressed.

Olivia and Natalia just watched her.

"Phoenix we can help you."

"GET OUT!" she yelled at them.

They both jumped.

She turned away from them checking to make sure she had everything.

"How about this? Seeing as how you're in possession of illegal substances you either come with us or we call the police," Olivia threatened her.

Phoenix turned on her eyes blazing and stared her down.

Olivia stared right back.

"Fine," Phoenix growled.

She switched the locks and doorknobs back then left the room leaving the door wide open and Natalia and Olivia behind.

They walked out only to see her removing her hidden cameras.

They all walked quietly down to Olivia's car.

The girls got in the front seat as Phoenix opened the back door.

Then she ran.

"That little shit!" Olivia exclaimed car door wide open.

Natalia reached back and slammed it closed.

"DRIVE!" she yelled.

Olivia pealed out of the parking lot to chase after.

"SHIT! Where the hell did she go?"


Phoenix hit the storage facility and retrieved her bike and cameras. She burned rubber off of the property.

She raced through the streets on her way out of town.

A police siren sounded behind her.

"FUCK!" she yelled then pulled over. "I don't need this right now."

Frank walked up beside her.

Maybe she could get out of this.

She pulled off her helmet and flashed him a smile.

He smiled back at her.

"Hey nice bike. I'm sorry but did you realize how fast you were going?"

"I'm sorry officer you know how it is. You get ready to go and everything else just leaves your mind." She told him smiling.

He nodded in understanding.


"There she is." Natalia pointed.

"I never thought I'd say this but thank GOD for Frank Cooper."

Olivia pulled up in front of Phoenix's stationary motorcycle.

Phoenix glared.

"Hey Frank." Natalia approached them.

Olivia was smart enough to know that in order for this to work she needed to stay in the car.

"Uh hey Natalia. I'm in the middle of a stop right now so…" he trailed off unsure of what to say next.

"I see that but I really needed to steal Phoenix away. We're running kind of late," Natalia vollied back while giving him a cruel glimpse of her dimples.

Phoenix shook her head.

Fuck!

It wasn't long before Frank gave Phoenix a warning.

Natalia spoke to Phoenix before Frank walked away.

"You know what you should probably put your bags in the trunk of the car. It would be easier that way," Natalia told her.

Phoenix wouldn't abandon her things.

Phoenix glared at her and snatched her bags off of the back of her bike and threw them into the trunk Olivia had opened while still sitting smiling triumphantly in the driver's seat.

Natalia closed the trunk.

Frank pulled off.

"You're going to fucking regret this," Phoenix warned.

"Follow us," Natalia told her in a no nonsense tone and hopped back in the car with Olivia.

Phoenix was left with no choice but to do as she was told.


The three of them sat in a stalemate at the kitchen table in The Farmhouse.

Phoenix hadn't stopped scowling the whole trip.

"Where were you going to go?" Olivia questioned her.

"Away."

"Do you have family anywhere?" Natalia asked.

Phoenix's face darkened.

She didn't answer the question.

Olivia frowned. "What's you're first name Phoenix?"

Phoenix began to jiggle her leg; the heel of her boot hit the floor in rapid succession.

"Where's you're family Phoenix?" Natalia questioned her again.

Phoenix bolted from the chair and made her way towards the living room as if to leave.

She was going to rip that fucking trunk wide open.

Olivia grabbed her by the arm.

Phoenix turned and raised her fist only to stop it inches away from Olivia's face.

She didn't even flinch.

"What's you're first name?" Olivia repeated the question.

What Phoenix did next surprised both of them.

She began to cry as sobs wracked her body and her shoulders slumped.

Any other day she could have handled the questioning, but not today.

She fell to her hands and knees in front of them and sobbed.

The couple knelt down next to her hearts breaking at the sight.

Olivia placed her hand on the woman's head.

"What's you're first name?" she asked her softly.

"FRANCESCA!" she screamed unable to stop herself.

The sobbing grew stronger.

And there on The Farmhouse floor she poured her heart out; telling the two women of a story so horrific that it would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

They had all made the wrong assumptions about her.

She wasn't the women they thought she was.

She was a just a scared heart broken fifteen year old girl.