Check the first chapter for Disclaimer ECT.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! (though, tut tut, there weren't many last chapter. I may have to make you wait for updates if that's how you're gonna be! ;))
cloudburst (Glad to hear my m/a scene worked out, I wasn't sure, but yay! Yep, she's keeping the baby. Not quite telling you all of what's up with OC though, but this should help with some of it. And yes, that's OC's real name, or at least according to her official fanlisting it is. And I kinda trust them.)
glitterina (Glad you like, here's some more, a little only, I know, I'm working on it, see Author's Note at bottom!)
nat452 (Wahoo, someone else liked the M/A thing! And here's a bit of what's going on with Cindy!)
Imagine (Yay, you love! I'm officially happy!)
!~(*Chapter 13: Foolery*)~!
"Miss McEachin, I'm so sorry for any discomfort my men may have caused. There was some fear for your safety and they were under orders to get you here, safely, and as quickly as possible."
Blinking groggily up at the man in a business suit, Original Cindy tried to focus her blurry eyes and spinning head on the voice that was directed at her. After a second the room came into clearer focus. "So what, Original Cindy under arrest then? Fool, I ain't done nothing."
The man smiled in an overly wide gesture, as two guards Original Cindy hadn't seen came and helped her to stand before sitting her up straight in the single chair of the room. Keeping directly in front of her, the man began with a sort of sick chuckle. "Of course not, Miss McEachin, we are not arresting you. This is a secure area, for your safety only."
Original Cindy paused to glare at the guards for bodily moving her, but was none-the-less thankful for the support of the chair. The way her head was spinning and how tingly her limbs felt, Original Cindy doubted that she would have been able to manage the feat of getting over here on her own. "Seems to Original Cindy that the only threat to her safety has been your muscle boys dragging her the hell out of her bed in the middle of the night."
Grin not faltering the lead man motioned the two guards to leave. They did so, opening the cell door, exiting, closing it firmly, and standing just out of easy earshot. Once this had been accomplished in the silence following Original Cindy's statement, the man spoke again. "Miss McEachin, while their methods may have seemed unnecessary, I assure you the Seattle police had nothing but your best intentions at mind."
Rubbing at her arms where she was sure there would be bruises from her rough handling by the officers, Original Cindy kept a skeptical glance firmly placed on this Mr. Up Town Intimidation. "So, what was this supposed threat to Original Cindy's safety?"
Placing both hands on the table and leaning forward - whether to better look at Original Cindy or in an attempt at further intimidation, she couldn't tell - his badge flashing from the inside of his coat, he began, "It has been discovered that an acquaintance of yours is not exactly as they seem."
Despite having never been arrested or 'detained' before, Original Cindy had still had a fair amount of dealings with police, investigators, and jails. If Diamond hadn't been enough, Max's brief run-ins with the law had made sure Original Cindy knew what was what. Needless to say, she could tell that this guy was hiding something. "And who might this acquaintance of mine be? And you better damn well give me some straight answers if this all is for my own safety."
Twitching slightly, the smile finally sunk off of the officer's face, his eyes filled with something akin to glee. "Ah, well. I believe you know her as one 'Rain.' That's correct then, by the look in your eyes."
A sudden rush of anger got rid of any lingering tingly sensations that had been bogging down Original Cindy's senses. She spared a brief moment to wonder what the other policemen had done to her to knock her out, before returning to the focus of this whole thing. "Rain? What the hell do ya'll want with her?!"
Mr. Up Town Intimidation made a half snorting sound of muffled laughter before his smirk rose back firmly in place on his extraordinarily large mouth. "Yes, well, I'm afraid that information is currently classified. But now that this has been cleared up, perhaps you're ready to answer our questions? First, how long have you known this 'Rain' individual?"
Crossing her arms firmly over her chest, paying no heed to the fact that she was still in her pajamas, Original Cindy pursed her considerable lips and fixed Mr. Up Town Intimidation with her most steely and blank glare. If that boy thinks he's getting anything out of OC, he's got another thought coming.
With another twitch that seemed somewhat angrier than the first, Mr. Up Town Intimidation leaned forward even more so that Original Cindy was sure his enormous mouth would topple him over, and sneered at her. "Miss McEachin, may I remind you that you are being questioned over a wanted individual. If you refuse to cooperate, we will arrest you, and rest assured, we're not so nice with that part."
Kicking her feet up on the table and placing her arms behind her head, Original Cindy tilted the metal chair back until it was more comfortable. Giving her most winning smile, Original Cindy announced, "Figured I might as well be comfortable if I'm staying then because OC ain't telling you fools nothing about my Boo."
!~(*)~!
The opened door threw him for a moment, made his long strides pause. Was there something bad happening on the other side, or was this just an accidental breach of security? He wanted to investigate, but Max was always telling him about privacy and manners and he never seemed to be doing the right of either.
What to do… what to do… Max's voice answered his question first, a memory of something she'd said long ago. 'Fools rush into battle without knowing what's what…' Not that Max had ever followed her own advice, or so Joshua had noticed.
He started to breathe in, pull apart the meshed smells into individual and distinct scents that would give him a mental picture of everything that was going on behind the closed door but another memory-voice stopped him. 'When things are a'rocking, don't come a'knocking… or sniffing for that matter. Yeah, definitely no sniffing.'
That voice was more condescending, yet more accurate. This was Alec's apartment; he should follow Alec's words. Joshua shifted his considerable weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He wasn't good at this thinking in society stuff, wasn't good at their rules. He was good at providing, protecting, action.
One large hand raised and he pawed at the door slightly, wanting to knock but not sure if this was a situation where he needed an element of surprise. But even the light movement was enough to push the door forward and open.
The low light didn't even cause him to pause, his more canine instincts allowing him to see in the darker apartment easily. The first thing that Joshua found off was the lack of distinct noise and any present people. By habit, he lowered his gaze to look for his shorter friends but still found nothing.
Ears twitched slightly as two steady streams of breath could be heard. Crouching down and looking much nearer to the ground, Joshua finally spotted the sources of the breathing.
Alec and Max, tangled up slightly, on the ground, the door still wide open to the hall, and apparently, they were fast asleep.
Joshua regarded this situation thoughtfully if briefly. Deciding to see what was 'up' as Max tended to put it, Joshua tilted his head to one side and asked, "Little fella's fell?" It came out louder than he had intended, and sensitive dog ears winced with both the volume to themselves and the others in the room.
The other two transgenics had an immediately startled response but quickly regained their bearings. Three sets of bewildered eyes met, as Alec and Max slowly pulled themselves into sitting positions. "What the hell," there was a pause as Alec's mental processors caught up with the situation, "Joshua…"
Scooting away from Alec and tucking her knees up to her chest protectively, Max leaned her back against the front of the couch. She mustered up a small smile for Joshua, remembering belatedly that she hadn't bothered to go see him in far too long. "Hey, Big Fella."
Sensing that he shouldn't have said anything, let alone at the volume that it had come out, Joshua offered up the most pathetic and accurate puppy-dog eyes that one could ever hope to see. Apologetically he shrugged his head, almost whispering now, "Hey…"
"Actually, Max was the one who fell," Alec spoke abruptly into the relative silence, addressing Joshua's original question. He hoped desperately that if he didn't make a big deal out of today then Joshua wouldn't make a big deal and Max wouldn't freak out again.
Moving from his previous crouching position to one sitting on the floor, Joshua stretched comfortably. "And what happened before Alec caught her?"
Max's eyes widened slightly, and Alec sighed, one request… just the one… Therefore to say he was surprised when Max took the initiative to answer was an understatement. Reaching one tentative hand across the floor to where Alec's rested, Max replied, "Just talking."
This behavior was studied carefully for a moment or two before Joshua said anything else. He decided to change the subject but the crease across his immense brow said that it was not forgotten. "Why no Max lately?"
Now it was Max's turn to look apologetic while Alec looked on, waiting to see what would happen before he said anything further. Eyes almost level with Joshua's, Max sighed audibly, "I'm so sorry… I've just been all stressed and busy and… I should have checked up on you anyway."
"Joshua fine," he said amiably enough, "Alec 'checked up' on me." Joshua was proud of his use of all this new terminology. After only a brief second though, the crease in his forehead was back, "Max stressed over baby?"
Wide eyes sharply turned on Alec, who put the one hand was wasn't being crushed in a vise-like grip up in a 'wasn't me' gesture. Seeing that no answer was forthcoming from that corner, Max turned back to Joshua, suddenly nervous. "Joshua, I… well… I mean… yeah…"
Grinning happily, Joshua nodded. Oblivious to the troubled looks that passed between the two X-5's, Joshua offered sagely, "Smelled different." He struggled for a moment to explain, "All full and warm… Little fella's having a little fella!"
Letting out twin breaths that neither new they had been holding, Alec and Max both smiled slightly at Joshua's apparent approval. While some emotions were hard to tell on the dog-man, his excitement was unmistakable.
Cautiously, Alec placed his arm around Max's still hunched shoulders, and she fell into his arms gratefully, sliding closer and laying her head against his chest. Her look was unreadable but there was a smile on her face, and Alec figured that was a good sign. "Yeah," she murmured, "we're having a baby."
Suddenly feeling all 'warm and full' inside, Alec decided to share his good mood. Motioning to the door, Alec asked, "You wanna get that?" He waited a moment for Joshua to close the door and stand hovering by it before he continued. "Hey, Josh, if you wanna grab something to eat, feel right ahead. Get all settled in."
A large grin lit up Joshua's face as he moved towards the kitchen. For a second he said nothing as he rummaged through cupboards. The almost-silence was enough to lull Max to sleep again, still tired after her stressful week, and had Alec in a kind of daze. Joshua's booming voice broke back into reality quickly, "Big Fella gonna make macaroni and hotdogs!"
Shaking his head amusedly, Alec called back, "Just a suggestion, Joshua, you might want to try them separate…" Barking laughter greeted him at that and Alec settled back down, reasonably sure that whatever it was that Joshua made, it would be eatable.
!~(*)~!
The noisy, crowded scene wasn't usually to his taste, but this once he was willing to make an exception. There was only one person who could make him sit, breathe, and ignore the scattered bottles of liquor for more than a moment.
Though, in all reality, he wouldn't be sitting very long. That same person had a nasty habit of insisting he join all those writhing, sweaty, bodies out on that dance floor in the disgusting fashion that passed for dance with these people.
Of course, he was the only one who was able to drag them both away from this scene, to a low-priced almost-fancy restaurant or dancing at one of the few clubs still up and functioning where it was slower and more emotional.
A quick glance at his watch confirmed that he had successfully escaped the dance floor for five whole minutes. Pulling stiffly at the more relaxed clothing than he was used to, Normal noticed something else and much more disturbing.
It was 4:51am.
As in, the not-so-early morning. Officially.
Hand placed against his head, Normal felt for some sort of fever. Something to account for the fact that he had to be at work in just over two hours and he was yet to go to bed.
There was no fever of course, no sign of a temperature other than that of everyone else in the room. Nothing but sweat and small patches of stickiness where the hair gel he was now being forced to use had run onto his forehead while he'd been dancing and sweating.
Standing up with as much authority as he could muster at this time of day, Normal prepared to wade his way through the mass of bodies swarming the massive apartment. There was one person responsible for his utter irresponsibleness this month, and he aimed to give them a piece of his mind.
After a good deal of shoving, pushing, yelling, and finally begging, Normal managed to make his way through the crowd to the kitchen.
There, pouring drinks with the expertise most bartenders never came close to achieving, was the source of all this madness. Quietly, Normal came up behind them and stood just an inch away, reaching his arms out. "Baby…"
The other person turned, a delighted smile present and pressed one of the newly mixed drinks to Normal's lips before he could protest. After he had taken a sip, the drink was pulled away as hips sashayed to the music from the other room enticingly. "Good, no?"
Good was not correct. Fabulous, mind-blowing, intoxicating, and most likely illegal, were getting closer to the picture of that drink. Shaking off the momentary stupor, Normal tried again, steeling up his resolve. "Sugar, it's almost five. I need to go get ready for work."
"Screw work," was the immediate reply, one often used, but with no more success then right now. "Stay here with me," the drink was hovering sinfully close to Normal's lips again but he steadfastly ignored it.
Comfortingly, he placed his hands on well-toned arms, hoping that slight touch would save him from the other's wrath. "You know I can't. I have responsibilities. They need me." He laughed at how ludicrous that statement really was with how his workers treated him.
Sure enough, eyes clouded up, bottom lip jutted forward and trembled, and eyelashes fluttered. "But…" a shiver raced through Normal's companion, "but… we were having so much fun, weren't we?" Tantalizing while still sad… "We could have so much more fun…"
Normal shook his head resolutely. He would not miss work. He'd been late, he'd called in sick, but he would not just not show. Besides, he had bosses bigger then him; he could still lose his position if he wasn't careful. "Sorry," he mumbled, quickly turning away from those large eyes.
"Fine," called back the other voice, yelling to be heard over the music, "but you better hurry back when you're done with work. We'll be waiting."
He was about to ask, we? But then Normal remembered, the party… of course the party will still be going on. Despite his desire to ask for all the other people to be kicked out by tonight so that they could have some alone time, Normal just nodded. He knew better then to interrupt party plans here. "See you tonight," he agreed and turned to go before he was talked out of it.
To Be Continued (In The Next Chapter)
Author's Note: THANKS everybody for all the votes!! I took it into real hard consideration because they were all so good for who should come in. I finally chose Joshua just because it seemed both likely, unexpected, and with room for the sweetness that there was. No M/A angst this chapter at least!! Thanks again!!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! (though, tut tut, there weren't many last chapter. I may have to make you wait for updates if that's how you're gonna be! ;))
cloudburst (Glad to hear my m/a scene worked out, I wasn't sure, but yay! Yep, she's keeping the baby. Not quite telling you all of what's up with OC though, but this should help with some of it. And yes, that's OC's real name, or at least according to her official fanlisting it is. And I kinda trust them.)
glitterina (Glad you like, here's some more, a little only, I know, I'm working on it, see Author's Note at bottom!)
nat452 (Wahoo, someone else liked the M/A thing! And here's a bit of what's going on with Cindy!)
Imagine (Yay, you love! I'm officially happy!)
"Miss McEachin, I'm so sorry for any discomfort my men may have caused. There was some fear for your safety and they were under orders to get you here, safely, and as quickly as possible."
Blinking groggily up at the man in a business suit, Original Cindy tried to focus her blurry eyes and spinning head on the voice that was directed at her. After a second the room came into clearer focus. "So what, Original Cindy under arrest then? Fool, I ain't done nothing."
The man smiled in an overly wide gesture, as two guards Original Cindy hadn't seen came and helped her to stand before sitting her up straight in the single chair of the room. Keeping directly in front of her, the man began with a sort of sick chuckle. "Of course not, Miss McEachin, we are not arresting you. This is a secure area, for your safety only."
Original Cindy paused to glare at the guards for bodily moving her, but was none-the-less thankful for the support of the chair. The way her head was spinning and how tingly her limbs felt, Original Cindy doubted that she would have been able to manage the feat of getting over here on her own. "Seems to Original Cindy that the only threat to her safety has been your muscle boys dragging her the hell out of her bed in the middle of the night."
Grin not faltering the lead man motioned the two guards to leave. They did so, opening the cell door, exiting, closing it firmly, and standing just out of easy earshot. Once this had been accomplished in the silence following Original Cindy's statement, the man spoke again. "Miss McEachin, while their methods may have seemed unnecessary, I assure you the Seattle police had nothing but your best intentions at mind."
Rubbing at her arms where she was sure there would be bruises from her rough handling by the officers, Original Cindy kept a skeptical glance firmly placed on this Mr. Up Town Intimidation. "So, what was this supposed threat to Original Cindy's safety?"
Placing both hands on the table and leaning forward - whether to better look at Original Cindy or in an attempt at further intimidation, she couldn't tell - his badge flashing from the inside of his coat, he began, "It has been discovered that an acquaintance of yours is not exactly as they seem."
Despite having never been arrested or 'detained' before, Original Cindy had still had a fair amount of dealings with police, investigators, and jails. If Diamond hadn't been enough, Max's brief run-ins with the law had made sure Original Cindy knew what was what. Needless to say, she could tell that this guy was hiding something. "And who might this acquaintance of mine be? And you better damn well give me some straight answers if this all is for my own safety."
Twitching slightly, the smile finally sunk off of the officer's face, his eyes filled with something akin to glee. "Ah, well. I believe you know her as one 'Rain.' That's correct then, by the look in your eyes."
A sudden rush of anger got rid of any lingering tingly sensations that had been bogging down Original Cindy's senses. She spared a brief moment to wonder what the other policemen had done to her to knock her out, before returning to the focus of this whole thing. "Rain? What the hell do ya'll want with her?!"
Mr. Up Town Intimidation made a half snorting sound of muffled laughter before his smirk rose back firmly in place on his extraordinarily large mouth. "Yes, well, I'm afraid that information is currently classified. But now that this has been cleared up, perhaps you're ready to answer our questions? First, how long have you known this 'Rain' individual?"
Crossing her arms firmly over her chest, paying no heed to the fact that she was still in her pajamas, Original Cindy pursed her considerable lips and fixed Mr. Up Town Intimidation with her most steely and blank glare. If that boy thinks he's getting anything out of OC, he's got another thought coming.
With another twitch that seemed somewhat angrier than the first, Mr. Up Town Intimidation leaned forward even more so that Original Cindy was sure his enormous mouth would topple him over, and sneered at her. "Miss McEachin, may I remind you that you are being questioned over a wanted individual. If you refuse to cooperate, we will arrest you, and rest assured, we're not so nice with that part."
Kicking her feet up on the table and placing her arms behind her head, Original Cindy tilted the metal chair back until it was more comfortable. Giving her most winning smile, Original Cindy announced, "Figured I might as well be comfortable if I'm staying then because OC ain't telling you fools nothing about my Boo."
The opened door threw him for a moment, made his long strides pause. Was there something bad happening on the other side, or was this just an accidental breach of security? He wanted to investigate, but Max was always telling him about privacy and manners and he never seemed to be doing the right of either.
What to do… what to do… Max's voice answered his question first, a memory of something she'd said long ago. 'Fools rush into battle without knowing what's what…' Not that Max had ever followed her own advice, or so Joshua had noticed.
He started to breathe in, pull apart the meshed smells into individual and distinct scents that would give him a mental picture of everything that was going on behind the closed door but another memory-voice stopped him. 'When things are a'rocking, don't come a'knocking… or sniffing for that matter. Yeah, definitely no sniffing.'
That voice was more condescending, yet more accurate. This was Alec's apartment; he should follow Alec's words. Joshua shifted his considerable weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He wasn't good at this thinking in society stuff, wasn't good at their rules. He was good at providing, protecting, action.
One large hand raised and he pawed at the door slightly, wanting to knock but not sure if this was a situation where he needed an element of surprise. But even the light movement was enough to push the door forward and open.
The low light didn't even cause him to pause, his more canine instincts allowing him to see in the darker apartment easily. The first thing that Joshua found off was the lack of distinct noise and any present people. By habit, he lowered his gaze to look for his shorter friends but still found nothing.
Ears twitched slightly as two steady streams of breath could be heard. Crouching down and looking much nearer to the ground, Joshua finally spotted the sources of the breathing.
Alec and Max, tangled up slightly, on the ground, the door still wide open to the hall, and apparently, they were fast asleep.
Joshua regarded this situation thoughtfully if briefly. Deciding to see what was 'up' as Max tended to put it, Joshua tilted his head to one side and asked, "Little fella's fell?" It came out louder than he had intended, and sensitive dog ears winced with both the volume to themselves and the others in the room.
The other two transgenics had an immediately startled response but quickly regained their bearings. Three sets of bewildered eyes met, as Alec and Max slowly pulled themselves into sitting positions. "What the hell," there was a pause as Alec's mental processors caught up with the situation, "Joshua…"
Scooting away from Alec and tucking her knees up to her chest protectively, Max leaned her back against the front of the couch. She mustered up a small smile for Joshua, remembering belatedly that she hadn't bothered to go see him in far too long. "Hey, Big Fella."
Sensing that he shouldn't have said anything, let alone at the volume that it had come out, Joshua offered up the most pathetic and accurate puppy-dog eyes that one could ever hope to see. Apologetically he shrugged his head, almost whispering now, "Hey…"
"Actually, Max was the one who fell," Alec spoke abruptly into the relative silence, addressing Joshua's original question. He hoped desperately that if he didn't make a big deal out of today then Joshua wouldn't make a big deal and Max wouldn't freak out again.
Moving from his previous crouching position to one sitting on the floor, Joshua stretched comfortably. "And what happened before Alec caught her?"
Max's eyes widened slightly, and Alec sighed, one request… just the one… Therefore to say he was surprised when Max took the initiative to answer was an understatement. Reaching one tentative hand across the floor to where Alec's rested, Max replied, "Just talking."
This behavior was studied carefully for a moment or two before Joshua said anything else. He decided to change the subject but the crease across his immense brow said that it was not forgotten. "Why no Max lately?"
Now it was Max's turn to look apologetic while Alec looked on, waiting to see what would happen before he said anything further. Eyes almost level with Joshua's, Max sighed audibly, "I'm so sorry… I've just been all stressed and busy and… I should have checked up on you anyway."
"Joshua fine," he said amiably enough, "Alec 'checked up' on me." Joshua was proud of his use of all this new terminology. After only a brief second though, the crease in his forehead was back, "Max stressed over baby?"
Wide eyes sharply turned on Alec, who put the one hand was wasn't being crushed in a vise-like grip up in a 'wasn't me' gesture. Seeing that no answer was forthcoming from that corner, Max turned back to Joshua, suddenly nervous. "Joshua, I… well… I mean… yeah…"
Grinning happily, Joshua nodded. Oblivious to the troubled looks that passed between the two X-5's, Joshua offered sagely, "Smelled different." He struggled for a moment to explain, "All full and warm… Little fella's having a little fella!"
Letting out twin breaths that neither new they had been holding, Alec and Max both smiled slightly at Joshua's apparent approval. While some emotions were hard to tell on the dog-man, his excitement was unmistakable.
Cautiously, Alec placed his arm around Max's still hunched shoulders, and she fell into his arms gratefully, sliding closer and laying her head against his chest. Her look was unreadable but there was a smile on her face, and Alec figured that was a good sign. "Yeah," she murmured, "we're having a baby."
Suddenly feeling all 'warm and full' inside, Alec decided to share his good mood. Motioning to the door, Alec asked, "You wanna get that?" He waited a moment for Joshua to close the door and stand hovering by it before he continued. "Hey, Josh, if you wanna grab something to eat, feel right ahead. Get all settled in."
A large grin lit up Joshua's face as he moved towards the kitchen. For a second he said nothing as he rummaged through cupboards. The almost-silence was enough to lull Max to sleep again, still tired after her stressful week, and had Alec in a kind of daze. Joshua's booming voice broke back into reality quickly, "Big Fella gonna make macaroni and hotdogs!"
Shaking his head amusedly, Alec called back, "Just a suggestion, Joshua, you might want to try them separate…" Barking laughter greeted him at that and Alec settled back down, reasonably sure that whatever it was that Joshua made, it would be eatable.
The noisy, crowded scene wasn't usually to his taste, but this once he was willing to make an exception. There was only one person who could make him sit, breathe, and ignore the scattered bottles of liquor for more than a moment.
Though, in all reality, he wouldn't be sitting very long. That same person had a nasty habit of insisting he join all those writhing, sweaty, bodies out on that dance floor in the disgusting fashion that passed for dance with these people.
Of course, he was the only one who was able to drag them both away from this scene, to a low-priced almost-fancy restaurant or dancing at one of the few clubs still up and functioning where it was slower and more emotional.
A quick glance at his watch confirmed that he had successfully escaped the dance floor for five whole minutes. Pulling stiffly at the more relaxed clothing than he was used to, Normal noticed something else and much more disturbing.
It was 4:51am.
As in, the not-so-early morning. Officially.
Hand placed against his head, Normal felt for some sort of fever. Something to account for the fact that he had to be at work in just over two hours and he was yet to go to bed.
There was no fever of course, no sign of a temperature other than that of everyone else in the room. Nothing but sweat and small patches of stickiness where the hair gel he was now being forced to use had run onto his forehead while he'd been dancing and sweating.
Standing up with as much authority as he could muster at this time of day, Normal prepared to wade his way through the mass of bodies swarming the massive apartment. There was one person responsible for his utter irresponsibleness this month, and he aimed to give them a piece of his mind.
After a good deal of shoving, pushing, yelling, and finally begging, Normal managed to make his way through the crowd to the kitchen.
There, pouring drinks with the expertise most bartenders never came close to achieving, was the source of all this madness. Quietly, Normal came up behind them and stood just an inch away, reaching his arms out. "Baby…"
The other person turned, a delighted smile present and pressed one of the newly mixed drinks to Normal's lips before he could protest. After he had taken a sip, the drink was pulled away as hips sashayed to the music from the other room enticingly. "Good, no?"
Good was not correct. Fabulous, mind-blowing, intoxicating, and most likely illegal, were getting closer to the picture of that drink. Shaking off the momentary stupor, Normal tried again, steeling up his resolve. "Sugar, it's almost five. I need to go get ready for work."
"Screw work," was the immediate reply, one often used, but with no more success then right now. "Stay here with me," the drink was hovering sinfully close to Normal's lips again but he steadfastly ignored it.
Comfortingly, he placed his hands on well-toned arms, hoping that slight touch would save him from the other's wrath. "You know I can't. I have responsibilities. They need me." He laughed at how ludicrous that statement really was with how his workers treated him.
Sure enough, eyes clouded up, bottom lip jutted forward and trembled, and eyelashes fluttered. "But…" a shiver raced through Normal's companion, "but… we were having so much fun, weren't we?" Tantalizing while still sad… "We could have so much more fun…"
Normal shook his head resolutely. He would not miss work. He'd been late, he'd called in sick, but he would not just not show. Besides, he had bosses bigger then him; he could still lose his position if he wasn't careful. "Sorry," he mumbled, quickly turning away from those large eyes.
"Fine," called back the other voice, yelling to be heard over the music, "but you better hurry back when you're done with work. We'll be waiting."
He was about to ask, we? But then Normal remembered, the party… of course the party will still be going on. Despite his desire to ask for all the other people to be kicked out by tonight so that they could have some alone time, Normal just nodded. He knew better then to interrupt party plans here. "See you tonight," he agreed and turned to go before he was talked out of it.
Author's Note: THANKS everybody for all the votes!! I took it into real hard consideration because they were all so good for who should come in. I finally chose Joshua just because it seemed both likely, unexpected, and with room for the sweetness that there was. No M/A angst this chapter at least!! Thanks again!!