A/N: Hello again everyone! Hope you enjoy the new chapter, it's 2379 words. The longest chapter so far. Have a good spring break! (Like I am).

Enjoy!

~Shay

I didn't have anything to wear. I had nothing to wear and it was driving me insane. It was fucking, Dubai '03 all over again.

I heard the door to the hall to my room open, and I pulled a dress on over my head as a knock sounded on my door.

I pulled the door open and stared down at Macey McHenry who was holding a red embellished folder in her hands.

"Headmistress Morgan gave me extra credit for your class, so I'm turning it in." Macey said, trying to hold on to her bad girl reputation with her body language but I grinned.

"Macey, you have a B in my class," I stated, leaning against the door way, "Much better than half of the girls." I added as an afterthought.

"Well. I want an A."

For a moment, I considered taking her paper and shutting the door tightly, but I remembered how she looked when she first walked into the school, and I remembered my current dilemma.

"Listen Macey, you help me put together a suitable outfit and I'll mark that as extra credit. You have, what, a 87? Two A's will put you over the top."

I saw Macey consider her options before she nodded. I pulled her in and led her to the closet of magic.

"Whoa what is this place?" Macey asked, slightly salivating at the contents.

"It's the closet of magic, off-limits to anyone below junior level- with a few exceptions." I explained, leading her to the ottoman my stacks of clothes were sitting on.

"I'll make you a deal. You grade the one extra credit, and let me take an outfit for myself- and I'll help you with whatever you need. Boy talk, flirting, I'm good for all sorts of things."

I laughed, waving my hand in the air. I couldn't believe Macey would risk her grade for some clothes. She was definitely an ambitious girl, but her need of fashion was nearly crippling.

"Yea. Sure, Macey. Don't touch the silks, satins, or any of the shoes on the top two shelves." I said, still leaving dozens of options for her.

"Deal." She said and she began scavenging through the clothes I pulled out.

"And clean up your mess when you're down. If it's not as pristine as when you got here when you leave, I will kill you." I said and she nodded.

"Isn't there a rule about threatening students?"

"Typical rules only apply to typical people." I quoted my younger sister and Macey smirked a little.

"How about this top?" Macey asked, holding up a black shirt that see-through in the front.

"We aren't going clubbing." I said and she flung the shirt across the room, I barely contained my gasp of horror.

She went through a few more shirts until she picked up a shirt that was slightly pink and beige. I gasped at the sleeveless shirt and gracefully lunged across the room for a pair of leather pants I spotted earlier.

Leather jeans with mesh cut outs was a little too sexy, but the sleeveless top and matching pumps would make it just a little flirty with a professional air.

"Thanks Macey, help yourself, but don't try to cheat me." I said, grabbing up my clothes, not telling her that I had this place wired to hell and back.

I changed into the outfit and did a test walk. I always disliked these shoes; they were comfortable as long as I didn't wear them for more than three hours at a time.

"Clean up after yourself!" I warned Macey, throwing her extra credit onto my couch before I headed out.

I made it to the main hall before I found Rachel sitting on a stair, and I slowed my pace.

"Hey Ray, waiting for hell to freeze over?" I asked while she stood and fell into step beside her.

"I'm headed into town, and I know you'll be drinking tonight, so I figured I'd be your ride." Rachel answered and I stopped walking, narrowing my eyes.

"What do you know that I don't know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel said, tripping over all of her tale signs.

"You know I could drink you under the table." I taunted.

"We are twins. You literally could not." Rachel deadpanned and I snorted.

"Okay, why are you really going out?" I questioned again, getting serious so she knew I wanted to know.

"I'm meeting with a Secret Service agent to vouch that all of my teachers were here and accounted when an informant was killed." Rachel said, giving me major side eye, and I just nodded.

"I told them they didn't have to worry because all of my teachers were inactive desk operatives. Right, Melantha?"

I could have told Rachel everything right then and there. I was secretly active but changed from a spy operative to an assassin operative, I killed that man with only an ounce of regret for any children he had and that Joe was active too. I could have, but I found a million reasons not to as I scanned my brain for any signs that she was acting out of the ordinary.

Her hand was in her purse, positioned in a fist. She never carried a purse and she definitely never constricted her hands. She called me Melantha, she only did that when she was being sentimental or warning me. She told me in-depth what she was going into town for. My eyes drifted back down to her clenched hand.

Of course the secret service wouldn't take her word for it. They had asked her to record everyone, or me, so they could get a confession or innocence.

"Rachel, what do you take me for? I'm too old to go out killing people." I replied, tasting the bitter words like a lemon.

"That's what I'm saying." Ray laughed pulling her hand out of her bag and giving me a knowing nod.

I wanted to stomp my foot and whine like Abby used to (when she was young enough to get away with it). Ray always seemed to know when I had done something, whether she was invited along or not on my expeditions.

I followed her to the car, and the ride wasn't unbearable until we reached city limits.

"Have you heard from Morgan?" Rachel question and I groaned, loudly and for a extended period of time.

"That she-beast bitch?" I spat, foaming immediately.

"Calm down, Melantha."

"Did that nasty disease call for more money?"

"Be a little diplomatic, Melantha. Please." Rachel sighed and I felt my sarcasm go into maximum overdrive.

"Fine- fine you're right... Pray do tell if the concubine hath requested a larger sum of shillings." I asked, trying to control my seething long enough to appear ladylike.

My anger was the hardest thing for me to control, but I did a good job of not kicking strangers in the face. Joe was another story.

Rachel calmed her hysterical laughter long enough to finish talking as we pulled up at old maid.

"She wants Alison to come to Gallagher."

"Morgan does understand that this is a spy school."

"Oh look, you do know her name." Rachel deadpanned, stalling once more and I sighed.

"Rachel, since when is my twin the shadiest person I'm around?" I questioned, and she looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Word on the street is that she is going to drop Ally off and run." Ray admitted and I nodded.

"Let her. I can take care of Ally. She loves me."

"Melantha, there's more to taking care of a child than what you think."

"Keep her happy, healthy and smart." I listed and Rachel sighed.

"You wouldn't be able to leave her at Gallagher over the summer; she'd have to go with you everywhere you went."

"I'll take care of it, Ray." I assured her, hoping it'd be enough to stop here but I knew my twin better than that.

"You can't abandon her, or only want her around when it's convenient for you. Every birthday, soccer game, bruise, boo-boo. Everything."

"I know how to be a parent, Rachel." I replied, starting to get irritated.

"You don't know Melantha, and I'm trying to teach you."

I gasped when she said this, and she froze- even stopping the car.

"I didn't mean-

"I may not be a mother in your mind, but I read all of the damn help books. Warren and I spent countless nights reading books to my stomach and I had the fucking morning sickness. I wanted to be a mother. I wanted it more than anything." I wasn't yelling, and I think that frightened Rachel more.

"Lanie, I didn't mean it like that." Rachel said, trying to assuage what she assumed was anger, but I shook my head as the shame flooded away- I wasn't angry.

"I'll walk the rest of the way." I told her and got out of the car, it was only a block away.

The walk gave me time to work through my emotions and I chastised myself the whole way. Years later and Mj was still a weakness. I tried to think back to the last time I visited his grave. I hadn't been back since Warren died. A little less than 10 years ago. My heart clenched. Maybe I wasn't a mother... at least, not a good one, I realized as I was walking up on old maids.

I could see Belle sitting on the outside deck on her phone. She was talking in Russian, and I couldn't help but eavesdrop- catching a few angry and violent words.

I noticed my reflection on the wind chimes above her table, and I could have sworn our eyes met but she appeared to be shocked when she turned to put her phone in her purse.

"Clarice!" She said with a smile, standing and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"You seem surprised that I showed up."

"Oh. No, I just didn't know you were behind me."

I sat down at the table with her and the waiter came up immediately, setting down a bottle of Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir and two wine glasses. I nearly choked when he sat it down, that was a 200 dollar bottle.

"You have amazing taste in wine." I complimented as I sipped the bitter sweet liquid.

"I have amazing taste in many things." Belle replied, winking, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

I couldn't remember the last time I blushed from a wink; I was usually the one watching people blush. The thought struck me then- oh god, she could see my blush. I knew now why her smile had gotten bigger.

I tried to fight the choked shyness, but the look in Belle's eyes was absolutely predatory.

"Tell me about this bitch of a day." I managed to say, taking a much needed sip of the cool Pinot Noir.

Belle sighed and rubbed her temples, as if the stress was still there.

"Okay, first, I work at an office and I'm in charge of some little people. I'm essential the Junior CEO. Anyways I was running an exercise for the big people because they decided to randomly show-up. Just my luck, the asshole that's always late for work, decides to show up drunk and duck everything out."

"Surely the big wigs will understand you had no control over that?" I asked, and she took another large sip.

"He's not even one of my people. They'll probably punish me anyways, I was in charge and didn't forsee it.

I walked out today before they could grab me, and they tried to call me twice but I'll procrastinate a little longer." Belle said with a grin and I laughed at her brass, what a curious women.

"Enough about me, tell me about your bitch day." She said, leaning forward, genuinely interested.

Oh yes, you know that man that was murdered in woodrun? That was me. I killed a man, almost killed a cop, almost got killed and then drove back in time for tea with you.

"Oh well, you know, seems like nothing in comparison to your day. I just got news that a woman I hate plans to ditch her daughter with me." I revealed, not telling her the amount of sarcasm that was running through my brain.

Belle's eyebrows shot up and she sat back in her chair. Textbook shock.

"Are you going to take care of her?"

"Of course, I love her daughter. It's her I have the grudge against but her little girl is innocent. She didn't choose the she-beast." I explained and Belle nodded, leaning back in her chair.

"That's noble of you." She said, hiding some underlying venom in her voice.

"It's not noble. I'm a teacher, I take care of kids. It's what I do." I said and her eyes softened.

I went off tangent in my mind. Perhaps that's why she like Silence of the Lambs, Clarice tried hard to be a hero, but eventually fell for the temptations of evil that Hannibal Lector offered.

"That doesn't seem like the answer to why you're so tense." Belle pried, being more intuitive than I previously thought.

"I got pulled over on my way to woodrun." I admitted, taking another sip of the alcohol I desperately needed as I glanced over the menu.

"You were in woodrun?"

Her attention was sharp again, his eyes widened as she recalled the events that had transpired roughly 5 hours ago.

"You mean when that guy got killed? Heavens no. The cop told me about the parade and I came back home." I lied through my teeth, but she nodded as if it was plausible.

"My boss was over in woodrun, and he's swearing up and down that the killer was aiming for him." Belle laughed, and I nodded.

The waiter began walking up, but Belle waived him off with her hand. I gave her a questioning look, but she simply stood and held her hand out to me.

"Come with me." She said with a smile that made me want to throw caution to the wind.

So I did, and I stood, giving her my hand.

A/N: Where are they going, I wonder...