Many blessings.

Chapter 6

"I don't like this, Tiff…" Talwyn said as she sat in the cruiser with Tiffany and Vane "You never like anything I say. Look lover girl. If you're gonna wrestle him away from that other lombax, you gotta make him trust you again. We haven't exactly hit the ground running." Tiff explained and Talwyn nodded "But I don't like faking, I love him" Talwyn said "No one's asking you to fake anything, is it so hard to just sit with him and not want to shove your tongue down his throat?!" Tiff questioned and Talwyn shot her a look. "Rude." She said before getting out of the cruiser. Tiffany turned to Vane "What? Vane was that rude?" She asked and was met with a stare from her personal security "Shake your head no." Tiff instructed and Vane did as told. "Right, exactly." Tiff said with a smile.

Talwyn saw Ratchet working in his garage and she walked up coyly. "GET LOST!" Rivet called from the other end of the garage. "OH! Sorry, I didn't even see you!" Talwyn said "What are you doing here?!" Rivet asked angrily "Riv what is…oh." Ratchet looked up and saw Talwyn. "Like what part, do you not understand?!" Rivet screamed at Talwyn "Riv, how about you head inside, I'll talk to her." Ratchet said "Well you talking to her isn't working since this is the THIRD DAY she's done this!" Rivet argued "Riv…Please." Ratchet tried to calm the angered female. "Ugh. Fine." Rivet responded and she went inside the home.

Ratchet then turned to Talwyn and walked up to the now raven-haired markazian. "So is this dark hair sticking around?" Ratchet asked as he looked at the deep black hair Talwyn now sported. "Thinking of keeping it…" She responded coyly. "Talwyn. What aren't you getting? This is the third time…." Ratchet said and Talwyn nodded "No, I know that…I just came to say sorry." She said "That's it? You could have said that on the phone." Ratchet spoke and he turned to resume working "It wasn't the only reason I came…." Talwyn walked over to Ratchet, but maintained a respectable distance. This drew the lombax's attention.

"It's been 8 months, you…moved on, and I should've been…more supportive…We were friends first…" Talwyn started and Ratchet looked at her. "What are you saying?" he asked "That maybe we can start there again?" Talwyn suggested and Ratchet looked at her for a moment "Maybe lunch?" Talwyn suggested and Ratchet continued to stare "Just as friends…." Talwyn repeated and Ratchet hesitated for a moment. "Lemme think about it." He finally spoke and Talwyn smiled "I'll text you." Ratchet said and Talwyn nodded before leaving. Rivet then returned to the garage "Is she gone?" She asked and Ratchet nodded "I'm getting real tired of seeing her around here. What is she trying to do? Break us up?!" She continued and Ratchet looked at her "That won't happen Riv, I'm with you." He said "But you said you'd always go back to her." Rivet dismissed "Rivet…." Ratchet said and the female gave him almost no time to respond as she had turned around and went back inside.

…..

"Well i'm telling you now holmes, you can't go see her if Rivet's that bothered by her." Wrench said as he worked out with a dumbell. "But we were friends first, Shouldn't I give her the benefit of the doubt?" Ratchet asked "Homie. That's your potential feelings for her kicking in, You spend time with her willingly, I say you're asking for hell." Wrench responded as he put down the dumbell and sat forward "I don't think it's a good idea holmes. You asked for my advice, that's what I got for you." Wrench spoke and Ratchet nodded "Am I a good wingman or what?!" Wrench said and Ratchet got up "Shut up Wrench." He said "Don't deny it holmes i'm the guru of greatness!" Wrench said before laughing as Ratchet activated the dimensionator to return to his home.

…

"He said let me think about it?!" Tiffany looked at Talwyn as if she was stupid "It's what he said" Talwyn clarified. "He could say no." Tiffany explained "His girlfriend, could be extremely uncomfortable with him seeing you and that'll easily shut you down." Tiffany continued and Talwyn went into thought "How confident are you that he still feels for you?" Tiff asked and Talwyn shrugged "At first I was positive, now….now i'm not so sure." Talwyn said and Tiffany looked over at Vane who handed her a smoke. "Do you think he feels for you at all?" Tiff asked looking once more at Talwyn. "Sorry. Thank you Vane." Tiff quickly faced her personal security then looked back at Talwyn.

"I think so…." Talwyn said "Then that's all we need. Now, If he says yes to this lunch meet, here's what I need you to do…" Tiff started but was cut off "No Tiff…I wanna handle this…" Talwyn said and Vane stood up, the machine clearly angered that Talwyn cut off his boss. "Sit down Vane." Tiffany said not even turning to face him. Talwyn stood up and got to eye level with Tiffany. Her blue eyes staring into Tiff's green eyes. "I know Ratchet, I know how he is, and if you give me some script to follow he'll know. Plus I am sick of playing this jerk you're turning me into!" Talwyn raised her voice and Vane stood up once more

"Sit down Vane." Tiff responded and Vane sat once more. "Fine." Tiff said and she stepped closer to Talwyn "You wanna be sweet lover girl, been there done that for Ratchet, do it. See how far it gets you. I'd love to say I told you so." Tiffany smiled. Talwyn struggled to maintain her focus on the other markazian. "Or you can listen to me. Because you came to me. And actually have a shot." Tiff said and she looked over

"Now you can stand." She said and Vane stood up. Elevating his height to tower over Talwyn and intimidate while Tiffany crossed her arms and leaned against the machine with a smile. "Fine. But I want to be me. You already have this makeup on me." Talwyn spoke and Tiff shrugged. "Well figure out a way to make lover girl not sound like yesterday's news." she said and Talwyn sighed "Don't make me the bad guy Tal…When I start something I finish it. And I want what's best for you…" Tiffany said as she wrapped her arm around her "We're markazians. We take care of our own. Now…. just keep trusting me…" Tiff said, finishing her sentence in a low whisper.

….

SONG: Savin' Me (Nickelback)

Rivet sat alone in her room and looked at old pictures of she and Slayton on her holophone.

"Prison gates won't open up for me, on these hands and knees i'm crawlin' oh…"

Rivet looked at the picture and a memory flashed that didn't match it. "Is there someone else? Are you cheating on me?!" Rivet asked "Nah, nah babe I'm telling you on god I'm not." Slayton responded and he left. However, Rivet had found a piece of clothing that wasn't hers and was clearly female in Slayton's home.

"Well I'm terrified of these four walls, These iron bars can't hold my soul in…"

Back in the present day, Rivet scrolled to the next picture, a picture where she looked clearly happy with the markazian rapper. Another non-matching memory flashed;

"Heaven's Gates won't open up for me, with these broken wings i'm fallin…."

Rivet was sitting waiting for Slayton to return home, when the markazian rapper arrived, Rivet could smell the perfume of another woman on the markazian's clothing "Don't you dare lie to me…" Rivet said in a low tone

"These city walls ain't got no love for me, I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story…"

The memory faded and Rivet held her head down, and allowed tears to escape her. She looked away from her pictures of she and Slayton and moved to she and Ratchet

"Show me what it's like…to be the last one standing."

A memory flashed of their time on Stormsend; "Riv, we're gonna get out of here." Ratchet started "And then i'm gonna take you on that date." He continued and Rivet softly smiled, despite the sadness that had overtook her. "Just be with me tonight…" Rivet finally spoke up "And we'll face tomorrow, together." She finished before leaning in to kiss Ratchet.

"And say it for me say it to me! And I'll leave this life behind me! Say it if it's worth savin' me…."

Then the bad memory of Rivet's time on stormsend resurfaced; "Your feelings for me? They were fake?" Rivet looked at Ratchet, heartbroken at what The Mighty Archon had revealed about the true nature of the lombaxes relationship when they were on the storm planet. "Rivet…" Ratchet reached for the female "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed shoving him to the ground.

"Show me what it's like to be the last one standing…and teach me wrong from right…"

The memory faded and Rivet slowly wiped her tears. Reminding herself that despite her bad luck with guys, Ratchet was there. Or at least for now he was.

"And say it for me, say it to me, and i'll leave this life behind me! Say it if it's worth savin' me…"

Rivet was unsure, Talwyn kept coming, what was he saying to her, was he really saying she can't come back, or was there something else going on. Her thoughts raced, and in an effort to escape her own mind: Rivet decided on going to sleep.

…

Ratchet knocked at Talwyn's door. But it was not the markazian that opened it. Instead, it was Vane, who stepped out the door and enlarged his size, eyes glowing red. "Wow, Wrench was right…." Ratchet said looking up at the personal security machine. "Woah, woah, woah, woah woah, woah woah, Hey. YES! HI!" Tiffany hurried outside. "Vane, it's okay." Tiffany said trying to hold back a laugh. "Personal security, he's the best isn't he?!" She continued as Vane reduced his size to that of a small robot like clank "Where'd you get him?" Ratchet asked as Tiff walked up and covered the Robot's sound processors.

"I stole him." She said with a grin, and she stepped away, Vane transforming back to his standard form. "I mean he knows that, but we have a fun relationship. I'm like a cool mom." Tiff continued and Vane shook his head "What? How are you gonna say I'm not like your mom, I take of you and you protect me, see how that works out?" She said looking at the machine "You know what? Shut up Vane. Go inside!" Tiff said

"Tiffany right?" Ratchet started and Tiff nodded in response "Where's Talwyn? And do you live here now or something?" Ratchet asked confusedly. "You could say i'm just having an extended stay." Tiffany said and she grinned. Ratchet did not like the vibe that the markazian was radiating. "Where is Talwyn?" Ratchet repeated his question. "Ratchet? What's going on?" Talwyn showed up in the doorway looking shy. "I'll see myself out…." Tiff started but was cut off. "Stay." Ratchet said and Tiff raised an eyebrow. "You bring her, and I'll bring my friend." Ratchet said and Talwyn looked at him "We can't go alone?" she asked "Just once….things go well, maybe we'll see about hanging out alone." Ratchet said and Talwyn smiled "That's fair." She said with a smile. "I'll text you." Ratchet said leaving.

"That's fair?!" Tiffany turned to Talwyn. "What are you? A 13-year-old girl?" she berated. "It is fair, and that's the first time since we've started this thing, that I felt like myself." Talwyn said "Well you being you isn't gonna work. And this thing, was not the plan." Tiff said and Talwyn could see the annoyance on her face quickly exchange for refound confidence. "I'm guessing there's a way you can make it work?" Talwyn asked "I was a homewrecker, being a strategist is in the job description." Tiff said as she led Talwyn inside "So plan A didn't work. So now. Plan B." She continued and Talwyn looked at her. "There's always…a plan B." Tiff said with a conniving smile.

A plan B, oh Tiff's got something up her sleeve.

And we can see, Rivet holds on to things, maybe too tightly. Will her past play a factor going forward?

Will we see her interact with Slayton in the present day?

So many questions.

STAY BLESSED