I don't own Jubilee, Sabretooth, the X-Men, or Generation X. I'm borrowing them for my own nefarious devices. Marvel owns them and tortures them (and their readers) more than I ever could.
I don't own Asher or any characters within the Anita Blake universe. I humbly bow down before the almighty Laurell K Hamilton, for she is a goddess.
I don't own Methos or any characters within the Highlander universe, I believe Rysher does. Rysher scares me, so I wouldn't dare infringe upon their copyrights.
The idea behind the links is a concept adapted from L.J. Smith's Dark Visions Trilogy. L.J. Smith is a goddess among writers for young adult fiction. I bow down before her.
Kora is an original character, so I do own her. Please don't use her unless you ask and recieve permission. (By me, people. Don't get smart.) Not that any of you would want to borrow her. Sheesh.
Also included in this already mind boggling crossover, Kindred: The Embraced. Rysher or Universal, or whoever is claiming Kindred owns Kindred. I do not claim Kindred, therefore Kindred is not mine. Even if I did claim Kindred, it's still not mine. I'm sure the owners of Kindred are laughing in my face for that. =P
Title of Series: The Web - Winter Closing In
Jubilee's Interlude
"One Step Closer To The Edge"
By the time I wake up, it's nearly two in the afternoon. Heh, I must have been channeling Ash an' his sloth-like sleepin' habits.
A quick hop downstairs shows the bathroom, with shower, to be empty. I dump my clothes on the floor and close the door behind me, then turn the water on.
Oh, this is gonna feel so good! I haven't been able to get a real shower in forever! Well, four days. But it feels like forever when you're in an enclosed area with four equally unbathed neighbors. Can you say, "Ick!"?
*So where is everyone?* I get into the hot shower and nearly melt. This is better than an orgasm.
*Ash is asleep, Peter's out getting groceries, and I'm teaching Kore how to play pool.*
*Awesome. Who's takin' my happy ass down to the bank?* Ah, the sweet, sweet scent of shampoo.
*I will. Peter's been goin' on and on about the traffic and the parking. He just won't shut the hell up! If I have to listen to any more, I'm gonna go postal.*
I pause before rinsing. *And this would deviate from your normal behavioral patterns how?*
It's Vic's turn to pause as he takes in a sentence most people wouldn't have thought I could form. *Funny. Keep it up and you can walk.*
*You know, I'm perfectly capable of driving myself. I have a license and everything.* Okay, I know I didn't actually test for the license, but still!
*I ain't leavin' you with our only mode of transportation. If you wanna go out and crash something, let it be whatever you buy tonight.*
I send Vic a mental raspberry and reach for the travel-size conditioner I brought with me.
~*~
*God, it's great being back on the west coast.*
I stretch in the van, at much as I'm able too. It's actually not that hard, seeing as how I've had some fairly constant practice in the last few days.
Vic glances at me from the driver's side. *Whatja miss? The smell of dead shit in the air? The idiots who can't drive? The exorbitant prices only a tourist could happily pay?*
*Dude, ya said Peter was bitchin'?*
Three... two... one... *GROWL*
I grab onto the arm rest as Creed makes a sharp right turn into the parking lost and sets about patrolling the area for a parking space.
Seven minutes later, a place appears. Creed guns the engine and zooms over, only to be thwarted by some little old Asian lady treating a Volkswagen Rabbit like a race car. The only thing that saves that little old Asian lady from certain disembowelment is me pointing out another car backing up.
This time, Creed out races the old diesel pulling in, but finds himself in a slight problem. The space is made for compact cars. *Uh, Vic? Maybe we should-*
*Shuddap.* Creed backs up, turns the wheel, then moves forward, repeating as necessary. By the time he's finished, we're parked. Unfortunately, neither one of us can open our doors.
Sighing, I grab my mini-pack, climb into the middle bench, then into the back, and finally into the trunk area. *Pop the trunk.* Creed growls something obscene, *I don't think I'm that flexible.* but complies. I stumble out of the trunk and wait for Creed to come out behind me. Five minutes later, with some ungainly face-plants, he finally finds his way out.
'Must resist snickering. Will be gutted for snickering.' Creed glares at me, to which I answer with wide, innocent eyes.
When we step into the bank lobby, my mini-pack hanging off of one shoulder, we find the line inside as bad as the parking out. Creed starts in front of me and growls low in his throat. I see the old lady from the Rabbit several people ahead of us in the line. I put a restraining hand on his arm and frown. He frowns back.
*Jeez, it's an old lady! Leave 'er alone.*
*Grr!*
*Don't 'grr' at me. 'Grr' at him.*
As requested, Creed turns around and growls at a passing employee. People near us are starting to carefully lean back and eye us with concern. The employee, a manager from the look of his name-tag, starts sweating. "I-Is there something I can do for you, sir?"
Creed leans over and puts an arm around the rapidly paling 'Bert'. "For me? Nah. For my girlfriend over here, yeah."
*GIRLFRIEND!?*
Creed winces at my mental shriek. *I'd say kid, but you're a little on the Chinese side. I don't think he'd believe me.*
Mentally chanting, 'ew, ew, ew,' I turn a smile on the man. "You'll, like, help us? For sure?"
Creed winces again, this time at the thickened Calie-girl accent. Manager Bert glances at the people around us. "Well, uh... There is a line-" Bert trails off with wide eyes as Creed starts to growl louder. The people around us take an actual step (or three) back. Bert looks as though he would have too, if Creed hadn't had him pinned in place. "That is, what I meant to say was, right this way."
Bert leads us to a little desk with his name and a computer. The people in the line breathe a sigh of relief and fill in the gap we left behind. Having Vic around sure is handy. "So what can I do for you, Miss...?"
"Tran. Julie Tran." I smile at him, trying to put as much 'empty-headed' into it as I can, and offer him my hand. He glances at Creed as if for approval, then takes my hand into his own slightly damp one. "I need to, like, totally pull some money out of, like, my account."
Bert nods and starts typing on his keyboard. "How much would you like today?"
I put on my most 'vacant' look. "Like, uh... Six thousand? Yeah, six thou, like, sounds hella good."
Bert's probably used to dealing with airheads with money because he doesn't even blink. "Do you have your bank card?"
I giggle and wave my hand at him. "Like, duh dude!" I get my wallet and hand him the card.
He slides the card through the scanner and hands me the keypad. "Please type in your password." Now that he's doing business, he seems more or less competent.
Shit, Frost didn't tell me what the key-code is. I exaggerate a frown and add just a touch of a pout. "Vi-iiiiic! I think I, like, forgot my code!"
Creed shifts in his chair with an intensely pissed off look. Bert eyes him nervously.
Wait, if I were Frost and I needed a memorable number... "Hmm, maybe it's..." I type in Ev's death date and it goes through. 'Thanks Em. Remind me to send a basket of fruits or somethin'.' I squeal with delight and beam as though I just accomplished something major. Creed rolls his eyes but Bert looks relieved.
"Okay, this says you've got plenty to cover it. What denomination would you like?"
I wrinkle my nose in feined confusion. "Like, huh?"
Creed growls threateningly. "Hundreds. Give it to her in hundreds, six bundles."
Bert hurries away, anxious to have our business concluded.
*Do you normally scare the locals like this?*
Creed blinks at me. *Just tryin' ta start off on the right foot. I know where they stand and they know that if they piss me off, they won't have legs to stand on.*
I snort but turn my attention back to a returning Bert. He's here much more quickly than I would have thought possible. "Here you go, Miss Tran. Would you like a bank statement?"
I give him my best wide smile, my face actually starting to hurt. 'Like, for sure!" I see Creed flinch out of the corner of my eye. Hah.
Bert hands me my money, bank card, and statement with obvious relief, then says goodbye. I stuff everything into my mini-pack and stand. Creed leads us both out of the lobby and into the parking lot.
When we get to the van, we both sigh. Creed pulls out his key and opens the trunk.
~*~
We're almost back at the house when shock reverberates through the link, followed by what I assume to be French curses.
*Ash? You okay over there?*
*Give us five minutes,* Creed interrupts. *We're almost back. Peter? Kora? Check on him!*
*I'm here, but I can't believe what I'm seeing.* Peter sounds shocky.
*Show us!* I'm holding onto the armrest, almost ready to have cardiac arrest.
I get an image of the upstairs hallway bathed in late afternoon light. Standing in the middle of that soft golden glow is Ash, staring down at himself in wonder. *What the hell...?*
*Does it hurt?* Through Peter's eyes, we see Kore slip closer to Ash to inspect him.
Ash blinks at Kore with wide eyes as Vic and I pull into the driveway. *My skin itches, but it doesn't burn like it should. ...My kind are what the Executioner termed 'highly flammable.' I should be dust by now.*
Creed and I run up the stairs, stopping only when we see Ash. Creed starts sniffing the air as we get closer. *There's a burnt smell.*
I sniff the air along with Peter and Kore. We all shake our heads negative. *I don't smell nothin'.*
Creed snorts down at me. *I got a better nose than you, brat.*
I open my mouth to make a comment about the 'brat' remark, but Kore interrupts. *It sounds like he's still burning, but he's just healing at a faster rate.* We all turn to blink at Kore. She blinks back, looking as clueless as ever. *What? Did I say something stupid?*
Peter shakes his head, giving Kore an odd look. *No, that makes quite a bit of sense. I heal from low-grade burns fairly easily.*
*And I heal 'em quick. The only problem might be prolonged exposure. My healing can take quite a bit, but constant use would require some rest period.* Creed steps in front of Ash, shading him from the more direct beams of sunlight. Ash visibly relaxes.
*I hadn't even realized what happened until I got to the end of the hallway and thought, 'What a beautiful day.'* Ash holds a hand in the light, staring at it as though unsure if it really belongs to him.
*We should probably find out how long you can comfortably withstand that.* Peter too is staring.
*And how much you can withstand period.* Kore turns to me, her expression clearly questioning. *He'll need to know what his absolute limits are. I know Vic an' I are constantly running into things requiring us to go above and beyond what we originally believe we can do. I wouldn't be surprised if Ash and Peter have too.*
Creed gives a savage kind of a grin. *Wolverine, Phalanx, all of the X-Men after I gutted Psylocke.*
I return with a nod. *Bastion, Emplate, you.*
Creed snorts at me.
In response to Peter's raised eyebrow, I give a Mona Lisa smile.
~*~
At six-thirty, I head out. I'm in loose baggy jeans, tank top, sneakers, and a backpack. The backpack carries a leather jacket Logan once gave me for the rides we use to take on his scoot, the money from earlier, and a pair of gloves. The sun's almost set so I start jogging down the street.
Our closest new neighbor is apparently the house I'm looking for, I realize as I check out the address I had jotted down the night before. The gate out front is locked, so I press on the intercom.
"Yes?"
"Hi, I'm Julie. Cash told me to come around seven?"
"One moment." There's silence, then a click as the gate unlatches. "Proceed to the front door and await further instructions." Whoa, way weird.
I go up to the main entrance and knock. It opens to reveal a girl, maybe my age, with long curly hair and really big dark eyes. If she hadn't been dressed in almost complete leathers, I bet she would have looked like a porcelain doll.
"I'm Sasha. You are?"
I offer my hand out. "Julie Tran." She stares at my hand as though I had spit in it.
"You're looking for Cash?" When I nod, she gives me the once over. I drop my hand. "Well he's not-"
"Hey, Sasha." A cute guy in tight jeans and moussed up hair bounds down the stairs. The guy looks me over and, in a familiar voice, asks me, "Are you Julie?"
"Yup. Cash?" He grins and offers me his hand. I accept it with a similar smile.
"Great. Sorry I didn't get to greet you in. I was in a meeting." Sasha's watching Cash and I with narrowed eyes, although I doubt Cash noticed.
"Not a problem. I just hope I wasn't too early. I didn't want to get caught in the dark with no idea where I was going."
He glances around behind me. "Did someone drive you here or did you catch a taxi?"
I grin again, a toothier smile. "I jogged over." I laugh at his skeptical expression. "I'm your new neighbor. Just moved in to the half-circle house last night."
"Well la-dee-da. Aren't we the lucky ones?" Sasha's giving me a dirty look, her face pulled into a pinched expression.
"Yes, you are." I give her a bright smile and answer her in frank, if somewhat condescending, tones.
Cash glances between us, opens his mouth to speak, and gets interrupted. "Sasha, Cash. Is there something wrong?"
They both turn toward the voice of a man calmly walking downstairs. "No, sir." Cash motions to me. "This is our new neighbor, just moved into Katherine's place."
"I see." The dark, lithe man walks over to us, his stride akin to that of a predator. He's dressed in very expensive clothes with dark, slicked back hair and two different colored eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Julian Luna and this is my home."
When he offers me his hand, I pause only momentarily before shaking it. He doesn't look it, but he feels dangerous. "Julie Tran, just call me Jae. Nice place."
He smiles, a charming smile meant to be calming. Because I could tell it was meant to be calming, it only agitated me further. "Thank you. What brings you by, Jae?"
"She's here for that bike I'm selling, Julian." Cash speaks up again, but Sasha glares another dagger at me.
"The Sportster? Ah." Julian smiles to both Cash and I. "Well, good luck on your business." He then turns to Sasha and offers her an arm. "Would you like to go to the Haven with me and Lillie tonight?"
Sasha gives him a bright smile, the expression much prettier on her than the hostility. "Sure, Uncle Julian. Just let me get changed." She grabs onto his arm and they both start for the staircase.
Both pause to look back at Cash and I, Julian saying, "It was nice to meet you, Jae. Feel free to come back soon." Sasha just glares over her shoulder at me.
When they're finally gone, Cash turns to me with a small huff. "Sorry 'bout that. Sasha's been a little prickly lately. Come on, the bike's in the garage."
I refrain from commenting about Sasha and follow quietly behind instead. Well, almost quietly. "So what's your deal? You don't strike me as the mansion type."
Cash grins over his shoulder. "What? I changed the shirt this morning and everything!" He smoothes his hands over the Iggy Pop shirt that's probably seen better days. "Actually, Julian's my employer. Head of security around here."
I try to reconcile my image of this grubby twenty year old kid and Bishop with his big-ass guns. "He some big-money head cheese?"
Cash nods his head. "Yeah, he's a pretty enterprising business man. Got his fingers in a lot of pies, as it were. Here we go." Cash opens a door to the garage and leads me in. Fuck me if there wasn't at least fifteen bikes in there. Looking to the other half of the garage, I see cars. Tons and tons of cars. More cars than Creed could shake a stick at. Jeez.
When I see the bike, I know it's mine. Cash leads me over to it with a slight grin. If I weren't so awestruck by the bike, I'd have made a smart-ass comment. As it is, I just kind of finger a handle bar and whimper. Cash actually laughs at that. "I've been cleaning her up for awhile. Pretty nice, huh?"
Nice, he says. Nice! It's a Harley XLH Sportster 883! It's not nice, it's a thing of beauty! A cobalt blue purring machine! I think I whimper again.
He dangles a key in front of my face only to have it grabbed and me on the bike before he can blink. "Whoa. Um, you need a helmet?"
Fuck. Helmet laws. I nod while focusing on putting the key in the ignition. Cash shakes his head and moves to a wall with helmets, grabs one, and hands it to me. I put it on and start as Cash hops on behind me, his hands tightening the straps to his own half-helmet.
I pull my backpack in front of me, take out the leather jacket and gloves, then put them on. The backpack is securely shut and put back onto my shoulders. I give Cash a feral grin, turn the ignition on, and let her rip.
~*~
By the time I pull back into Luna's driveway, I'm purring almost as much as the Sportster.
Cash jumps off the back of the bike with a wild laugh. "Christ, I didn't know I'd be driving with a suicidal maniac."
I stay on the bike, comfortable as can be. "I'm hardly suicidal. I can drive a lot of things and I only crashed one. It wasn't even my fault! Damn jet, you'd think someone would put better brakes on those suckers." I grin, totally aware that Cash doesn't't believe me for a moment.
"Those turns you took almost had me flying off the back of the bike, and I've been on bikes since before I could talk." Cash doesn't look too angry, actually. More like he had a good time and just wanted to tease me about it.
"It's a great machine, Cash." I lean over the tank with a grin. "I promise ta treat her well."
Cash snorts and nods. "Seeing you on this thing probably just solidified the deal. You'd be good for her. she definitely won't want for fun."
"Nope. Always busy in my neck of the woods. Always some place to go and someone to do."
Cash laughs at my too innocent smile. "Let's make it $5600. If I had gone with the lace wheels, then it would have been more. That's with California emission's quality approval, the extra money for the pearl affect of the paint, and tax. That sound fair to you?"
I nod happily and pull off my backpack. "Can I get a receipt for this thing? And maybe a helmet too?"
~*~
For a view of Jubilee's new motorcycle, visit here. It's the right color and everything!
http://www.harley-davidson.com/products/motorcycles/1999/sportster/img/xl883_lg.jpg