Wednesday
Lindsey returned to the Warehouse late Wednesday afternoon to help Xander work on his car. No matter what they tried, the stupid thing just wouldn't work. They had been there for a few hours and it was just starting to grow dark outside.
"Xander, can I talk to you?" Lindsey asked, sitting in the driver's seat with the door wide open.
"Yeah, talk."
"Well, I just wanted to tell you something," she said and paused. "I think, well, you and me, we . . ."
"Hey, try to turn the car on, okay?"
She sighed heavily and turned the ignition.
*~*~*~*~
Gohan walked slowly towards the warehouse he had heard so much about. The gravel crunched beneath his shoes. He roses he carried rustled against the paper that surrounded their stems.
He knew that she had been so distant from him. He had been beginning to wonder what he had done wrong. He decided to surprise her and bring her the roses. He hoped that they could make up. Maybe he would take her to dinner . . . go for a drive or something . . . go back to her room . . .
He grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
*~*~*~*~
The car's engine roared to life and Lindsey jumped. She hadn't expected it to work. But it did! The car finally worked!
She jumped out of the passenger's seat as Xander rolled out from under the car.
"It works!" he exclaimed. "We finally got it to work!!"
Lindsey screamed and jumped up and down. "You did it! You did it, X!"
Xander stood back and stared at the growling vehicle. "I really did," he smiled. "I did it!"
*~*~*~*~
Gohan stepped inside the door and saw Lindsey standing there, jumping up and down, shrieking with excitement. He wondered what could have gotten her so hyped up. He smiled to himself as he took another step into the door.
"Hey, Lin - " he didn't finish his sentence.
*~*~*~*~
Xander grabbed Lindsey by the waist and swung her around, then stopped and kissed her passionately.
She didn't return the kiss, but from far away, you wouldn't have been able to tell.
*~*~*~*~
Gohan dropped the roses he was carrying. He stood there in shock. It felt as if someone had ripped his heart clean out of his chest. His jaw hung open and he blinked. He prepared to leave, but a gust of wind slammed the door behind him shut and he froze, knowing he was caught.
*~*~*~*~
Lindsey and Xander broke apart when the door slammed. Lindsey's green eyes went wide when she saw Gohan there. She swallowed. The look on his face said everything. His eyes were flaming with anger and pain.
"Gohan, I . . ."
"Lemme guess, it's not what it looks like, right?" Gohan spat with venom dripping from his voice.
Her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes soft and hurt.
"Why?" Gohan said barely above a whisper. Then he shouted, "Why?!"
"I didn't do it!" Lindsey started.
"Liar!" Gohan accused. "I saw the whole thing, Lindsey! He didn't just kiss himself!"
"Gohan, please," Lindsey choked out.
"Forget you," Gohan said in a low voice. He turned to leave.
"Gohan, wait," she begged and walked up to him.
He spun on his heels and glared at her. "What has been going on?" He demanded. "Every single night you've been coming here! Why? Is it because you want to be with him instead? That's it, isn't it?"
"No," she answered.
"Then why did you kiss him? Where have you been every single night? What are you guys doing?!" he yelled.
"I can't tell you," she answered.
"Can't tell me what?"
"Any of it."
"That's awful suspicious, don't you think?"
She nodded.
"And I know you've got the other girls into this, too!" he shouted. "That's just horrible of you! You're so selfish, Lindsey! So selfish."
She looked to the floor then because she knew it was true.
"That's enough," Xander said.
Gohan blinked. "You started all this mess. I think you've done enough damage. Why don't you just go screw up someone else's life?"
Without another word, Xander tackled Gohan. The two of them fell to the floor, fighting. Gohan was so emotionally screwed up that he could barely fight back. Xander sat on his chest and held him up by his shirt and slugged him a couple of times. Gohan shoved him off, got to his knees and struck Xander back.
Yorgi, Viktor, Kirill and Kolya heard the commotion and rushed into the garage.
Yorgi's eyes darkened when he saw Xander's attacker.
"Quick! Stop them!" he yelled in Russian.
Kolya grabbed Xander and pulled him out from under Gohan. Viktor hauled Gohan to his feet.
"Who the hell is this?" Yorgi demanded. He turned and stared coldly into Gohan's eyes. "If I find out you are cop, Kirill will shoot you."
Kirill had his laser site aimed at Gohan's head. A large red dot was glowing on his temple.
"Who is he?" Yorgi roared again.
"Gohan," Lindsey answered softly.
Yorgi glanced from Gohan to Lindsey to Xander and back to Lindsey. He knew what had happened. "Shit."
Lindsey nodded.
"Let him go," Yorgi commanded Viktor in Russian.
Gohan was breathing heavily.
"So much violence," Yorgi said distantly as he crossed over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of absinthe again. "If only everyone could get along."
"I'm leaving," Gohan snapped and turned for the door. He left and slammed the door shut.
Yorgi swallowed the drug-laced drink unemotionally. He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. "So what have you decided to do, my little dove?"
Lindsey's eyes were blazing. She turned and with a lightning fast swipe of her hand, slapped Xander squarely across his face with all the strength and anger she could muster. Then she stormed from the room and up the stairs.
Yorgi shook his head. He turned to Kolya. "Take X out of here. Get him cooled off. He's in no mindset to be around anyone." Kolya nodded, finally serious for once, and hauled Xander out of the room.
"What are we going to do about them?" Viktor asked in Russian. "They're going on a boost together. What are we going to do?"
Yorgi stared at Xander's still running car. "I don't know. They will work it out somehow."
Viktor shook his head and left the room.
Yorgi poured himself another drink as Kirill moved to stand beside him. He lit a cigarette and let the pale grayish-white smoke curl upwards from his lips. "It will work," he spoke in English. "It always works."
Yorgi stared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps not this time, my friend."
Kirill shrugged and took a seat on one of the stools. "You never know. Don't worry about it."
Yorgi nodded and picked up his drink. Instead of swallowing the whole thing, he slowly sipped it this time, feeling the affects quickly as they rushed through his system. He breathed slowly and deeply through his nose. Without those two working together, the boost would never work. He begged the powers that be to let it work and he swallowed down the rest of the drink.
Lindsey returned to the Warehouse late Wednesday afternoon to help Xander work on his car. No matter what they tried, the stupid thing just wouldn't work. They had been there for a few hours and it was just starting to grow dark outside.
"Xander, can I talk to you?" Lindsey asked, sitting in the driver's seat with the door wide open.
"Yeah, talk."
"Well, I just wanted to tell you something," she said and paused. "I think, well, you and me, we . . ."
"Hey, try to turn the car on, okay?"
She sighed heavily and turned the ignition.
*~*~*~*~
Gohan walked slowly towards the warehouse he had heard so much about. The gravel crunched beneath his shoes. He roses he carried rustled against the paper that surrounded their stems.
He knew that she had been so distant from him. He had been beginning to wonder what he had done wrong. He decided to surprise her and bring her the roses. He hoped that they could make up. Maybe he would take her to dinner . . . go for a drive or something . . . go back to her room . . .
He grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
*~*~*~*~
The car's engine roared to life and Lindsey jumped. She hadn't expected it to work. But it did! The car finally worked!
She jumped out of the passenger's seat as Xander rolled out from under the car.
"It works!" he exclaimed. "We finally got it to work!!"
Lindsey screamed and jumped up and down. "You did it! You did it, X!"
Xander stood back and stared at the growling vehicle. "I really did," he smiled. "I did it!"
*~*~*~*~
Gohan stepped inside the door and saw Lindsey standing there, jumping up and down, shrieking with excitement. He wondered what could have gotten her so hyped up. He smiled to himself as he took another step into the door.
"Hey, Lin - " he didn't finish his sentence.
*~*~*~*~
Xander grabbed Lindsey by the waist and swung her around, then stopped and kissed her passionately.
She didn't return the kiss, but from far away, you wouldn't have been able to tell.
*~*~*~*~
Gohan dropped the roses he was carrying. He stood there in shock. It felt as if someone had ripped his heart clean out of his chest. His jaw hung open and he blinked. He prepared to leave, but a gust of wind slammed the door behind him shut and he froze, knowing he was caught.
*~*~*~*~
Lindsey and Xander broke apart when the door slammed. Lindsey's green eyes went wide when she saw Gohan there. She swallowed. The look on his face said everything. His eyes were flaming with anger and pain.
"Gohan, I . . ."
"Lemme guess, it's not what it looks like, right?" Gohan spat with venom dripping from his voice.
Her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes soft and hurt.
"Why?" Gohan said barely above a whisper. Then he shouted, "Why?!"
"I didn't do it!" Lindsey started.
"Liar!" Gohan accused. "I saw the whole thing, Lindsey! He didn't just kiss himself!"
"Gohan, please," Lindsey choked out.
"Forget you," Gohan said in a low voice. He turned to leave.
"Gohan, wait," she begged and walked up to him.
He spun on his heels and glared at her. "What has been going on?" He demanded. "Every single night you've been coming here! Why? Is it because you want to be with him instead? That's it, isn't it?"
"No," she answered.
"Then why did you kiss him? Where have you been every single night? What are you guys doing?!" he yelled.
"I can't tell you," she answered.
"Can't tell me what?"
"Any of it."
"That's awful suspicious, don't you think?"
She nodded.
"And I know you've got the other girls into this, too!" he shouted. "That's just horrible of you! You're so selfish, Lindsey! So selfish."
She looked to the floor then because she knew it was true.
"That's enough," Xander said.
Gohan blinked. "You started all this mess. I think you've done enough damage. Why don't you just go screw up someone else's life?"
Without another word, Xander tackled Gohan. The two of them fell to the floor, fighting. Gohan was so emotionally screwed up that he could barely fight back. Xander sat on his chest and held him up by his shirt and slugged him a couple of times. Gohan shoved him off, got to his knees and struck Xander back.
Yorgi, Viktor, Kirill and Kolya heard the commotion and rushed into the garage.
Yorgi's eyes darkened when he saw Xander's attacker.
"Quick! Stop them!" he yelled in Russian.
Kolya grabbed Xander and pulled him out from under Gohan. Viktor hauled Gohan to his feet.
"Who the hell is this?" Yorgi demanded. He turned and stared coldly into Gohan's eyes. "If I find out you are cop, Kirill will shoot you."
Kirill had his laser site aimed at Gohan's head. A large red dot was glowing on his temple.
"Who is he?" Yorgi roared again.
"Gohan," Lindsey answered softly.
Yorgi glanced from Gohan to Lindsey to Xander and back to Lindsey. He knew what had happened. "Shit."
Lindsey nodded.
"Let him go," Yorgi commanded Viktor in Russian.
Gohan was breathing heavily.
"So much violence," Yorgi said distantly as he crossed over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of absinthe again. "If only everyone could get along."
"I'm leaving," Gohan snapped and turned for the door. He left and slammed the door shut.
Yorgi swallowed the drug-laced drink unemotionally. He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. "So what have you decided to do, my little dove?"
Lindsey's eyes were blazing. She turned and with a lightning fast swipe of her hand, slapped Xander squarely across his face with all the strength and anger she could muster. Then she stormed from the room and up the stairs.
Yorgi shook his head. He turned to Kolya. "Take X out of here. Get him cooled off. He's in no mindset to be around anyone." Kolya nodded, finally serious for once, and hauled Xander out of the room.
"What are we going to do about them?" Viktor asked in Russian. "They're going on a boost together. What are we going to do?"
Yorgi stared at Xander's still running car. "I don't know. They will work it out somehow."
Viktor shook his head and left the room.
Yorgi poured himself another drink as Kirill moved to stand beside him. He lit a cigarette and let the pale grayish-white smoke curl upwards from his lips. "It will work," he spoke in English. "It always works."
Yorgi stared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps not this time, my friend."
Kirill shrugged and took a seat on one of the stools. "You never know. Don't worry about it."
Yorgi nodded and picked up his drink. Instead of swallowing the whole thing, he slowly sipped it this time, feeling the affects quickly as they rushed through his system. He breathed slowly and deeply through his nose. Without those two working together, the boost would never work. He begged the powers that be to let it work and he swallowed down the rest of the drink.