Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to get this one out, but I've been trying to come up with a good ending that won't make people threaten me. Opinions are good, I LOVE opinions, so please tell me yours! This will make the story that much easier to write. Thank-you to all my dedicated readers and reviewers.
Deirdre looked up from the counter and gulped. She'd only been working at Dusty Auto for a month or so, and in that time she hadn't considered what she'd say if she ran into any of the guys. They were racecar drivers, where else would they go shopping? The network was only good for searching for products, and purchases made online had a habit of never showing up. Armand was walking towards the main desk where Dusty himself sat, ready to assist customers in their respective projects. Deirdre prayed that he wouldn't see her at her restocking duties.
As she resumed her work, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Deirdre froze and turned around slowly. She smiled at the little boy standing awkwardly with his hands behind his back. "Can I help you?" Deirdre asked.
The boy looked around nervously and brought a piece of paper out from behind him. He slowly held it out. "Um, I need to find a few things—for my dad." Deirdre turned the request over in her mind as she eyed the printout. A picture of a hopper car, the Unian version of the crystal-powered hover vehicles used during the Silver Millennium, with a few lines going to the hood image with the names of the necessary parts. Deirdre thought it was pretty straightforward, but the boy looked about ten and didn't seem all that sure of himself.
Deirdre picked up her box of wire clippers and started for the back of the store. She dropped off her load just inside the door and then took the boy's hand and led him to the proper aisle. Only a few of the parts were readily available, the rest would have to be ordered from the factory. Deirdre signed the part request form and then looked at the child. She bent down and pointed to a line on the form. "Write your name here and then I'll send your father an e-mail when the parts are in." She watched as a trembling hand wrote an barely legible name and then led the boy to a check-out line. It wasn't the shortest, but Mrs. Neal always gave the children cinnamon candy while she took care of their parent's purchases.
Just as Deirdre picked up the box of wire cutters from the back, Armand and the Santa Clause-twin Dusty came in, arguing about some part vs. another. She paused, then quickly turned and marched towards the stacks of supply boxes, praying that there was another one left out for her to take to the front. The argument stopped when Armand said, "Deirdre? Since when did you work here?" Deirdre would have liked to wince, but turned around to face her comrade-in-arms and her employer.
She gave him a smile. "I started just over a month ago, the museum doesn't pay very well." And I had to quit, she added silently. Her odd hours had made the security guards suspicious and she'd been asked to explain her behavior. When her lame excuses didn't seem to be working anymore, she'd quit rather than submit to another questioning. Dusty had advertised for someone strong enough to raise a 12-type engine to help in the store, but had taken her on when she proved herself of above average strength.
Armand frowned, so did Dusty. "When do you work at the museum?" Dusty asked. Deirdre's mind raced. She had to think of something crafty enough to make Armand believe her, not so easy with his suspicious nature.
Deirdre smiled. "Mostly it's research I do at home." She held her breath, not daring to hope…
Dusty smiled. "I see. Well, I guess folks have gotta make a living. Armand, if you'll excuse me I'll go call in those parts you wanted." Dusty turned back to the front of the store, leaving Deirdre and Armand alone. Deirdre turned and bent to pick up a box.
"You're not working at the museum anymore," the rise in tone that would have made it a question was missing, and Deirdre sighed.
"No, but I didn't want Dusty to think that he wasn't paying me enough. He has this kind of burning need to help people, and if he knew I was living on what he gives me he would probably try to pay me more." She ginned at the box cover. "He's a nice guy to work for, even if it doesn't take a degree to restock shelves." Then she stood up and turned to face Armand.
He had come closer and was standing right behind her. When she turned she smacked right into him and lost her balance. Armand grabbed her arms to keep her from falling, but had overestimated her weight and pulled her to him with enough force to send them both over. Deirdre landed on top of him with a quiet "oof." For a few seconds they just lay on the concrete floor, trying to calm their rushing hearts. Then Deirdre tried to roll off, but Armand reached up held her around the waist. She looked down at him, a light frown on her face. "Arma—" He cut her off by bringing her head down and capturing her lips in a kiss.
Deirdre had to admit she had dreamed of a moment like this, but the man she was with had always been a hazy someone. The kiss stunned her with its gentleness, it seemed too soft to be the cool Armand. Almost as soon as these thoughts had flashed through her mind she heard footsteps outside the outer doors. She pulled away and said, "Somebody's coming!" Armand let her go then and they both got to their feet. Deirdre went to the stacks of boxes just as the garage door was raised and Dusty led someone in.
"Armand! Still here distracting my employees?" Dusty teased. Deirdre gulped and felt a light blush on her cheeks as she picked up a box and raced for the door to the front of the store. As she shoved items onto hooks she kept having flashbacks of that kiss. It wasn't like it was her first kiss, but it had been the most unexpected. After she finished with these she'd go home.
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Cyrus watched Armand carefully. After he and Dusty had showed up at the shop Armand had been strangely silent. Not that silence was an odd thing for the man, but every now and then his mouth would twitch as if it wanted to smile. Right now they were doing the final preparation for one of their more prestigious races, the Crystal Cup. For this race Armand was in the driver's seat, and Cyrus watched as Kenneth gave the car it's traditional smack with a towel to say everything was in perfect working order. Armand climbed in and they watched their newest car roll out onto the track.
As they went to their positions for the start of the race, Cyrus cast a look into the stands. There were a bunch of seats near the VIP box that were occupied by a group of very special ladies. He caught the shine of dark green hair and felt himself relax. If Deirdre had managed to make it, then all the Senshi were present. The recent lull in demon attacks had made all the Senshi rather jumpy. They didn't count the lack of activity as a string of good luck. At least one of the girls was with their future queen at all times. The protectors of the protectors had been rather depressed as of late. Their lack of obvious powers or fighting skills made them feel like fifth wheels.
Cyrus had noticed the new sounds of the workplace, the almost constant ringing of cell phones. His wasn't nearly as busy as the younger guys'. Darin spent most of his office time working with his headset on and a smile on his face. It was obvious to all who he was talking to at those times, Dom, Travis and Aaron were the same. Hoping to put his team's hearts at ease, Cyrus had managed to get a block of tickets for the Crystal Cup. He had originally thought this was a good idea because that race was Armand's, and he wasn't the type to let who was watching get to his head.
He hoped.
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Esta sat in the stand with the other Senshi and a Coke in one hand. She knew what was going to happen. Upon her first transformation into Pluto she had acquired all her memories for the course of her life. She'd missed a couple of days of classes as she adjusted mentally and physically to her knew knowledge. The hardest thing to get used to had been the constant shifting of the details in her memories. As time passed people made decisions that changed the future in varying ways, changing her memories. Right now she had seen five different endings for this race, but the last had been the most upsetting.
Deirdre shifted in her seat and reached into her purse to take out a bag of popcorn. Esta watched the woman closely. She wanted desperately to warn everybody about what was about to happen, but there was still time…there was still time to change it. Esta leaned forward and whispered in Deirdre's ear, "Will you come with me to the restroom?" Deirdre shrugged and got up. The other Senshi watched quietly as the two left and went up the steps.
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Deirdre tapped her foot impatiently. How long was Esta going to take? Looking at her watch, she realized the race had started. "Come on, Esta! The race has started!" she called. Five minutes later they were walking back to their seats. As Deirdre and Esta sat, Anisa turned in her seat to give them both a glare.
"Where'd you go? Newark?" she said. Deirdre cast a look at Esta, who shrugged innocently.
"Some of us take fifteen minutes…so how's it going?" Deirdre asked.
Flora smiled. "Armand is doing well, just see for yourself." Deirdre watched the cars as they came around and smiled. The lemon-yellow of the Twilight team was pulling aside for a pit stop. The girls collectively leaned forward to watch the fast dance of their champions around the car before it set off again.
"Whoa," Ursa and Flora said. They grinned at each other and turned their attention back to the racetrack.
As the cars came around for their last circuit, Deirdre began to feel sick. She couldn't imagine what it was, certainly not the popcorn, she's brought that from home. Then she bit her lip and tried to keep her eyes on the cars. The pain got worse. The Senshi and other spectators were getting excited and the quiet moan that escape her lips only added to the din of raised voices. Anisa stood up in her excitement, forcing Deirdre to stand in order to see. Just as she straightened to her full height, she saw the yellow car pass the finish line, then she couldn't make her legs stay straight and she collapsed into her seat.
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Esta looked down at her queen and smiled sadly. The best of all the possibilities had happened, of course Deirdre probably couldn't understand that right now. Esta packed up her stuff quickly and tapped Flora's shoulder. "I'm going to get Deirdre a drink, think you could make her feel more comfortable?" It was only then that Flora noticed Deirdre had passed out and not just sat down. The girls scrabbled to lay down jackets and purses on the concrete walkway before laying Deirdre down.
Meanwhile, Esta had bought a water and was heading for the door under the stairs that led to a service hall that went directly to the garages. She walked briskly through, head high, ignoring and being ignored, until she got to her destination. The team was going over the car before sending it to the truck, not paying attention. She cleared her throat and they looked up.
She walked over to Cyrus and pulled him aside. "Cyrus," she said in a quiet and low voice, "I need you to go up to where the rest of the girls are and bring this water with you. Tell them I'll be back shortly." He looked ready to disagree. "Just do it, Cyrus, you'll see why." Taking her word for it, he took the water and walked away.