People Like You

In a dream I had you were standin all alone with a dyin' world below
And a microphone singin' hallelujah I finally broke their mold

Whatever its gonna take good luck, keep it real where (are) the boys in Live?
They're pissin' in the mainstream open up your cage focus
All your rage the world needs people like you

"You're going down, mother fu-"

"Billy!" Jesse cut in.

Frank lowered the basketball, but while Jesse was preoccupied attempted a shot.

Jesse, quick on the reflexes, smacked the ball away from the hoop.

"And who said white men can't jump!" Frank congratulated, high-fiving his brother.

"You knew, didn't you," Billy said, tossing a stem of wheat aside. Merlin knows where he found it.

"Knew what?" Jesse asked casually, retrieving the ball and passing it to Frank.

"That Remus had a brother."

"Of course we did," answered Frank, taking a shot. "We don't go into things completely blind-folded, you know."

"Yes, I knew," replied Billy, catching the ball as it fell from the hoop. "I just thought you'd have the courtesy to tell me all the details." He passed the ball to Jesse, who turned to his side for a potential shot.

"What, and ruin all the fun?" he responded, the ball falling in the basket after a nerve-racking spin around the hoop.

Billy let the ball bounce to him. "I want full watch," he said, passing the ball with more force than necessary to Frank.

His shoulders caved forward a bit. "Puh," he said, gaining his composure back. "What makes you think you should have full watch?"

"Because I have his scent now, and I'm the only one who can tell them apart."

"Big deal," replied Frank, bouncing the ball to Jesse. "Bonnie and Clyde are just as prepared."

"I notice you didn't mention the Fords," retorted Billy.

"No, I didn't--They're on suspension."

"I want full watch," he repeated, squaring his shoulders.

"Tough," said Jesse, shooting. "Bonnie and Clyde are just as qualified and responsible--if not, more so."

Billy narrowed his eyes. "Then put them on another assignment."

"Tell me," said Frank. "Is there an I in team?"

"No," Billy sighed, drooping his shoulders.

"That's what I thought. Now get out of here."

Frank shot and missed; Jesse caught the rebound. They watched Billy's disappearing figure.

"Gotta give him points for effort," Jesse said.

"Yeah, and points for stubbornness," Frank agreed.

"You realize he'll double shift himself."

"And pass out from exhaustion."

"Happens every time," sighed Jesse.

"It's like they always say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Or a stubborn one, for that matter."

~+~+~+~

"Why'd you bring me here?" Vala asked, her eyes sweeping the dim café over the rim of her expresso mug.

"To talk about life," Fae answered, folding her hands.

"Life?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, life."

"What about it?"

Fae reached a hand into her tote bag. "Let's play a game," she said, seemingly at random, pulling out a deck of cards.

"Okay," Vala said slowly, setting down her mug. "What game?"

"It's quite simple," she said. "It's a collection of possibilities and risks… chances, and most of all--fate. I call it Life."

Vala stared. At length, "How do you play?"

"That's the fun part--how many cards do you want?"

"Er… six."

"Good number. Six senses." She gave Vala her requested amount, set one by her elbow on the table and held two up. She set the remainder of the stack in the middle of the table. "Now the beauty of this game is there are no rules, and if anyone ever bonds you to any, rebel."

"Um… okay?" Vala scratched the side of her head.

"Don't worry," she winked. "The freedom comes quite easily."

"Uh, okay… Can I look at my cards?"

"I don't know, can you?"

"Right…" Vala trailed, picking up her cards. She frowned and tilted her fan forward. "What kind of cards are these?" The only one she recognized, the three of hearts, seemed placed in the stack by mistake rather than the other five. One had two closed eyes, a second was a flame, a third was an angel, the fourth was a dagger, and the fifth was a bold number three.

Fae whistled. "Quite a hand you've got there."

"What do they mean?" Vala asked shakily.

"Hmm… Let's start with the familiar." She pulled the three of hearts from Vala's hand. "This one signifies a love triangle, but that's the distant future, so let's put it back in the deck." She set the card face down on top of the stack.

Vala's brow wrinkled. "A love triangle? As in an or-"

"No, no," Fae shook her head. "Nothing like that."

"Okay," she dropped her eyes. "And this?" she inquired, pointing to the dagger.

"You're playing with too many rules," she said, snatching the card from her.

"But--what?"

Fae shoved the card in a pocket.

"Um, okay then… er…"

"This is your guardian," Fae explained, tapping the angel. "You don't have to worry about him much--Just know he's there."

"Er… okay."

"Damn, you're blind," she cursed, grabbing the card with the eyes on it. She pocketed it as well. Then she laughed, pointing at the flame. "I should've known you'd create that one!"

Create--what? "Fae," she said, shaking her head. "What are you talking about? What is this game?" she asked, dropping the cards.

"Oh, wow…" she picked up the card with the bold three, and held it between her index and pointer. "It's no wonder that you created this one."

Vala sat back. "Your mind-fuck games are driving me mad."

"Sick of threes?"

Despite herself, she bent her head to one side.

She rotated the card, and when it faced Vala again it was a nine. "Three times three is nine, my love. Don't like nines?" Slowly, it turned again. "A nine upside down is just a six. However," the card flipped again. "Half of six is a three." And the bold three was returned.

She set the card down on the table, and pushed it towards Vala.

"You make your own rules and standards, your own breaks and luck, but if you're not careful… you end up back where you started."

Vala picked up the card and stared at it. "I see."

"Said the blind woman."

Lifting the mouth of her bag to the tableside, she pushed the cards into it, and strung it on her arm. "Cheers," she said, brushing against Vala and parting.

Vala watched her go, flipping the card between her fingers.

~+~+~+~

"He's out there, isn't he?"

Clyde nodded sadly, scratching pictures in the dirt with a stick.

"What, he doesn't trust us either?" Bonnie huffed.

Clyde shrugged.

"I mean, sure, he was probably right about the Fords…" she leaned back on her palms, "But us? He has to trust us. Christ, he's so… anal-retentive. And bloody paranoid at that." She gazed over at the Manor.

Clyde glanced up, briefing regarding his fiancée and shaking his head.

"Where does he get off accusing us of anything?"

Clyde patted his coat pocket and pulled out a small notepad. Sucking the end of the quill for a moment, he began writing a message. He handed it to Bonnie

"What's this?" She shifted her weight to her other hand. "'I like Billy.' Oh, well isn't that pleasant," she said sarcastically, bouncing the notepad once and dropping it. "You like him. As much as I'd like to tell you otherwise, characters are not dependant on your opinion, babe."

He bent his head, and picked up his stick again.

"What's that you're drawing?"

A small smirk played on his lips as he labeled his drawing. A stick figure in a top hat and a boxy three-piece suit stood alongside another stick figure with enormous-

"My breasts aren't that big!" she cried, smacking his arm.

~+~+~+~

Vala didn't have to search long to find what she was looking for. And she found it in the back of her bottom dresser drawer. Holding the old, chipped bottle up to the light, she pondered over several things. True, many concerned the purpose of the potion and whether it had an expiration date, but others wondered whose drink she'd pour it in. In her pocket, the card flipped to a six.

And lying there on the bed, she heard the front door open and close. Sitting up, she slipped the bottle into a hip pocket. She cracked the door an inch, but only saw Saxon. He was holding a door open for the visitor and soon disappeared behind the same door. Curiosity sweeping her, she opened the door enough to let her pass through, and tiptoed down the stairs.

Sitting on the edge of a step, she strained to listen.

"She's learned her lesson!" she heard Saxon defend.

Luckily, it sounded like an argument and they weren't too concerned with keeping their voices down.

"She's been trouble since the day you found her!"

She recognized the second voice as Ares Malfoy, and immediately shook her head sympathetically. She pitied anyone Ares was giving a piece of mind to--let alone someone who seemed to have annoyed him.

"I know, but things have changed…"

"Despicable. You've let a woman seduce and manipulate your mind."

"No, I am the man. She is mine to control."

"When a toy is broken, you throw it out. If you knew what was wise for you, you'd do likewise."

Vala stared unseeingly at the steps in front of her. Realization dawned and reality kicked with the scarping of chairs. She whipped around to creep back to her room. With the flailing of cloaks, a card fell to the ground. She squinted at the faded blue. Picking it up, she turned it to see two chocolate eyes staring at her.

(A/N: Ooh, just you wait and see what I have in mind for upcoming chapters! +wink+)