Chapter 9: Flameworthy

"Goooood morning precious. Wow! What's with the skirt? You look…" Deb focused on Nattie, taking in her clothes, hair, and glazed eyes. "…content. So you and Mr. Blue Eyes did the nasty?" She asked.

"Yes. We did have sex." Nattie said.

"Nattie! Maybe you forgot, but he's—well, he's…I don't know what he is. That's the thing! You don't know what he is!" Gloria cried.

"He's not evil. Trust me on this." Nattie gave a small humorless laugh. "It's fine."

Gloria went to serve Table 6.

"Well? How was it?" Eyes glowing, Deb leaned closer to Nattie.

"Which time? One of the two times in the bed, the time on the floor, up against the wall, or in the shower?" Nattie said, smiling wickedly.

"Wow." That was all Deb could manage.

"Oh yeah."

A while later, Gloria called Deb to the front.

"I'll be back in a sec, then you can finish your story." Deb called as she ran from the office.

Natalia smiled to herself. Suddenly Dennis's voice filled her head.

"Your first assignment just crossed my desk Nattie. Your first mark is Deborah Parker. Apparently she's quite the catch. Started sleeping around when she was 15, never stays in a relationship very long because of 'wandering eyes', swears like a sailor…" His voice trailed off. "You're in trial period Natalia, which means that you have 2 days until deadline. If you fail this assignment—"

"I won't. Trust me love. This'll be a snap." Nattie replied.

"Let's hope so. For your sake."

"How sweet." she said snidely.

"Oh, and Natalia? Don't call me 'Love'."

With a snarl, Nattie rolled her eyes as Dennis faded out.

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Back at the front counter, Gloria was busy filling sugar containers and talking to Deb.

"You don't find it odd?" Gloria asked. "One day she's Nattie Bennett, girl next door. Then suddenly, the day after she sleeps with someone who, as far as we know could be some sort of evil incubus, she's all…trampy."

"Fine. Ok. We'll talk to her."

"You talk to her. I'm going to go talk to Mr. Immortality."

"SSShhh! Jeez, Gloria. Do you want EVERYONE to think that you're cracked out?"

Deb glanced around. The last of the early morning crowd was just going out the door. She got up and flipped the Open sign to Closed.

"This isn't 'Highlander'. There aren't Immortals running rampant. Just say his frickin' name."

"Alright, sorry! Ok. You go talk to Nattie. Keep it normal so as not to tip her off."

"To what? I don't even know what the Hell you are getting at!" Deb whispered fiercely.

"That's for the better then. Trust me Deb. Just tell her I'm running out for a sec. I'll be back soon."

Gloria took off the spotted white apron and swept from behind the counter and out the door.

"Right. No really, I'll stay here…" Deb said to herself. Shaking her head, she thought about how strange her friends were.

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Jack stumbled out of bed and made his way to the door. Whoever it was, they were quite determined to get him up. Running a hand through his already messy hair, he opened the door and was surprised to find Gloria standing there.

Before he could say anything, she held up her hand and brushed past him. "Don't think for a second that I trust you." She spun to face him, holding up a silver crucifix. He suppressed a grin and passed his laugh off as a cough.

"Ok. So you don't trust me. Mind telling me what you are doing in my room?"

"Something's wrong with Natalia. I want—"

"What's wrong?"

Noting the concern in his silvery blue eyes, Gloria quickly calmed his fears. "No. It is nothing like that. I just mean that she's…different. I want to know what you did to her."

Jack grinned wickedly as Gloria blushed and hurried on.

"Well, not what you DID, did. What you did to change her. She's not herself. It's like she's…like she's empty or something."

"Wait. Wait. What are you talking about? Start from the beginning."

As Gloria recounted everything that she considered odd about Nattie, a feeling of dread began to build deep in Jack's chest. He knew the cause. He had gone through it. Been it. But how could they have gotten to Nattie? She hadn't died.

"What? What is it? Dammit, Ferriman, what happened to Nattie?" Gloria asked.

"She's been taken." He said simply. He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me. Is it what you are? Why you were in all those places before those terrible things happened? Please tell me!" Her voice was raised in a near shout.

"I made those things happen. I killed those people and took their souls. It was a job and I was damn good at it. I think—" He stopped, ran a hand through his hair in a gesture she was picking up on as agitation. "I think that's what happened to her."

"Because she slept with you? Is it like, contagious?"

"No. I don't know how…" The sentence died on his lips.

"What?" Gloria asked as Jack got up to pace around the room. It was only then that she noticed the scar running from one side of his body to the other, in one slim pink line.

"Dennis." The name was spat out with such venom that Gloria blanched. "That's it. That's how they turned her. It was a trade."

Nothing that he was saying made sense to her. Something about a trade? Nattie had talked about a trade. A trade for what? And who the hell was Dennis?

"Jack, slow down. What are you talking about?"

He acted as though he hadn't heard her.

"That's why the souls are gone. She gave hers…" He laughed, but the sound sent chills along Gloria's skin.

He was on the verge of hysteria. She had to pull him back. She went to him and spun him by the shoulders to face her, and slapped him.

Hard.

He put a hand to his stinging cheek. This soft spoken girl was full of surprises.

"I'm sorry. You were raving, and I cant have you freaking out now. We've got to get Nattie back."

"I think I know how to do that," he said.

Gloria nodded. "Alright. What do we do?"

"You go back to the diner. I'll be right behind you, but first I have to try to get in touch with my former employer."

"Your former…" Gloria's eyes widened. "Oh, hell no. Just come with me now!"

"It'll be fine. Go, before Natalia gets suspicious of where you are."