It had actually been over a week since they'd last properly seen Bea beyond some basic visits to the Pickaxe and chats online or over the phone.

Between the Pickaxe and her dad's sudden resurgence as a functional adult, and desire to spend time with her, she'd been extremely busy.

In fact, now that Trent thought about it, it had been over a week since she'd actually hung out at the house. And he was feeling it. In the crudest terms...he was desperately horny for Bea. Which made him feel kind of bad, because Mae and Ann were certainly invested in getting intimate with him, and he appreciated them both tremendously. It was just that...well, his relationship with Bea wasn't like his relationship with Mae or Ann, and when he'd voiced this to them not too long ago, they had both told him something totally reasonable.

Bea was his girlfriend, and he hadn't seen her in a week, and it was completely normal to miss her. It didn't matter that he was dating both of them, they weren't Bea. They'd miss him if he had been away for a week, and he'd miss either of them under the same circumstances. He had to give it to them that they were right, it just still felt really weird.

Trent had the notion that he'd be getting used to this relationship for awhile.

Maybe he'd never get used to it.

"What the fuck?" Mae asked.

Trent looked up as they stepped in front of the Pickaxe and immediately didn't like what he saw. Bea and Chris were behind the counter, and he just had enough view to see that Chris was standing way too close to Bea, and she clearly did not like it. She looked angry, but she also looked a little scared. Something...not quite snapped in him, but something certainly strained. Something felt different. He felt angry, but more significantly, Trent felt like doing something.

"We have to get in there," Mae said.

"We are," Trent replied and walked inside.

Trent caught the tail end of their conversation before it broke off. "...not with anyone, then you don't have a reason to reject me," Chris said.

"I'm not interested!" Bea snapped.

They both looked over as Trent and Mae walked in. Bea looked relieved, and Chris looked angry. He bared his teeth and turned to face them.

"What the fuck do you two want?" he asked, his voice low.

"Step away from Bea," Trent replied as he approached the counter.

"Excuse me, you little pussy? I don't think I heard that right," Chris snapped.

"You heard me," Trent replied, and he hopped over the counter, "and that wasn't a request. Step away. Now."

"Fuck you," Chris growled, turning fully to face him, "this has been a long time coming you little beta shit-"

He swung before he finished his sentence, something Trent had been expecting, because he and Ann had been practicing a lot of self-defense stuff over the past month. That was something they'd all focused up on after everything that had happened. And because he was expecting it, thanks to Chris's body language, Trent managed to grasp his wrist and use his momentum to yank him forward, then twisted his arm around behind his back and slammed his head into the counter.

"Bitch move," Trent said.

"Get the fuck off me!" Chris snarled.

"Leave Bea alone. She's not into you and you need to internalize that," Trent muttered in his ear as he held him over the counter.

"Fuck off!" Chris said and threw him off.

"Chris!" Bea snapped.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" he yelled.

That was when Mae punched him in the face. He let out a startled shout and stumbled back a few steps, a look of surprise on his face.

"Call my best friend a bitch again," Mae growled, her voice low and furious.

"All right, you psycho bitch and you fucking beta pussy, you two have had this coming," Chris said, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. He raised it and something clicked several times.

A box cutter.

"Chris! I will call the fucking police!" Bea yelled.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"You drop that or I'm gonna pull your teeth out of your skull," Mae said.

Chris came at them with the box cutter and Trent did exactly the same thing he'd done before, although this time without even thinking about it. Ann had shown him this move and they'd practiced it a lot. He got a good grasp on his wrist as he tried to stick him with the cutter and twisted his hand around behind his back, then levered him into the wall this time. Trent knew he had to figure this out and fast because Chris was by far stronger than he was.

He reacted quicker this time, shoving himself away from the wall with a grunt of effort and this time Trent lost his grip, went stumbling, and tripped over the counter.

"You're fucking dead!" Chris yelled.

"What the fuck is going on in here?!"

Trent had just barely managed to stay on his feet despite having flipped over the counter, grasping it to keep from falling completely on his ass and somehow landing right side up. He looked over at the sound of the new voice and saw Bea's dad standing in the front door.

"Mister Santello," Chris said, abruptly losing a lot of his fire, "I, uh, I was just-"

"Put that fucking box cutter down right now," Bea's dad growled.

"Mister Santello, I-"

"On the counter. Now!" he screamed.

Chris set it down on the counter without another word.

"Clear out your locker, you're fucking fired, Chris," Allen said.

"Mister Santello, please, I need this-"

"Then you should have thought of that before you tried to stab someone with a fucking box cutter in my fucking store! Bea what the fuck was this all about?" he asked.

Trent had never seen him like this before. He'd seen him angry, and threatening, but never downright fucking enraged.

Bea looked like she might have hedged, just for a moment, then sighed. "He wouldn't stop hitting on me. He...cornered me. Trent and Mae came after him when they saw."

"Chris," Allen said, taking a step closer, "did you-" He looked at Bea. "Did he touch you? Tell me right now, Bea. The truth."

"No, dad, he didn't."

"Chris, you're lucky I'm not caving your skull in right now. Get your shit and get the hell out of my store. You are fired."

"Mister Santello, please-"

"Chris, if you don't leave right now then I'm going to call Molly. Molly, the Chief of Police? Molly, Mae's aunt?! And she will come down on you like a fucking hammer, which is nothing compared to what I will do to you, if you do not get out!"

"I'm going, please don't call her," Chris said, and then headed into the back room.

"Wow, dad," Bea murmured.

"Bea, you're sure you're all right?" he asked, coming around behind the counter.

"I'm fine, dad. They're the ones who took on a box cutter and that asshole," she replied.

Allen Santello turned to face them, looking at the pair uncomfortably. Trent appreciated the awkwardness of the situation. He'd only seen the man a handful of times after their 'talk' on Longest Night, and Trent had gotten the impression that while Allen ultimately ended up respecting him, he'd never been completely comfortable with him hanging around Bea. Probably for the reason that he heavily suspected Trent of fucking his daughter, which was always weird, (and true in this case), but that Trent was fucking his daughter while also dating Mae. Who he also did not feel good about, given Mae's reputation and general demeanor.

Trent always got the feeling that Allen accepted him, and might respect him, but he wasn't happy about it.

"Thank you," he said finally. "I saw the tail-end of that, you've got some moves...you two all right?"

"We're fine," Mae said, and Trent nodded. "Thanks for firing that asshole."

Allen sighed and shook his head. "He's been fucking up a lot lately. He's decent at his job but a worker that doesn't work when he's supposed to isn't a worker."

"What's this gonna mean for the shifts?" Bea asked uncertainly.

"Actually, I have some news about that. That's what I was gonna talk to you about. Uh...anyone else here?" he asked, looking around.

"No, just us," Bea replied.

"All right, I had something I needed to discuss with you," he said, then looked at Trent and Mae. "Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Sure, uh, we were hoping to talk with Bea for a bit though…" Trent replied.

"My shift's almost up anyway," Bea said, "just, um, hang out outside and I'll be out in a bit."

"Okay."

They headed outside and stood in front of the plate glass. Bea and her dad waited a bit, exchanging a few words, then Bea's dad walked into the back room. After a few moments, he walked back out with Chris, who looked like he couldn't decide whether he was pissed or nervous. Trent tensed as he walked out through the front door.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Chris looked like he wanted to say something, or maybe even pick back up where they left off, but in the end he just walked away. Trent kept silent, and he was glad Mae did, too. He wasn't really looking for trouble, mainly because he wasn't a confrontational person but especially after everything that had happened. He just hoped that was the end of it. He didn't really want someone to have it out for him.

When Chris was gone, he glanced in at Bea and her dad, trying to follow the conversation. Briefly, it looked like they were having an argument, then Bea's dad seemed guilty, then he looked like he was explaining something to Bea, who looked surprised, her eyes cutting briefly to the two of them standing out there, and then she looked happy.

Abruptly, she hugged her dad and then disappeared into the back room. A moment later, she reappeared with a hoodie and her purse, hugged her dad again, exchanged a few words, and then joined them outside.

"I'm free!" she said, sounding genuinely excited, more so than he'd seen in awhile. "Can we go to your guys' place now, please?"

"We definitely can," Trent replied. "We walked though."

"I'm fine with that. Let's go."

"What was that all about?" Mae asked.

"Like...a lot just happened. First of all though, thank you. For stepping in. If I really had to, I think I probably could've handled him. I still have my mace on me and I would've used it if he'd actually tried to lay hands on me, but I didn't really want to escalated it that far, so you saved me a lot of trouble. Second of all, where the fuck did that come from, Trent? I didn't know you knew how to fucking fight," Bea replied.

"I don't really, it's just that Ann showed me a few defensive moves. He probably would've sent me back to the hospital if it had been a real fight," Trent replied.

"That was very impressive," Bea said.

"Someone's getting turned on," Mae murmured with a laugh.

"Oh shut up," Bea replied.

"Was that a denial? Or begrudging admittance?" Trent asked.

"Shut up," she repeated, growling.

"I'm not hearing a denial about how much I turned you on."

She sighed heavily. "Anyway, next thing, how is your leg?"

"Decent," he replied. "Still kinda hurts but the stitches are out and it's pretty much healed up. Got a scar, but whatever. No avoiding it, I guess."

"Scars are hot," Mae said.

"Yeah, you can be all like 'I got shot by a crazed cultist while saving my girlfriend and her aunt' and you won't be lying," Bea agreed.

"Not quite how I'd describe it, but who's gonna see me with my pants off? Boxers too, because it's hidden by my boxers. I'd have to be naked for it to be completely visible."

"I dunno, you'll probably hook up with another girl at some point," Mae said. "I can think of a few I wouldn't mind watching you with…"

"You are so weird," Bea muttered. "But...I'm getting it more at least. Also, let's talk about something," she added, looking around. It was starting to turn gray outside thanks to the clouds and rain was coming, so they were mostly alone, but it was still hard to tell who might overhear what. "Like what my dad told me." She smiled a big smile. "I'm actually free."

"What, like...you're quitting your job or something?" Mae asked.

"Kinda!"

"Seriously!?" Trent asked.

"Seriously! All these 'emergencies' basically forced him to step up and take on some of my shifts, which meant that he sort of remembered what it was like running a store...and that he actually likes doing it. It's had kind of a snowball effect. Him taking those shifts led to him getting out of the house more, remembering he likes it, and then working more, and reconnecting with a few old friends, and hanging out with me...to try and keep me from you, because he knows, even if he doesn't actually say anything. He knows. About us. But I think he's finally accepted that I know what I'm doing. And so, basically, what he said in there was that he's finally realized how shitty a dad he's been, his words not mine, and how wrong it was to dump all this crap in my lap when I should be off to college or even just out with my friends, and that he's hired a few more people, because the store's been doing better recently, and if I wanted to, I could just quit," Bea explained.

"Holy shit...seriously?" he repeated.

"Yes! I said I'd have to think about it, and I personally think he's actually feeling really guilty because it's hitting him like a ton of bricks that he pretty much made me take on all this responsibility that was mostly his responsibility, so I'm not quitting right away. Believe me, I fucking want to, but I think he needs more time and still needs some help getting everything smoothed over, but...I think I'll treat it like a four weeks' notice, and also only work like three or four days a week, and shorter shifts. Sort of a transition, but this means I can spend more time with you guys!"

"Are you gonna move in with us?" Mae asked, grinning broadly. "Oh fuck, please say yes I want you as my roommate so bad and it would just be the coolest thing in the whole fucking world and we could do so many cool things and have so much fun and-"

"Mae, take it down a few notches," Bea said. "I don't know anything at the moment. We'll see how everything shakes out. The only thing I know right now is that there's one very specific thing I want to do."

"What's that?" Mae asked.

"I'll show you when we get back to your place. And if we could hurry, that would be awesome," Bea replied, flicking her gaze to Trent as they picked up the pace.

He felt her brush her tail across the back of his legs and picked up the pace even more.

"Oh shit!" Trent cried as Bea shoved him, hard, onto his back. He landed on the bed and bounced once. Then her fingers were working his jeans dexterously, getting them undone and then pulling them down his legs.

"Be careful of his wound," Ann said.

"I will be," Bea muttered distractedly.

"This is amazing," Mae whispered.

"I'm surprised you're down for this," Ann said. Trent glanced over at her. She stood a little behind Bea, taking off her shirt.

"I mean Mae and I took turns riding him and it wasn't really weird. You're dating him too, you're part of his life, so you're part of mine, and I figured this is a thing we should share if we could. Plus, I'm finding this is just really fun, and hot. I always thought I'd be monogamous but then I started going to Jackie parties and, like, well...there's a lotta, um, free spirits there...there we go," she murmured as she got his boxers off. She smirked when his erection came free of it and tapped it gently with one fingertip. "You're always so eager…"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Trent replied. He'd already gotten his shirt off.

"It's just nice," Bea replied. She examined his leg. "Jeez, I can't believe you actually got shot. Like, that's so crazy…" She turned around as Ann drew closer. She'd finished taking her clothes off. Bea stared at her for a few seconds.

"Mae," Ann said, holding out her hand, "may I?"

"Yes you certainly may," Mae replied, giggling as she got up and passed Ann the pipe she'd been puffing on.

"Can I, um, touch?" Bea asked as she stood in front of Ann.

"Yes, you can," Ann replied. Trent watched as Ann took a few puffs on her weed pipe while Bea tentatively groped her breasts.

"Wow," Trent murmured.

"What?" Ann asked, then took another puff and passed it back to Mae.

"It's just, this sight is so...hedonistic. Like really hedonistic, like aggressively hedonistic, almost," he replied.

Ann laughed out a cloud of smoke. "After all the absolute bullshit I've had to go through, that all of us have had to go through, if I get a chance to be hedonistic, and it's not hurting anyone, then I am taking it. Like, I don't plan to throw my life away getting wasted and laid all day every day, but I have had enough stress to last for decades, and I'm only twenty eight."

"Same," Bea said, "and I'm only twenty."

"You really have endured too much," Ann said, then glanced at Mae, "both of you. Too much."

"Well, we're making up for lost time now! Sex and weed and tacos is my fucking life now!" Mae replied.

"And video games," Trent said.

"Oh em eff GEE yes video games!"

"Your boobs are, like, amazing," Bea murmured. "I can see why Trent is so fucking obsessed with them and always trying to touch them, and mine, and Mae's."

"It took you this long to piece that together?" Trent asked.

"No, just...whatever." She turned back around. "Okay, back up. I'm hopping into the saddle first because it has been ten days since I've had sex and I've been working my ass off and I am so horny."

"Yes ma'am," Trent replied, scooting back until his head hit pillow.

Bea hastily shed her own clothing.

"She'll never admit it, but Bea's also horny cuz Trent beat that jerkhole up," Mae said, then giggled.

"I didn't beat him up," Trent replied as Bea sighed and then threw her shirt into Mae's face.

"I'm happy that you kept me from having to mace or shank his ass," Bea said, "and I'm...impressed with how you handled it."

"Impressed with means aroused by!" Mae whispered loudly.

"Oh my fucking-Mae!" Bea snapped and threw her panties at her.

"I'm actually very impressed with and proud of you for how you handled that," Ann said as she crawled onto the bed and ran a hand up and down his leg. "From the way they describe it, you handled the situation about as well as you could, given the circumstances."

"Well, it's all thanks to you, that shit really works," Trent replied.

"Yeah just watch out for that asshole. I seriously didn't expect him to come at you guys with a fucking box cutter. Like...fuck. He's such an asshole. I'm so glad his ass is fired," Bea said as she climbed onto the bed and then onto Trent. "Whatever, done talking about this. I'm a little toasted, and a lot horny, and I'm done thinking for the next however long."

She almost leaped onto him, crawling atop him with that lean, fit, smooth body of hers and kissing him, intimately and deeply. Trent kissed her back, running his hands down her smooth scaly skin, down her back and then settled one hand on the swell of her fit, firm ass, and the other sliding down her tail, making her shiver and let out a startled sound.

"That tail," he murmured, bringing his hand back in the opposite direction.

"Ah-ha-ha-oh," she moaned, shuddering harder. "Fuck…"

"Super hot," Mae whispered.

"Get inside me," Bea growled, gripping his shoulders and shifting into position.

"Here, let me help guide him in," Ann said, a sultry smile on her face. She reached in between them, grasping his shaft, and guided him to Bea's wet opening. Once he was in place, the two of them actually touching, Bea lowered herself and took him inside.

Inside of her slick perfection, her hot, hot pussy that sent a ripple of pleasure through him.

"Holy sh...ah...fuuuuck," he groaned as she took him all the way into herself. "Bea," he groaned hoarsely, "you are just-ah yeah...so fucking tight and wet!"

He grabbed her hips as she started to fuck him, grasping her as she grasped him, and the two locked eyes. She started grunting as she rode him, taking his dick deep inside of her. Pretty soon she was fucking him aggressively, grunting and moaning and yelling occasionally as the bed shook beneath them.

"Oh yeah! Oh yeah! OH YES! THIS IS WHAT I FUCKING NEEDED!" Bea screamed as she went even harder and faster. She leaned down and kissed him firmly on the mouth, and he wrapped his arms around her, making out with her as he thrust up into her.

They fucked until Ann asked for her turn.

"Okay...okay…" Bea replied, panting as she got off of him. "Oh shit, I came twice already...oh man, that's...whew," she muttered, falling off of him and onto her back.

"I still can't get over how good you look riding dick," Mae said.

"I know, right? She looks like she should be in porn," Ann agreed as she mounted him.

"I'm a little surprised by how aggressive you've turned out to be," Trent said.

"Seriously? Have you met me? I've got a lot of pent-up aggression," she replied, panting.

"I can see it," Ann said, shifting around, "I kinda had you pegged as too polite to, like, really cut loose during sex. Glad I was wrong...ah yeah," she whispered as she got Trent inside of herself. She soon was panting as she rode him, moaning from the shared pleasure of their coupling. Trent reached up, cupping her large, brown-furred breasts.

"She's right," he said, "you have amazing tits."

"Thanks," she replied, then let out a loud moan, "oh fuck, you have a really nice dick. It feels so good to ride, just...mmm...oh yes," she groaned.

And then she was really going at it, using her big hips and riding him in waves of pleasure that crashed through both of them, going and going, pressing him deep within herself until she-

"AH! YES!"

"Oh-shit-Ann!" he moaned as she began to orgasm.

She gripped him tightly and kept riding until she'd finished, then got off of him.

"Fuck, I want to come too, you know," he complained as Bea got closer.

"Okay, I'll finish you off, but I want more later," she replied.

"After I get mine," Mae said.

"You three are going to fucking kill me," Trent groaned as Bea climbed atop him, this time facing the other direction.

"Hey, fucked to death, there are totally worse ways to go," Mae replied.

"Yep, here, get back in, I'll finish you reverse, I know how much you like that."

"Oh like you don't," Trent said as he angled himself back into her slick pussy. "Cuz it means I can do this."

He grabbed her tail as she started riding him again and she cried out. "Fuck! Trent!"

"Yeah?" he asked, running his hand up and down her tail. "Got something to say?"

"I-ugh...uhnnn...fuck…" she moaned.

"Wow, that's like disabling, huh?" Ann asked.

Mae giggled. "Bea, this is such a different side of you."

"Shut up-ah! Fuck, okay, Trent just...mmm...lay there? Okay? Lay there and let me fuck you? I want to be in control right now," Bea said.

"Okay," he replied, letting go of her tail and putting his hands behind his head.

"Thank you...oh yes…" she moaned, settling into a steady rhythm, riding him in reverse and looking fantastic.

Apparently Mae agreed with him. "Bea, like, holy crap, you look so amazing when you ride. Especially reverse. Like...wow."

"Really?" she panted.

"Really," Ann said. "She's right. You look like...I don't know, a work of art or something."

"Thank you. You both look pretty good riding too," she replied, then she sucked in a breath and began riding harder and faster.

"Ah yeah! Right there...fuck, Bea!" Trent groaned as he became overwhelmed by the pleasure of their unprotected sex.

He was still so completely in love with the fact that they never had to use protection.

It wasn't long before he was blowing off inside of her. He couldn't help it, he grabbed her hips and pulled her against him as he emptied himself into her, cumming hard in fast spurts, filling her up. He came until he had nothing left in him and then let her go, arms falling limply to either side of him as he panted for breath.

"My turn!" Mae said as she got up.

"I need some more time…" Trent groaned as Bea got off of him.

"You're still hard," Mae replied as she bounced onto the bed and straddled him.