Friends 02

The weekly sparring session with the Wards ended worse than normal. I apparently wasn't supposed to be actively participating this week since I was going out tomorrow night and they wanted me 'rested and relaxed' beforehand.

Fat chance of that, considering my intended partner.

So I was sitting in the common room trying to finish up some of my homework while I waited for them to get back. I could probably have left, but…It wasn't like I had anywhere better to be. And it was good to stick around for moral support!

As if summoned, the buzzer went off and a few seconds later, the door opened letting the gang back in.

"Man, that sucked!" Missy complained, throwing her helmet into her room. "I can't do anything but annoy you guys when they don't let any loose debris into the room!"

Aegis shook his head, removing his own visor a moment later. "You know not every area is going to have loose items to throw into one of your loops, Vista."

"Bull! Everywhere has something that's not bolted down. This entire thing is completely unrealistic and totally biased towards physical fighters!"

I looked up, nodding. "I agree with Missy. They can't really expect her to fight well unless they either give her something to use as a weapon, or have loose items in the training room."

"Well they don't expect you to fight at all, Miss Special Flower," Dennis snapped. "Some of us have to think on our feet. Were your feet made for dancing? Is that why you had the day off?"

I winced, lowering my head again and turning back to my homework. It was almost done anyway.

"Hey, lay off, Dennis. Taylor's not supposed to use her power before a patrol," Carlos said. He opened the fridge and started handing out gatorades to everyone. "And that's not even the right phrase for that song. It's 'boots' not 'feet'. I'm also pretty sure it references 'walking' not 'dancing'. So, yeah."

"Whatever, it wouldn't make any sense if I used the actual line and it's not like anyone here actually has heard the song anyway. Unless someone is secretly married to their cousin?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Chris asked.

"That they're southern, inbred, and redneck, and therefore like Country music," Sophia grunted. "And it's offensive as hell."

Dennis sighed. "Sorry, Sophia."

Most of the others started drifting from the kitchen towards the living room section. I would join them in a minute or two. I just had one problem left and then I could put my books away. I was halfway through it when someone dropped into the seat across from me.

"Ssso, Tay Tay, are you reeady for patrol tomorrow?" The sibilant, mocking hiss of Sophia's voice was as far from matching the teasing words as it was possible to be. I swallowed, trying to ignore her even as my grip tightened on the pencil and my stomach clenched.

"I'm talking to you, Tay Tay."

I still said nothing, just hunched further over the problem sheet.

"Cat got your tongue, huh?" She leaned close enough that I could feel her breath on me, making the hairs on my neck stand up. "I'm going to make sure we have sooo much fun together! Cheer up, Tay Tay. They even gave you extra time off since we always seem to hit more trouble when the two of us are together. Funny how that works huh?"

"Hey, Sophia!" Chris shouted. "We need your input on the movie! If you're planning to actually stick around for once we need to know what you want to actually watch!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" she yelled. "I'm just helping Taylor with her homework. Right, Taylor?"

I looked up, meeting Chris' eyes. He dropped his gaze. I wouldn't find help there and Missy had already gone off to take a shower.

Back to ignoring Sophia then. Maybe she would just…go away?

"You got away from me last time, Tay Tay. I'm not sure how, but I'm going to keep a closer eye on you now. Piggot herself made sure I knew not to let you wander off on your own. You're going to be so saaafe with me."

"…Why do you hate me so much?" I whispered, the pencil shaking in my hands.

Sophia leaned close enough to murmur in my ear, "You realize that you not understanding, well, it just makes me despise you even more."

She stood up, a smile on her face. The contrast to Lisa's was…stark.

"I can't wait for tomorrow, Tay Tay." Twisting on her heel, she pranced over to the couch and flipped over the back of it landing next to Dennis. "Alright, nerds, I say we watch Die Hard."

"That's a Christmas movie!" Dean said.

Quietly, I packed up my things, shoving the papers into my backpack. At least she hadn't 'accidentally' spilled her drink into it like last time.

As I stood, and made my way towards the door, Carlos glanced in my direction with a frown. "Taylor? Aren't you going to stay for the movie?"

"I…need to check on my dad," I managed to choke out. "Goodnight."

"It's a team exerci-"

"I haven't been home in awhile. Tell Missy I said bye." Without giving him a chance to respond I hitched my bag higher and rushed from the room.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wear a mask once we were in the tunnel if we were already in civilian clothes. It made it easier to get out of the building without anyone seeing me cry. At least, not anyone I recognized.

By the time the lobby doors closed behind me, my phone was already in my hand and I was shaking again as I pressed the speed dial.

Why did things have to be like this? What did I do?

It hadn't even finished ringing once before Lisa picked up. "Hey, Taylor. What's going on? You're out early. Problems at work? Problems at work. You calling to talk to me? Of course you are. No worries, girl. My evening is free. You can walk towards the beach and I'll meet you there in about a half hour and while you're on your way we can keep chat-"

"Can I come to you?" I cut in. The hitch in my voice was back. I hated that hitch, but it was nearly a constant presence now. I don't know why I thought that the girl's day would be a sign things would change. Things never changed for the better.

There was silence on the line. Finally, after what felt like an age, Lisa returned, her tone having dropped the chirpy amusement as she sighed, "Are you near the HQ?"

"Yes."

"I'll borrow the car and pick you up. Find a bench to sit on, give me ten minutes." She covered the receiver to shout behind her. Not that it stopped me from hearing her. "Hey, Alec! I'm going out. Make sure that Rachel is aware I am bringing a civilian over!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Alec's distant shout echoed back.

"The wording is extremely important, Alec! Civilian!"

"I said I got it!"

"I will wipe all of your porn if you don't tell her 'a civilian,' Alec!"

"Va chier, j'ai dit que je le ferais!" [Fuck off! I said I would do it!]

"Good! Just making sure, buddy." She uncovered the receiver again and spoke directly to me. "Sorry about the delay, Taylor. Got the keys and I'm on my way over."

I nodded, only belatedly realizing that she couldn't see that. "Okay. I'll…see you soon. Um, Lisa? Is…is it okay? That I'm coming over? I mean…your friend's not going to be…mad right?"

"Not as long as she's forewarned," Lisa sighed. "I'll call her before I leave too. She usually checks her messages. Go sit down and grab a tissue, Taylor. I'll be right there."

"…Thanks."

I hung up and followed her advice, going to sit on the closest bench. As the sky darkened and the streetlights came on, I pulled out my workbook. If Lisa was going to be a few minutes, I should be able to finish the last problem at least.

I was finished with my work and had taken out a book to read by the time that Lisa pulled up. Her car wasn't as nice as I had been expecting - considering she had been implying that she had a lot of money ever since I met her. The car was, well, it was a junker. The paint was peeling in some patches and there were dents on the fenders. I eyed it warily even as I stood up and grabbed my backpack. Lisa rolled her eyes, the gesture exaggerated enough that I could see it even through the windshield.

She rolled down the side window and leaned over. "Get in, nerd. It's perfectly safe to drive!"

"If you say so," I said and, with only a small amount of hesitation, I opened the door and dropped into the passenger seat.

"Don't judge her by her exterior. This girl's taken care of where it counts." Lisa patted the dashboard. "It's just that a lot less people are a lot less likely to steal her if she looks a bit rough and weathered. It's urban camouflage."

"Oh," I glanced around at the interior of the car, seeing it again, how all of the scratches were just removed from where someone would sit or lay their hands. "Wow. That must have taken a lot of work."

"Not with my ability." She grinned and winked. As we slipped into traffic, she reached over to squeeze my hand for a moment before returning it to the steering wheel. "So…homework all done for the evening? Of course it is. You're studious like that. Now we could go straight back to my place, but I figure you need a bit more social interaction and something to help you wind down. So we're going to stop by my home away from home! Cool?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice."

"Tay," she sighed. I tried not to wince at the diminutive. Lisa glanced my way, frowning. "Okay, first, of course you have a choice. I thought you might want to meet Rachel's dogs, spend some time with them while we relax. If you don't, that's fine; we can go back to my apartment."

I sat up straighter, my eyes widening. "Puppies?"

"Hmm, nooot so much. But they're friendly all the same when she's not being a jackass."

"Okay. I'm, uh, fine with going to…yeah."

"Second thing, please try not to mention who you are in your other life. Alec probably has a good idea, but Alec doesn't care about all that much in general; unless you bribe him to care. Brian and Rachel would have an issue with me bringing a Ward to our lair though so…I'm trusting you here, Tay."

I nodded. My hand only clenched a little at the nickname.

"Third," she said, the car sliding to a stop in a nondescript garage. The engine shut off and she twisted fully to hold my gaze. "What the fuck does that bitch call you so I know to avoid it?"

I shut my eyes and dropped my head. "It's fine."

"No, it's not. Taylor, I have a good idea, but please, I don't want to screw up something like this with a bad guess."

"…You call me 'Tay' and you sound like you're being nice and kind and…you sound like you care. Sophia calls me 'Tay Tay' and…" I trailed off, unable to put it into words.

"It's all mocking? Nothing sincere? Just carefully designed barbs?" I nodded. "Motherfucker," she muttered. "Never thought I'd get a look at someone using my own tricks against my friends. No wonder people hate me."

I opened my mouth to defend her but Lisa waved me off before I could even start. "My problems, not yours. Okay, so I'm going to find another nickname for you then and -"

"No!" I yelled. Scrambling, I reached for her hands. Lisa's frown deepened, but she let me put my thoughts in order without rushing to fill the void like before. "I-I want you to keep calling me 'Tay.' Sophia shouldn't get to ruin everything she touches. I used to like that nickname. I'd, um, I'd like to like it again."

"And?" she prompted.

"And…if someone who actually cares calls me that, then whenever Sophia says it - I can remind myself that she's a bitch and I have a real friend instead."

Lisa leaned back against the car door, not letting go of my hands and blinking repeatedly. I barely heard her murmur, "Fuck. I'm so screwed."

"What?"

"Nothing, Tay." She smiled and pulled me forward to hug me. The tension that had built up in my shoulders slowly released as she rubbed my back. "Come on. Let's head up."

Lisa led the way up to the loft, with me following behind her. Once we were inside, she directed me over to the couch, while she went to the kitchen. Alec was already there, not in a dress this time. I couldn't decide if I was disappointed by that or not. Actually, yes, I was disappointed, Alec looked good in a dress.

"Hey, dork."

"Hi," I said. "What are you playing?"

"Aleph shooter import. Third in the series. First two sucked. This one is pretty good, but they still haven't fixed campers. Campers are assholes. Ruin everyone's fun. How the hell am I supposed to kill you if I die the second I spawn in? Laaaame!"

"Uh, sure." I shrugged. "I could see that being annoying."

"Grenade spam is where it's at. That at least is amusing. Then everyone dies! Much more fun."

"I liked you better when you were wearing a dress…"

He looked over at me, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows. "That's because I look fantastic in a dress." He wasn't wrong. "Now shut up, you're killing my streak!"

I shook my head and leaned back, trying to follow the action as he blitzed around the screen. Lisa's voice drifted our way from the kitchen, muffled, but still audible.

"I told you I was bringing a friend over, Brian, Jesus Christ, you don't have to be an ass about this."

"Lisa, if that is who I think it is - and I swear to god it better not be - then there is no possible way that this is okay!" The person who she was arguing with, Brian, sounded angry. I couldn't blame him. I had just dropped in. It was probably Grue. Grue hadn't liked me before either…

I shouldn't have come.

"Hey dork, grab a second controller. I think this rig can split-screen. I could do with racking up my KDR against a noob."

I blinked, staring at Alec. "Um. Okay. I have no idea what you just said though."

"She needs social interaction. Just don't talk about work and leave the maps off the projector." Lisa's quiet argument sounded more exasperated now.

"Rachel -"

"Was told a civilian is coming over. She should be back from her walk in another few minutes. Everything is fine."

"Alec, where do I plug this in?" I asked, holding up the end of a cord. The controller I had grabbed had matched his so it was probably for the correct system.

"Second port, right next to mine. Aw, man! Fuck you, camper! Screw it, I'm done with this game. Lisa called you for pizza and a movie right? Let's raid her stash and find a good one."

Before I had a chance to do much beyond replace the game controller, the door to the loft opened again and three dogs trotted inside, a butch girl with long, dark hair following close behind them. Her face was a bit squashed, and I was fairly certain she had broken her nose at least once.

That had to be Rachel.

I dropped my eyes away from her as she looked at me with a barely concealed scowl, my head falling back towards my chest.

God she was tall. And muscular.

But her dogs! The one with the nub tail nearly ran over to me, sniffing at my hands as I held them out, and then bumped his head into my hand. I took the invitation for what it was and started scratching behind his ears, smiling at the adorable lolling tongue.

"Don't scratch Brutus' back. He doesn't like it there. Only behind his ears or his stomach." Rachel's voice was just as gruff as her body language. That wasn't really a surprise.

"Okay. What are the others' names?"

"Judas. Angelica."

"Okay." The second larger dog came over to investigate me as well, lying down at my side. "Can I pet his back?"

"Yeah. Judas is fine with that. Why are you here?"

"A movie and…pizza I think? Lisa says I need to interact with other people instead of just her…"

"Mm," Rachel grunted. She strode forward standing over me. I didn't look up. She was intimidating - and besides, the dogs had my attention. "Lisa talks too much. Don't stay overnight, don't hurt my dogs. I will hurt you if you do."

"I wouldn't hurt them," I whispered. I curled a hand around Brutus' ear smiling again at him, making sure not to show any teeth. I remembered that much from when I was younger. "I love dogs." As she turned away I continued in a mumble, "Better than people."

"Mm. Good."

She left, the third dog - Angelica - padding along in her wake and Lisa plopped down behind me.

"You know, normally I have to give people pointers on how to interact with Rachel, but you did basically everything right automatically…I'm not sure that's a good thing, Tay." She reached over to scratch Judas as well and he lifted his leg to provide easier access for us to get at his belly.

"I learned how to deal with people in high school," I said.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I mean." She leaned forward, laying her chin on my shoulder. "So, how do you feel about Underworld?"

"Well, I've never seen it, so, sure?"

"Hot vampire gal in a skintight catsuit kicking ass to save her wannabe werewolf boyfriend."

I felt my cheeks warm. "That sounds like a fun movie."

"Great! Alec! Grab Underworld! Brian, two pizzas, one regular, one with…pineapple and - seriously? You actually put pineapple on your pizza? Jeez, girl, you are weird!"

"Hey, pineapple is a good topping!" I argued.

Lisa stood up waving her hand. "Uh huh, and Leviathan goes water skiing in his time off. You keep cuddling with the dogs, then join me on the couch, sweetie. Crazy-pizza-topping girl."

I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore her as I kept scratching Judas and Brutus.

Okay. Maybe this had been a good idea after all.

By the time the movie ended it was just me and Lisa on the couch. Even the dogs had left us, following Rachel back to her room. I was leaning on Lisa's shoulder, her arm draped casually around me as the credits started to play.

"I'm starting to think you had an ulterior motive for choosing that movie," I said, curling closer to her and shutting my eyes.

"Hey now, just because the main heroine is also a badass who happens to look stellar in a catsuit, that does not mean I had any such ulterior designs on movie choice."

"Uh huh."

"And it's certainly not like I happen to have daddy issues like Selene either, no ma'am."

I snorted. "Lisa, did you kill your stepdad with a sword?"

"I don't have a stepdad. And my father should bow down and kiss my feet for not arranging to have his brake lines cut before I ran away. Fucking asshole sonofabitch," she finished in a barely audible mutter.

I reached over to grasp her hand, squeezing gently. "Sorry, I was just teasing. I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine, Tay. It's just a sore subject. I was the one who brought it up anyway. You know 'Lisa' isn't even my original name? It's just what I liked best when I left."

"…Oh?" How was I supposed to respond to that? Once I would have known. Now…I was just floundering and reaching for words to fill the air.

"Yeah. Please don't call me 'Sarah' though." Her head flopped back against the couch. "Sarah wasn't a nice person. Lisa's a bitch too really; Lisa steals and gets her rocks off by taunting everyone around her. But Lisa at least tries to help people who are drowning. Sarah, she…she saw someone who needed help, and she just smiled and went out to another party. I let Sarah die in a ditch; exactly what she deserved."

I squeezed Lisa's hand harder. "Well in that case, I'm really, really glad that I met Lisa."

I felt her pick her head up and lean down to kiss the top of mine. "Thanks, Tay. I'm glad I met you too. Come on, let's get you back to my apartment before Rachel thinks you're sleeping here."

I pulled away from her, missing the warmth already even as I stretched, my joints popping. We made our way down to the car and a short ride later we were back inside her small apartment. I sent a quick text to Lacey to let her know where I was and then got changed into my pajamas.

I started to head to the couch before Lisa caught my arm. "Where do you think you're going? Bed's in the other room."

"Yeah, but -"

"But nothing. It's a big bed, there's more than enough room for the two of us. Get your butt in there, shoo, shoo!" She waved her arms at me, nearly herding me ahead of her. I gave up any fight I had over the sleeping arrangements and turned around, marching back towards her bedroom.

As I hopped into the bed, Lisa dropped down beside me on her back. I rolled over and curled against her again. "Do you mind if I…?"

"It's fine."

"Thanks," I murmured. Nearly a minute passed before I whispered, "It's just that…I want to get as much comfort tonight as I can."

Lisa was silent for long enough that I thought she might have fallen asleep. But then, she said, "Do you have a patrol with Sophia tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

I didn't lift my head, but I did bite my lip. "I thought we were keeping work and off-duty separate?"

"They are. Totally, completely, and utterly separate. Nothing, nada, naught to be worried about here."

I didn't even bother to respond to that.

She sighed. "Look, Taylor, do you want to stop having patrols with her or not?"

"…Yes."

"Then just…trust me on this? Please. You need concrete evidence and a history showing her as abusive, dangerous, and someone who's completely unconcerned about your safety. Let me help." Her words were dangerous. They asked for a level of trust that went beyond anything I had given since I was a kid. Since Emma had changed.

But Emma had come back. I had been right to wait for my oldest friend. The catalyst had been…wrong. But Emma had still come back.

Could I take that leap again?

"You are sleeping in my bed, cuddled up against me, Tay. If that makes any difference at all."

"Yeah, but we're not doing anything," I protested.

"You know we could change that if you really wanted to," she said, poking my side and smirking.

My face was so hot it must have been as red as a tomato. I think I even squeaked as her finger prodded my ribs. "I'm not ready for…that."

"Nah, of course you're not." Lisa pulled me against her in as close to a hug as she could get in our positions. "Still, when's the last time you've been this close to someone, huh? Fuck, I don't think I've ever let someone this close. Usually their weird shit has me running for the hills long beforehand. I wouldn't just be offering this if I didn't mean it - if I didn't think you were worth it."

I shut my eyes, letting out a long, slow breath as I tried to relax into her side. "…We're supposed to be going from Horton and 16th, up through Kline and 23rd."

"Okay. Whatever happens. Whatever threats are made at the end, do not buff Shadow Stalker. Alright?"

"Alright, Lisa."

"And if she gets in your face beforehand, while you're at HQ, just walk away. Don't take that abuse. You're better than she is and you don't have to sit and listen to her taunts. Just, walk away. You can't hit her, because then you're going to get in trouble until we have documentation. But if you walk away, she's going to get riled up, and it'll be easier to get her to slip around other people. She's not as good as she thinks she is."

"Can't you just…do your thing?"

"Stalker is…not so easy to pick apart. She doesn't really seem to think like most normal people. I can tear her down, but it won't last long and when she comes back, she'll be literally out for blood. It's better to do it inside the system. Give me one, maybe two weeks. At minimum, I can get you a restraining order against her. At best, I can get her into juvie if she really snaps."

I smiled, wrapping an arm around her middle.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, Tay?"

"Thank you." I hoped my voice carried the emotion that my words couldn't. From the way that Lisa squeezed me tighter against her side, I think I had succeeded.

"I'm here for you, Taylor. Now go to sleep, nerd. We have a big day tomorrow."

\/\/~*.' '.*~\/\/

Forward

"What are we going to do? She can't just sleep on the couch for forever; she's a goddamn Ward! She is a Ward, right, Lisa? That is Braid huddled in blankets on our couch, right?"

Brian sounded frustrated and upset, but at least he didn't sound that angry. None of them sounded angry.

I missed when people sounded angry. Sophia had been scary when she was angry, but I had been safer then. Not like when she was happy, when she taunting me, when she had…Sophia had been near ecstatic when she was detailing how she was going to get me to kill myself just by buffing her again, and again, and again, and again…

I missed when people were angry.

"Yes, my girlfriend is Braid. Now please just keep talking with the others. There's 15 seconds left in this video and I need to concentrate."

Lisa sounded a bit angry. Or very angry? That was good. That was comforting. She also hadn't cared that my eyes were glowing gold. Were they still gold?

I closed my eyes and reached down to the well inside me.

It was still overflowing. My eyes were still gold then.

"Fuck. They showed her face. They only ever did that with me before. How did the Boss get that video?"

Rachel was just confused. Was 'confused' safe? Probably. I didn't have much experience with 'confused' people.

"I'm pretty sure he was invited. Either him or a minion. It's hard to tell for sure, but either way it would explain a lot about why his info is so good."

"So our patron works at the PRT?" Alec hissed. "That is exactly how dear old Dad stayed ahead of the jerks. Well-placed moles. Great, this is just perfect. Your girlfriend is messing up my weekend six-ways to Sunday, Lisa, I hope you realize that! I didn't have any issues working for the guy until yesterday, and now every time I turn around it's like I'm back North again!"

"Guys, can we focus? We have a Ward sitting on our couch! This is not safe for us! Any moment they could come -"

"I deactivated all of her trackers the instant she was in my apartment; I'm not a fucking idiot, Brian. When someone tells you that they killed someone, you make damn sure they have time to calm down before you let the trigger-happy cops into your home unannounced."

The PRT should arrest me. I had vowed never to hurt anyone again with my power and now I had killed someone. Worse, I had liked it. Sophia had been planning to kill me, but…

There had to be a reason that Emma had stopped me from finishing the job all those weeks ago right? I had to control my power…I had to.

I had let that control go…

"Okay, here's what I'm getting," Lisa said. She was exceedingly calm now. She sounded like I sounded most of the time. Calm enough that it sounded fake. "From what Alec said, and from this briefing the PRT gave, I'm about 90% sure they're starting a manhunt for her."

"Lisa, what aren't you saying." Brian wasn't frustrated anymore. I couldn't place what his emotion was now.

"I think…My power is saying that they want to either throw her into Super-Max or…"

"…No."

"They wouldn't," Alec snapped. "There's actual monsters in this city. Lung is in this city. Kaiser has broken the Rules at least twice! Fuck, I'm in this city. She's a dork!"

"One of you just fucking say it, because I have no idea what you're talking about," Rachel growled. Brutus perked his head up from my lap looking towards her in the kitchen behind us.

"They might want to Birdcage her." I could barely hear Lisa's reply over the TV. It didn't matter, I had already expected it. I could kill with a touch. I had shown I was willing to do that. This was what I deserved.

"Bullshit. Your power has been wrong before."

"I know Rachel. God I hope I'm wrong this time. But I can't take that chance. I'm not letting them lock her up in that hell. Just, give me a few days guys. I'll keep trying to get anything more detailed to fill in some blanks. Failing that, I'll see if I can try to smooth things over with the PRT on her behalf. I got most of the story last night. I can fix this. I just need…time. Time to let things cool down, for the knee-jerk responses to calm. Find a good lawyer also. Self-defense is key here and, really, that alone saves her. But I won't let her get railroaded and if she goes back right now, my power is telling me she's going to get railroaded."

"She can stay here for a few days," Brian sighed. "But, Lisa - if this is that hot - you know I have to watch out for my sister first. And what about the Boss? What's he going to say about this? You're basically asking for carte blanche to handle your girl and possibly get yourself arrested in the process. That's what's going to happen if you go in there spouting off knowledge only a Thinker could get. He's not going to go for that."

The Undersiders worked for someone? Maybe I could work for him too. But that wouldn't really solve anything would it? I'd still be useless unless I hurt someone beforehand.

And I wouldn't do that again.

"I plan to contact some of her other friends too. I can fix this. I just can't risk taking her back to my place right now. Just…a few days. That's all I need."

"She can stay." Rachel was as gruff and as curt as always. Brutus laid his head back down on my lap, apparently satisfied that his master's argument was over.

"I wouldn't have exactly dragged the dork back to your apartment if I wasn't planning to help. I don't care where she's sleeping. I helped fuck this up, so I have to help make it right." Even when Alec didn't make much sense, he was still a good friend. He hadn't done anything wrong, only I had.

"I already said that she could stay, just…give us a heads up if this turns sour so I can try to walk away quickly enough okay? Please? At least pretend to respect me enough for that."

"I'll do what I can, Brian. Thanks, guys. If anyone orders pizza, just remember that Taylor likes pineapple on hers."

I didn't have to wait long before Lisa wedged herself onto the couch right next to me, pulling the blanket loose enough that she could slip in beside me and lay her head on my shoulder.

"Volume's pretty low, sweetie."

I just shrugged.

"Taylor, please talk to me. I can't actually read minds and you know that."

I tried not to let my voice waver as I whispered, "The news said there was a cape attack near Kurt and Lacey's house last night?"

I felt her flinch. That was all the answer I needed.

"I haven't really had a chance to check," she murmured. "Initial report looked like it had Empire flags, but it doesn't really seem like their style; and I'm too tapped out right now to dig deep without more details. I'm sure they're fine. The PRT would've put them under protective custody as soon as you went missing yesterday."

"Even with them aiming to lock me up?" I asked.

She flinched again. "You weren't supposed to hear any of that…"

"Lisa, are they…Is my Dad…?"

"I don't know, Taylor, I don't know," she sighed. She reached for my hand as it froze on top of Brutus' head, squeezing my fingers. "I'll find out."

More blood on my hands. All I did was hurt people.

"I'm going to fix this, Tay. I'll call Vicky in a few hours, I'll call Missy too. I'll get more details on what's really going on in the PRT. I'll arrange to get your side of the story told. Everything is going to be just fine."

What was even the point?

"Can I just -"

"We," she cut me off, squeezing my hand hard enough that it would probably have hurt if my well wasn't still overflowing. Another thing I had lost. "Where you go, I go."

"Can…we just…leave?" I whispered, shrinking down into the couch as much as I could.

"Leave like, the Docks, the city, or…"

"Everything…I just, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

Lisa was quiet for a long moment, before she leaned up to kiss my cheek. "You haven't hurt anyone, Taylor. I wish you could see that right now. I'll make it happen. I'll keep working on clearing your name so that when you're ready - when you're calmer and feeling better - you can come home. But for right now, I'll make it happen."

She started to get up, but I held her hand fast. She looked back at me and nodded, folding herself back onto the couch. I laid down, letting my head drop into her lap as Brutus shifted beside me, draping himself over my legs. Lisa laid one hand on my head and started running her fingers gently through my hair.

"Just a few minutes, Tay. Then I have to make some calls. I think I can swing this so that my boss will think it's a good idea to help get you out of the city. He doesn't ever have to know about me tagging along until we're long gone." She chuckled. "And hey, if that doesn't work, we can always just call for the Glory Girl Express, right?"

Lisa fell silent as the TV kept playing.

I didn't care how we left, I was just…so tired of it all now. I just wanted to rest.

\/\/~*.' '.*~\/\/

AN: I apologize if my French wording is off, I'm not a French speaker and google translate and asking for advice only gets so far when people don't have the entire context of the sentence.