AN: Hey guys! This is a little something I'm trying out. It follows the TV show and full disclosure, I haven't read the comics. If you like it, let me know. I hope you enjoy!

One

Bad Alibi's late afternoon crowd had finally made their way into the bar. It was too early for dinner, but too late to really be considered lunch. It was a sweet spot of sorts, a time in the day where people were still ordering more food than booze. In an hour or two, that would change, but for now, Grey was glad to not have to deal with the drunken crowd.

Bad Alibi wasn't a high-end place. It wasn't super popular, didn't have lines that stretched down the block or anything else like that, but people seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere, the drinks, they loved the food, and he'd spent the majority of the year in the black because of that. In a few weeks of ownership, Greyson McConnell had managed to keep his head above water. Then again, with friends like Dex Parios, he might not keep the winning streak up.

"Ah, thank you." Dex smiled as Grey slid a fresh beer along the top of the bar surface. He grinned a little at how relieved she seemed to be. It was the third in what would probably be a long line. "Hello, beautiful."

Grey arched a brow at her.

"You still haven't told me what happened." He said to her.

Dex took a moment to reply because she was too busy sucking just about every drop of ale from the dark brown bottle that housed it. When she did finally come up for air, however, she met his gaze heavily.

"Old, hairy, saggy," She was sure to stress that word in particular, "man-ass."

Grey grimaced. He felt his face twist with disgust as images forced their way into his mind regardless of his desire to keep them out.

"Seriously?"

She nodded heavily while she took another long pull. "I didn't want to see that." She groaned. "I mean, I was just following the car, right? How was I supposed to know they'd hook up in a parking lot? The guy's like, sixty. People in their sixties aren't supposed to be gettin' it on in the back of a car."

He smiled softly, but the image was still right there in his mind.

The pair of them talked for a little while, people came and went as they always did, but one in particular caught his attention. A young woman entered and paused not far from the front door. Her bright blue eyes scanned the bar.

Grey stared, probably blatantly. He hadn't meant to, but he couldn't help it. She was an attractive young woman decked in layers of clothing, her dark hair was up in a high, incredibly messy bun, and it was clear that she was looking for someone.

When her gaze landed on him, Grey felt a strange little jolt trickle down his spine, but it wasn't him that she was looking at. It was Dex. Grey eyed the woman at the bar curiously while the stranger charged forward. Before he could open his mouth to warn his friend that she was apparently being "hunted", the stranger reached them and promptly kicked Dex's stool. Dex freaked out and nearly fell.

"What the f-" Dex hollered as she spun around to confront her attacker, but the words died away quickly.

The stranger smiled wide, flashing her perfect teeth as she looked at the irate brunette.

"Hi!" She beamed.

"You're such an asshole." Dex said tersely, which surprised Grey a little. Her being surly wasn't anything new, but the fact that the stranger seemed completely at ease with it was odd. "What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"Can't I come visit my big sister for a little while? Like, a vacation or something?"

Sister? Grey thought.

"No," Dex said plainly. "Not when you live on the other side of the country. Besides, we're not that sort of family."

"Maybe I just missed you."

"We both know that's a lie."

"Yeah, fair point." She nodded. "But that doesn't mean I'm going anywhere any time soon." And then she looked up and seemed to finally notice Grey. He smiled to her. "Hello, random-stranger-listening-to-everything."

"Hi," He mused to himself.

"Desi, this is my friend Grey. Grey, this is my sister Des." Dex said.

"Pleasure," Desi extended her hand over the bar and shook his when offered.

"We've actually met before." Grey told her. The second he'd heard her name, he remembered her. Hard to forget, really.

"Have we?"

"Yup," he nodded. "You had blue hair back then."

Her eyes narrowed on him and Grey could practically see the wheels spinning. He decided to help her out.

He motioned to his face when he said, "No beard."

And then, after a moment or two, it seemed to finally click.

"Oh, right." She smiled. "I remember now. Holy shit, a beard changed a lot for you. You used to look so sweet and innocent. Now you look so rugged."

He chuckled while Dex groaned and scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Come on, don't do that." She said in a tone to match.

"Do what"

"Flirt. Don't flirt with him."

"I'm not!" Des defended weakly, but the smile on her lips washed away any sincerity. "I'm just being honest. He looked really young without a beard, and now he looks rugged. That's a simple fact."

"Yeah, Dex." With a teasing grin, Grey pointed at his face. "Fact."

She glared lightly at him, which only made him chuckle once more.

"Anyway," She said as her attention went back to her sister, who was now sipping her beer. "Where are you planning to stay?" Dex snatched the bottle away. "Tell me it's at a hotel."

Des wiped the spilt beer from her chin and replied, "I'm staying with you."

"Bullshit,"

"Why not?"

"You're not staying with me. I don't-"

"Have the room?" Des said sarcastically. "Bullshit on you. Grams gave you the house, which has three damn bedrooms. You and Ansel have the room, so I'm staying there."

The two continued to send biting remarks back and forth as typical siblings would, all the while Grey stayed silent and watched. He couldn't tell if he bothered to hide his smirk or not, but if either of them had glanced in his direction, they'd be able to see it and probably turn some of that ire on him.

"Jesus, you're such a pain in the ass." Dex snapped. "What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I already told you." Desi replied as she slid onto the stool beside her sister.

"And I don't believe it." Dex wasn't going to let it go. "Don't you have a couple of jobs or something like that?"

She shrugged at Dex, but turned her primary attention to Grey.

"Hi," She smiled politely.

"Hi," He fought the grin.

"Can I have a beer, please?"

"Sure," He nodded and stepped back only far enough to grab one of the bar's home brews out from the cooler. He twisted the top and offered it to her. "Here you go."

"Thank you,"

She sounded truly relieved as she took the ice-cold beverage and put the bottle to her lips. She even went so far as to let out a light groan of approval while she drank heartily. Grey's eyes danced to Dex and he could see her losing her patience. It was that special kind of irritation that only a sibling could cause.

"Des," Dex was annoyed, angry, but Desi didn't seem even the slightest bothered. Instead, she had the gall to hold up a finger while she continued to drink from her beer, silently telling Dex to give her a minute. Grey's brows rose in surprise. No one had the balls to so blatantly blow off the angry elder Parios. "Desdemona Fuji,"

Des choked on her drink and finally gave her sister her attention.

"Dexedrine Callisto," She snapped back.

Grey tried to hide his laugh, but it burst forward regardless. He couldn't explain how terrifying it was to have both of their faces jerk in his direction at the same time. Both of them stared blankly, but underneath it, he could see the anger bubbling.

"Something funny, Greyson?" Dex asked in a tone that let him know she didn't appreciate the laughter. That and the use of his full name told him plainly that he'd annoyed her.

"Nope," He shook his head. "I've just never heard your full name before."

"Our parents had a thing for terrible names." Dex mumbled.

"I was supposed to be named Ophelia." Des said. "Apparently, they'd rather name me after a woman who was murdered than died accidentally, or… committed suicide. Whichever."

"Good deal," he replied. Grey wasn't really sure what else he was expected to say.

Des and Dex turned to look back at one another and Grey felt a surprising amount of relief when they did. He didn't even mind the arguing that continued once they had.

Grey leaned back against the counter that held the bottles, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched the two bicker. It was like a National Geographic documentary –a rare glimpse into the life of the elusive Parios.

While they argued, it gave him a chance to compare the two. Maybe it was just the knowledge that they were related, or maybe because he was curious as to how similar they were personality-wise. He couldn't say. Grey just watched as though it would fill in anything.

They both had dark hair, though Des's was a little darker. They each had an oval face, but Dex's cheekbones were a little more defined, while Desi's lips were fuller. Dex had green eyes, Des had bright blue. They had their own differences, but there were clear signs that they were related. Both of them were really attractive young women, and it was hard to ignore, but those biting tongues were ready and waiting.

Grey had known Dex for long enough to be well-aware she had a razor-sharp wit. She was sarcastic, blunt, and brutally tore those who insulted her apart. He'd seen her cut down plenty of people, be they drunks or belligerent clients. Not many could hold their own against her, but Des seemed to know the dance well. Step for step, punch for punch, she was right there with her sister.

"Oh, please," Desi scoffed. Her voice brought Grey back into reality. "I worked at a plant nursery and a bar. It's not like I did anything important." And then she added derisively, "I think they'll survive without me."

"You can't just walk away from a job, let alone two." Dex practically growled she was so mad.

"Right, because finding employment in those two fields is ungodly difficult." She said sarcastically. "Hey, Grey," He met her gaze. "Need a bartender?"

Grey's brows rose curiously at her blunt way of addressing the issue. There was no hesitation, no hemming or hawing, just the blatant question.

"Actually,"

"No," Dex snapped sharply. "No, you're not working here."

"Why not?"

"Because this is where I come to relax." There was a wine laced within her words, a heavy sort of whine that Des had to have noticed. "I don't want you working here."

"Very mature." Des replied as she rolled her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be the oldest?" Dex didn't reply. She simply took a sip of her beer and was content to ignore her little sister, which seemed fine by Des. With another roll of her eyes, Des finished off her own drink, and then dug into her pocket. "How much?"

"Don't worry about it." Grey said. "On the house."

Des's brows tugged together curiously as she looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," He chuckled and nodded.

"Hm," Des gave a nod of her own and stowed her money. Her attention went back to her sister. "Keys," She held out her hand.

Dex eyed her skeptically. "I'm not giving you my house keys."

"Fine. I can get in without them."

Des turned and was nearly out the door when Dex shouted after her, "You break in and I'll call the cops!"

Des's response was a middle finger launched high into the air, and then she was gone. Grey looked at Dex and watched as she plowed her fingers through her hair, fisted it harshly, and growled loudly.

"God, she just gets under my skin." Dex said.

"I can see that." Grey chuckled. Dex shot him an angry glare, but he didn't let it bother him.

"You have any sisters?"

"Nope, just brothers."

"Lucky bastard." She grumbled as she took another sip of her beer.

Grey heard someone calling for him and excused himself to handle the situation. He couldn't remove his smile. It'd been five years, maybe six, since Des had been in town. Grey met her only once back then, so he wasn't surprised she didn't remember him, but that also meant he hadn't seen the two of them together. Even those few minutes, which most definitely equated to less than ten, were intense.

Desdemona Parios was like a hurricane that swept in, threw the world into chaos, and then skittered back out to leave those in her wake to deal with the mess. It didn't bother him because Dex was the same. In fact, he was used to it, but seeing someone leave Dex so twisted made him laugh to himself. He hoped Desi hung around for a while because he did, actually, need a bartender.

Dex didn't know where Grey had gone, but assumed it was to do something bar related. She didn't really care. She was still reeling after Des's random appearance.

God damn Des, she thought to herself.

Dex loved her sister, she did, but if there was a person in the world who angered her more than anyone else, it was her damn sister. That was true of everyone, though, wasn't it? Family was always that "one thing".

Sometimes, Dex swore that Ansel was her reward. She liked to think that God, if He existed, saw how stressful and irritating Desi was and gifted Dex with someone as sweet, loving, and kind as Ansel.

After taking in the last bit of her beer, Dex was prepared to order another. Part of her wanted to stay at Bad Alibi to get drunk. She didn't want to go home because she knew Des would be there waiting for her and she wasn't prepared to deal with her little sister.

Dex's head dipped as she buried her face in her palm. The last time Des was in town, she stayed for a week and in that week, she'd been arrested for drunk and disorderly, and assault. In truth, Dex was all for her sister in that situation. Some guy grabbed her ass, so Des reacted like every Parios woman would –she punched him in the face. Thank God Dex managed to work out a deal to get her released.

"You want another?"

Grey's voice caused Dex to pull herself back into reality. She looked up and nodded heavily. A crooked little grin, one that he wore a ridiculous amount of time it seemed, tugged at the corner of his lips as he took away her empty and replaced it with a brand new beer.

"You can't give her a job here, Grey." She said. He looked a little surprised by the declaration. "I'm serious. You can't let Des work here."

"Why not?" He drew back and leaned against the far counter with his thick arms crossed casually. "Peter quit two weeks ago. You know I need someone."

"Not her." Dex said sternly.

"She lazy?"

Dex thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"She steal from her last place?"

"No," Dex sighed because she already knew where this was heading.

Grey shrugged nonchalantly. "That's really all I'm worried about."

Dex glared at him which made him smile again. If she didn't like him as much as she did, she'd punch him in the face. He was lucky they'd been friends for so long.

"Look," He finally said, "If she's just gonna be in town for a little while, it doesn't matter. If she's going to be around a little longer, why not? At least she'd be out of your place."

His reasoning was sound, which bothered her greatly. Hopefully, it wouldn't matter in the end. Dex's life was hectic enough without having to deal with Des, too.

With another sigh, Dex ran her fingers through her hair and scratched her head. She would deal with it later. Right now, she just wanted to drink. After taking pictures of an old man nailing his mistress, she wanted to drown herself in alcohol.

The house was locked up tight, which surprised Des more than it should have. Truth was, Dex wasn't a very responsible person, so her locking both doors was a shock. If Des hadn't grown up in the house, she would have been annoyed that she couldn't get in. The truth was, she knew a way. She knew the way.

To the left of the craftsman-style house was an old oak tree. The oak was one of those that grew low to the ground, not tall. The thick, twisted branches were an easy ladder that Des used to get onto the low roof. Quick steps took her to the attic window with the janky lock. She was glad to find that Dex was too lazy to fix it, and slid right inside. When she was a kid, the attic was Dex's bedroom. It looked like it was used for storage now.

Des trudged downstairs, heard the familiar creak of the fourth step down, and instantly unlocked the front door. She retrieved her bags from her rental and dropped them unceremoniously in the living room. An instant later, she fell onto the couch.

The house hadn't changed much since Grams died. The furniture was still the same, still in the same place in fact. The only difference was the way it smelled and the fact that Dex's shit was everywhere. At least Ansel's things were organized, always put away because he liked the order of it. He wasn't home, which led her to believe that he was probably with a tutor (if he still went to them) or was at soccer practice.

Des arched a brow at everything. While she'd sworn years ago that she would never come home, where the hell else was she supposed to go?

When you're scared or in trouble, you go home, right?