Laughter fluttered through the smog-ridden air; wind whipped around a petite woman's face as she danced between gunshots. She was graceful and powerful, her face hidden by a tan mask that was painted to resemble a smiling face. Snow white hair was tangling rapidly in the harsh wind, and yet the woman pursued her target anyway. The golden body suit she wore left little to the imagination yet she was confident enough to wear it. She, a firefly, beautiful but hard to catch.
Explosions intermingled with her voice, creating harmonious background music that she swayed to, seemingly at peace with the carnage. It is only a rough bark of a well-built man and the worried cry of a thinner, but just as muscular man, that stopped her deadly dance.
"Wife! Enough games, we got what we came for." She visibly deflated but ultimately followed the man's orders. With a flirty wave to the government officials chasing her, the three-man group disappears.
← It was over when I let vanity win →
"You're going to give me a heart attack one day! And here I thought I was reckless." He hissed as he pulled the mask off of his head letting his hair fall freely to his shoulders. Choosing to ignore the soft giggles and elbow that pokes into his ribs.
"I'm afraid it's in the genetics, kiddo." She teased before ruffling his hair.
"Why do you still call me that? I haven't been a kid in forever, Drew."
Her eyebrows draw in frustratedly as she put down the tube of red lipstick that was inches from her lips, "You'll always be my kid brother, duh."
Doyle's eyes roll as he unclipped the jetpack from his back, "Still, did you have to stick around and mess with those tight-asses? The one in the orange suit looked constipated," he pauses, "or aroused."
"Can you blame him? You should be lucky to have someone like me as your sister. Though I will admit… he was kinda cute." She purred and quickly ties her hair up.
Her brother stopped and stared with a pale face, "Okay, one, gross. Two, gross. And what are you saying? You're married to my boss."
"Hey! I'm technically your boss too. And really? Gross? That's the best you can come up with? I don't know who's more childish, you or your nephew."
Doyle didn't bother to respond, instead, he chose to blow a raspberry in her direction. Slumping into the ratty couch that decorated their tiny, but well-loved flat, Doyle kicked his feet up onto the faded wood of their coffee table. Poking out his lips he checked his watch before scrambling to grab the remote at the other end of the sofa. Rolling her eyes she turned back to her vanity and looked through her collection of jewels, "Let me guess, is Weird World coming on?"
His eyes lit in joy and he flashed her his goofiest grin, "Yep, quality entertainment at 7 central every night. If mini-man isn't here in five I'm tuning in without him."
Grabbing ahold to one large bobble with small rubies embedded into the sides she threw a discouraging look his way, "If he shaves the rest of your hair off I don't wanna hear it. Though, I still don't understand what you two see in that show. Argost is a creep."
"A creep that makes a good T.V. show." Doyle retorted.
A few more minutes of silence passed before Doyle's impatience won out. He channel surfed until he found Chiller and then threw one more glance at the door. Drumming his fingers on his knee he clicked the program and hummed the surprisingly catchy theme song of V.V. Argost's Weird World. And as if called, the door flung open, a tiny body bounded towards the couch and flopped over her brother.
Chuckling as her brother let out an exhausted 'oof', Drew swayed over to the couch and bent down to look at her little hellion, "Hiya honey, did'ya have a nice day?" She asked as she planted a kiss to his two-toned hair.
Popping his head up he grinned and dug out a shiny chain with a very large diamond at its center. Placing it in her hand he puffed out his chest with pride, "She didn't even feel it was missing."
Admiring the shine in the light she pressed another kiss to his temple, "That's my boy."
Groaning Doyle shoved her son's head down and glared at her, "Yeah, yeah, kid's a regular thief. Now shush, it's starting."
Letting her boys do their thing she walked back over to the large vanity, the necklace now clasped around her neck. She smirked. Leonidas may like to think that Zak took after him but her baby had her brains. As the light caught the diamond, Drew knew he had her taste too.
← When you've asked where I've been→
When night fell, and her brother and son had passed out from drowsiness on the sofa, her husband had come home. She had already been in bed and had only woken up because of the cheap bed springs creaking. Grumbling as she opened her eyes she made a note to convince her cheapskate to buy a better bed. Still, her eyes were drawn to his bare back that was illuminated with pale moonlight.
Sneaking her fingers up his spine she elegantly rose onto her knees and draped herself across his broad shoulders, "Sneaking into bed so late, Leonidas?" His hands found her arms and she shivered at the feeling of his calloused fingers. Adjusting her weight so that he fell on his back she twisted so that she straddled his toned midsection, "So? Where were you hot-stuff?"
His dark brown eyes bore into her own, the heated smolder that hid behind his gruff appearance made her thighs tremble with want. A shit eating grin played on his lips as he settled his hands on her waist, "Insecurity is an ugly color for you, wife."
Glaring down at him she captured his lips with her own, biting roughly at his bottom lip, "What would I possibly need to be insecure for, honey?" She hissed making sure her words were sprinkled with venom.
Below her, ensnared between her thighs, he growled cheekily. His hand traveling to rest on her backside, "Feisty as ever baby."
Grabbing his hand, she placed it back above the belt, "I think you forget who you're talking to at times," she admitted before rolling off of him and settling back into her side of the bed, "did you forget who controls our sex life?"
She heard the string of curses before she felt him get up and walked to the joint bathroom that connected to their room. Hearing the shower come on she smothered a laugh, a case of blue balls would set him straight. Though it was troubling, he seemed to come home later each day, he looked a little more wary, a little less energetic. Something was sucking the life out of her husband.
No matter, she'd get to the bottom of it.
← When the money came in →
She did get to the bottom of it. Her husband's absence that is. Out of all the things to do, he thought with his wallet and not his head. Not that it was unusual for her husband but still... The greedy man had gone and made a deal, with Argost, he signed them over to work. For Argost.
It was only reasonable that she attempted to strangle him the moment he walked into the door to their cramped home. He had been confused at first, but once he saw his hand-held Portable Information Device in her hand he took a step back. Smart man, her husband. He was very right to be cautious of her.
"...Wife."
"Husband."
Doyle, who sat with wide eyes and a mouthful of noodles at their table, gently sat down his cup ramen as he watched the tension flow between them. Glancing over to her brother she made a dismissive motion with her hand, "Go take Zak to the park or something. Here," She called before throwing one of their credit cards at him, "give me an hour or two."
He saluted, turned on his heel, and quickly grabbed her half-awake son who was watching some colorful cartoon in the living room. Catching her son's eye before he left she smiled sweetly at him, "Wasn't there a new gaming system out that you wanted, baby? I think if you hurry you can still go get one before they sell out." Seeing the joy that lit up his cherub face was almost enough to make her forget her anger.
Almost.
The flame of her fury was quickly rekindled as her husband went to protest the spending of money. Grabbing tight to his collar she pulled him to her eye level, "You are a piece of work you know that? Out of all the slimy, back alley, creeps that we've worked for in the past, you went with Argost?" She seethed silently, Argost really was one of the worst people she's had the pleasure of meeting, "What happened to me having a say-so in our business?"
His hands captured her wrists and for a moment they had a brief struggle before she kicked him in the shin; with the moment of his lapsed concentration she latched on to one ear and twisted as hard as she could.
Pain lanced across his face before he let go of her completely, "Ow, ow, ow, goddamnit Drew!"
Finally taking pity on him she released her hold. She tapped her foot idly against the ground as she waited for his excuses. Sensing her impatience he folded, "Argost made a deal, I couldn't refuse it, it was how do you say… very beneficial. All he asks for is a stone, in return, we get a small fortune."
Drew pinched the bridge of her nose, "Fine," she said, "Let me see the contract."
Her husband pulled out his personal computer and opened up one of the most encrypted file she had seen in years. Sliding the computer her way she saw him eye the cup of noodles Doyle left on his way out. Choosing to ignore the slurping sounds she delved into the text and double checked it for any loopholes that didn't work in their favor.
Thankfully, her husband was at least slightly competent as she couldn't point out any glaringly obvious flaws, but the object they were after caught her attention. It was something called the Kur Stone. She had read up on it after she dropped out of college to follow Van Rook. An old classmate of hers had been the one to find it. The stone was supposedly the key to finding an ancient cryptid called Kur, a being who could control other cryptids. She had wanted to learn more about it, but it had been stolen.
Until now, she hummed, wondering where it had been for the last eight years.
"When do we leave?" She asked as she tried to keep her interest under wraps.
He side eyed her as he leaned back in his chair, "Three days, the house we're searching is stationed on a government restricted island off the Atlantic coast. We have a week to scout the place."
Tapping her well-manicured nails against the trackpad she huffed, "And when were you gonna let me know about this heist?"
"Bah," he grumbled, "you know about it now don't you? Besides, apprentice will take care of most of the work. We just get in, tare up a few drapes, get the stone, and leave before the scientist comes back."
"What about Zak?"
"What about him?" Her husband asked raising a brow as he looked longingly towards the pantry.
"I'm not leaving our son alone for two weeks for a rock, Leonidas." She stated firmly.
Leonidas sighed and scratched his head before taking the computer back from his wife, "We bring him along then."
Drew was sure her look was boiling him with its intensity. It was one thing to teach her son how to pickpocket, or to steal, and lie. Those skills would help him in the long run, but it was another to bring him along on a highly dangerous criminal break-in. Her husband continued to match her gaze without fail. It seems neither of them were willing to back down.
"Doyle can watch the brat while we do the job. He is lazy but he is well trained. Apprentice won't let anything bad happen to our son, Drew."
… Drew couldn't argue with him without admitting that she thought her brothers' skills weren't on par with their own, so she reluctantly agreed. When her two boys came home she told them to pack for a few weeks and to clean out the refrigerator of any perishable goods. It was highly likely that they wouldn't see their comforting New York flat for a good few months after this endeavor.
← It was over when I let everything go →
The 'field-trip' was exhausting. It was one thing for three able-bodied adults to make a flight across an entire country and a large mass of water. It was an entirely different thing for three able-bodied adults and a child to make the trip. It wasn't like any of them were weak, or that Zak was particularly heavy or needy, but their arms still felt fatigue and Zak wouldn't keep still for more than two hours at a time. Not that she blamed him, she was sure he had some sort of attention disorder but still, it was a pain in the neck to have to stop every so often. A four-day flight turned into six.
It wasn't all bad she supposed. She got the chance to see her husband teach her son how to fish and she laughed whenever Doyle tried and failed, to one-up Leonidas. But time was money, and they were wasting both. And if there was one thing Drew shared in common with her husband, she loathed wasting money.
Without a good reason, that is. Shopping sprees were definitely a good cause. Annoying her cheapskate of a husband was one, too.
They just had one more stretch to go, they were all restless, and they were all ready to cause some sort of chaos. She hoped where they were going had a T.V. A high definition T.V., she enjoyed breaking T.V.s. It was part of the reason Leonidas never bought one that was more than fifty dollars, the television was always the first casualty when Drew's emotions got the better of her. There was just something… satisfying about watching the colors flicker and sparks fly.
That was beside the point, they were all ready for demolition, and if she was lucky, she could find a few trinkets that would capture her interest. Her son, Zak, was a thief at heart, small, and knew his way around crawl spaces. The plan loosely agreed on, involved sending Zak in and allowing him to make a base in the vents while they stayed out and charted down any cameras and major defense areas to avoid or take down. The scientist would eventually leave his sanctuary to study some cryptid and they would capitalize on the situation to sneak in once Zak snipped a few wires and let down the security system.
And their plan was working pretty well, everything according to plan until it didn't.
← When I needed less loans →
Rubble crunched under her boot heel, and yet the scarcely furnished rooms were nothing but a disappointment. The scientist was a bachelor, a dull one at that. The house lacked a feminine touch. The house lacked anything worth stealing, in her opinion. Of course, she knew the technology around her was worth millions, billions even. She swiped a few hard drives here and there but ultimately she was left to destroy, as to calm her frustration. At least Doyle seemed to be having a better time than she was. Her brother was a nerd, deep down under his repressed issues and mullet, so she wasn't surprised to see him sliding random metal scraps and doohickies into his satchel. Her son flitted from room to room swiping whatever was small enough to hide in his various pockets. If he found anything worthwhile she would know later; her precious momma's boy always gave her the best treasures. Her husband on the other hand…
"Leonidas!"
"Wife?!" She heard his gravely snarl from the room above her and decided not to waste time, lifting her wrist blaster to the sky she fired shots one after another until the ceiling caved in.
Letting her jetpack do the heavy lifting she poked her head in the room and sighed, once again it was plain, but she forced herself to focus. Heaving the rest of her body up onto the floor she watched her husband upheave a tacky looking loveseat, "Have you found the stone?"
"What do you think?" He said, his shoulders tense.
Drew may have looked over the contract but she didn't know what had been said when the deal was made. It would be her luck for Leonidas to gamble their lives away because of his pride. For all she knew, he did, and his tense disposition came from the sword swinging above his head.
"We've searched from top to bottom, maybe the damn thing isn't even here." Her brother intruded as he swaggered into the room, her son perched on his shoulders looking as innocent as if his pockets weren't bulging out suspiciously.
"Why do you say that, apprentice?" Her husband growled.
"Uh, duh, a fancy, top-secret, research base like this? Not good for security detail. If it were me I'd have buried it or sent it to the bottom of the ocean, maybe I'd even have broken it, and just saved a picture of it on my phone." Doyle retorted.
Behind the mask she smiled, her brother shared her intelligence, but then again, to make up for her husband's lack of it her family had to be blessed. Glancing out of the window she admired the view, perhaps she would have to convince Leonidas to buy them an island safe house. Later on, when Leonidas was complaining in her ear, she'd say it was her quick wit that alerted them to the situation that was waiting to unfold.
A brown rope slithered pass her view and disturbed the serene forest backdrop. Barking out a quick order to hide she grabbed her son off of her brother's shoulders and tossed him under the couch while she only ducked behind it. She didn't risk looking back to see if her two boys followed her orders; instead, she let the sound of breaking glass and heavy breathing serve as her sight. By the groan, she could tell that her husband had not hidden in time. It was a man who had crashed through the window if the heavy footsteps were any indication.
Hearing the tell-tale sound of crashing and breaking glass she flipped over the couch and surveyed the scene. It was sad really, the man—the same orange wearing man from earlier this month— was woefully unprepared for all three and a half of them. As it was currently, he was pinned, though he had managed to knock out her brother. With her wrist blaster trained on his brow and her son, she'd really have to teach him to stay hidden, wrapping a rope around his ankle he was completely beaten. Rising from her steady position but not lowering her aim she couldn't pass up the chance to tease him, "Oh? What do we have here? Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on someone while they're busy?"
"Sneak up on?! It's my house!" He argued and kept those sinfully dark eyes locked on hers behind her mask.
"Someone's in a cranky mood I see, tell you what honey, all I need is a little information and then I'll be out of your hair, 'kay?" She purred as she removed her mask and fluttered her eyelids; vaguely she could hear her husband growl in irritation but she was enjoying herself so she didn't pay him any mind.
"And if I refuse?" The man below her bit out.
"Well, let's just say I don't recommend that." She said as she moved her wrist closer to his skull.
Just as his mouth opened to continue their lovely conversation the door burst open in a fit of splinters. A furry behemoth tumbled through with a roar, it's red eyes filled with rage. Jumping back just as the ape tackled her husband she reached for her holster but was rudely interrupted by a kick to the jaw. Glaring at the scientist she charged.
Every kick was blocked, every punch redirected. She simply wasn't making headway with the handsome man. This would have to be a mission of her feminine wiles, she decided as she noticed that he pulled most of his punches. Falling back she let her zipper slide further down her collarbone until the top of her chest was exposed. Just like she predicted, he was a true gentleman, he averted his eyes and in doing so his stance got sloppy.
Just as she moved in for the kill, the furry creature threw her husband between them, his head clunking against the wall leaving him a disoriented mess. With Doyle out of commission and her husband swaying on his feet, it was obvious that defeat was closing in on them. Placing her hands above her head she coyly shot her eyes to the scientists', "You wouldn't hurt a lady would you?"
"That depends if the… lady," she rolled her eyes at how much disgust he said the word was said with, "will cooperate."
"Fine, big boy, simmer down." His brow quirked but he didn't say a word as she moved over to her brother and husband.
"You… I know you from somewhere." He said.
"Your dreams, maybe?" Drew let her voice dip an octave lower and inwardly smirked at her successful flirting. His cheeks had reddened slightly but his frown deepened.
"I don't dream about criminals." He growled and Drew was only slightly guilty to admit it made her knees weak, "I got it! Drew Blackwell!" He called his eyes widening at his epiphany.
Now that got her attention. He knew her from somewhere, he knew her birth name, for chrissake. She sent him a glare that would have melted lesser men but he seemed untouched by it. He seemed to sense that he had gained something from her, his stance widened and he stepped forward, "You don't remember me do you? It's me, Solomon Saturday."
And something just—clicked.
Solomon, doc, Saturday. The man she played cat and mouse with in college, the man who she nearly left Van Rook for. Doc, who was a young, brilliant man who promised to give her the life she never had. But that was years ago, and she didn't remember him and she certainly didn't think he would remember her. She was a touch flattered.
"Drew, god, it's been ages! But is this," he motioned with his hands, "what you've been doing? Breaking into houses for a living? I see you on the news every other Sunday. What happened? You used to fight me for the top GPA and now…"
"And now nothing, listen Doc—Solomon— whatever it was that you think we had…" She started but he swiftly grabbed her hand with more gentleness than she had experienced in ages.
"Why did you leave, Drew? Was it a debt because you know I could—"
With a pained sound, his leg was ripped from under him. Taking advantage of his disability she threw down a flash grenade and practically tore out of the room with her brother over her shoulder and her husband barely following her footsteps.
Once she was free and in the air she struggled to catch her breath and calm her heart, he had affected her in ways she hadn't thought was possible after all these years. He had torn apart the mentality she had equipped after being in Van Rook's company and yet she found herself yearning for him in the same way she did fourteen years ago.
It was only after she traveled to the nearest source of land that wasn't Solomon's Island did she realize that she had left her baby behind in her haste to escape.
For the second time that day her heart froze.
← When you need me most →