Chapter 15:

Nick's old Staten-Island neighborhood was the stuff of legends. Home to half-a-hundred famous gangsters from they heyday of the Mob, the place had an old-time charm to it that immediately attracted Helen's interest. So this is where you grew up, huh, thought the hybrid. Nick was telling her about some of the things he'd done in this old neighborhood–everything from opening hydrants in the summer to playing stickball, to endless games of cops and robbers.

As he talked, Helen got a feel for the world that had raised him, and honestly, she liked him more. He wasn't rich. He wasn't powerful, but he was really just the sort of nice man that a woman needed. Right now, Helen was very much in need of a man. It was rough seeing Mike and Lucy every day. They were good friends of hers, but it was painful seeing them so in love when she was so miserable. At the same time, she was a little bit nervous about the way this was going. Usually you invited women you were dating to your parents' place. She'd just met Nick.

"Are you sure this is ok,"she asked? "I don't want to impose..." "For the last time," growled Nick, "I bring friends by all the time." Nick eased his beater car into a parking spot. He was thrifty, living in a cheap third-floor walkup and driving a heap to save cash. Manny blew money every way he could find to blow it. It was a defining part of their relationship, one that had caused many of their fights over the years. In a lot of ways, Nick Luchini was a different man than her ex, and Helen found herself subconsciously comparing the two. "C'mon," said Nick as he shut the car off.

His mother was waiting on them as they exited the car and headed for the stairs. Helen was conscious of the way Nick's mother stared at her as she approached. "Evenin', ma," boomed Nick as he embraced his momma. She was the stereotypical plump Italian woman with a round face and rosy red cheeks. "Who's your friend, Nick," asked Helena Luchini? "I thought you were bringing Becca..." "Nah," said Nick. "We broke up, ma..." Helen could see the disappointment in the older woman's eyes. She imagined Becca was pretty and conventional in every sense of the word.

"Ma," said Nick, "I'd like you to meet Helen Wheels. She works with me on that case I told you about. Helen? Meet Helena Luchini. Her friends call her Saint Helena because she raised four rowdy boys and one girl." His mother blushed, as she invited them in. Afraid of what she was up against, Helen went with trepidation.

Inside the house was typical New England row-house–plaster walls, parlor in front, formal dining room in the middle, with kitchen out back. Off the entry, a grand staircase climbed to the second and third floor. The house, in spite of age, was in good shape, looking well-cared for. Nick took Helen's coat and hung it up in the hall closet next to his heavy patrolman's jacket. Then he led the way into the parlor where an older version of Nick sat reading the New York Daily News. His eyes immediately flicked up to Helen's. Helen gave him a sweet smile.

"Nicky," rumbled the older man, "who's the girl?" "Pops," announced Nick, "this is Helen. She works with me on that case I told you about... Helen, this is my old man, Dave Luchini." "You don't look like you're from around here," remarked Nick's dad..." Helen staved off the inevitable question, answering that charge with, "born in Bellwood, California, with the birth-certificate to prove it..." At his dad's questioning look, Nick winked and said, "she gets that a lot..." "I'll bet," agreed his father. Nick motioned for her to have a seat on the couch. Leaving her there, he headed out back to chat with his mom.

"So you're a cop," announced Dave. Helen replied, "yeah. Pays the bills." "Federal," asked Dave? "Intergalactic," replied Helen. "Like that girl on TV," said Dave! Helen nodded. "Pay good," asked the elder Luchini? "Ok, I guess," replied Helen. She didn't really dwell on it. The older man announced, "my son. He's been livin' in a dump for a couple of years..." Helen flushed at that damning condemnation of her partner. From what she could tell, Nick was frugal, and she said so. "There's frugal, and there's cheap, girlie," replied the older man. "My son's gettin' too close to the second..."

In the kitchen, Nick soaked in the wonderful smells, and felt the bite of his hungry stomach as the juices started to flow. Unlike the run of modern youth, Nick was a frequent visitor at his parents' place. His friends called him a momma's boy, but the reality was that he was taking outrageous advantage. His ambition was to have a nice apartment in a modern building, and he wouldn't get there if he ate out all the time. Visits with mom and dad filled his stomach three nights a week and got him free laundry as opposed to the insane six bucks a load where he lived.

His mother immediately started in on him in Italian. She most often did that when she had something to say about his friends that she was too polite to say to their faces. Unsurprisingly today it was about Helen. "Aw, ma, she's a nice person," said Nick. "She was abducted and some guy did that to her. Cut her some slack. She's been through a lot." Helena Luchini asked the burning question, "are you dating her?" "Ma," complained Nick. "I don't try to date every girl I see! Helen's my partner!" Helena nodded, but she didn't look like she believed that. She was known for saying men couldn't be friends with women without trying to get in their pants.

Done with the cooking, Helena went out and announced dinner was ready. The foursome gathered around the cramped kitchen table and dug in. Helen was a little uncomfortable after having to deflect Nick's father from his suggestions that his son lived like a bum. Nick, oblivious to that, talked freely about all he'd seen. He was excited and delighted to talk about raiding the alien trap-house. He talked about meeting the frog ambassador and all the things he had learned. Shockingly for Helen, he couldn't say enough about his new partner.

His praise felt good to a mind and heart that was used to being a freak. She felt her face go warm as Nick told his parents about how instrumental she'd been on the raid. Nick's dad actually pat her on the back, telling her she was welcome any time. Helena was a little more reserved, but she thanked the little woman for coming. After helping Nick clear the table, Helen was anxious to scoot. Against all odds, things had gone well. She wanted to escape before the evening changed course.

Instead, Nick began washing dishes, leaving Helen at the tender mercy of his parents in the parlor. It was an interesting experience, with David Luchini asking about her work and suggesting maybe his son could do better with the Plumbers. Nick's mom was far more interested in what Helen thought of Nick, leaving the hybrid wondering where she was going with that. Could she sense Helen's attraction to her son? Of course Helen thought the world of Nick. He was intelligent, charming, funny, and thrifty. On top of that, he'd been a gentleman in every sense of the word, being far kinder to her than she'd seen in a while.

"My husband here thinks he's cheap," grumbled Helena! The alien-girl laughed and admitted, "my former boyfriend could have learned from your son... He almost got kicked out of his place for missing the rent." It was one of Manny's endless excuses for why they couldn't get married. He felt he didn't make enough money. The reality was that he spent every dime he got on stupid things. "So you dumped this loser," asked Helena? Helen blushed as Nick's dad tried to stop his wife prying into Helen's life. Face gone dark, Helen admitted, "he dumped me... He... doesn't want to get married..." "There's plenty of good men out there," said Helena. "You'll find somebody..." Having said that, Helena excused herself and got up to go see what was keeping Nick.

While her husband apologized for her meddling, Helena cornered her son in the kitchen. "Did you know she's single," whispered Helena? As he stacked the pots, Nick allowed that he did. He'd finally pried it out of her after asking why she got crabby every time Mike showed Lucy any affection. "Well, have you asked her out," demanded Helena? Nick nearly dropped the pot he was holding. He did manage to bang it on the counter. Taking the pot from him, his mother opined, "she's a little odd, Nicky, but she's a good catch..." And she proceeded to lay out all the good qualities she'd observed in his little friend. In her mind, Helen Wheels was far better than Rebecca Hanson. She knew how to save her pennies, and, from the sound of things, she worked hard. She was perfect wife material.

This wasn't the first time she'd gotten this way. Nick's mom was very old-school, and she was almost incensed that Nicky was the only one of her kids who wasn't married. His younger brother had already gotten hitched, straight out of high-school. It really didn't seem to matter to her that Nick had plans of his own. A man was supposed to find a good woman, put a ring on her finger, and settle down. It drove him up the wall, and he wanted to scream at her. "Ma," growled Nick. "She's my partner!"

Helena Luchini acted as if she didn't even hear those words. "Make her some espresso," she commanded. "You can go up on the roof for a while. It's not really that cold..." Meaning he was supposed to take Helen upstairs and put the moves on her. Counting to ten, Nick conjured up all the patience he possessed, while his mother laid out two coffee cups and turned on the coffee machine. In a scant ten minutes, Nick found himself walking out on the roof with his partner of one week, shaking his head and muttering curses under his breath.

His dad had built a deck on the roof of his home, complete with floating walkway, tables, chairs, and a couple of umbrellas–currently folded for the season. It was the sort of thing that would have struck Helen as a little bit loopy. In California, there was always a beach or park to go to if you wanted a picnic. Having landed in this concrete jungle, she'd come to realize that not everyone was as blessed as she was to have all the space they wanted. She found their patio to be cute, and the view was stunning.

Oblivious to all the kitchen politics, Helen stared out at the distant New York City skyline and whistled. It was quite a view. Behind her, Nick found himself checking out the view of her butt–poured into a pair of skin-tight Levis. Shit, she's got a nice ass, he thought. She'd admitted she had the jeans tailored to her body, and he had to admit the effect was stunning. Shaking himself, he glanced away from the sight of Helen's wiggling bottom.

"Well," announced Helen, "that went well..." She sounded far more relaxed than when they arrived. Nick chuckled. Handing her a cup of coffee, he said, "we're Italians! We been kicked out of everywhere! How are we supposed to complain about you?!" Helen blushed. Grinning back at him, she said, "thanks for inviting me..." Nick shrugged that off, "you're my partner, Helen." Sipping up scalding hot espresso, he added, "and you're a good friend..." Helen's blush deepened. She couldn't really help noticing that her partner was a really good looking guy in the Mediterranean mode, with olive skin and dark hair. She could tell he liked her, and she found herself tempted to pull a Lucy and try seducing him. Only trouble was Helen wasn't Lucy. She didn't have Maxim cover-girl looks.

Turning to face the distant New York skyline, she found herself reflecting on that. She was what she was, and, short of finding a way to reverse the transformation, she was always going to be this way. Was she really going to live her life as a freak? Lucy was just as much out of place as she was, and she was using everything she had to her advantage. Far from being embarrassed or ashamed of being an alien on planet Earth, Lucy was proud to hail from nowhere Wyoming, to barbecue on the 4th of July, and to tell anyone who asked that she was Lenopan-American–as American as any of her neighbors.

So maybe I do need to change, thought Helen. Glancing at Nick, who stood next to her, she sat on one of the Luchinis' rooftop benches and patted the seat next to her. Nick stood there a moment, wondering if they weren't straying off the reservation. Deciding that it was an innocent request, he sat down beside her. Softly, she said, "thanks for taking a risk on me... This is the first time I've ever met somebody's parents." Nick glanced at her with a frown on his face. Grinning, Helen said, "Manny doesn't have any parents either. I guess... It was kind of easy for us." She made him a little nervous with that line, and he wondered if his mother had been hitting her up with a little desperation charity–date my son, and you can spend time with us. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Casually, Helen reached over and ran the tip of her index finger across the back of his hand. Nick shivered, and he felt his face go hot. He tried a joke on her, "ah, you'd have probably fit right in. He's a freak, too, remember? You're in more danger here. If you were Italian, ma would have been all over you..." He made fun of his momma, quoting some of her more outrageous comments towards women she encountered while mocking a female voice.

He had Helen in stitches. The little woman howled laughter, and she almost spilled coffee all over herself as she laughed at his mother's endless attempts to fix him up with somebody. Wiping at her eyes, she chuckled, "she's really serious about getting you married, isn't she?" Chuckling himself, Nick nodded. He put up with it. That was what family was about, wasn't it? He didn't doubt that Lucy got her own dose of shit from her parents when she was in East Buttfuck, Wyoming. Smiling at his friend, Nick said, "so if you want crap about why you're screwed up, you're welcome t'drop in on my parents anytime." Laughing, Helen retorted, "I just might do that."

Finished with the coffee, Helen announced, "we should probably be going." They had to get into the office in the morning and start the process of running down the leads they had on their mole. The sooner they got rid of her, the sooner they could step things up and tighten the noose on Mr. Rillec and his goons. As it was, they'd had rogue gangsters sniffing around the safe-houses where some of their pet shot-callers were hiding out.

Nick took his friend downstairs, where they handed over the cups and said their goodbyes. Helena Luchini insisted on hugging the little woman, and she invited Helen Wheels to stop in whenever she wanted. Dave Luchini shook Helen's hand, seeming only a little disconcerted by the strangeness of her missing fingers. Nick drove his friend back to the hotel where she was crashing currently, keeping up a steady chatter the whole way, telling her about all the places there were to eat and visit in the city, and suggesting that he could take her to some of them if they found the time.

Helen listened to his words feeling a surge of confidence. Nick liked her, and she thought she really could make something out of that. While stopped at a light, she surreptitiously checked herself in the passenger-side mirror. She was disconcerted to realize that she'd sort of let herself go. She had chapped lips, mild hat-head, and, after a day of climbing through moldy and filthy abandoned buildings on a frog hunt, she was dirty. Deciding against making a play now, Helen planned to go all out in the morning. When Nick dropped her at her hotel, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then practically bounced out of the car. Shaking his head and wondering at the madness that was the female, Nick drove off, headed for home.

Morning found Helen sitting at the desk she shared with Nick, going over the last details of their plan. Today was the day they went out to trap a rat, and Helen was looking forward to it. As she worked to put the finishing touches on the scheme, the sound of the door opening announced Nick's arrival. "Morning," announced Nick as he came strolling up to the desk he shared with the strange alien woman who'd fallen into his life. Helen Wheels smiled up at him, showing perfect teeth framed by deep-purple lips. Nick did a doubletake. Was Helen wearing lipstick? That wasn't the only change. She'd fixed her hair, and she looked kind of cute. She was even showing a little skin, with her jumpsuit unzipped down between her perky little boobies. The change was dramatic, and Nick found himself staring.

"What's that," asked Helen? She was smiling when she said it–as if she knew the effect she was having on him. Nick set the cupholder down on the desk between them. "You got my favorite," squealed Helen! "Figured since I was goin' by Starbucks...," said the New York cop. Coffee was Helen's one true weakness. It was a joke around the station. As if she wasn't fucking wired enough, she swilled coffee like a fish. Resting her chin on her hand, Helen said, "thanks, Nick. That was sweet of you." The way she said that. It did things to him. Shaking off his fog, Nick Luchini sat down in front of her, and asked, "Mike see the plan...?"

Helen took a sip of her coffee, finding that it was just the way she liked it. He remembered. It said something about his interest that he remembered how she took her coffee. Manny had never gotten it right, and she couldn't remember the last time her former boyfriend bothered surprising her with even a cup of coffee. As she set the coffee cup down, Nick couldn't help noticing that his guess was correct. She'd left a perfect lipstick ring on the cup. His eyes were glued to that cup, as she answered, "not yet. Was waiting for you. Ready?" "I am so ready," mumbled Nick. Then, face hot, he realized what he'd just said. "Uh, yeah," stammered the New York cop. "Let's do it... I mean let's go see the man..."

Helen was out of her seat faster than Nick's eye could follow, and he found himself playing catch-up. Knowing he was behind her, the little woman put an extra sway in her step, her sinuous tail twitching, which drew his eye down to the swell of her butt in that skin-tight jumpsuit. Nick was all but drooling as he finally got to his feet and began to follow. He now wanted to fuck Helen Wheels in the worst way.