FLAVOUR STATION

SAME WEEK

The thing with diners is that they're all the same. Sure there are subtle differences- like in New Jersey they know what Pork Roll is, but the menu still goes on forever. Breakfast is served all day, all night, and the coffee is always stale. Sometimes it's crowded and loud, sometimes there are only a few quiet customers, but it's always cold. You will meet your mom for lunch, old friends for dinner, you sit alone at the counter eating eggs and toast before you move onto somewhere new, but the waitress will always call you honey and the old people always tip in change. From Nevada to New York, diners are all the same.

This is how Anna felt as she picked at her fries. Diners were the best thing to ever happen to the food industry and it was comforting that they were all alike. It was a pillar of her existence; a constant to get her across the country and through the years.

The bell on the door chimed and in a moment Cassidy was at the table. He was shoving into the booth next to her father and despite his eagerness to talk to Anna, he couldn't miss the glare from Cain. "Hello,sir,I'mCassidyNicetofinallymeetyehIthinkI'minlovewithyeh'redaughterAnna,wehaveaprobelm."

Cain snorted at Cassidy's declaration. He was no longer annoyed because he decided the man was actually hysterical.

"What?" Anna pushed her fries across the table towards him. She, too, was more amused than concerned.

"Yeh remember those two blokes we ah-" He motioned with his hand at his neck and a head tilt-a gesture of death. "They ain't dead."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't think yeh're hearin' me. I talked to them- they ain't dead," he tried again obviously frustrated. "Bloody government clones or sometin."

Not dying didn't seem like a cause for alarm considering present company, but before Anna could interrogate further, they were interrupted by a muscular man of about thirty.

"Howdy, pretty lady," he winked at Anna.

"Keep steppin'," she glared back.

"Aw, don't be like that. Ditch you're goofy friend; I can show you a good time," he smiled down at her.

In a second Anna had stood from her seat and pinned the man's arm behind his back. "What was that?" she growled.

"I-uh-didn't mean nothing," he whimpered.

There was a sickening pop and the man cried out in pain. "That," she emphasized. "was your shoulder being dislocated. Let's try again. What did you say?"

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," he said and Anna released him.

"Now go apologize to your mama for being a little shit." Anna shooed him away.

"That's why yeh were laughin' at me before, yeah?" Cassidy asked Cain. "Fair enough, but I'm changin' it from thinkin' to knowin'."

Anna sat back down across from Cassidy, pretending not to have heard his comment. "So these guys- you said you talked to them? Did they say they were clones?"

"Well, no, but one said they were from the government and the other said they were from heaven," Cassidy explained.

"Shit," Anna breathed. "If they're angels you need to leave them the fuck alone."

"Don't worry, they're eejits. I'm on me way to see them now." Cassidy kissed Anna's cheek before using his longs legs to carry him quickly out the door.

"Proinsais!" Anna called after him, but he had already gone. She sat with her fries for a bit longer, but not one passed by her lips. Instead, her eyes flicked to the small TV in the corner. It showed the news which announced the death of Lacey, at 23 year old girl, in a freak accident. Anna recognized the girl immediately. She had met Lacey last time she had been in town and thought that she was sweet. Lacey was one of Mosie's and Mosie was one of Anna's. "Shit," she repeated and threw crinkled bills on the table to cover the cost of her food. "I'll see you later." Anna bolted from the diner with Toadvine in her sights.

†††††

TOADVINE WHOREHOUSE

Sindy read a Bible passage in memoriam for Lacey. Anna rolled her eyes which Mosie noticed and chuckled. It was perfectly ironic- a parable in a demon's whorehouse. Anna wondered why they had a Bible. Pretty much everyone other than Anna and a girl with short curls, who she had never seen before, were listening to Sindy's tribute so they didn't see the six foot leather jacket and sunglasses walk in the door. Anna felt a pang of betrayal and jealous as Mosie greeted him- no doubt trying to sell one of her girls. She spoke to him quietly and then walked away.

"What are you doing here?" Anna demanded.

"I could ask yeh the same thing," Cassidy replied indignantly. "I was told Mosie was in charge of all the sinnin' tha' went on round here."

On cue, Mosie returned and smoothly traded a dimebag for some cash.

"Let's celebrate," Cassidy grinned with a hand on Anna's back.

"Celebrate what?" Anna chuckled.

He shrugged. "Finding each other after sixty-five years."

"Mosie. I'm borrowing a room," Anna called and took Cassidy's hand. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, though, telling him to hold on. She ducked under the bar and came out with a bottle of whiskey. "Okay let's go." She took his hand again and pulled him up the stairs and into a room. She neatly placed the bottle on top the dresser and realized there were no glasses- they'd have to pass the bottle.

Cassidy watched Anna move in front of him and forgot all about the drugs. He took a risk and began kissing her neck. Anna had brought him into a room in a whorehouse, but he was still nervous to touch her.

His lips on her throat sent shivers down her spine. She leaned her head back and imagined his kisses everywhere else. "What are you doing?" she asked. She had been expecting more of a lead up- some drinking at least.

"I've waited decades for this," Cassidy answered and spun her around planting a kiss on her lips.

They moved to the bed and removed their shirts. Cassidy took his time kissing her collar bone, down between her breasts. Anna encouraged him by moaning when he left hickeys on her chest. More kissing, more grabbing and soon they were naked. His fingers were inside of her. Her fingers were in his hair. He was inside her. Her nails were in his back. She screamed. He moaned.

Then Cassidy felt pain in his back. Someone had hit him. He moved from Anna and was hit again and again. He stumbled backwards and glass shattered around him. He landed with a thud and was dimly aware of a throbbing pain in his neck and a cold breeze on his bare ass.

"Shit!" Anna cried as she watched a girl beat Cassidy with a baton until he fell through a window. She tugged on her pants and threw her shirt over her head. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Well- I-," Tulip stumbled when she realized she wasn't talking to Sindy. She was aware someone had moved into the doorway to watch and glanced over. Her stomach sank when she saw Clive and Sindy.

Anna looked at the window, thoroughly pissed at the girl. If Cassidy had screwed her over that would have been one thing, but now he was laying face down, on top of a van, bleeding for no reason at all. "Come on," Anna urged Tulip. "Come on!"

Outside, Anna tried to examine Cassidy's state although he was above her. What she could see was a shard of glass, several inches long, protruding from his neck. Her initial reaction was to dote on him, maybe throttle the girl, and then bring him home. But none of those things would actually help and the cause of all this was beginning to panic.

"Was worth it," Cassidy managed to choke out even if he hadn't the energy to grin at Anna.

She smiled. "Alright, pants then hospital." Someone had to be practical.

Tulip was shaking in horror at what she had done. Her hands were so unsteady that Anna had to drive while she sat in the back with Cassidy's head on her lap. She tried to keep a hand pressed to his neck around the glass to slow the bleeding, but it didn't seem to be helping. The sick sounds of his labored breathing only made her panic worse.

"Please, don't die," Tulip begged. "I didn't mean to. You're gonna be alright. You're gonna make it. I'm so sorry. God or whatever you call yourself, I know we hate each other, but please. Please."

"You'd be better off praying to Satan," Anna commented from the front.

"Let. The lass. Pray. For me," Cassidy coughed.

Anna rolled her eyes, but didn't make another remark.

"Can you drive faster?" Tulip cried.

"Not really," Anna answered. "On these roads, top speed is cut down to about 130- unless you wanna flip."

"Well hurry!" Tulip shouted anyway. "If he dies…"

"He's not gonna die. We're here," Anna said, skidding to a stop.

Anna and Tulip carried Cassidy inside with his arms around their shoulders and theirs around his waist. They sat him down in the reception area and Anna sat next to him while Tulip spoke to a nurse. Anna's anger had dissipated as she drove. She wanted to heal Cassidy and then she wanted to go home where she was queen.

Cassidy pointed towards the door because it was too hard to speak.

Anna nodded. She wasn't sure why he was pointing, but inferred that he probably knew what he was doing. If he knew anything about anything, he should know something about this.

He stood and walked across the waiting room and through the door, dragging his feet as he went. He could smell the blood- it was only down the hall. He would have a bag or two then he would be right as rain and they would be on their way out of there and hopefully back to bed with Anna.

"Who needs a doctor?" the nurse asked.

Tulip turned around and was surprised to only see Anna. "What the hell?"

Anna simply motioned to the trail of blood Cassidy had left, seeing no point in trying to delay her. She followed Tulip down the hallway to where the blood was stored. Cassidy sat on the floor with his back to fridge. He ripped open a blood bag with his teeth and began slurping. There was already fresh blood on his chin and more red on his chest than before. He liked having both the women there- it did wonders for his ego, but Anna was by far the better pick. She had kept herself together enough to take care of him and even now she remained in control as though she had planned to end up here tonight.

"You were right. I think I'm gonna make it," he chuckled.

Tulip raised her eyebrows- not sure if she believed what she was seeing. He looked fine aside from the blood coating his skin. He didn't look close to death like he did in the car. "You knew?" she asked the other girl.

Anna shrugged. "I'm Anna, by the way," she introduced herself instead.

"Tulip O'Hare." The girls shook hands.

"You're pretty handy with a baton," Anna said, meaning it to be a compliment.

"Sorry bout that. Didn't mean to hurt your boyfriend," Tulip tried to explain. "I was going for Clive-"

"Water under the bridge." Anna waved dismissively. Anna never did the whole "boyfriend" thing. She preferred to use men for orgasms and then send them on their way, but she didn't bother to correct the boyfriend comment and neither did Cassidy.

"Still," Tulip insisted. "Bet this wasn't part of your plan tonight."

"What plans?" Anna asked. "We should go."