Chapter 8: Clarify

"Okay, okay." Marlene took in a deep breath and raised her head. "I can do this." I can so do this. Just swallow your pride, Sullivan. You do not want these guys on your back after all you've heard. She let out a breath, her hand raised to knock on the wood before her. Her other hand held up the base of the box of brownies she had made. Her brownies were one of her best creations, especially since the chocolate bits were a favorite among her friends back then. She loved baking. She loved it as much as she loved caring for and saving animals. Both were her passions. But her father was quite strict on things like these and he thought that being a veterinarian was a much better and more professional job then a cook. Even after explaining that cooking was an actual professional job and that she just wanted to follow her mother's dream of opening a cafe, she was sent off to learn about animal anatomies. She could understand why her father would want the best for her, since she was his only daughter amongst 5 brothers, but not why he didn't want her following in her mother's footsteps. Her hand dropped at the memory and she sighed. "Oh dad."

"Marlene?" The Californian turned to Selena, who was staring at her intently, and with those huge glasses of hers, it made her look like a bug. Not that she thought her long-time best friend disgusting and annoying like a bug, she just remembered the times she liked to 'bug' people. A smile started to form at the lame pun, but she chased it away when Selena took off her glasses and hooked it on her shirt.

"What are you doing? Put them back on."

"I don't need them."

"Yes you do. Put them on."

Selena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her tone firm. "Girl, I do not think those boys are gonna be fifty feet away. I don't need my glasses to see them." Marlene shook her head and turned back to the door. If she wasn't insecure or afraid of everything, Selena could be a dictator. Her intelligence and wit made her perfect for the job, aside from the fact that she likes to order people around. Her easygoing and kind nature did make her easy to be with and that was what scared Marlene most. The girl, even though she was older by a year, was gullible. She was a target for others and even with the protective stature she had made for herself, Marlene knew that her friend was too vulnerable. Which made Marlene protective of her 'sister'. A sister, oh how she wished for one before her mother died giving birth to her youngest brother. A person to talk with about personal problems and boys, give each other makeovers, be someone to count and lean on, do each other's hair and nails, and Selena was the closest thing to that, and she was grateful for it. "Do you want me to do it?" She turned to look at Selena, who was looking at her with a hint of concern.

"Oh. Oh no need. I can do it. I never got a chance to say it last time we were here."

"Just be glad Barbie's not here. I don't want to be mean, but you could be quite insecure around her."

"Um, yeah. Where is she?"

"I told her to go buy some things for the apartment with Kyle." This was usual for the four when redecorating since Barbie had lots of free time and Kyle had immense style and taste. "I could go, but I don't think you'll like what I'll pick." That was kind of true. Some things weren't quite normal for Selena, but at least she could act like a normal person would. Sometimes. It was obvious in her fashion sense and her side of the bedroom just what kind of person the Asian was.

"You did give them a budget, didn't you?"

"I'm not that stupid."

"I didn't say you were. I was just checking. You know how those two would find ways to unnecessarily increase their wardrobe."

"Yeah, I got that. That's why I gave them a budget. Anyways, are we gonna stand here all day or are you going to do it?"

"Here goes." Marlene turned back to the door and was about to knock on it when the door swung open. A tall tanned man dressed in expensive clothes and jewelry rushed out of the place, followed by a shorter and chubbier man and Mort.

"Hi Selena!" The boy waved to the surprised lady. "Bye Selena!"

"Hi?" The boy burst into giggles and ran into the apartment across from where they came from after the other two.

"Was," Marlene turned to her friend in confusion, "that Jacobs and Co?"

"Oh yeah. What were they doing in the boys' place?"

Marlene grinned and pushed the half opened door all the way in. "One way to find out." She walked in and pulled out a flashlight, glancing back only once to gesture at the brunette. "Come on!"

"Marls, I don't think…" Selena looked about the dark interior, which was soon flooded by light. "Oh what the heck." She slowly walked into the apartment and joined Marlene in what looked like the living room. "Place's tricked out." Selena looked about in awe and took a step forward while Marlene placed the box on a nearby table.

Intruder alert! Intruder alert!

The voice pierced through the girls' ears, causing them to cover their ears while a red light flashed about the place coming from a little bulb that had appeared out of nowhere on the ceiling.

"Not good."

"What?" Marlene shouted over the noise and looked over at Selena, who spoke back at her with a slight soulless look in her eyes.

"Run."

"What?"

"RUN!" The Asian pushed her forward and the two stumbled for the front door. The sound was surprisingly distant when Marlene reached the hallway, but she didn't care as she closed the door behind her.

"That was so wrong. We shouldn't have gone in, Sel, we…" Marlene looked about the hallway and stopped when she spotted the door. "Oh oh." She reached for the doorknob and pulled open the door. "Sel-mmph?!" A hand clamped itself over her mouth and then nothing.

"Marlene. Maarrleeene. Wakey wakey, Marley."

"Wha? Selena?" Marlene forced open her eyes and the faint light filtered into her sight. The light grew and she found herself staring at a turned off ceiling fan. Wait, what? Marlene lifted her head and body, ignoring the grogginess in her mind, and the ground beneath her shifted. "Whoa!" She cried when her hand slipped through the 'ground'. Her face collided with a net and she blinked her hazel greens to stare at Skipper, who was staring back at her with a slight grin.

"'Morning. Or afternoon, since it is," Skipper turned to Kowalski, who was busy dotting down something on a clipboard.

"1427."

"1427."

"It's 2 already?" Marlene placed a hand to her forehead. "Gosh, the girls should be back by now and…Selena! Where's…" She trailed off when she spotted the lady upside down, with a rope looped around her left foot that went from her foot to the ceiling and then to a hook on the other side of the room.

"Hey, girl. How's it hanging?"

"Are you serious?"

"What? I can't be joking seriously?"

Marlene rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Typical. I should've known."

"Hey, you had years. Don't tell me you still don't know me."

"Do I want to know everything about you?"

"No, you do not. Have to." Selena added the last bit after some brief thought. "Hum." Selena wiggled her nose and stared at the boys for a while. "You guys got a reason for leaving me like this?"

"Yes." Skipper briefly said the word and turned to Selena, narrowing his eyes at her. "Intrusion." A huge deflated sigh came from Selena as she let her arms slack down.

"Dude…how many times do I have to tell you? I didn't-"

"Not until I get your friend's testimony." Skipper turned back to Marlene, whose total confusion was clear on her face. She had just woken up in a net suspended above the ground, along with Selena, who was in a worse situation considering the female hated being upside down or held against her will. Life just wasn't fair. Or maybe it was this guy who wasn't fair.

"What testimony? Why do you keep treating us like this? Put us down." Marlene fisted her hands and glared at the man. She also made herself look menacing, or attempted to, since it was hard to do that in a large holed net. "Put us down now."

"Or what?" Marlene just wanted to smack that silly grin off his face. "You'll call Jay? With what?" He glanced back at a table, where Marlene could make up the devices she and Selena owned and carried just hours before placed neatly on the table.

"We didn't even do anything!" Marlene threw her arms down and continued her glare down with the cocky man. "You're doing this against our will!"

"I have the right to do this to you, most especially since we have video evidence of your intrusion."

"Well," Selena started to roll her eyes, thought better of it and just crossed her arms, "why don't you rewind that tape and you'll see that I've been telling the truth this entire time."

"I know." Dumbstruck looks appeared on Selena and Marlene's face as the man casually crossed his arms, his grin now a grim line.

"Then why are you doing this?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Selena screeched, much to the displeasure of Skipper, who glared at her. "LET US GO!"

"Hey, watch the language. My brother's here."

"I don't fucking care, you bastard!" Private's eyes grew wide and he let out a small gasp which he covered immediately. Kowalski, Rico, Marlene and the Doberman which was quietly lying beside the couch the entire time all looked bewildered. "Let us go!"

"I told you to shut it!"

"You shut it!"

"Miss Valentine," Skipper's voice had gone increasingly low and dark, "I'm warning you. I'm not one to give second chances."

After a while of scrutinizing the man, Selena raised a nonchalant brow at him and spoke in a different low voice.

"I don't give a damn."

"She's screwed." Kowalski murmured under his breath, earning an elbow nudge from Rico.

"Miss Valentine," Skipper started in the same voice before his features turned muddled. He frowned as a thought drifted into his mind and he took another look at Selena, who seemed confused now than angry.

"Did you hear that?"

"Pardon?" She shook her head and sighed.

"Nevermind. I'm just crazy. Must be my mind again." Something else stormed through Skipper's mind in a sad emotional sweep, which took him by surprise and he found himself blinking. "Bro, you okay? You're paler than usual." And it was true. The guy looked like he had just saw a ghost or a very disturbing yet true thought.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Who are you to tell me what to feel?"

"I'm just concerned. Something wrong with that? Is it against the law now? Will you take me jail?" She asked with a grin, somehow keeping her head tilted while she stared at him. "Will you?"

"Don't taunt me."

The grin fell away and she snarled at him. "Ditto."

"Abnormal."

"Looking at it." Skipper's hands curled into fists and Selena's eyes briefly stared at them before grinning back at him. "You'll beat an innocent little girl?"

"You're not a girl. And you are not innocent."

"How right you are. Congratulations. You've graduated from stupid to barely there."

"Selena," Kowalski started with a glance from Skipper to Selena, "it's not wise."

Selena just ignored him and continued staring at Skipper. "We can go at this all day and night, pretty boy, but it'll get us nowhere."

"Pretty, boy?" Skipper barely repeated as he blinked at her. "What?" She merely winked at him, did a mid air sit-up and reached inside one of her military boots. "We took the knife. Don't bother."

"Oh, what a pity. Would've been better than this." She huffed when she let go of her foot, falling back in a whoosh that sent her swinging back and forth. She unclasped her hand as she swung toward Skipper and held out whatever she was holding toward him. The man's eyes widened and he stumbled back when he saw the item. He let out a short yell as he tripped over his feet and fell back, much to Selena's amusement. "Whoops. Down goes Jack." Skipper stared up at her form his position, eyes wide in fear. The lady looked at him with a hint of a smile. "Are you really trypanophobic?" Skipper shook his head to clear something and opened them with anger directed toward Selena. He quickly got to his feet and Selena blinked when she saw his face right before hers, her hands holding her steady.

"HOW?!"

Selena blinked again, her face blank of any emotion.

"How the hell did you find out?! Who's your source?!" She stared at him. "Tell me, you freak!"

Everyone was clearly shocked by this, but no one dared interrupt the enraged man, aside from Private.

"Skippah." The boy was ignored by the two as Selena muttered under her breath.

"Somebody told me…"

"Who?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Skipper swung about and narrowed his eyes on the others, specifically Kowalski, who took a surprised step back. "She's not here."

"Barbie?"

Selena mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "Wrong again."

"I don't…wait. It's not possible."

"Depends on what that is."

"It's not possible. You can't be…"

"Can't be what? Have you lost it, man? Look, that was only an illusion trick. Makes you see things using a trigger word." She opened her hands before him and shook them. "I got nothing here. No needle."

"But…"

"Just a trick, man. You'll get over it. I do things like this all the time. I like to scare people."

"How did you know?"

"You still don't recognize me, do ya?" The man stared at her, eyes never blinking or moving from her, and shook his head slowly. "Okay, okay. I'll try to recreate myself here. It's gonna be pretty pathetic though." She cleared her throat, but stopped in the middle of the action and looked over at Skipper. "Okay, how about Denmark instead?"

"What the heck. Do you know everything about me? You're spy, aren't you?"

"I wish. Then I would be down from here a long time ago and kick your big aggressive butt back to Copenhagen, you bee. You're damn annoying."

"You are making absolutely no sense here. Are you trying to prosecute yourself?"

"That's me. How about Hans?" His eyes visibly shrunk at the name. "Ringing a bell here?"

"What's your game, spy?"

"Damn, you're persistent and stubborn. Reminds me of someone…" She shook her head of a thought and gestured to herself. "It's me, man. The pathetic servant girl? The one you saved?"

"I save a lot of people."

"Sheesh. Hans wasn't kiddin when he said you were arrogant."

Skipper sighed deeply and looked back at her with a raised brow. "Try to convince me, 'cause you don't look like her."

"Dude, duh. I was covered in grime and blood and whatever. I haven't showered in days back then, so I was as black as a chimney's inside. Why don't you just check out my eyes? It's the same anyway. 'one of a kind', or so you said." Selena took in a deep breath when she found herself face-to-face with Skipper, who took hold of her head, steadied it and studied her eyes. "Now you're just plain creepy, bro." She frowned and swatted him away. "Get lost, man. You're freaking me out."

"You scared me, Selena." He replied in a matter of fact tone before smirking and letting go of her. "You'll pay for that later. I'll make sure of it."

"Dude! NO!" Selena gasped in horror and stared wide eyed at the man, who stepped back with the same smirk and gestured to Rico. "Don't you dare! I hate you!" Skipper turned to Rico.

"Get them down and settled. We owe them an apology."

"You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking!"

"I'm not your ex, Selena. Don't order me around."

"He's not my boyfriend! Hans is NOT my boyfriend! Agh! Stop saying that! And who gave you permission to use that nickname? Were we that close?"

Kowalski turned to Selena, flabbergasted.

"Hans is your ex?!"

"WE NEVER DATED. WE HUNG OUT. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE. Skipper, tell him."

"Eh." The man shrugged indifferently. "You two kissed. And you stayed in one room."

"You meanie! It was just one kiss! And we did NOTHING. I was just lonely and he was a gentleman by sleeping on the floor beside the bed."

"Gentleman?" Skipper repeated with a sneer. "Right."

"You kissed him? How could you kiss him? And Hans of all people?"

"And how could you not tell me?" Marlene pouted at Selena, who groaned in exaggeration and dropped her arms.

"It was just one, accidental kiss! It wasn't my fault he pushed me!" Selena gestured wildly to Skipper. "The guy pushed me!"

Skipper shrugged and folded his arms.

"I didn't push you."

"Liar! I'm gonna kill you, man! You mother-"

"On second thought, I love the fact that you'll be hanging around here."

"You evil being." Selena growled with a glower.

"You're mistaken. I'm being nice here."

"Nice my foot. Get me down! So I can murder your ass, jackass."

"Language please."

"You're polite now?" Selena sarcastically asked before she blinked. "Wait...baby G! Baby G! Mommy needs you!"

"Who?" Selena merely pointed at Skipper with a grin as Kowalski's eyes grew wide.

"Selena," Kowalski ran forward, hands outstretched, "wait, no!"

Selena frowned and pushed him away as she moved her mouth away from him.

"Attack! ATTACK!" Guardian barked loudly, got to his feet, and jumped on Skipper just as the man turned around.

"Skippah/Skipper/Skip'er!" Private, Marlene and Rico called out in horror while Selena and Kowalski paused and looked over at the man and dog.