I've bumped up the rating just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Repo! The Genetic Opera

Chapter 12

Jillian scanned her eyes over the poem that Shilo had brought her. Her focused expression worried Shilo, thinking that she didn't like it. She wrote it because she figured that it was something that a co-songwriter should do. She didn't know too much about poetry except that it rhymed and was memorable. She thought carefully about how she wanted to write about and thought what Jillian had said. She wrote about things that she knew. Shilo knew a lot of things, and then again there were things she didn't know about either. So which should she choose? She settled on writing about how dependable she actually was when she broke free and how she had to learn to be somewhat independent. She titled it "On my Own". She continued to watch as Jillian analyzed the poem, hoping that it would be satisfactory. When Jillian was done Shilo asked her for her opinion.

"Well?"

"Its good. I'll give it to the band leader after I introduce to everyone."

Shilo sighed in relief. "Okay."

Jillian led Shilo to the auditorium where the band was setting up their equipment. "Everyone, can I have your attention for a second?" she called out. The band looked up with and looked to Shilo with curiosity. "In case you haven't already heard, I'd like you introduce to my new co-songwriter, Shilo Wallace. I want you all to make her feel welcome okay?"

Shilo waved to the band who greeted her with curt waves and "hellos" and went back to their work. "I'm going to give them the poems we wrote okay?" Shilo nodded and Jillian proceeded to approach the band with the papers in her. Apparently she too had written some material when she got home the previous night. Usually she would write lyrics and then manipulated them to the music the band provided. She would help by discussing with them of how she wanted a certain song to sound depending on her mood when she wrote the song. Shilo watched her and the band as they set up. She wondered of how she would approach Jillian later and ask her what she wanted to know. As she pondered this, she saw a familiar face walking in with a guitar case across his back. "Hey, David, right?" she greeted.

David looked at her with indifference. "Oh, it's you. How's it going?"

"I'm alright." said Shilo. "And yourself?"

"Could be better but I'm okay." he said, his eyes on Jillian. Shilo took note of his cold expression.

"Shilo, come here!" Jillian called.

"I thought your name was Camille?" asked David

"Oh, that was a fake name I used because-"

"Whatever, I don't care. Better go talk the diva." he said before setting off in the opposite direction.

"What's his problem?' thought Shilo as she walked up to Jillian.

"What do you need?" she asked

"I was just wondering, did you want the music to sound a certain way for the poem?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want it to be sad, angry, melodic, harsh..."

"Oh, um, it doesn't matter...but um, not harsh."

Jillian nodded. "Okay everyone. Lets get started!"

When rehearsal was finally over, Jillian decided to approach David. She walked over to where he was putting his guitar back into its case. She bent down and cleared her throat. He looked up at with a somewhat bored expression. She smiled at him, trying to be polite. "Hey. Need some help?"

David turned his head away and zipped up the case. "No, thank you. " he said, with a slight irritation in his voice. He grabbed the case, rose up and began to walk away. Jillian rose up and frowned. "David, wait. Can we please just talk for a minute?"

"There's nothing to talk about." he said, stopping but still not looking at her.

"Look, I know that things didn't end so well the other night but let me explain-"

"No need to. You weren't into it. I get it."

"David, please just hear me out."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay? I know you expect everyone to listen to you because you're the star but I don't have to." he snapped before walking away.

Jillian slumped her shoulders and sighed. Well at least she tried, if he was going to be immature about it there was no reason for her to pursue him any further. She shook her head and went to go find Shilo.

Meanwhile the Largos had been watching the rehearsal from the hidden security cameras in the auditorium. Pavi grinned as the scene unfolded in front of him. It didn't look likely that anything wasn't going to happen between the two afterall, which meant that he would still have Jillian all to himself. His grin grew even wider to see the distraught expression on her face. She would be in need of some.."comforting" later.

"I wonder what that was all about." said Amber inspecting the young guitarist. "We'll have to be keeping a more closer eye on that one. Don't want him finding out anything thats none of his business do we?"

"If he does, I know what we can do with him." grinned Luigi, twirling his favorite knife. "What the hell are you grinning at?" he asked Pavi.

"Nothing that concerns you, fratello." Pavi smiled.

Luigi grunted looked back to Amber. "Are we done here? I've got things to do."

"Whatever, Luigi. Just don't do anything that might embarrass our family."

Luigi huffed and slightly laughed. "You sound like dad." he said before rising from his chair.

"Sister, may I have a word?" asked Pavi.

"Fine but make it quick." said Amber, sounding slightly annoyed. "What is it?"

"Its about il nostro uccellino canterina, our beloved singer. I have a concern I wanted to discuss with you."

"What about her?"

"Dimmi sorella, did you hit her yesterday?"

"I did." Amber saw no point in lying. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"I just would prefer if it didn't happen again." said Pavi, admiring his latest face in his hand mirror.

"Is that so? And why is that? I know all about you two, you know. I know you've been fucking her, not that I care. Why does it matter of how I decide to punish her? You can't tell me that you haven't done the same."

"That's just it, dear sorella. I don't want you hurting her because thats my job. I am the only one who can cause her such pain."

Amber was amused. "I don't think I've ever seen you so infatuated with a woman before, Pavi. At least not in few years, not since-"

Pavi glared at her.

Amber put her hands up in defense but her expression didn't change. "Sorry, I'm just surprised is all. You've seem to take quite a liking to this one. I'm curious, Paviche, why is that?"

"She is not like the other women I've been with. She was mia prima vergine, you know. She is extremely different, un tesora raro tra i diamanti sintetici."

Amber rolled her eyes. She may not have spoken that much Italian but she understood the language just fine. "You do realize that she doesn't share the same feeling towards you, right? In fact, I think she hates you, she hates all of us."

Pavi merely shrugged and smiled. "You see though, sorella. That is the most intriguing about her. There are many women in this city all too eager and willing to please me, but not her. She tries to fight me. Its exciting."

'Typical men.' thought Amber. 'Always wanting what they can't have.' "Honestly I don't see whats so special about her. Sure she has a decent voice and she brings in good money for the company but thats all about it. She isn't that great.."

"I think you're jealous." grinned Pavi.

"Jealous? Please." God, men are so stupid. First Graverobber asked if she's jealous of that worthless Wallace girl and now her brother was asking if she was jealous of Jillian. What a stupid question. "You know, Pavi, maybe I shouldn't allow you to touch the girl anymore. She's obviously getting these ridiculous ideas in your head and you're only tainting her."

"Why shouldn't I touch her anymore? You talk about tainting, sorella? You don't see me complaining about what you and our fratello do sometimes." he smirked.

Amber shot him a very dirty look. "Get out of my office, you sick fuck." she snapped, her voice dripping venom.

Pavi shrugged and gave her a quick wave goodbye before leaving her office. Her eyes shot daggers at his back. She really hated her brother sometimes, him and his perverted ideas. It was none of his goddamn business anyway. And what was it with everyone thinking she was so jealous? As if she had a reason to be. Amber rose from her chair and walked over to the mirror behind her desk to examine her newest features. She first looked to her face. It was surrounded by perfectly straight dark brown hair with just a hint of red in it. She had bright cerulean eyes and a small nose, defined cheekbones. She looked down to examine her flat stomach and small but just curvy enough hips. She had nice legs too. She had no reason to be jealous. She was perfect...wasn't she?

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Shilo?" asked Jillian, wondering why she and Graverobber were staring as if they were about to interrogate her.

"We have something serious to ask you." said Graverobber, joining the conversation.

"Alright, ask away."

Graverobber and Shilo looked at each other, then back at Jillian. Finally Shilo asked her. "Do you know who your mother is?"

Jillian was puzzled. "Of course I know who my mother was. Why wouldn't I?" she replied, trying to play it off as nothing but a random question.

"So you're aware that your mother was Blind Mag?" asked Graverobber, raising his brow.

Jillian's eyes widened, beginning to feel nervous. Still, she tried to play it off as nothing. She laughed. "What?"

"Is Blind Mag your mom or not?" asked Shilo.

"No." Jillian lied. "Where did you get that idea? My mother was a french surgery model named Marilyn Rosette."

"Really?" asked Graverobber. "Because yesterday I found some very interesting information when I dropped off my zydrate order yesterday."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jillian, beginning to feel even more nervous.

"Yesterday I just so happened to come across a series of files which included one on Blind Mag. There was another file attached to hers. The file was for a girl named Jillian Defoe. There was a photograph of the girl and who looked suspiciously like you."

Jillian shook her head and rose from the couch. "This is ridiculous. I don't have any relation to Blind Mag."

"I know what I saw." protested Graverobber.

"You're crazy. You've been around the smell of corpses for too long or something."

"Don't deny it, Jillian. Don't deny who you are."said Shilo , speaking the girls real name for the first time.

"My name is Ana" whispered Jillian. "I don't need this right now. If you're not going to take your jobs seriously thats fine but I have work to do."

"Wait!" said Shilo. "What if I told you that I knew Blind Mag personally?"

"I would say that you're crazy too. Blind Mag was untouchable, no one could have possibly gotten close enough to her."

"She was my godmother. She and my mother, Marni, were best friends growing up!"

Jillian stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Did you say, Marni?"

"Yes, thats my mother's name. When my mother was pregnant with me, she asked Mag to my godmother, but she never even knew I existed because she had been told that I died in my mother's womb."

Jillian couldn't believe what she was hearing. She remembered of how her mother had talked about her late best friend. A sweet girl named Marni who went to private school with her and the two were inseparable since. When she had died and in childbirth and lost the baby as well, Mag was devestated. What if the child had never really died though? What if that child had survived but had been kept a secret? What if the child really was Shilo?

"You don't believe me? Let me prove it." Shilo rose from her seat and began to head upstairs. She came back down with a single item in hand. "I spent all morning trying to find some sort of proof for you, and found this in my dad's old room." Shilo gave the item to Jillian. It was a photograph of a younger Mag, Marni, and Nathan. They all looked to be about in their early twenties. They were smiling and had their arms draped around each other. Marni was in the middle of Mag and Nathan. They looked happy. As she looked down at the photograph, Jillian could fee tears welling up in her eyes.

"Do you believe me now?" asked Shilo.

Jillian looked up at Shilo. "I can't believe it." she said, choking back tears of joy. For the first time in long time, she felt like she could finally be honest. She sighed and sat back down, giving Shilo and Graverobber a meaningful look. "Look, I'll tell you everything you want to know but I need to know that I can trust you. You have to be sworn to secrecy, understand?"

Shilo and Graverobber nodded.

Jillian took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll tell you. I lied earlier when you first asked so let me answer again." Jillian paused and took another breath. Here it goes. "My name isn't really Ana. That's just a stage name I use. My real name is Jillian Antoinette Defoe, and yes, Blind Mag was my mother."

Shilo felt her mouth curve into a smile and encouraged Jillian to continue.

"When my mother got pregnant with me, Rotti kept it a secret from the public because he didn't want a child to smear her image and because he knew that it would cause the paparazzi to break into a frenzy. I don't know who my father is, my mother never told me. All I know is that my mom was forced to keep me a secret from the world and if anyone outside of GeneCo let out her secret out they would be executed. I lived with her for 17 years and when she died, I was forced to sign a contract and take her place as the voice of the company." When she had finished, Jillian felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. "So there you have it, any questions?"

Shilo and Graverobber just stared with amazement for a moment. Finally Graverobber broke the silence.

"So...abosultely no one outside of GeneCo knows of your true identity? No one at all?"

Jillian nodded. "The only ones who know are the Largos and their oldest, select few of employees who already knew beforehand."

"I can understand why Rotti would have kept it a secret but why Amber?" asked Shilo.

"Think about it, how do you think the public would react if they knew the existence of Blind Mag's daughter was kept a secret from them and why she drove herself to madness and killed herself if she had a child to look after? It would pose too many questions and ultimately make the company look bad."

"As if that alone would make GeneCo look bad." Shilo muttered.

"As long as people get their organs I doubt they care. GeneCo is company that fuels on fear after all." said Graverobber.

"Very true." Jillian agreed.

"So, Blind Mag's daughter." grinned Graverobber. "How do you feel now that you've just shared that with us?"

"Relieved." said Jillian. "Very relieved. By the way, why were you looking through my mom's file in the first place?"

Shilo smirked at Graverobber as he put his hands up in defense. "I was freaking curious! What would you do if you were just an average person who just so happened to find some information on the world's biggest superstar?"

Jillian and Shilo laughed.

"I guess I can understand that." smiled Jillian.

"So, now that we got the first question sorted out, can I ask you something else?" asked Shilo.

"Sure."

"What was the real reason that you collapsed in the middle of the photoshoot a few days ago?"

Jillian sighed. "I thought you might ask. Unfortunately this is another thing you have to promise not to repeat."

Shilo nodded.

"Okay, well, this something I don't really like talking about but..." Jillian gulped. "When I was fifteen, Rotti had violated an agreement he made with my mother that she would be granted one day off every year. My birthday. He ignored the fact that he signed a legal document and scheduled my mother to make an appearance at a charity dinner GeneCo was holding. My mother and I were both furious and formed up this plan for me to sneak into the event so that we could spend a little time time together. That night, when I wandered off from the crowd, I was cornered and forced into an empty room. " Jillian gulped and looked at Shilo and Graverobber who were listening intently. Shilo felt her stomach clenching. She had a feeling what was coming next. Jillian continued. "I didn't see his face but he shot me up with zydrate to knock me out and well...I'm sure you can guess what happened next. I was in extreme pain when I woke up. I've been addicted to zydrate ever since."

Shilo bit her lip uncomfortably and Graverobber shifted in his seat. "Woah." he said.

"I'm so sorry, Jillian." Shilo finally said.

"Its okay. Its done now. "

"I thought it might be a zydrate addiction." said Graverobber.

"What do you mean?"

"Shilo told me about what happened at the photoshoot. When she told me that you were coughing and shaking, I had my guesses. Those are usual signs of withdrawal."

"Oh, I see." 'Figures a graverobber would know' she thought.

"I suppose working with GeneCo gives you access to all the Z you need?"

Jillian shook her head. "I hate zydrate. Hate what it does to me. Rotti had a pill designed to help restrain my addiction. I take it twice a day to get rid of my cravings."

"Really? Interesting."

"I'll give you details later if you want."

"No thanks. I make my living selling zydrate. No one's gonna want to buy a pill as a substitute."

"I guess thats true."

Graverobber gulped and there was an awkward silence for a moment. "I'm sorry about you're addiction though and about everything else."

"That's okay."

Shilo decided to turn the conversation back to the original subject and lighten the mood. She could tell that it was something Jillian didn't want to be reminded of.

"So, Jill, may I call you Jill? Since Mag's your mom and my godmother, I guess that makes us kind of like family doesn't it?"

Jillian smiled at Shilo. "I guess it does."

So what do you think? I hope the ending wasn't too cheesy. More drama will definitely ensue in upcoming chapters. Review please!

By the way here's some Italian to English translations: ( I apologize for anything incorrect. )

il nostro uccellino canterino=our little songbird

Dimmi sorella=Tell me sister

mia prima vergine=My first virgin

un tesora raro tra i diamanti sintetici=a rare treasure among synthetic diamonds