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Valon never expected to receive a text message from Raphael after DOMA disbanded and its members scattered. He knew that Raphael didn't mind him, and he knew that Raphael certainly liked him better than Alister did, but Valon never really expected to see the big guy again, nor did he ever expect to receive a text message from him saying that he was in town and wanted to meet up.

Naturally, Valon insisted that Raphael come over and stay at his place for however long he was going to be around, and after much coaxing, Raphael agreed.

So in a few short hours, Valon was helping Raphael lug his luggage out of the taxi he'd taken to Valon's house.

"Nice to see you," Valon said amiably, grinning at his former co-worker while Raphael paid the taxi driver. "You look well."

"Thank you, Valon," Raphael replied agreeably as they made their way to Valon's beach house. "I've been well."

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Valon asked, realizing that he was just stalling since this was probably the first exchange of double sided small talk they'd actually ever had, and he remained a little unsure of where to take it from here. He couldn't exactly ask, "Hey, how's the family?" and he doubted that Raphael owned any pets to speak of. Most people didn't jet off all over the place if they had living things that needed tending to unless they had a nice neighbor, and somehow Valon doubted that was the case.

So what else was there to talk about?

Raphael let out a pleasant, relaxed chuckle. "Indeed it has," he said, responding to Valon's question. "How have you been, Valon?"

"Me? Great."

"Have you seen Mai since we all went our separate ways?"

Valon halted. He looked at Raphael in bewilderment. Mai. Why did he feel like he should know that name? "Who?"

Raphael blinked. He then nodded, seeming to understand whatever it was that Valon didn't. He certainly seemed to know more. "Oh, it's like that."

Valon knit his eyebrows. "Like what?" he asked, utterly confused.

Raphael frowned and stared at Valon, looking at him like one would at an optical illusion. "Clearly you two must not be on speaking terms?"

Valon looked at Raphael helplessly.

"Come on, Valon. You mean to tell me that you don't know who Mai Valentine is? The woman you risked your life for? The woman you were hopelessly infatuated with?"

Valon let out a chuckle to cover up his discomfort. He was pretty sure he'd remember putting his neck on the line for someone within the last year, and he was also pretty sure that he'd remember being "infatuated" with someone. Valon didn't forget people easily, especially not people who were apparently that important to him. What was Raphael going on about? "S-sorry, Raph," he said airily, or at least he tried to. "I'm drawing a blank, here."

Raphael snorted in disbelief, but left the matter alone after that.

Kevin's misguided attempts to maintain an air of professionalism fell through after about two hours, and of course it gave Parker immense satisfaction to see the newbie staring up at the ceiling, eyes about as lively as a corpse. Parker smirked at his so-called assistant and spun his chair around, laughing quietly. "What'd I tell you?" he asked, internally amused but too tired to attempt to sound like it.

"We could watch a movie, couldn't we?" Kevin asked, without removing his gaze from the ceiling. "We could watch a movie on his TV or take a shower in his bathroom and we'd be okay, wouldn't we?"

"Now you're getting it," Parker replied, pushing his book to a far corner of the table on which they were "working." He was already bored with it, and wished he'd brought something better.

Kevin let out a sigh. He beat an idle rhythm onto the table top with his knuckles. "So," he said slowly. "You got a girlfriend?"

Parker smirked. "Whoa, uh, that's quite an assumption on your part," he replied, spreading his arms out across the table and resting his chin on the tabletop.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kevin answered, sounding genuinely apologetic. "You're gay?"

"No," Parker replied, closing his eyes. "But you can never be sure, can you? Best not to assume."

Kevin let out an angry sound. "You ass," he muttered. Three minutes of silence elapsed, but it felt like hours to both bored Lacuna employees. "How much time do we have left?"

Parker shrugged. "It is way too early for you to be asking that."

Kevin sighed and slumped in his seat.

As soon as the door closed, Valon ran, veering off course from the memory, trying to outrun it since it was taking forever to break down.

"Come on!" Valon shouted to the sky. "Come on! Get rid of it already! I don't want to remember this!"

Gradually his surroundings started to fade and dissolve. Valon came to a rest at a streetlamp that currently remained unaffected by the erasing process, resting his head against the firm surface.

"Fuck," he whispered, staring up at one of the windows in Mai's apartment.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting across Dr. Curtis in the off white office.

"So I forget and won't be able to remember later on?" Valon asked inquisitively. "Guaranteed?"

"There is a ninety-eight percent success rate, yes," Dr. Curtis replied briskly. "So, yes, you could say that it's guarnteed."

Valon nodded. Ninety-eight percent wasn't bad. What were the odds he'd be a part of the two percent? "And then everything's erased?"

"Ah," Dr. Curtis hesitated. "We are not yet at the point of complete erasure. What we do, as things stand at the moment, is block the memories off."

"Does that mean I could somehow remember?" Valon asked.

"There is a very small chance, yes," Dr. Curtis replied. "But that would require a powerful trigger, one powerful enough to unlock said stored memories. But that is very, very unlikely, and we've only had a few cases over the years. Like I said, Valon: there is a ninety-eight percent success rate. Odds are you'll be that ninety-eight percent."

"So I'm golden?"

"Yes, you could say that. Unless you happen to be the exception, which we can either reimburse you or try again if you so wish, you are, ah, 'golden.'" Dr. Curtis smiled at Valon from across the table that was starting to dissolve. "You, my friend, are golden."

"Valon?"

Valon was curled up around his pillow when Mai woke him up. He felt tears running down his face. "Yeah, Mai?" he asked hoarsely, sniffing and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I think you were having a bad dream," Mai whispered and leaned over to turn the lamp on. The sudden change in light made them both wince and then squint at each other as their eyes adjusted, and Mai blinked a few times, taking time to register what it was she was seeing. Her eyes softened and her lips pulled down in a sympathetic frown. "Valon, you've been crying."

Valon let out a small chuckle and blinked, feeling the moisture upon his eyelashes. "N-no, I haven't," he said lightly, just so she would stop worrying about him.

"Oh, baby, come here," Mai said, scooting closer to him and wrapping an arm around him.

Valon squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back down onto the pillow.

"Valon, what happened?"

"Th-that night," Valon mumbled. "The church. Those thugs. The fire."

Mai knew, so she didn't ask.

Valon turned around so his back faced her. "Sorry if I woke you, Mai. Just go back to bed. I'll be fine."

Instead of leaving it at that, Mai moved even closer so that she was spooning him. Valon breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Here, wrapped in Mai's arms, he felt safe, secure. "Do I," he started, curiously, "do I do this often?"

"Once in a while, yes," Mai replied softly and nuzzled his shoulder. "At least that I can tell."

"I'm sorry," Valon muttered. "I must make for a bad bed mate, hm?"

Mai kissed his bare back. "It's nothing, Val," she replied gently. "We all have our scars. It's okay. Don't worry about it. Just know that I'm here, okay, doll?"

Valon exhaled. Mai started to feel less tangible upon his flesh, and it made him turn around in alarm. Mai, looking blankly at him, faded into the bed. Valon got on his knees. "Please, Curtis," he begged, groping around in the sheets for Mai, hoping that maybe it was just an illusion and that she was still around for him to touch and feel. "Please don't get rid of this one. If I could keep just one..."

His plea was not heard.