Felt like taking a break with something light, so here's something back in SR1! Also, up to 40 now! Never thought I'd ever get that many done, and I hope that little number keeps on rising. There's a lot left to tell. ;)

Did some more edits to get this in order! Sorry about the mess.

"You both busy?"

Judging by the papers scattered on Dex's desk they were, but Troy waved her inside. "No more than usual. What's happening?"

"Small stuff, but there were a few dealers trying to see if they could work with the Carnales, and nothing's a bigger giveaway than red on a corner that's supposed to be purple."

Dex continued to keep his eyes on his notes and chuckled. "Someone should talk to you, then."

"I'm working on it," she said, holding her hands up. "Red's an awesome color, so sue me."

"But the point of us flying purple is to make it easy to spot," Troy noted. "I'm not seeing much."

"It's not my fault you're not looking in the right places," she teased. "Anyway, now that I'm here I've got something I've been meaning to bug you about."

"Shoot."

"You owe me coffee."

He appeared surprised, but gave her the floor. "I owe you work. That's what you mean, right?"

"No, you owe me coffee," she insisted. "Way to blow me off, by the way. Got my hopes up and everything."

Troy coughed on the smoke he was exhaling and Dex's eyebrows went up. "Coffee."

"Small coffee, plenty of cream. Sugar's optional." He blinked at her and she folded her arms as she rocked back and forth on her feet. "Unless you'd like me to make that a latte."

Dex shook his head as he went back to the plans sitting in front of him, but the glare she got from Troy had something extra to it. She had to lower her eyes to examine her chipped purple polish, because the longer he held it the warmer her cheeks grew.

"Huh, coffee caddy it is. Here I was thinking of having you check out this new import the Rollerz were trying to bring in. I could easily pass it on-"

Her head shot up and she focused right in on the paper dangling from his hand. She reached for it, but he jerked it away.

"Hey, this is no latte."

She caught a few of the specs he'd scrawled down and liked it. Of course, being this close to him was something else she liked, but that wasn't something she could admit to here, at least not with their current company. "I could waive it."

"Waive it instead of making it an I.O.U.?"

"Sure."

"For this hot little number? Gotta do better than that, V, because Dee's a call away."

She scowled, but held her hand out. "Fine. Skip the damn coffee. ...And the beer from the last barbeque. That was more Johnny's fault than yours, anyway."

He let her grab it, but didn't let go. "Try to bring it back in one piece, eh?" It slipped out of his grip and she flashed him the finger. "You too."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, ducking her head under her hat.

Samson gave the car an approving glance when she drove up, and she lowered her window to bat her eyes at him. "Hey, stranger. Hope you don't mind me stopping by."

"With a car like that? Any time."

"Troy here yet? I gave him a call on the way over, and he told me to bring it to you."

"Not yet, but give it five. He'll be by."

It took more than five, but soon enough she heard the familiar sound of his Zircon pulling up. She got out of the car and wandered over to his side with more than a little swing to her step. The window inched down almost painfully slow, but V didn't budge. "Took your sweet time, didn't you?"

"Were you waiting long?"

"No, but you can't leave a car like this alone with me. Might want to keep it."

"And what? Never have it leave your garage?" he joked, staring up at her.

She scowled. "Low blow, man. Low. I treated this thing like gold."

"We'll see. I'm not smelling exhaust, burnt rubber, or smoke, so you might be in luck."

Giving him space to get out, she walked back over to the car and threw her arm out dramatically. "Voila."

He actually looked impressed. "Shit, that's in one solid piece."

"Told you." She grinned and Troy took a long drag off of his cigarette as he examined the car. "There's sort of a scuff on the other side, but that's minor."

"Sort of?"

"Just a little trading of paint." V waved it off, and he turned his skeptical look on her. "Skimmed the surface. I couldn't even feel it."

That expression usually had her swearing up a storm as she tried to recover, but the corner of his mouth twitched up. "Little love tap. Right."

She shrugged. "That's Stilwater for you."

"Guess I owe you a coffee then. Or was that a latte?"

His slow smile had her struggling to keep her face neutral. "Coffee works." She slipped fast, however. "As long as you remember to bring it this time."

The small shrug he gave made her roll her eyes as she walked off, but the warm feeling in her chest didn't fade one bit.

The loud knocking jolted her awake, and she groped for a gun until she realized what was happening. Sleeping on the couch worked, but always left her disoriented enough to want to roll off of it onto the floor.

Rubbing her eyes, she listened to the knocking again, and shook her head as she got to her feet. It was late for him, but she wasn't going to complain.

And when she swung the door open to see Troy holding up an extra coffee, she had to keep from jumping on him. Burns were not a proper thank you, especially since she'd already given him the okay to forget about it.

"Oh, you're amazing." There was no getting rid of her grin as she took it from him, and tried it. Coffee was usually varied degrees of alright with her, but when this hit, she had to do a double-take. "...Wow. That's actually pretty damn good."

"It's from a place over in the downtown area. They know their stuff, and don't charge an arm and a leg for it."

"I might have to check it out sometime. Or hell, maybe you could take me."

"I could," he said with a smile. "Wouldn't be too much trouble either."

She felt her grin going sappy and quickly reeled it in. "Cool. Want to come in?"

The inviting tone she used was nowhere near the casual one she meant, but he took it in stride. "Sure."

Once the door was locked she set about clearing a better space on the table by the kitchen. She'd cleaned her gun earlier, but hadn't bothered to put it away yet, something she set about doing now as quickly as possible. "Sorry about all this crap. It was a busy day and I let myself be lazy."

He set their cups down and pulled out a chair while she did one last check on her handgun. "Things come up. It's not bad."

"Shit, compared to my old place this is a palace. I felt like I was making my way through an obstacle course."

"It definitely left an impression," he said, watching her put the cleaning kit away. "Who else runs a gauntlet just to get from the living room to the kitchen? I almost fell a few times when we were trying to get your bags out and that was on the way to the exit. It looked clear."

"Almost? Tell me I'm wrong, but I'm pretty damn sure I remember finding you holding onto the wall for dear life because you slipped on something."

He narrowed his eyes. "I didn't hit the floor, so it didn't count."

"Uh huh. Everyone has their moments. It's okay to admit it, Troy."

His muttered response was lost in his coffee, and V snickered as she stuck her gun in the back of her shorts. The table was clear enough for her to sit down, but the extra trash wasn't sitting right with her at the moment. She gathered it all up in a huff, and was tempted to ball it up and pitch it towards the trash can.

"Hey, V?"

She had been reaching across the table to check the old newspaper sitting on it, and turned. Elbow plus coffee meant disaster, and with her as the catalyst she shouldn't have been surprised. When it got on Troy, however, she was absolutely mortified.

He jumped up before the rest could get him, and she dropped everything in her arms to help. "Oh, fuck! Jesus, you okay?"

"Yeah, just..." He wrinkled his nose and sighed. "Just my luck."

"You mean my shitty luck," she said, hunting down a towel in the kitchen. She pressed it against his leg and he tried to brush her off, but she didn't let go. "Dammit. I would."

When it didn't seem like he was going to get any drier she sopped up what was on the table and the floor, and tossed the dirty towel into her kitchen sink with a curse. With nowhere else to run to, she wandered back to Troy, and tried not to dwell on the fact that her face had to be giving a fire truck a run for its money.

"Guess you might as well take your pants off." She cleared her throat and gestured towards his soaked jeans. "They're dirty and sitting around in wet denim's a pain in the ass, so..."

He tilted his head to the side and stared at her.

"...What?"

It'd merely been a suggestion, but it didn't take long for it to take on another meaning. One that had her helping as he undid the button and she lowered the zipper.

It was his hand that guided hers over him, however, and his that pulled her shirt over her head when she wasn't sucking hard on his neck. His lead that left her shorts on the floor by his clothes as he walked her back, his eyes just as intent on her as hers were on him.

She almost couldn't believe it, but there was no denying the firm press of his fingers as he helped her turn around, and the way his goatee tickled when it grazed her skin. And when she braced herself on the couch she gave up all pretense of pretending. Just angled her hips just so, and focused on thoroughly enjoying the ride.

"You know," he breathed, kissing down the back of her neck, "there's nothing wrong with asking. Thought you had that down after the first time."

"Troy, I asked you to take your pants off. This extra little bit is all on you. I had innocent intentions." He pulled her hips back against his and she dug her nails into the couch cushions. "Fuck. Mostly."

"Not buying it."

She bit down on the moan in the back of her throat, and tried not to focus on the way he was moving in and out of her as she knelt on the cushions in front of him. That warm, deep slide that had her back to his chest as he gasped with her.

"Nope. Not fessing up to that one. You're going to have to try harder than that, chief."

"Christ, you're stubborn as a goddamn mule," he groaned.

She pushed back against him harder, and he returned the motion, making her gasp sharply as the hand on her hip kept her close. "Jerk. Fucking jerk."

He chuckled. "Me? Yeah, you're probably right. Should've gone for the bed. Could've fucked you against the headboard."

"Could've?" she asked, her breath short as he kept on thrusting into her.

"Would've."

She pulled his hand off of her hip and pushed it between her legs, her fingers splayed over his. The first hint of pressure drew a shaky moan from her and she felt him grip her other wrist tight.

"Like this?" he asked, pressing down with her.

It was such an odd combination of gentle and sure that it took a few minutes for her to nod in agreement. He buried his face in her hair as she ran her fingers over his, and she couldn't help but watch as they moved over her skin. When he licked his fingers and slid them over her clit she didn't even bother to guide him. Only steadied herself against the couch as she threatened to chew a hole in her lip.

That's when the buzzer went off.

Her arms gave, sending them both crashing into the cushions. His eyes went to the door then her, and they exchanged an anxious look. The buzzer was rarely used. Johnny and Troy typically went right by it, opting to knock only. It was Dex's thing, and that fact made her stomach drop.

"Shit, shit, shit," she cursed, breaking away from him to yank her clothes on. Her shirt went on inside out before she wrenched it off and put it on right, and she ran by her underwear three times before she was able to find them.

"Whoa, wait a sec." Troy caught her once she stopped hopping around with one leg in her shorts, and cupped her face. "You're fine. Just check it out and we'll handle it, okay? Relax and breathe."

"...Zen. Nothing but zen. Got it." She took in a couple of breaths, and nodded. "Should probably get your pants on before he steps in, though."

"You think?" he asked, sounding exasperated. He kissed her and dragged his jeans up, his eyes darting back to the door when the buzzer went off again. "Going to get that?"

"Yeah, yeah." She lit a cigarette as he pulled his undershirt and overshirt back on, and when he flashed her the okay she checked the door before opening it up. "Yo. What's up?"

Dex gave her a quick once-over, giving off nothing but a casual calm. It was something she was desperately lacking, since her face was still flushed, and the messy ponytail she'd forced her hair into was in danger of falling out, but she hoped she'd pass. God, she hoped she'd pass.

"Hey, how's it going? I wanted to go over a couple of things with the Carnales. It's taken most of the day to pin them down, but I think we've got something good. ...Looks like Troy beat me to the punch, though."

"It's unrelated." Troy leaned against her small dining room table and crossed his arms. "Had some business to wrap up. You know how it is."

"I might," Dex said, glancing between the two.

"Though if coffee's on the table, you might want to give her some space."

"So, Dex," she said, ignoring Troy completely. "What's going on?"

Dex took his time responding, to the point that V wondered if she was going to literally burn through an entire cigarette in front of him. "A lot."

"Well, talk to me," she replied, as she gestured for him to come inside. "I'm not going anywhere."

He thought it over and she chanced a look back at Troy as she stepped back from the door. His face was a blank slate, but nothing about his posture suggested he was relaxed.

Dex, however, had started to, and she almost breathed a sigh of relief when he gave her a small smile. "This'll be quick, so don't worry about it. The Carnales took a big risk coming into our territory. Hell, they even picked a time when we were celebrating, when they knew we'd be off our game. I want to return the favor."

Her cigarette almost fell out of her mouth. "You want to hit the mansion?"

"Not yet, but that's definitely on the table if Angelo doesn't fuck things up further with the Colombians and have them waste his ass first. But I've got a list of places that might speed things along."

"Shit, this sounds like actual work."

"And you're complaining now?"

"Hell no," she said, shaking her head. "Just give me a time and a place, and I'll work on putting foot to ass, asap."

"Thought you'd like that. Head by the church tomorrow at a decent time and we'll finish working on it."

He nodded to both and left, the abrupt cut off to his visit leaving V confused as she waited for him to disappear from sight. When he finally did, she closed the door behind her and gave Troy a sheepish look. "That was quick. ...And not at all awkward."

Troy didn't smile back at her, but it didn't take long for him to drop the severe expression he was wearing. "Nope. Hey, V?" She raised an eyebrow and he appeared almost guilty. "I think we should call a raincheck on this. It's a little too hot right now."

"After that, I don't blame you," she said as she tugged at the collar of her T-shirt. "God, for about five minutes there I thought I was under a microscope."

"Only five?"

"Fine, the whole time, but you weren't the one trying to hide how bad your sex hair was. You look like you just stepped out of the damn shower."

"...It's not that bad."

"Liar." She pulled the rest of her hairtie out, and fluffed her hair into a defiant mess. By the time she was done, they were both grinning like idiots. "This is pretty bad."

His eyes moved over her as he pushed away from the table to come closer, and she didn't stop him when he plucked the cigarette right out of her mouth. "Obvious isn't helping us here, eh? I'll be better with it next time."

"What if I don't-" Her brain caught up with what he said, and she tried not to watch the way he handled her cigarette. "Next time?"

"Raincheck, right?" He took a long drag, and let the smoke out slowly. "Thought that was how they worked."

He kissed her before she could come up with something snappy, his tongue deepening it fast. They both minded the cigarette in his other hand, but that didn't stop him from tangling his free one in her hair. He pulled her head back just enough to kiss the strip of skin below her ear, and she tried not to buckle in his arms.

"Kind of, but they can be a pain in the ass to collect on," she sighed, seconds away from ripping his clothes off again. "Sure you want to save that for later?"

She stroked him through his jeans, and his sharp inhale made her nip at his jaw until he started to pull away. "Yeah, I'm sure. Don't think I'd be able to leave if I didn't."

V pouted. "Damn. Almost."

"Almost." His thumb grazed her bottom lip as he stepped back. "Catch you tomorrow at the church?"

"Bright and early?"

"Bright and early."

"Fine. Oh, and Troy?" He paused at the door, his hand on the handle. "I'll get the coffee this time."