Something semi-short for SR1 that follows directly after Sing that jingle. V's got some info to share. It's a shame that no one's able to get a hold of her.

And we're at magic number 50! I was thinking of whipping up something special for the occasion, but these little ideas kept on biting, so I had to jot them down before they could run off. Thanks for sticking with V and I this long, and there's still quite a few ideas to go! Hopefully I can catch them all. :)

A breeze crept in through the cracked window, and Troy leaned into it, letting the smoke resting in his mouth out in a slow exhale. "You're quiet."

The sound of the engine was his only response, and Troy peered over at his passenger with both of his eyebrows raised.

Un-fucking-believable. "Hey!" He snapped his fingers in front of Johnny's face, and saw him jolt. "You've got to be shitting me."

The hand that had gone for his side drifted back up to rub his eyes, pushing the sunglasses up for only a few seconds. "Fuck off. I'm up."

Troy shook his head. "No, you were asleep, and we've been on the road for five minutes, tops."

"And we've been wasting our fucking time at this light for all of it. Pull to the side, hop the sidewalk, and they'll get out of the way."

"And get us t-boned for our trouble when we cross back? Sounds like a fucking treat."

"You asked."

"I didn't."

"Whatever. It's the best way to cut through all of this bullshit."

"And you're not driving, so cut me some fucking slack. We're going the speed limit, I don't see what's so damn bad about it."

Troy flicked the radio on, and Johnny slapped his hand away from the knob when he tried to switch it. "Leave it. Only decent station they've got."

He shrugged, and brought the car to a steady stop at the next light. "Whatever you say, man. The Rock's not half-bad, though."

"It would be better if they'd stop playing the same shit on repeat. Once is enough, and then V's always putting it on for seconds."

It wasn't a large radio, but V did drag it out when she had work to do with wires, her car, or was hanging around the church. He'd hear her humming along from time to time, and was certain that if prompted she could've run through the entire song she was in the middle of without missing a beat.

"I'm surprised the radio hasn't had an accident yet. Wouldn't be too tough to stage it."

Troy found Gat in the rearview mirror, and watched as he considered it. "Wouldn't need any of that fancy shit, though. Just a minute and some blunt force trauma."

"Ah." The bat. "Swing a solid home run? See how far you can shoot it to the moon?"

"I could, but whatever. She learns to turn the damn thing off and maybe I won't."

Troy placed his cigarette back between his lips, and tried not to smile. "At least that'll spare her the shock of watching you beat the shit out of it. Small favors, eh?"

Gat shrugged, but didn't lose his grin.

Troy had originally planned on doing this solo. Picking someone up wasn't always a two-man trip, especially if it was going down the street in what was essentially their safe zone, but there was no discouraging Gat once he'd set himself on something.

The boredom had been written all over him as he'd circled Dex during the meeting, and the moment Julius had singled Troy out to bring V back to the church - Dex was busy talking logistics with Jules, so he was an automatic out - Troy had known he wasn't the only one leaving the room. Johnny had grown restless, and the chance to stretch his legs until they could buckle down on strategy seemed too good to pass up.

V's trip out to the Carnales' factory the night before was their ticket right now, and with her away from her phone they had no clear say as to whether or not they could move forward. It wasn't cause for concern – he'd heard back from Dee via one loud drunk dial at 4 AM that they weren't dead and or dying – but he'd hoped to get V's angle on it. They all did. See just how bad of an idea they were working with before they charged in with an even worse one.

They pulled up to her apartment, and Troy kept an eye out for her vehicle of the week, a maroon Ant. It wasn't in the parking lot, but that could've meant it was back at the garage or broken down on the side of the road. Troy called her one last time as they took the stairs up, and got nothing but her voicemail, her playful tone leading into a sharp beep.

"Nothing?" Gat asked as they made it to her door.

"Nope." Troy pocketed it and frowned. "She usually picks up before now."

Craning his head to check, Troy noticed the cracked door at the same time as Johnny, and felt that lingering worry hit in full force.

"Yo, you in?" Johnny had his hand on the gun hidden in the back of his jeans as he nudged the door open. Troy held his close, checking around the corners, and followed Gat when he pushed ahead.

He wasn't sure what to expect, what to supply his mind with as his eyes scanned the room for any signs of a struggle, but after a moment he realized he didn't have to supply it with anything, because wasn't anything.

The silent apartment had nothing beyond the odd Chinese take-out containers and scattered clothes. Normal, mundane things, and once the few scattered rooms were clear, he took in a long drag and let the tension leave his body. That was close. Too close, even in a hood that was theirs.

Troy lowered his weapon, and came to a stop next to the rumpled sheet on V's bed, Johnny joining him shortly after. The mess of red hair he'd picked out shifted, and a hand brushed some to the side to let a set of dark eyes blink wearily at them.

"Rise and shine," Johnny greeted, laughing when V groaned and covered her face. "Looks like you had a fun night."

V rolled over, the sheet still bunched under her chin, and draped an arm over her eyes. "Eat me."

Gat glanced at Troy over his glasses, a smirk teasing at his lips, and kicked at the corner of her bed. "Bout to be a fun day. Boss's orders."

"Boss?"

"Yeah, boss. Forget something after your little factory run the other night?" He nudged the bed again and V half-heartedly swatted at the air. "He's calling. There's a meeting at the church just for you."

She let out a breath and scowled. "...Should've skipped the fucking tequila."

Troy raised an eyebrow, and had a feeling he was going to be making a few calls later. "Hangover from hell, then?"

"Yeah, it's-" She lifted her arm to get a better look at him and cringed. "Ah, shit. It's too early to be fielding both of you."

"It's one in the afternoon and you forgot to lock your deadbolt." She dragged the pillow up and over the back of her head and Troy put his hands on his hips. "Doesn't change the time, V. Or the fact that that was a bad call. Anyone could follow you home, and with these guys they're waiting for you to fuck up."

"Yeah, yeah, chief. I know the drill."

The dismissive tone dug at him, and he tried not to bristle. "Sure."

"I did lock the damn thing earlier, I swear. Luis must've flipped it."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "And that makes it better."

"Ah, never too early for this shit." She muttered something close to a whatever and Johnny chuckled. "Now why don't you get your ass up before we make you? Julius still wants you there." Another grumble came from the blankets, and Troy exchanged a look with Gat before he shrugged. "Eh, suit yourself."

He grabbed a fistful of the sheet and pulled, and Troy nearly bit through his cigarette when V violently yanked it back, because he suddenly became a hell of a lot more aware of just how far those freckles traveled. How they ran along the curve of her back, and down her legs, and he'd barely traced the lines of the tattoo on her shoulder before being kicked back into the present.

V held the sheet in a tight grip close to her as she stared them both down, and somewhere to his left Troy registered a flat, "Oh."

"I'd wait outside if I were you," she ground out, her hair tangled around her beet-red face.

Troy felt his throat begin to burn as Johnny cleared his. "Uh, you want more than five, we can-"

"Get the fuck out!" she yelled, and they booked it straight for the door.

It wasn't until it had slammed behind them that Troy remembered to breathe again, and he ran both of his hands over his face as he gulped down air. "Jesus."

A low whistle cut through the air as Johnny glanced back at the door, and they both heard the faint sound of something being thrown, paired with V's heated swearing. Troy swallowed thickly as he tried to get his heart rate back in check, but couldn't lose the image. That single snapshot that he had no business catching.

He was still reeling when he heard Johnny's exhale, and fumbled for his pack.

"Heh. The more you know." Troy spun towards him, and Gat's grin fell. "What?"