A/N: Still no copyright. Possible triggers for violence.

When they got back to the Rouge, Mara insisted on cooking for everyone. She immediately started digging things out of the fridge and freezer, cleaning, cutting and sauteing with single-minded determination.

Honestly, she just didn't want to sit and talk, now that so many of her secrets were out.

But, of course, Duke couldn't let go of her because the implant was active, so they worked together, arms pressed skin to skin as she had him cut up the beef. She knew the others weren't vegetarian, so she was making something specifically for them.

She washed her hands once she had everything simmering and pulled an orb out, gazing at it thoughtfully as she rolled it between her hands. She had to get a message to William, she had to know if he was truly lost to her or if he'd been hurt and coerced as she had been. Finally, she put the orb to her lips, singing softly in a language Duke didn't recognize. Her eyes were closed as she sang and her voice was almost pleading. She whispered a few more words in the unusual language before she crushed the orb and sent it away.

"What will it do now, Mara?" Duke spoke quietly, browning the meat as she washed her hands again.

"It will find William and give him the message. He can send me a reply. It's the only way I can find out if he was being controlled without actually freeing him. I'm sure he was expecting me to go after him immediately, but I couldn't have even if I wanted to. I was too busy fighting with you guys. I want him to still love me, I hate the idea that he just stopped loving me and betrayed me for no reason. If there's even a chance Momma was forcing him into this, I have to know."

"What was the song?"

She was cutting up red potatoes, putting them in a pot to boil, and she didn't look up as she replied. "A song we learned from Samuel. Translated into our native language. It's the closest thing to a test I can think of. If he sings the rest of the song, the orb has hidden programming that will tell me what's in his heart. If he responds at all, I'll know if he chose to work with Momma or was forced to."

She shifted a little, edgy as she blanched the spinach. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jennifer. I wasn't trying to keep secrets. She never knew me, and she's gone because of me. I didn't want to bring up a sensitive subject and I didn't want you to- I didn't want to poison your memory of her by telling you. I've hurt you enough."

"Hey, stop. Knowing doesn't change the way I feel about either of you. You obviously loved her too. I know now- hell, I knew then- that Jen and I weren't going to be forever. I loved her and I wanted to protect her and I was lonely, but she couldn't have dealt with my lifestyle long term and neither of us was going to change. I'm really glad to understand what was drawing us together. Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask whatever you want. I may not always answer."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Why did they call her the 'Child of Ruin'?"

Mara grimaced, glaring down at the counter. "My mother started that. She thought she was going to learn so much from studying Jennifer. When she got back and the baby was gone, and she couldn't get anyone to say what had happened to her, she was furious. Said 'That child will ruin everything I've worked for' and any time she had to mention her, she called her 'The Child of Ruin'. I paid for that. It was worth it, though."

"What do you mean you paid for it?"

Mara slid her hand up Duke's shirt to press her fingers to his side and turned her back to Duke. "Lift up my shirt." She focused on letting the hidden scars show and Duke let out a sound that was half sob and half gasp. His fingers traced the criss-cross of stripes gently.

"Mara... do they hurt?"

"No, they're long since healed. I'm only letting them show so you can see." She let her skin go back to normal, the scars invisible unless you knew they were there.

Duke smoothed her shirt back down, taking her hand and pulling her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. I wish I had known."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I disagree. I never wanted you guys to accept me out of pity. I know what I am, and if I get a place with you I want to earn it, not get it because you feel bad for me. I did bad things. I'm trying to make them right, but the scales aren't exactly balanced."

"There's an old Egyptian religious story that when you die, you go before Anubis-"

"And he weighs your heart against a feather. If the scales balance, you pass. I know. I was always fascinated by the religions on this world. So many of the different stories match stories from my world, just with different names. Hell, half the stories on this world match other stories from this world and nobody seems to notice. Mithras was born in a cave on the winter solstice. Odin hung upside down from the World tree for nine days and nights, with a spear wound in his side, so he could obtain knowledge."

Duke grinned at Mara. "Most people get this glassy look in their eyes when I get talking about history or culture. It's really nice being around a woman who's smarter than me."

Mara smiled deviously. "I won't tell Audrey you said that."

"You'd better not. She'd kill me and Nate would plant all kinds of evidence to get her off."

"I can't argue that." His phone rang and he held up a finger as he answered, following Mara around the kitchen with his hand on her back.

Mara whipped the potatoes and laid everything out in the baking dish, piping the hot potatoes on top- a proper Shepherd's Pie- and shoving it in the oven.

Duke groaned as he put the phone back in his pocket. "How mad will you be if I need to work tonight?"

She shrugged as she washed a pot. "Will you be able to eat first?"

"Yep, I don't need to be there until around 7. But I need to stay through closing."

More than her four hours would allow. No matter what, she'd have to handle the implant.

"Can I work? It's easier if I'm not bored. I'll take the hit just before we open for dinner."

"Shit. I guess you'd have to if you stayed home, wouldn't you?"

"It could be worse. At least I could be useful, and it gives me the chance to stare at your ass all night."

He smiled, chuckling as he shook his head. "You win. It's a seven hour shift, so you'd have to take two. I don't like that."

"Nobody likes it, but I'd have to do it either way."

"I could have Dave come stay with you."

"I swear, Crocker..."

"We'll make it work. If you want to come with, I won't turn down the help. The crew liked you."

"I'll change as soon as we're done eating. Audrey brought me some clothes she doesn't wear. So basically, all the good stuff." Duke hid his laugh with a cough and they went to sit with Audrey and Nathan while dinner finished cooking.

Work meant they didn't have time for questioning after dinner, so Mara got to spend her time dressing. She wore a tight red tank top, the denim skirt she'd gotten back from Audrey, and her leather jacket was draped over her bag. They rode in holding hands, and when Duke parked, Mara cut a slit in her thigh, pressing a large band-aid over it before they headed in.

When they got in to the Gull, Duke checked his messages and gestured gratefully at the ceiling, like it was a prayer of thanks. "I am so lucky you're here, Trish called in so we're short. Are you absolutely sure you want to work with me the whole shift?"

She gave him a dry look and shrug. "I can't really play Yahtzee or Twister on my own. At least now I have something to do." She slid on the leather jacket to hide her arms and she turned toward the mirror, reaching into her pockets and slipping in Lexie's nose ring, sliding several of her rings on her fingers. She put a little more eyeliner on and adjusted her hair, using the Aether to push and make it grow, then tying it in an elastic so it hung over her breast.

When Duke came back up to her, he had to do a double take. His expression was incredulous and confused. He looked down at her, the rolled sleeve of his open denim shirt pulling back as he pointed his finger unconsciously. "Lexie?"

She laughed Lexie's laugh and grinned up at him. "Nope. But she's still in here. I'm still Mara. But I can be any of them." Her stance changed, one hip cocked slightly and a thoughtful gaze in her eyes, head slightly tilted and it was like looking at Audrey. Another shift, posture straight yet relaxed, a very serious look on her face, suddenly she was Lucy. Again, hands on her hips, lips pursed slightly and Sarah's voice said, "They're all me, Duke."

Mara stretched as Duke stared with his mouth open, shock written in every line of his face. "They were all me, and I'm all of them. All 19 of them make me who I am right now."

"I- that- is it really wrong that I thought that was really, really hot?"

She laughed Lexie's laugh again, and even the mannerisms were the same. "I hope not! It's not like I can just exchange them. There's no such thing as 'laser personality remover'... though I have wondered about a few people, if we're honest. It's like Nathan can turn his personality on and off like a light switch."

Duke bent double, laughing. The whole 'Lexie' thing was making him a little hysterical. "He's always been like that, always afraid to take the initiative. Then he'd get mad when I'd get the date or whatever we were competing for."

"So competition is your kink, or is it just competition with Nathan?" She was wiping down the bar, setting up her workstation and putting a couple $5 bills in the tip jar as other employees set up the kitchen.

"My kink?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "Yes, your kink. Everyone has one. Some people like being tied up, some like being spanked, some like biting- I'm a personal fan of biting, but I want to know yours. Your kink. Other than seeing me naked in chains."

She spoke nonchalantly, barely glancing at him as she worked. "I have good hearing, you know. I could tell when you were touching yourself just next to that doorway. I could see the teeth marks where you'd bitten your fist to keep quiet when you came. Sometimes, when I would listen to you, I'd touch myself too, pretending it was you, just so I could see what it felt like to come with you, hearing your voice." She smiled a little, looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

Duke coughed into his fist, face turning red. "I can show you right now if you're so curious." A lock of his ever-growing hair fell in his forehead, standing out even more against the red of Duke's skin.

"That sounds fantastic, but we open in three minutes, and I have to work. Don't want to upset the boss."

Duke grinned. "You want to play that game?"

"What game?"

"The 'who can turn the other person on more' game. Don't play innocent."

"I'm not playing anything, and I'm certainly not innocent. I'll be in your bed at the end of the night either way, I win no matter what."

Duke leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "My kink? I like sex in places we shouldn't be, where we could get caught. For instance, taking you in the count out room mid-shift."

Goosebumps broke out on her skin and her face flushed. Smiling, he slapped her ass as he went to unlock the door. "Spanking is good too."

Mara laughed as he moved back down the bar and she tied the apron around her waist, tucking a bar towel into the side. The knife, her ever-present companion, was in her pocket.

Seconds before the first customer came in, her orb zipped back to her and she snatched it out of the air before any other employees would notice it. It vibrated in her hand. "Duke, I need to run to the count out room for a second." She opened her hand just enough to show him the orb.

"You sure it's safe?"

"A messenger orb can't hurt me. I just need some privacy, because these people think I'm normal. It would freak them out."

"I'll cover, go ahead. Just let me know."

She nodded, smiling tightly, and ran for the count out room, locking the door and sitting before she crushed the orb.

William's golden voice rained over her and tears rose in her eyes. She dabbed them away as she listened, keeping track of the readings all the while. When the song was over, his voice spoke in her head.

"I'm sorry, Mara. I'm so sorry. I never left. Everything was black for awhile, and then you were in that Barn. You have to understand I didn't know, I never knew what she was going to do. I tried to get you out so many times, but that guard dog Howard kept me away. I couldn't get to you until Wuornos killed him. I tried, baby. I'm sorry. I will always love you."

He was being honest. The orb clearly showed no sign of deceit. She cautiously re-formed it, whispering, "Come home. I forgive you. We saved Audrey, I'm making a life and I'm in love. Just come home." She only hesitated a moment before she sent the orb out again, then she stretched and took a few calming breaths, putting on her 'work face' before she headed back out. As she passed Duke on the way to her end of the bar, she leaned up to whisper in Duke's ear. "All good. He's not lying. He didn't mean to hurt me."

They met each other's eyes and she gave him a reassuring smile and nod as she went to work.

It was surprisingly busy for mid-week, and though she went out of her way to touch or brush against Duke every chance she got, they didn't have nearly enough time to play with each other. But Mara laughed and teased and playfully flirted with everyone, even Dwight and three of his stunned buddies from the Guard. He'd obviously told them about her, but they'd never seen her and they weren't expecting her to be their waitress, certainly.

"Dwight! Gentlemen, how nice to meet you. I'm Mara and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?"

Dwight just gaped at her for several seconds before she shook his head. "Mara? What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"I'm helping out, Duke's short a staff member and I'm bored. Lexie was a bartender, so- here I am."

"Why are you dressed as Lexie?"

"Her job, her mannerisms. When I'm busy I fall into old patterns and it throws me off if I don't match the part."

He shook his head as they gave her their orders and she walked away laughing. She put the food order on the spindle, pouring their beers. The door opened and she narrowed her eyes, recognizing the groping college kids from her first night here. "Potential trouble at table 3. Guys like that don't like getting embarrassed. Keep your eyes open."

"You want me to kick them out now? I don't mind."

"Don't be absurd. They may be perfectly decent sober. Just keep and eye out and so will I."

She brought Dwight's table their drinks, tucking the empty tray under her arm and glancing around to make sure nobody was looking before she pulled her left sleeve up slightly, letting the Maze that always lay hidden in her skin flow out, each line traced in bright golden-red fire. She made eye contact with each man, and she was very solemn when she spoke. "Thank you, all of you, for everything you do for our people. I appreciate it more than I can tell you. But relax tonight, drinks are on me." She walked away, waving off their objections to take the order from table three.

She smiled as she did to everyone else. "Good evening, I'm Mara, I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you?"

The young men sat in silence, unsmiling as they stared at her.

"You need a few minutes? That's fine, I'll come back and check on you in a few."

Her skin crawled as she took her place behind the bar, more comfortable with a barrier and Duke at her side. When the sensation didn't pass, she realized she'd blown through over half her shift. It was almost 11pm.

And her four hours were up.

"I need to take a quick break, cover me? Five minutes, tops."

Duke obviously hadn't noticed the time either. "Sure, I've got this. See you in a few."

She went out the back door, digging the knife from her pocket. With her right hand splinted, her options were limited. She had just touched the blade to her upper leg when the door opened and she straightened up quickly, hiding the knife at her side.

"We were hoping we'd get a chance to talk to you."

Fabulous. Cranky college kids with a petty grudge.

"You're more than welcome to speak to me inside. Or any other server can take your order."

They laughed. "We're not here about those orders. Turns out we're not the only ones who think you need to get knocked down a peg or two."

No. Oh no, no, no. She'd at least assumed Charlotte would come after her herself. The weather changed in an instant, clouds full of lightning rolling in and thunder rumbling ominously. She wondered who it was warning.

She made her voice as bored and aloof as possible. "So you're working for Charlotte Cross? Consider me duly warned."

The biggest one stepped forward and she stepped back, letting her eyes glow bright red. "You need to stop now, before someone gets hurt."

"She told us about your little contact lens trick. And that's not what we got paid for."

Mara was a great fighter, brilliant with a blade, but she was using her non-dominant hand and she had promised not to kill anyone. But she'd be damned if she went down without a fight, not to a bunch of rich college brats and certainly not to anyone working for Charlotte. Wind whipped around her and the thunder grew louder.

She could sense that at least two of them had familial Troubles- she could force them to trigger, but she didn't know their names or the nature of their Troubles, and she didn't have orbs handy to alter them. The one in front rushed her and she knew- she'd just have to fight and do her best not to kill.

That went entirely against her instincts and training. When she was a child in her combat lessons, she'd been taught that when you had to hurt someone, you made damn sure they stayed down.

She tightened her hand on the knife, slashing upward and taking the first by surprise, the blade slicing through his cheek. Then she just tried to force her way through the steps of combat, the dance she'd practiced a thousand times.

Sidestep, elbow to the ribs. Knee into the groin, slash down, aiming for the neck and checking the momentum, hitting his shoulder instead. Solar plexus, instep, nose, groin. Kick to the back of the knee. She hit with her splinted hand, slashed with her left and kept moving. That was the first rule of combat; Don't let your adversary hit you.

She was holding her own, and she screamed, but the music was blaring and she wasn't even sure Audrey was home. She screamed again, trying to focus on the movement through the burning that warned her that her ten minute grace period was almost up, and when she opened her mouth again, she was silent. Thunder crashed, trying to scream for her.

The burning intensified and a fist caught her in the back, over her kidney. She stumbled, sprawling face-first into the ground, gravel embedding in her cheek, but it wasn't enough, not enough damage to give her her voice back.

Or maybe Charlotte was forcing the implant to stay active.

A kick caught her in the ribs and she flew a few feet before one of them stomped on her hand, forcing her to drop the knife.

One weapon down. Aether it was then, promises be damned. A tear fell and she brushed it with the fingers of her free right hand, darting her arm up to press against one's face where he had started to lean over her. He began to scream, scraping at his skin as lesions appeared, growing and bursting rapidly. She got another tear and managed to hit the hand of another and he jerked, skin blackening as he rolled, trying to put out the fire only he could see.

That's when the last two caught on, another foot stepping on her right hand, crushing her wrists into the ground so she was trapped, sprawled on the ground without the power of speech.

Charlotte had planned this well. She had the timing down to an exact science.

But Charlotte had failed to take human nature into consideration. These men weren't driven simply by science or monetary gain, they had a score to settle. She had refused their advances and embarrassed them in front of their peers. They were human and they wanted their pound of flesh.

The one standing on her hands dropped to his knees, moving to hold her wrists as the other pushed at her skirt. Mara, breathing hard, lowered her head just long enough- when she felt the one holding her hands lean forward eagerly, she flung her head up, hearing his nose crack. He cursed, dropping her hands to hold his nose and she grabbed the knife, flipping in one smooth motion to bury it in the last one's neck.

She still couldn't speak, so she wiped the blade on her skirt, slashing the outside of her thigh and climbing to her feet, sprinting for the Gull.

Panic catching up to her, she yelled for Duke and Dwight, shaking horribly and standing through sheer force of will.

They ran for her, the other Guard members right behind and she wondered what she must look like- her Lexie outfit spattered with blood, gravel stuck in her cheek, skirt torn and blood on her leg. When they came to her, she pulled them outside, not wanting to make a bigger scene.

She was shaking but her eyes were dry as she pointed to the four men- one kneeling over the one she'd stabbed, blood pouring from his nose.

"She killed them! That bitch killed them! She's crazy!"

As she looked around the scene, Mara felt ill. She had told them she'd changed, that she wasn't a bloodthirsty monster or a freak, but one man was nothing but charred corpse, another was a disgusting mass of bloody lesions and the third was white as a ghost- appropriate- his blood pooled invisibly beneath him where it didn't stain his shirt.

"Mara, sweetheart what happened?" Duke was holding her up, looking like he was concerned for her. After she'd murdered three men just outside his business.

"I'm a monster. I killed them. I didn't even kill them fairly. I used Aether. Charlotte hired them but they were just human. What could they have done to me? Hurt me, embarrassed me? I would have lived!"

"Mara! Stop. You're not a monster. Now tell me what happened." He shook her a little by the shoulders and she gazed down, Dwight coming to listen once the last man was handcuffed on the ground under the supervision of the other Guard members.

"I upset them the other night. Made them give me their keys because they were drunk and touching me. I thought there might be trouble when they came in tonight; they wouldn't speak when I tried to get their order. But my four hours... I came outside for some privacy, just for five minutes. They followed me out and said Charlotte had hired them. I tried to get them to stop, but they wouldn't listen. I was trying not to hurt anyone but they disarmed me." She held out her left wrist, already purple where it wasn't covered in blood. Lightning streaked out over the water, the storm swooping in quickly.

She swallowed hard. "I was crying, so I used the Aether from the tears. I screamed, I swear, but then my ten minutes were up and I couldn't scream and all I could think of was the pain. When I touched them, I changed their Troubles, killed them. Then they got my other hand. They were holding me down, and I should have just let them- in 500 years, how would that have been new? But I headbutted that one, broke his nose. And then I stabbed the last one. It was instinct. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She was whispering by the end, arms wrapped around herself. "I understand if you have to take me to jail or to the Guard. I won't fight. I'm sorry this followed me to your business, Duke."

"No, baby. No. I'm sorry. I should have noticed they were gone, I should have noticed the time. I should have heard you." He buried his face in her hair, unable to speak. Dwight looked sad and tired.

"Mara, just because you have different abilities doesn't mean you're expected to stand by and let people hurt you. Sure, maybe- maybe you would have lived- but you said Charlotte hired them. You don't know that Charlotte didn't tell them to bring you to her. Mara, you very probably just saved your baby."

She was still looking for any sign of dishonestly in Dwight's face when Nathan and Audrey ran over- they hadn't been home after all. Part of her was almost painfully relieved, relieved they hadn't just ignored her screams. Not that she'd have blamed them.

The paramedics arrived immediately after, and Duke and Audrey brought Mara up to the apartment. They led her to a chair and Audrey knelt at her feet.

"Mara, I know you just want to be done, but will you let me take pictures of your injuries? We need to document for the case."

Mara shrugged, still silent. It was almost like the implant was live, like she didn't have the ability to speak, only now it wasn't lack of ability, it was lack of desire. She stood as Audrey photographed her face and clothes, let Duke pull off the jacket- it was a total loss, too covered in blood and bad memory to be salvageable- and held out her hands and wrists for their pictures.

"Are you hurt anywhere else, Mara?" Audrey's voice was calm and gentle, but Mara had lived in her and knew these tricks- the voices and lines they pulled out for these cases. Mara just nodded, pulling off her tank top but leaving her bra on, the large bootprint black against her rib cage and her back already bruising from the punch. Duke's hands clenched and she saw the tic in his jaw and slight flare of his nostrils that usually meant he was about to hit someone or throw something.

Audrey looked hesitant, but finally said, "Mara, I need to know if any of them raped you."

"No!" Well, that at least brought her voice back. "If I had let them do that I wouldn't have had to kill them. That down there? That's my fault. Because I don't have the fucking self-control to fight without killing!"

Duke was glaring as he spun Mara to face him. "No. Don't you ever say that. If you hadn't- if they had done that to you, I would have just hunted them down and killed them myself. You didn't cause their deaths, you just made them a lot less painful than they would have been otherwise. The only person who caused this is Charlotte."

"Charlotte?" Audrey looked between them and Mara realized nobody had told her yet.

"Charlotte hired them. Told them what time the implant would go active. It was a coordinated attack."

Audrey was quiet as she gathered the rest of the evidence- scrapings from under Mara's nails, hair and fibers from her clothes, even the gravel from her cheek when Duke gently removed it.

"Just take the whole jacket. And the skirt. I don't want them back."

Audrey nodded and Duke led Mara to the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up so you can be comfortable, huh?"

Mara followed him to the bathroom, listening to the storm rage overhead as she stepped into the water, Duke taking the rest of her clothes and passing them out to Audrey so she could bag them. He removed the splint from her hand- it was itchy and caked with dirt, and she was fairly certain the bones had shifted when she'd been stepped on anyway. He pulled off his shirt and pants so he could climb in, washing her hair for her.

Her voice was rough and scratchy like she'd been crying. "I'm sorry. I know the bar is understaffed, it's bad enough that I had to quit early, you shouldn't have to babysit me."

"I don't have to do anything. I told you, I'm the boss. I told them to close up early. Besides, we had to close anyway. Cops, you know? I let them have the security video and I'm sure those assholes didn't notice I had cameras outside anyway. They'll clearly see it was self defense, that you were ambushed. Please don't worry. You even warned me when they came in. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

Mara frowned and looked down. "I'm not. You've killed for me enough. I'm glad you didn't have to see- Duke, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I broke my promise. I said I wouldn't kill and I did anyway." She rested her forehead against his chest, staring at his feet while he massaged conditioner into her long hair. "I've tried explaining that the people I killed before were dangerous, were hurting people, but I know Nathan at least still thinks killing them was wrong. How is this any different?"

"Simple. You were protecting yourself and our baby." He spread his fingers out over the small protrusion you couldn't even notice with clothes on. "Let me ask you something. If you and me were just dating and you weren't pregnant, would you have killed those guys? Or if you didn't know they worked for Charlotte?"

She thought it over seriously. "If I hadn't thought they were going to hurt the baby or give me to my mother... no. I wouldn't have. I still would have fought, but I wouldn't have used the Aether and I wouldn't have- I would have let them do what they were going to do and gone about my business. I'm used to people using my body without permission."

Duke washed her back, legs and feet, running the scrubby all over her body and rinsing her before he poured more soap on his bare hands, tenderly washing her wrists and hands. "That means you did what you had to to protect our baby. I don't know firsthand, but I'm pretty sure that's what a mother is supposed to do. You know if they had given you to Charlotte she would have killed the baby. We both heard her. The difference is, if I had been out there with you? You wouldn't be so beat up and all of them would have been dead. If Dwight hadn't have been here, I probably would have killed the last one myself."

"Do you mean it? Can you really look me in the eye and tell me I'm not a monster? I asked you to bring me to work with you and I ruined everything."

He tilted her head up with his fingers, staring into her eyes with burning intensity. "I swear on everything holy that you are not a monster. You didn't ruin anything. They did. Charlotte did. I don't know about you, but I was having a great time. You rubbing against me every time we passed each other- one of the best nights I've ever had at work."

He finished rinsing her and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around Mara and folding her in his arms. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

"I love your hair long."

She almost smiled. "You're trying to distract me." She watched Duke dry her and ran her hand down his arm. Her hands were swollen, stiff and purple. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what the rest of her looked like.

"Depends. Is it working?"

Her lips curled slightly and he grinned up from where he was drying her lower legs.

"A little," she allowed, "but the only thing that I can think of that could really distract me is being back home in bed with you." She blushed and looked away. "To your home, I mean. Obviously."

His smile only broadened. "I will happily take you back to our home and lie in our bed with you."

"What's that look for? It was a slip of the tongue, Duke. Sue me. Oh, or don't. Can you imagine if all the Troubled citizens started suing me? I guess I'm lucky not to have any government identification."

"And you're trying to distract me. Nope. Not happening. I distinctly heard you call the Rouge home, and by Maine State Law that means you officially live with me." He toweled himself after drying her hair as well as he could.

"You're only saying that because you know I won't bother looking up the actual law." She couldn't plant her hands on her hips so she crossed her arms, unflinchingly naked.

"Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. It won't actually hurt you to have a home, Mara." Duke finished toweling off, pulling her closer by her hips.

"Duke, how can..." Mara paused, thinking. Finally she straightened up, squaring her shoulders. "Yes, of course. If you want me there, that's where I'll be."

Duke looked startled that she had given in so easily. "Really? No hours of arguing, no begging, no hunger strikes?"

She shook her head. "No. If you hurt me, you hurt me. I'll never know if I don't try. I've had enough of pulling away from what I want."

He beamed at her, cupping her face and the back of her head gently. "Me too, Beautiful. Me too."