A/N: One of us has watched Cruel Intentions on a loop since 2007; can you tell? Also, BERT EXISTS~! HUZZAH!

Chapter 13: Let the Record Show

Nathaniel knocked on the door of the house where Josh was living. It was answered by a stunningly beautiful woman with long, light brown hair highlighted with ash blonde; large jade eyes; and a body that wouldn't quit. She was wearing simple jeans, a black V-necked T-shirt, and a soft grey blazer.

"Hi there," she said, taking a sip of her Coke. "Can I help you?"

Nathaniel scraped his jaw off the floor. "I—uh— Josh?" he asked.

The woman smiled. "Come on in. Can I get'cha pop?" she asked.

"I love you. I mean, I'd love to. I mean, yes." He watched her walk away and stood there, stunned, until Josh popped up in front of him and waved.

"Uh. Hi, Josh. I'm here to apologize for how I spoke to you, over text, when you first moved in," he said.

Josh's doofy face turned serious suddenly. "What did he do this time?"

Before Nathaniel could respond, the beautiful woman sauntered back over, holding a fresh Coke for Nathaniel. "Here you go. I'm Cat, by the way. Josh's roommate."

"Hi, I'm Nat. Pleasure to meet you," Nathaniel said, taking the Coke in one hand and reaching out the other for her to shake.

Josh raised his eyebrows. He had never heard Nathaniel use a shortened version of his name.

"Actually, I came to talk to Josh about… um… football," he lied lamely.

"I love football!" Cat exclaimed. "Not as much as water polo, but it was the one thing I could talk to my big brother about when I was growing up. Go Hawkeyes!" She pumped her fist.

Oh. That was unexpected. "Did I say football? I meant, uh, Nintendo football. I play water polo too, by the way, great sport, we'll have to touch base later. But me and my bro here, we're gonna go… to a LAN party." And he dragged Josh out of the house.

Once they were somewhere away from prying ears, Nathaniel told Josh what had happened.

"No way!" Josh looked revolted. "Does Rebecca know?"

"Not only does she know, but she's siding with him! And so is Greg!"

"What? That's nuts! We've got to go talk to them! At least talk to Greg! And Paula?"

"No! Weren't you listening? They're not going to help us. They're all enabling Rebecca and her bad choices, yet again."

"So what are we going to—?"

At that moment, Josh got a text.

"It's… from Greg."

xoxo

Greg had had a lot of time to think about what had happened since that morning and what Nathaniel had said. He didn't wholly agree with the way things had happened between Nathaniel and Rebecca, but what he had been able to piece together from the hints Nathaniel dropped and the look in Rebecca's face, and just from bumping into Trent at the hospital and how Nathaniel had reacted… well, it made sense, and he was disgusted by it.

Reaching for his phone, he sent a short but sweet text to Josh.

Need to talk! Something not right with Trent… or Rebecca. Nathaniel acting weird. All of this shit is weird! Meet me at HB. Talk there!

"I guess we're going to Home Base," Nathaniel said, reading over Josh's shoulder. They still drank there, Josh and Greg, even though Greg was no longer working there.

So off they went. They got a corner booth out of earshot of the rest of establishment. Kevin was ecstatic to see them. He offered them appetizers on the house, to which Josh said, "Anything but chicken wings." At the weird look on Nathaniel's and Greg's faces, he said, "It's a whole thing, I'll explain later. So Greg, what's up?"

Greg had been trying not to seem anxious, but looked profoundly serious as he looked between Nathaniel and Josh.

"Is it true?" he gritted through his teeth, giving Nathaniel a look that said he better not lie to him. "What was said back in the hospital? Did Trent… you know?" The way he said it made it clear what he thought about the act. If it was true, how could Rebecca accept it? This was a big problem and it proved that Trent was crazier than they all had thought. And… what would that mean for Rebecca?

Nathaniel looked down at his hands on the table and grimaced. "I wanted to tell you," he informed his hands. "He said he'd poison my IV if I did."

Greg went very still at what Nathaniel was saying. This wasn't normal! This was sick!

"He said what!?" He had to look away, knowing that Nathaniel wasn't lying just by the way he held himself. Like… he was ashamed. Running his fingers through his hair, Greg sighed.

Nathaniel told Greg everything, from the time he had woken up to Trent jerking, then sucking, him off in the hospital room.

"He'd brought oleanders, and he said he'd put oleander extract in my IV if I told anybody," he finished.

He didn't share that what bothered him wasn't just what Trent had done. Yes, he had known the man was sick, and he should have called the nurse in the second he had woken up. What bothered him was that, on some level, he hadn't entirely hated it. He had a hate-sex kink, which he and Rebecca had consensually explored during their time together, and he had a slight masochistic streak, which he had indulged by hiring some goons to beat him up and drop him in a remote camping location when Rebecca was in jail. The fact that Trent could throw him around like a rag doll, and then had the audacity to get in his face and lick blood off him, wasn't something he minded as much as he knew he should. And that was why he was ashamed.

"Ok, so… what do we do?" Greg asked, looking back and forth between his two friends. "He can't get away with this! It's rape! And… if Rebecca knows and is ok with this…." He trailed off and shook his head. He still cared for Rebecca very much and had tried to turn a blind eye while she had been so upset, but this just wasn't right. "There's got to be something we can do! Now that everyone knows, you should go to the cops, Nathaniel… or something!"

"I think Rebecca would be more upset by the fact that Trent was cheating on her than what he did to me," Nathaniel muttered. "You know how selfish she is. And going to the cops wouldn't help. They think I fainted when he threw me across the room." He scoffed. "So the cops are pretty much in his pocket."

Greg scoffed hearing that the cops were no help, then thought a moment. "What if we… caught him…?" He chose his words carefully. "Like… got his confession on tape or something… maybe Paula…." He trailed off and shook his head again. "Naw! She is fully in Rebecca's court. She won't help…."

Nathaniel liked the idea of something irrefutable, something he could file a restraining order with and take to court.

"Well, Paula won't help," said Josh, "but she's not the only person who knows them. What about Valencia and Heather? Oh, oh, or Hector and White Josh? They know something is weird about Trent for sure. And Valencia had a gut feeling about Trent when we all met him, remember? She has really good instincts."

Greg seemed more interested when Josh named a few more of their friends. An ambush! That had all the sounds of success, and he readily agreed. "Are you sure it's good to bring those guys in though? Don't get me wrong, I love White Josh and Hector, but they suck at keeping secrets." He chuckled and smirked devilishly.

"What about George, Nathaniel?" he suddenly asked out of nowhere. "I get that you aren't going back to work for a while, but… he will be working with Paula and Rebecca. He could, you know, take over your place for a while and keep an eye on those two." He shrugged. "Just a thought. I mean, you don't have to tell him everything. Just… that you need his help cause you will be out for a few days and—well—whatever you want to tell him."

That was a surprisingly clever idea. Nathaniel called George immediately.

"George, it's Nathaniel. Listen, I'm not going to be in the office for a few days. Let Bert know I'm taking sick leave, and when sick leave runs out, let him know I'm on vacation. And keep things running smoothly in my absence but stay away from Rebecca and Paula."

"But Rebecca is a senior—"

"George."

"… You got it, boss."

Josh was staring at him with moon eyes when he hung up. "Whoa," he said admiringly. "I can't wait till I make manager at the theater, and then I can boss people around like that too."

Greg simply smirked at Josh and tried not to roll his eyes. That boy wasn't firing on all pistons sometimes, but he was cool. Turning his attention back to Nathaniel, he leaned closer in his seat, hands clasped together. "So, how do we do this?"

xoxo

Back in the office, George was very confused. Why should he stay away from Paula? Rebecca he didn't really like, as she had hurt Nathaniel's feelings one time too many. But… Paula? Oh well. What Nat wanted, Nat got.

It was strange though. Why was Nathaniel taking so much time off? George had heard about the 'accident' but no further details. It made him curious and for once, he decided to be bold. Taking out his cell, as he had Nathaniel's number programed with little hearts over his name in his cell, he texted,

I don't know if you are ok or not, but if not, I want to help. What can I do?

Just do what I tell you, George, Nathaniel responded, exasperated.

"Wait," said Josh. "I mean, if we tell White Josh, he's probably going to tell Darryl, which means George is going to find out anyway." He grabbed the cell phone out of Nathaniel's hand. Nathaniel rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in exasperation.

"George, this is Josh Chan. Uh, I change the water cooler sometimes? Yeahhh, so listen, how well can you keep a secret?"

"Pretty well, why?" George gripped his phone tighter as he leaned in as if that would help him hear better. He was going to be included in something that had to do with Nathaniel! He could squeal!

Nathaniel sighed. He didn't like this, but Josh was right. George was going to find out anyway and he would rather it be from him. He took the phone back, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, look, I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but I'm taking some personal time because…." He took a breath, steeling himself. "Rebecca's psycho boyfriend assaulted me, put me in the hospital, and…." He grimaced. "… molested me," he whispered reluctantly. "He's got the police in his pocket, so I can't go to them, but I want to catch him confessing to it. All of it. Rebecca either doesn't believe me or doesn't care, but either way, she and Paula are siding with him. Now will you hel— do as I say, or not?" he snapped.

George gasped as he heard what his Nathaniel said; he gulped as an unexpected burst of anger engulfed him. "Of course! Anything you need!" He was so mad, he could spit. "I got it covered, sir… don't you worry. Just rest up and get better."

Nathaniel texted George: In case I require more intensive assistance, how would you feel about becoming a live-in PA? Just until this mess gets sorted out?

He had an ulterior motive for that: George gave the best massages, and he was cheaper than the local reflexologist.

George was over the moon! That wasn't even a question! He texted back in the affirmative and asked when he could move in.

Come over after work, Nathaniel texted back. Bring your oils. George had a key. Actually, George had Mona's old key. He could let himself in and make himself useful regardless of whether Nathaniel was at home.

xoxo

Paula crept away from the spot she'd been 'casually' filing papers to eavesdrop, made a beeline for the nearest woman's restroom, and called Rebecca. "Come on… pick up!"

xoxo

Rebecca looked at her phone again as it went off once more and groaned playfully. "Dammit, Paula…." She extracted herself a bit from Trent's embrace so she could speak to her easier.

"Yes Paula… I told you I would ca—" She paused as she heard Paula rush through her words. "Wait… wait… WHAT!? Hang on… I'm going to put you on speaker." She moved the phone from her ear and pushed a button. "Ok, go ahead, Paula. Say that again?"

"Oh… Hi, Trent. Glad you are feeling better." Paula started awkwardly before she launched back into her spiel. "I said I just heard Nathaniel talking with George on the office phone. They are setting a trap for Trent. Something about getting a confession from him as hard evidence against him. Nathaniel, Greg, and Josh are all in on this, I heard them in the background… Just thought I should warn you, cause who knows who else they are trying to rope into this." She paused and sighed awkwardly before she continued.

"Trent, no offense, but you know I don't particularly like you, but you make Rebecca happy, and I love her, so be careful." She paused before she continued again. "Rebecca, watch your back when you come back to work, too. He's got George watching us; George was told to stay away from us both… so yeah… and make sure Trent realizes how serious this is. PLEASE! I cannot handle another blow-up so soon after the last one… ok?" Her voice cracked as she tried not to laugh at how all this looked. "Anyway, that's all from me. I have to get back to work. Call later. Love you. BYE!" And with that, the line went dead.

Rebecca looked at Trent and frowned, as she looked back at her phone. "SONOFABITCH!"

Trent wasn't nearly as concerned; he'd seen this coming. Catherine had called him as soon as Nathaniel and Josh left, and he had 'encouraged' her to get close to Nathaniel, by any means necessary.

"It'll be okay, babygirl," he said. He texted Paula:

Thank you for the warning.

He hadn't been keeping score, but if he had, they would be even now.

Rebecca just stared openly at Trent. He was so… calm! "How is this ok?" she asked with a hint of anger to her voice. "Those… I mean they… what are they… FUCK!" She couldn't even talk for the moment, she was so mad! Sure, ok, Trent had done something a little bit illegal. But Nathaniel had started it! He shouldn't have pushed Trent into feeling he had to act out that way, nor raise his hand to her… which she had to admit, slugging him twice had felt pretty good.

"Oh, I know exactly what they're doing," Trent said placidly. "Josh lives with my personal assistant, remember? She's the perfect honey trap. Look." He showed Rebecca Catherine's contact photo: clean-cut, flawless, in perfect shape, with a penchant for very fitted blazers. "She has her instructions. By now she should be setting up a date with none other than our Nathaniel."

Rebecca just looked at Trent with an open-mouthed stare. How did he even plan for all of this so fast? This was crazy… but she had to admit, it was a good plan. Nathaniel could never resist a beautiful woman and always gave himself away too fast—something she had learned about him while dating him. He was digging his own grave and didn't seem to know it.

"You are so smart, my love." She giggled as she came back down, seeing the picture of Catherine that Trent showed her. No way Nathaniel would be able to resist her. She was so beautiful, and smart if she worked for Trent. Nathaniel was sunk… and it made Rebecca smile wickedly in delight.

xoxo

Josh got a call on his phone. "Yeah, I know my shift starts in an hour," he said without preamble. "I'll be right there." He hung up. "Cat," he explained. "She, like, micromanages my entire life. It's like having a girlfriend, but without the sex."

Nathaniel looked up at that. "She's single?" he asked casually.

Josh made a face. "Trust me, dude, she is not worth it. She only dates boring guys in suits— no offense, man."

Greg stared at Josh like he was dumber than a box of rocks. It was obvious that Nathaniel was smitten. He had to roll his eyes as that man never seemed to learn, either. Beautiful women were a lot of trouble oftentimes.

"Didn't you learn anything from this experience, Nathaniel?" he gruffly. "Leave it alone, man…."

Nathaniel looked at Greg like he was speaking Greek. "Excuse me?" he asked. "Me asking out Josh's roommate has nothing to do with this situation."

Just then, his phone pinged. It was a Facebook friend request from "Catherine Marianne". He accepted right away.

What are you doing tomorrow? she had PMed him.

He couldn't help the grin on his face as he wrote back, Well, I'm going out with you.

Greg just shook his head again. Nathaniel was a lost cause and maybe, next time he got into trouble, Greg would be sure to make himself scarce. This… trouble with Trent and Nathaniel and Rebecca was getting old.

"If you say so, man. But I warn you… . all girls are trouble. Even more so the beautiful ones. Mark my words… NO good will come of this."

Nathaniel scoffed at Greg's negativity. "Come on, man, she's… Whoa. 21. How much trouble could a girl that age be?" he asked arrogantly.

Greg looked first at Josh, then back at Nathaniel. "Just… get in touch with me when you are ready to spring this trap. Till then, behave. I'm out!" So saying, he got up and left, shaking his head at how stupid his friends could be sometimes.

Josh felt like there was something REALLY important he was forgetting to tell Nathaniel, but he couldn't put his finger on it. After sitting there with a confused look on his face for a few minutes, he too got up.

"I have to get to work, or the 21-year-old will skin me for bacon, but like, human bacon," he said. "See ya. Good catching up."

So Nathaniel decided it was time to go home, too. As soon as he walked in, he busied himself setting things up for George. He even ordered dinner in advance so neither of them would have to cook.

"Where is he going to sleep, though?" he asked himself aloud. Then he had an idea. He pulled some of the guest pillows out of the closet and arranged them directly in the middle of his king-sized bed, then nodded in satisfaction.

He took off everything except his pants and underwear and took a muscle relaxer, preparing for George to come home and give that massage.