-ooo-
Recoil
Part 2-2: Relationships
I glared at Lisa, trying for a severe tone. It's not funny.
She continued to roll about on the floor of the patio, howling with laughter.
I growled with irritation. Okay, so it's funny, but it's not that funny.
Lisa sat up, eyes still streaming, face red from the mirth. "Oh, yes it is," she informed me, then burst into giggles all over again.
I pit my hand over my eyes. Can we just be serious for just a moment? I pleaded. We need to figure out what I need to do to fix this.
Lisa wiped the tears from her eyes, then climbed back on to the patio chair. "You should have seen your face," she chuckled. "In fact, you should have realised what was happening when Andrea kissed you, the first time you met."
I've never been to college in the nineties, I protested. I don't know what goes on here! For all I knew, that was a common thing!
Lisa chuckled again. "To be honest, you're not far wrong," she admitted. "But when she seemed to recognise you? Didn't that at least make you wonder?"
It should have, I conceded. But I was kind of flustered, at the time. Anyway, how am I going to sort this mess out?
Lisa tilted her head. "What mess?"
You know damn well what mess, I charged her. My mom's having an affair with my roommate. How do I get her together with Danny instead?
"Well, you do realise," Lisa reminded me, "even if they don't get together, it won't negate your existence."
I waved my hand impatiently. I knew that bit. I still want to get them together.
Lisa's tone was gentle. "And even if you do succeed, whatever kid they're going to have is highly unlikely to end up exactly like you."
I shook my head. I don't care. Which wasn't precisely true. I did rather want there to be a younger version of me someday. If nothing else, Lisa's younger self would need someone to keep her in line. But there was nothing I could do about that at the moment, at least not until the more pressing issues were solved. How do I get them together?
She shot me a perceptive look. She knew exactly why I wanted Danny and Anne-Rose to be a couple. He would be happy with her, and she would be happy with him. It was as simple as that.
"Okay," she began. "Just leaving them to their own devices only has a minor chance of success. Danny was supposed to be in Admissions, seeing about engineering studies, instead of helping you carry your luggage upstairs. He would have met her in line, they would have struck up a conversation, and eventually they would have gone for a drink. By the time she reunited with Andrea, she would have been much more interested in Danny."
I sighed. Noted. So how do I get Anne-Rose away from Andrea long enough for her to notice Danny?
Danny, I knew, would not take much persuading to take notice of Anne-Rose; she and I were very similar in appearance, although she was closer to him in age. More to the point, I was the unrequited crush, while she was fully available ... if we could just split up the happy couple. Which was the part I was already feeling bad about.
"Well ... " began Lisa, "I kind of have a plan. But I don't think you're going to like it."
I sighed again. I've already got a bad feeling about this. Hit me.
Lisa put her hand on mine, and looked me in the eye. "You're going to have to take one for the team."
I frowned. What?
Her tone was patient. "You're going to have to seduce Andrea away from Anne-Rose so that your father has a chance of getting together with your mother."
I blinked. I – I can't do that. Panic rose in my throat. I have no idea how to do that. How do I do that?
"Now, I know you're straight -" began Lisa.
I cut her off. Lisa, seriously. Yes, I'm attracted to guys. But with Brian, that was teenage hormones, for the most part. And later, as his girlfriend, that was more to get his head in the right place to get back to leading the team than for any gratification on my part.
She squeezed my hand, her expression sympathetic. I kept talking, to get it out of my system. You know what's funny? While we were together, I would have liked some small romantic gesture from him, something to show that he wasn't just, you know, using me. That his feelings were more than just need for companionship. But there was barely anything. And then later, just before Behemoth, I couldn't help feeling that he thought I'd abandoned him to join the Wards. That there were feelings there that he'd never expressed.
Lisa got up, rounded the table, and hugged me close. I hugged her back.
"When you were together, Brian did love you, in his way," she assured me. "But he was … broken. Damaged. He could barely express anything at that moment. You did what you needed to, got him functioning again. You saved the Undersiders, when we needed saving in the worst way." She leaned back, brushed hair from my eyes. "And you got to have him as your boyfriend for a month." She paused, her eyes searching mine. "Was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted out of it?"
I grimaced. I don't know. I guess I enjoyed it, but when I had to move on ...
She nodded. "You moved on. You did what needed doing."
Yeah. I liked being with him, I enjoyed the intimacy, but I wasn't hung up on it. I'm really not hung up on being in a relationship with anyone. I don't need it. And I don't need the sex. It's not who I am.I looked her in the eye. So yes, I'm straight, but only really gauged by the fact that I've been attracted to a couple of guys here and there, and not to any girls. And I have no idea how to seduce anyone, much less a lesbian.
Lisa grinned. "And yet, you've kissed more girls than guys."
I poked my tongue out at her. Shut up. That was the plague. And Andrea ambushed me.
It seemed to me that Lisa was still deriving far too much amusement from this situation. "I know," she assured me. "Your brain just locked up. It was hilarious." She cleared her throat. "So, you're going to go with the seduction?"
There's no better way to get them together?
She shook her head; she tried to keep a straight face, but her grin kept quirking the corner of her mouth. "Not that I can see."
I spread my hands. Okay, if that's the way I gotta do it, that's the way I gotta do it. I grimaced again. But the trouble is, I'm not even vaguely attracted to girls. And I have no idea how to do it. Or how long I'm going to need to keep it up. Or what she's going to want me to do. This option was looking less and less attractive all the time.
"But you want your parents together."
I nodded. Yes. Dad always said that the happiest years of his life were with Mom.
She took a deep breath. "Okay. Here's how we're going to do this ..."
-ooo-
"Hebert household; Dorothy speaking."
"Hi, Dot! It's Taylor. How are you?"
"Taylor dear! It's so good to hear your voice. How are you doing at college? We all miss you, you know."
I grinned. "Well, it's still only the first week. I'm settling in and making friends."
"That's wonderful to hear, Taylor. How is Gladys doing?"
"She's doing well," I assured Dot. "Her roommate's a Bible student."
"That's very nice," she replied. "And your own roommate? What is she like?"
I decided not to give her chapter and verse. "We get along. No arguments yet."
"I'm pleased to hear that. Would you like to speak to Danny?"
"Actually, yes please. If you don't mind?"
"Of course not. Here you are."
The phone was handed over, and I heard Danny's voice on the other end. "Taylor! How are you?"
"Oh, I'm doing fine, Danny. ROTC's great. You wouldn't believe Gladys' scores with the Springfield."
Danny snorted. "Yeah, well, I'm not going to compete against that girl. I've seen her shoot."
I chuckled. "Good point. But hey, how would you like to come to the Club with us on Friday night?"
He paused. "'Us?'"
"Yeah, us. Me, you, Gladys, Frank, Andrea, and Anne-Rose."
"We're not a couple, right?" he ventured.
"Nope," I assured him. "It'll be just like the prom."
"Without the fighting, I hope," he joked.
I rolled my eyes. "God, I hope so."
"Uh, I've met Andrea, I think," he ventured. I grinned; Andrea had that effect on people. She was very memorable. "But I don't think I know this Anne-Rose."
"Oh, she's very nice," I told him airily. "You'll like her."
-ooo-
"It's a bit loud, isn't it?" shouted Danny.
"What?" I shouted back.
"It's a bit loud!"
"Yeah!" I agreed.
It was more than 'a bit loud'. Friday night at the Club – we had decided more or less unanimously that travel expenses would far less strenuous if we just stayed on campus – tended to pull out all the stops. The speakers were blasting music non-stop, and at ear-bleeding levels, though it tended to be stuff I actually liked, rather than what would be around in another twenty years or so. I guess Dad's tastes have rubbed off on me more than I thought.
"Can we go outside on the deck?" shouted Gladys.
"What?" yelled Danny.
"Out! Side!" bellowed Frank.
We all nodded, and picked up our drinks.
Frank had ordered the drinks for everyone else; Danny, Anne-Rose and Gladys had sodas. Andrea got something with an umbrella in it, and Frank himself had gone with a wine cooler. I had gone to the bar on my own and ordered (via sign language) a glass of whiskey on the rocks. I'd been prepared to be rebuffed; after all, I was still underage. But the overworked bartender hadn't even blinked. Then again, he probably would not have cared even if he knew I was under twenty-one; I was at college anyway, right?
Whatever the legalities of the situation, I needed the Dutch courage to get up the nerve to do what I intended to do next.
We found an unattended table, far enough out of the way that the music was only loud, not deafening. I held off sitting down so that when Danny sat next to Anne-Rose – from whom he had hardly been able to tear his gaze since he met her – I ended up next to Andrea. She looked at me curiously as I belted back the remainder of my drink; it burned down my throat and set my eyes to watering.
"Well, that's a bit better," Gladys declared. "Now we can at least talk without screaming."
As everyone else nodded or spoke in agreement, I made my move; under cover of the table, I put my hand on Andrea's thigh and squeezed slightly. I had no idea how to come on to her in any other way, without being so blatant that everyone else saw me at it. As it was, I nearly talked myself out of even doing that; only the dull buzz from the alcohol allowed me to go through with it.
She certainly got the message; startled, she turned and stared at me. I looked back at her, as boldly as I dared. She put her hand on mine; I nodded slightly.
"I, uh, need to go powder my nose," she announced, and grabbed my hand, squeezing it.
I got the hint a moment later. "Uh, I'll come too," I declared.
When I stood up too quickly, my head swam for a moment; even at eighteen (pretending to be nineteen), I still didn't have sufficient body mass to take a serious drink without getting fuzzy around the edges. But it passed, and together we made our way to the womens' bathrooms.
-ooo-
Andrea helped Taylor wash her face after throwing up, then got her to her feet. The taller girl was all knees and elbows, and didn't seem to have much in the way of coordination; she frowned. Even a non-drinker, and one as skinny as Taylor, should be able to hold her booze better than this.
With help, Taylor could walk, but only just. As they stumbled from the bathrooms and back over toward the table, Danny stood up, looking alarmed. He headed toward them and helped take part of the burden from Andrea; with his height, he was ideally placed to do so. "What happened?" he asked. "Is she all right?"
"She's really drunk," Gladys observed. She waved her hand in front of Taylor's face. Behind her glasses, Taylor's eyes slowly crossed.
"Wow," marvelled Anne-Rose. "Does she do this often?"
Danny shook his head. "Not in all the time I've known her."
"She didn't drink that much," Frank observed. "Why's she so drunk?"
"I think someone might have spiked her drink," Andrea told them. "That shit happens from time to time."
"Oh shit," blurted Danny. "Do we need to take her to the hospital?"
Andrea shook her head. "She'll be fine. She just needs to sleep it off. I'll get her back to the dorm."
"Need a hand?" asked Frank.
Andrea nodded. "She's skinny, but she still makes two of me."
Gladys stepped forward and scooped Taylor up almost effortlessly. Taylor giggled helplessly and rested her head on her best friend's shoulder.
"Wow," Andrea commented. "I knew you worked out, but … wow."
Gladys grinned. "We've practised doing this exact thing in JROTC, with exercises where one or the other is 'wounded'."
"So what happens if you're the one who's 'wounded'?" asked Frank as they moved away from the Club.
Gladys chuckled. "It's a lot harder for Taylor. But she usually figures something out."
When they got to the dormitory, Andrea turned to the others. "Danny, can you and Frank keep Anne-Rose company while I show Gladys where to put Taylor? We should only be a moment."
No-one disagreed; Andrea led the way, while Gladys followed patiently, bearing her now-snoring burden with ease.
"Wow," commented Gladys. "That really hit her hard."
"It affects the skinny ones worse," Andrea explained. "It didn't help that she was drinking straight whiskey."
"I wonder why she hit it so hard tonight," mused Gladys. Andrea chose not to comment.
Once Andrea had the door open, she hit the light, and showed Gladys into the room. "Just put her down there," she instructed. Gladys, moving carefully, placed Taylor on to the appropriate bed. She couldn't know, of course, that the bed in question was Andrea's.
As she was put down, Taylor roused a little.
"Mrs Knott," she slurred, smiling up at Gladys. "M'fav'r't teacher."
"Not yet, Taylor," Gladys told her softly, pulling her shoes off and dragging the covers over her. "In time, but not yet."
"Gotta tell everyone," murmured Taylor, going under fast once more. "watch out f'r ..."
She began snoring once more, and Gladys shared a glance with Andrea.
"What was that about?" asked Andrea curiously.
Gladys shrugged. "Frank's last name is Knott. We're gonna get married once I graduate. I'm going to be a teacher. Taylor's always supported me in doing that."
"And the other bit, about warning people?"
Another shrug. "Who knows. She's drunk. She might be wanting to warn people that the doorknobs are sentient and planning to take over the College."
Andrea chuckled, then yawned. "Actually, you know, I might just turn in, now that I'm here and all. I'm really tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow."
"Okay," agreed Gladys. "I'll make sure Anne-Rose gets to her room okay."
Andrea smiled at her. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
She watched Gladys leave, then shut the door, carefully locking it. Humming a little tune, she headed back to the bed currently occupied by her sleeping roommate, unbuttoning her clothes as she went.
-ooo-
"Wow, seriously?" asked Danny. "My mom does exactly the same thing!"
Anne-Rose nodded earnestly. "And my dad … oh my god, my dad. It's like he's got a hundred-point graded essay for any boy who even thinks about taking me out."
Danny shook his head. "I know how that goes. I get that, but from the other direction. I meet a girl, she gets the third degree. Like, how are we ever expected to learn proper judgement if we're never allowed to exercise it?"
Oh my god, a guy who actually understands me. Anne-Rose looked at Danny Hebert, her heart beating faster. While Andrea was fun, she was shorter than Anne-Rose, and a girl; while Anne-Rose rather liked being with Andrea, her preferences were toward taller men. Not many men were taller than her. Danny was. Andrea was fun, and flirty, but never looked at the serious issues. Danny did, and he agreedwith her.
But there was Taylor to consider; Anne-Rose didn't want to intrude on something that was already there. "Um, about Taylor …?"
Danny shook his head. "She's kind of my sister. We're not involved." He paused; Anne-Rose could swear she could read the thoughts going through his head, given that they were the same ones that had gone through hers. "Uh, about Andrea …?"
"Andrea's gone to bed," Gladys filled in, pushing the door open and rejoining the group. "Said she was tired."
"Wasn't she drinking too?" asked Frank.
Anne-Rose shrugged. "Yeah, but she knows her limit."
"Why don't we go for a walk?" suggested Gladys. "It's a lovely night."
It was indeed; so Gladys took Frank's arm, and more or less by default Anne-Rose found herself taking Danny's arm. It seemed very right to her, and she didn't notice him complaining either. Together, the foursome strolled about the grounds of the College, skirting around party-goers, and tactfully not taking notice of the stranger noises emanating from the shadows.
When they got back to the dormitory, some time had passed, and it was generally agreed that it was time to finish for the evening.
Gladys re-opened the door and glanced at Anne-Rose. "I can make sure you get to your room okay, if you want."
Anne-Rose shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I just want to say good night to Danny."
Gladys smiled. "Okay then. Night, you two."
Before Anne-Rose could comment that there were three of them being left behind, Frank had ducked in through the door as well. It swung shut on their giggling as they ascended the stairs.
In the silence that followed, Danny ventured, "Uh, he's not just seeing her to her room, is he?"
Anne-Rose smirked and shook her head. "No, he's not."
They shared a self-conscious chuckle. "Um, I just want to thank you," she began, "for a really nice night."
"Even though your girlfriend bailed on you," he added scrupulously.
"Oh, she's not my girlfriend," she replied candidly. "We just like being together. Anyway, your date – sister, whatever – got drunk and passed out too."
He moved closer to her; she felt his nearness and shivered. It was a good kind of shiver. "I'm really glad she did," he murmured. "I enjoyed tonight, a lot."
She nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "It's been really, really nice talking to you. I want to see you again, if that's okay?"
"You – you do?" he gulped. "Uh, sure. Any time. Just call me."
She giggled. "I don't have your number, silly."
"Ask Gladys, or Taylor," Danny advised her. "They both know it."
Anne-Rose nodded. "Okay," she agreed. She paused. "Do you really think she looks like me? Andrea couldn't shut up about it."
"It is kind of funny, yeah. But I suppose this sort of thing happens, with second or third cousins, or the like." He smiled down at her. "But you're a lot prettier than her, anyway."
She lifted up on tiptoe and kissed him, a gentle peck on the lips.
"Flattery," she murmured, "will get you everywhere."
And then, as he was still standing there, stunned, she opened the door.
"I'll see you later, Danny," she promised him.
He nodded. "Uh, yeah," he mumbled, but the door was already closing.
Anne-Rose danced up the steps, her heart still racing from Danny's proximity. He likes me, he really does, she sang to herself. She didn't see the gawky frame, the weak chin. She saw the kind, considerate man, who understood her as few did.
She saw Danny Hebert for what he was, and she liked what she saw.
-ooo-
Danny watched the door close, and he turned to walk back to the car-park. For the occasion, he had borrowed his father's truck, and had driven Frank in; now he understood why Gladys' boyfriend had asked him to do it that way.
For a moment, he felt a pang of envy, and wondered if Anne-Rose would have let him come up if he'd asked – no! he told himself sternly. She's a good Christian woman, and you've only just met her. You will treat her right.
But even though he wasn't doing with her what Frank was undoubtedly doing with Gladys at that very moment, he could not help feeling a tremendous lightness of heart as he located the truck and unlocked it. She kissed me. She likes me, she really does.
I want to see her again.
All the way home, he sang loudly and out-of-tune along with the popular tunes on the radio.
-ooo-
George Hebert roused himself from his armchair as the headlights swung into the driveway. He heaved himself to his feet and went to open the front door; just as he did so, he heard Danny locking the truck. They met on the front steps, a study in contrasts; the tall, skinny young man and his shorter, much more heavily built father.
"You're home," George grunted. "Earlier than I expected." He sniffed, but could not smell alcohol on his son's breath. There was tobacco smoke there, but that was to be expected.
Danny nodded. "Yeah. Taylor, uh, wasn't feeling well, so she went to bed, and the rest of us walked around for a bit, and then I came home." He smiled. "I met a girl, Dad."
George nodded dourly. Of course the boy had met a girl. It happened, at those sorts of things.
"Is she the sort of girl that your mother would approve of?" he asked.
His son surprised him by nodding judiciously. "I think so, Dad," he agreed. "She's really nice."
"We'll see," muttered George, turning to go back into the house.
He turned out the lights and followed Danny up the stairs. He and Dot had grown used to having Taylor in the house; it felt subtly emptier with her gone. If Danny had found a girl who actually liked him, and who Dot approved of … well, time would tell.
-ooo-
I frowned. I feel weird.
Lisa looked up from where she was forcing a live chicken into the barrel of a cannon of some sort.
"That's not surprising," she commented. "Your drink was spiked."
My eyes opened wide. Oh god. Am I all right?
She nodded and pulled a lever on the side of the cannon. The chicken's alarmed b-kawk echoed from out of the cannon's barrel.
"Yes and no," she assured me, swivelling the cannon to point down the train tracks. "You're unconscious, but they got you back to the dorm. Unfortunately, you kind of made an agreement before you lost all lucidity."
Agreement? I blurted, alarmed. What sort of agreement, and with whom?
A train horn blared in the distance; while I waited for her answer. She carefully sighted down the cannon barrel.
Lisa? I prompted her.
Finally satisfied with the alignment of the cannon, she turned to me. "With Andrea," she informed me.
Uh … what sort of agreement? I asked with trepidation. The last thing I remember is getting up with her to go to the bathroom.
Instead of answering, she picked up a tablet, tapped it a couple of times, then handed it to me.
Inside the women's bathrooms, the noise was cut somewhat; Andrea grabbed me and pushed me backward into a cubicle. I found myself sitting down hard on the closed lid of a toilet while Andrea wriggled past the door and locked it behind her.
I had a whole speech prepared; I got as far as "I -" before she straddled my lap and kissed me.
Her arms were around me, holding me close; I could feel her not inconsiderable breasts pushing against mine, even as I belatedly remembered to put my arms around her. Kissing her back was weird, but not disgusting or even distasteful; as I had noted before, she was a good kisser.
After an extended period of time, she pulled back from me, looking into my eyes.
"Huh," she muttered. "Not bad."
I tried again. "I -"
"Shut up," she ordered me. "Whatever you were going to say, forget it. Not interested. I just want to know one thing. Why?"
By now, I was totally confused, not to mention a little dizzy; being very thoroughly kissed like that, even by a woman, had had its effect on me. The alcohol didn't help. "What?"
She smiled at me. "I know you're straight, Taylor. You don't check girls out. You barely check guys out. You're not the pranking type. But you're coming on to me. It's not because of my sexy, sexy bod. So why?"
Guilt overwhelmed me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm such a moron."
She looked a little confused. "I don't get it."
"I didn't mean to hurt you," I blurted. "I just wanted to give Danny a chance to meet Anne-Rose."
Andrea blinked. "Danny? The almost-your-brother Danny? You were getting me out of the way so he could get close to Anne-Rose?"
Miserably, I nodded. "Yeah."
"Wow," she murmured. "Wow. Does he know you're doing this for him? Does she?"
I shook my head, and swayed as the world spun. She took hold of my shoulders, steadying me. "Whoa, are you all right there?"
"Don't normally drink," I slurred.
"But you've been knocking it back so you'd be brave enough to come on to me, even though you're ultra-straight," she realised. "I don't know if that's incredibly stupid, incredibly brave, or incredibly nice of you."
I began to cry, holding on to her. Tears flowed warm down my cheeks. "Sorry, so sorry. Just wanted Danny to be happy."
She chuckled. "Hey, it's all right. I'm not mad. Even though I thought for a bit I was gonna get my fondest fantasy realised."
I must have looked confused, because she continued. "Threesome, duh. With twins. Or close enough. How come you two look so much alike, anyway?"
I could not conjure a suitable lie, so I shrugged. That seemed to pass muster with Andrea, who held me as I cried noisily into her shoulder.
The tears dried up pretty quickly, and Andrea helped me dry my eyes and blow my nose.
"'m sorry," I slurred. Wow, this stuff is really hitting me hard.
She grinned at me. "Hey, it's okay," she assured me. "Anne-Rose and me, we're not exclusive. We got involved with each other when we were with Lustrum's movement, and it's been sort of on and off ever since. But we both know that if I found someone serious, or she did, it'd be over." She brushed the hair back out of my eyes. "So if she happens to like this Danny guy, I'll step back and wish her luck."
"Thank you," I whispered. I was starting to feel acute embarrassment now, not least because I was still sitting in the toilet cubicle with Andrea straddling my lap.
She tilted my chin up. "Oh, you're not getting off that easily, Taylor Snow," she murmured, and kissed me again. I kissed her back, partly due to guilt, and partly because she really was a good kisser. It was starting to feel really, really easy to do what she wanted.
"What d'y' m'n?" I mumbled, when we broke for air.
"I mean, that's a sneaky and underhanded trick," she admonished me, with a smile on her face. "And you deserve a punishment that fits the crime."
I looked at her, not really comprehending what she was saying.
She kissed me again, briefly. "I let Danny and Anne-Rose alone, and in return, you agree to be my girlfriend for a week."
All I really got out of that was that Danny would be left alone to be with Anne-Rose. Which was, after all, the point of the whole exercise. So, like the half-drunk idiot I was right then, I slurred, "Deal."
She went to kiss me again; my eyes went wide, and I shook my head. She didn't know what was going on until I clapped my hand over my mouth.
We got the toilet lid up just in time.
I looked up from the tablet just in time to see Lisa pull the lever that fired the cannon. I expected some sort of compressed air whoomph, but instead there was a tremendous BOOM, and the chicken hurtled out of the cannon at what looked like supersonic speeds. It struck the nose of the oncoming train, and the whole thing exploded in a tremendous ball of flame.
"Woo hoo!" whooped Lisa. "Sufficient velocity theorem – proven!"
I looked at the wreckage of the train, with a chicken-sized hole cored right through the middle of it, and the twisted train tracks. I'm not sure what that was about, I told her, but you sure as hell made a mess.
She grinned. "Didn't I, just?"
But I have more pressing concerns. I've been spiked, I'm unconscious, and I'm alone in my dorm room with my roommate, who has agreed to let Danny be with Anne-Rose so long as I agree to be her girlfriend for a week. Does that about cover it?
Lisa nodded. "Yeah." She paused. "Just so you know; it worked. Danny and Anne-Rose are on the way to forming a strong relationship."
And me? I asked.
"You could be, also," she informed me, with an impish grin.
Lisa, I pleaded. Don't leave me hanging. What's she done to me?
Rolling her eyes, Lisa relented. "She hasn't molested you. But she has … kind of undressed you and gotten into bed with you."
Oh god, I groaned. Oh god. How do I get out of this?
Lisa took me by the shoulders. "Taylor," she told me bluntly. "Andrea's a nice girl. She won't take advantage of you. She won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. The worst that's going to happen over the next week is severe embarrassment. And that never killed anyone."
I got a grip on myself. Okay, I muttered. Okay. One week. I can do this.
Lisa grinned at me. "That's the spirit." Her eyes twinkled. "Though I'm probably going to have to build an extra wing on to the memory palace for all the new experiences you're about to have."
I glared at her. You suck.
The unrepentant grin stayed on her face. "Yeah, but it's fun. Hey, do you want to stick around? I'm about to see what a frozen chicken does to a space shuttle on landing approach."
I shook my head. May as well wake up and face the music.
Lisa smiled and pulled me close. "Okay. Kiss before you go?"
Her lips were warm and soft, and tasted momentarily of dust and blood.
-ooo-
I opened my eyes, and the kiss did not end.
As Lisa had warned me, I was lying in bed; the tactile sensation of the sheets warned me that I was either partly or totally naked. A warm body was entwined with mine – a female body, I noted absently at the back of my mind, given certain anatomical aspects – and the owner of said body was kissing me with a certain degree of enthusiasm.
I moved; the kiss ended. Andrea – for it was indeed she – pulled back and regarded me with a very familiar spark of mischief in her eyes. "Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty," she told me.
I sighed. Lisa's revelations had prepared me so that I did not freak out. "Morning, Andrea," I greeted her.
She smiled. "That's 'good morning, girlfriend,' she informed me with a giggle.
I didn't see any way out of it. "Good morning, girlfriend," I repeated obediently.
With a sigh of happiness, she snuggled against me; I was very aware of her body against mine. Then she pulled back again. "Wait a minute; how much of last night do you remember?"
For a moment, I considered claiming total amnesia. But if I broke the deal I'd made – admittedly, under the influence of alcohol and whatever drug had been used to spike my drink – then Andrea might well interfere between Danny and Anne-Rose.
"Uh, up until I threw up," I admitted.
"So you remember agreeing to be my girlfriend for a week," she pressed.
Glumly, I nodded. "But I don't recall working out terms, what that means. Things that you're allowed to do and not allowed to do, without permission anyway." I gestured at myself. "For instance, this? Undressing me? Sleeping with me? Kissing me? That's pushing the boundaries a bit, isn't it?" I stopped, a cold chill running down my back. Despite Lisa's assurance to the contrary, I stared at her. "Did we … actually … sleep together?" Because if that had happened, that would make the whole thing far creepier than I could handle.
Hastily, Andrea shook her head. "No, we just slept in the same bed."
"Naked," I added dryly.
She had the grace to colour slightly. "It seemed the thing to do?"
I stared levelly at her, until she looked away. "Okay, that was pushing it a bit, I guess."
I nodded. "Fine. Now, I've agreed to the girlfriend thing, but we need to establish ground rules. Okay?"
She looked a little apprehensive. "I … guess?"
"None of this guessing bullshit," I told her bluntly. "If we're going to be a couple, even for a week, we need to both know where the lines are drawn."
-ooo-
" … okay, but any time we're in public, I get to hold your hand," Andrea stated.
"Holding hands, sure," I agreed. "But if you want to kiss me, you have to ask permission."
"Private or public?" she asked quickly.
"Both," I decided.
"All right, but you have to kiss me at least once, in public, per day," she countered. "And I'm allowed to grope you once a day."
"Only my ass," I warned her, "and only in private."
"That's no fun," she pouted.
"Okay, you can put your arm around my waist in public," I acceded.
"Okay, fine," she agreed.
We both sat, cross-legged, on her bed. I had put on underwear; she had chosen to stay undressed. I had the feeling that she was making a point.
"Okay, that covers the public affection part," I noted. "Now for the, uh, private stuff."
"Yeah," she agreed. Leaning forward, she whispered something extremely obscene in my ear. I felt the blush mounting to my hairline. Sitting back, she grinned at me. "We could do that, for starters."
I shook my head. "Ground rules. Nothing like that happens without informed permission. And that means no alcohol. Us being naked in the same bed, you kissing me while I'm asleep … not without permission. Never without permission."
She looked at me pleadingly. "Can we at least cuddle? In bed, but with clothes on? I don't know, two hours a night?"
I sighed, admitting the point. I had agreed to be her girlfriend, for a week. And this was balanced against Danny and Anne-Rose having a happy future together. And, darn it, Andrea was fun and bubbly and cute and interesting to be around. I liked her, a lot. Just not in that way. But if this would make her happy …
It could be a lot worse.
"Fine," I muttered. "Clothed cuddling. One hour a night."
"Kissing, with permission?" she asked.
I nodded. "I already agreed to that."
"Groping, with permission?" she pressed.
"If I say stop, you stop," I reminded her.
She nodded earnestly. "And sex?"
I blinked, then realised that she'd trapped me. I put a growl in my voice. "I, uh, if you ask, and I give specific and explicit permission, then yes. Otherwise, no."
"Yay!" she cheered. Leaning forward, she went to kiss me, then paused. "Uh, can I kiss you?" she asked.
I smiled and shrugged. "May as well."
I had to admit; being kissed by Andrea was an experience.
But however nice she is, I told myself firmly, sex is not going to happen.
Just for a moment, I thought I heard distant, far-off laughter.
-ooo-
Wow, I muttered dazedly. What was that?
Lisa looked up from where she was in the process of tying down a velociraptor. "Oh, that?" she asked. "That was sex. Congratulations, by the way." She gestured. "Pass me that branding iron, will you? Careful of the hot end."
I passed her the branding iron, as requested. The captive 'raptor hissed and struggled and tried to bite, but Lisa had done her job well, and the ropes held. She pressed the iron to its flank, and the letters 'TT' were seared into its hide; it squalled and struggled, but to no avail.
As it got up, it tried to maul her; she deftly kicked it on the tip of the snout, and it backed off, blinking. After a moment, it decided to rejoin the rest of the herd, milling restlessly outside the yard.
"Well, that does that for the day," Lisa decided, dusting her hands off. She offered me a high-five.
"Well, was it all right?"
I returned the high-five. I guess. She kind of snuck it up on me though.
"But within the rules you set, though, right?" she pressed.
I nodded. Yeah, technically. Though I reckon asking me when and where she did ask me was kind of cheating.
She smirked. "It's called 'seduction' for a reason."
I glared at her. I thought you were against sex.
She shook her head. "Hell no. It's just that I've always been unable to carry it through, because my filters don't work when I'm in that kind of state."
I'm not surprised, I muttered, having very recent memories of being in 'that kind of state'.
She nodded. "But yeah, you enjoyed it, right?"
Reluctantly, I nodded. I … yeah. Andrea's really good at it.
She grinned. "Do you think you'll let her do it again?" We strolled over toward where a comb-crested dinosaur stood, eyes half-closed. It bore an elaborate saddle on its back, and the TT brand on its flank.
I scowled. Don't hold your breath. It was nice, but the week's up in two days.
She whistled shrilly and the comb-crested dinosaur obediently bent its legs so that she could climb up into the saddle. Leaning down, she gave me a hand up; I sat behind her on the saddle, my body pressed against hers. It reminded me of spooning with Andrea; the feeling was strangely comforting.
Turning her head, she grinned. "You don't need to break it off at the end of the week if you don't want to," she reminded me.
I shook my head. The last thing I need right now is a relationship of any kind. I have to keep my head in the game and my eye on the ball. Besides, I'm not into girls.
"I suppose not," she agreed, but amusement gleamed in her eyes. "Kiss before you go?"
I kissed her; her lips tasted of dust and blood …
-ooo-
… and I awoke with my lips pressed to Andrea's.
She looked up at me, her eyes wide with surprise. I broke it off, realising that we were still in bed – we had pushed the beds together for this night – and exactly as unclad as we had been, the first morning I had woken up next to her.
Only this time, it seemed, I had kissed her awake.
"Oh, wow," she murmured. "That's what I call a wake-up."
She reached for me; I rolled off of her. "Uh, sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to ..."
She went up on to one elbow, studying me. "Huh, you didn't, did you?"
I shook my head. "I was asleep, and dreaming ..."
" … and you kissed someone else, and it turned out to be me," she finished, then giggled. "Hey, I've got no problem with you cheating on me in your dreams." The idea seemed hugely funny to her.
"I wasn't cheating on you," I protested. "I was just … kissing someone. It was different."
"So tell me," she invited.
"It was a friend … I think … before I got my amnesia," I told her. She knew about my 'amnesia', of course, and had taken it in her stride. "I think she … died in my arms, or something. I kissed her goodbye. I dream about it, sometimes."
All of which was true, for a given definition of 'true'.
"Wow," murmured Andrea. "That sucks." She put her hand on my arm. "Was she your girlfriend?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Just a friend?"
I blinked my eyes against the tears that welled against the memory, still sharp. Always sharp. "Just a really, really good friend."
She gathered me into her arms, and for once it wasn't sexual, or even playful. It was just … comforting. Holding, soothing me.
It was … nice.
Maybe this isn't so bad after all.
-ooo-
Weymouth Mall, early December
"We have to talk," Danny told me.
I looked at him, surprised at his sharp tone. "What? What's the matter?"
He inclined his head at where Anne-Rose and Andrea were browsing a rack of dresses, chatting amicably. "It's about Andrea."
"What about Andrea?" I asked him. "She isn't making moves on Anne-Rose, is she?" I was fairly certain she wasn't, but it never hurt to ask.
He shook his head. "No, but that's what I wanted to talk to you about."
I spread my hands. "What, then?"
"It's been three weeks since I met Anne-Rose," he began, his voice dreamy. "You've been … going … with Andrea ever since, haven't you?"
I nodded, slightly surprised. Has it been three weeks already? Wow.
Andrea smiled sadly, looking down at Taylor's sleeping face. She looked so sweet, so innocent. So untouched by the world. But she was anything but; the scars that Andrea had never asked about, the reflexive movements, the murmuring in her dreams. They all pointed to past trauma, buried deep. Taylor seemed to get by when she was awake, but sometimes Andrea would see a shadow behind her eyes, a shadow of a past that Taylor could not recall or talk about.
Week's up today, she told herself with a touch of melancholy. She had originally stipulated the 'week as my girlfriend' as a kind of prank, fully expecting Taylor to rebel, waiting to see how long she'd go before telling Andrea to go to hell. But she had stuck it out, gradually unbent to the point where she seemed used to sleeping in Andrea's embrace.
The lovemaking had been a bonus; Andrea had never expected her to allow things to go that far. But they had, and Taylor, although inexperienced, had proven to be a quick study. It had only been the once, but Andrea would treasure the memory.
She wanted to wake Taylor with a kiss, like on the first morning, but just as she had shown Taylor things she had never expected, so too had Taylor impressed upon her the need to follow the rules. And Taylor had not given her permission to kiss her while sleeping, not this morning anyway.
Taylor opened her eyes slowly, and looked up at Andrea. "Morning, girlfriend," she murmured.
Andrea smiled. "Not any more," she reminded the younger girl. "It's Saturday morning. Week's up."
"Oh," replied Taylor, looking a little lost. "Wow. Already?"
Andrea rolled back, giving Taylor her space. "Yeah. Already. So we can pull the beds apart now. You don't have to be my girlfriend any more." She shrugged. "After all, we both know you're not into girls. We can go back to being just roommates." The pang of regret that she felt was very real.
Taylor sat up, crossing her legs unselfconsciously. Andrea, as always, admired the view. "Do you want me to?" Talyor asked directly.
Andrea blinked. " … what?"
Taylor spread her hands. "Do you want me to stop being your girlfriend? It's a simple question."
Andrea tilted her head, trying to make sense of what Taylor was saying. "Are you saying you want to … keep … being my girlfriend?" Her frown transfigured into a strained smile. "Are you saying you're into girls now?"
Taylor took a deep breath. "Yes. No. It's … complicated. I like you, a lot, as a person. I appreciate the things you've done for me. The way you're there for me. I like what we do; it's nice. If this was with a guy … I think … I'd probably enjoy it more, but … there would be a whole different dynamic. I'd probably end up pulling out at some point."
Andrea got the impression that she was speaking from experience, there. Taylor had never told that story; perhaps it was one that she could no longer remember, except by impressions.
"So … you don't want to stop?" asked Andrea.
Taylor shrugged diffidently. "If you don't mind having a girlfriend who's not actually into girls, who's just using you for emotional support … uh, sure?"
Andrea smiled. "I can do that." She paused. "The, uh, ground rules?"
Taylor reached out and took her hand. "Open to revision."
Andrea's smile widened.
"What I want to know," Danny stated, bringing me back to the present, "is whether you introduced me to Anne-Rose just so you could engineer a break-up and end up with Andrea."
I gaped at him. "I … what?"
His voice was patient. "It's simple enough. Did you break up Anne-Rose and Andrea, using me as bait for Anne-Rose, so you could start a relationship with Andrea?"
I was so surprised, I began to laugh. Danny scowled at me. "It's no laughing matter," he told me severely.
I couldn't help it; I laughed harder. Dimly, I became aware of someone slipping into the seat beside me, putting an arm around my waist. I clung to Andrea, laughing even harder, now that the subject of the joke was actually there.
"What's funny?" she asked. "Come on, tell me the joke."
"It's not a joke," Danny growled. "It's serious."
"I'll tell you what it is," I gasped, trying to hold my laughter in check. "It's seriously funny, is what it is."
"What?" persisted Andrea. "What's so funny?"
Anne-Rose was looking at me with concern. "What are you laughing about?"
I managed to restrain myself to the occasional chuckle. "Andrea, Danny just asked if I split you and Anne-Rose up so that I could have a chance at you."
"What?" gasped Anne-Rose in shock, just as Andrea got the joke.
Now it was Andrea's turn to burst out laughing; it was infectious. I joined in again, while the other two stared at us from across the table as if we had gone mad.
"It's not funny," Danny snapped. The tone was close to his father's, and the words were the same as I had used to Lisa, when I had first discovered Andrea in bed with Anne-Rose. This set me off again.
Eventually, both Andrea and I managed to stop laughing at the same time. Faces red, eyes streaming, we clung to each other, still giggling occasionally.
"I'm waiting for an answer," Danny told me.
"Me too," Anne-Rose declared. "If you did do that, then that was a mean trick to play on Danny and me."
I frowned. "Really? Even though you two are so good together?"
She nodded earnestly. "Yes! What if there's someone out there better for him than me? Forcing me on him ..."
Danny shook his head. "Not forced, Anne-Rose. Never forced. But I still want to know."
I took a deep breath, and leaned into Andrea for courage; she leaned back, supporting me. "You've got it exactly backward, Danny. I didn't break them up so that I could be with Andrea. I broke them up so that you could be with Anne-Rose."
-ooo-
Taylor's bombshell took Danny by surprise.
"What?" he blurted. "Why?"
Andrea turned to look at her girlfriend. "Actually," she mused, "I've been wondering about the 'why' myself." She grinned. "Not wondering too hard, mind you. But she was fairly set on you two getting together, even at the expense of getting into a relationship with yours truly, which made me wonder just a little bit."
"But that doesn't even make sense," Anne-Rose protested. "We've never even met before."
Danny nodded, remembering. "Taylor," he began, "remember back when we first met, and you told me we could never be together?"
Taylor nodded. "I remember," she told him softly.
There was a shape there; if only he could piece it together. "You said there was a reason we could not be together. You said you'd tell me someday."
Taylor grimaced. "If I asked you all to just forget about this, would you?"
She met three stares, coming back her way.
"Forget it? No," Andrea told her.
"We could drop it," Danny added.
"But we couldn't forget it," Anne-Rose assured her.
Danny blinked as a flash of insight came to him. "Is this anything to do with the fact that you and Anne-Rose look so much alike?"
Taylor half-rose, staring at him. "Don't go there Da-Danny. Please don't go there. Don't even think about that." The tone of pleading in her voice struck him to his core.
Silence fell, as the other three of course thought about that.
"Well, fuck," remarked Andrea. "Now I am curious."
Taylor took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. "God fucking dammit," she muttered. "Okay, fine. But not here."
-ooo-
We strolled along the Boardwalk. On a Saturday, it was fairly well-populated, but the people moved in clumps, and it was easy to see anyone coming before they got into earshot.
" … okay," I began, when the silent stares of the others became too much to take. "I'm a time traveller."
Anne-Rose's jaw dropped, Andrea looked like a kid opening her presents on Christmas day, and Danny merely nodded slightly, as if he had long since suspected something of the sort.
"When from?" he asked.
"Future," I told him, then shrugged. "Two thousand eleven."
"Wow, holy shit," blurted Andrea. "You're not even born yet."
I refrained from telling her that I probably never would be. "That's true," I agreed.
"So, uh, how -?" asked Anne-Rose. "Are you a parahuman? Is that your power?"
I shook my head. "No. I'm not a parahuman." Not any more. "I was … sent."
"What's it like in the future?" Danny wanted to know.
I took a deep breath. "Grim. Things … happen. I can't tell you too much, but it gets bad."
Andrea blinked. "What? A nuclear war or something? Alien invasion?"
I stifled a snort, trying not to think about what Lisa had told me about Zion. The alien invasion already happened. "No. Something … different."
Danny stared at me. "So why are you here? To warn us? Why haven't you?"
I shook my head. "How? Who would I tell, with the absolute guarantee that I'd be listened to, and not locked away and plumbed for the future knowledge locked in my head?" If I'd kept my powers as Weaver, I would have had half a chance. As plain, simple Taylor Hebert … not so much.
"Okay," Anne-Rose put in practically. "So why are you so determined to force us together?"
I looked at her, and at Danny, until the penny dropped.
"What?" she gasped. "We're married, in the future?"
I nodded. "In the future, you once told me that when you met Danny, you met a magnificent dorky guy with a warm heart and an awful lot of passion. He worshipped you, and you… I think he gave you permission to do what you really wanted to do in life, at a time when your parents were being controlling. Your mother never really forgave Danny for luring you off the track she'd set to be with him, getting you pregnant with … getting you pregnant so early in life."
Silence fell, as Danny and Anne-Rose turned toward each other.
"Worshipped you … " he murmured. "I can do that."
She smiled. "Permission to do what I really want … I think I like that."
They moved into one another's arms. I smiled, tears welling in my eyes, as I watched them kiss.
Andrea snuggled up to my side, her arm around my waist. "I saw what you did there," she murmured.
"Oh, really?" I murmured back. "And what might that be?"
She leaned up on tiptoe toward my ear, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're their kid, aren't you?"
I nodded fractionally. "Yeah, but I can never tell them."
She snorted. "They'll figure it out."
I shook my head slightly. "They'll suspect. But they won't want to know for sure. Or at least, Danny won't."
She turned to look at me curiously; we had taken several paces away from the oblivious couple. "Why not?"
I grinned slightly. "Because when we first met, Danny ended up with a huge crush on me. And he nearly told me he loved me, once."
She grimaced. "Ew. Awkward." She blinked as things became clear. "Which is why you warned me off of him. So he could be with her."
I nodded. "And please, don't ever suggest a threesome again."
She shook her head. "Yeah, no. Too weird for words."
I slipped my arm around her shoulders; she leaned comfortably into me.
"So now you know," I ventured. "Still want to be my girlfriend?"
"Depends," she replied. "If you didn't come back to warn us, what did you come back for?"
I smiled. "To save the world."
She raised an eyebrow. "As simple as that?"
I shook my head, my expression showing her just how serious it was. "No. It's likely to be a long, bloody and violent affair. Dangerous as hell. But it's something I have to do."
She looked up at me, and shrugged. "What the hell. Count me in."
I leaned down and kissed her. It seemed fitting.
End of Part 2-2