Bloodmoon 7.3

Amy definitely wasn't counting the minutes since the silver galaxy over the Trainyards faded.

Because that would be pathetic. She wasn't freaking out. Not at all.

She definitely wasn't thinking about the fact that she didn't even know how to access Taylor's workshop. Not thinking about Taylor dying alone in the cold halls of the Labyrinth where Amy couldn't reach her. Not thinking about Kaiser and Hookwolf ripping her into bloody pieces and-

Not wondering if two kisses were all she would ever get.

Because all of that would be pathetic.

She should just go to sleep, and Taylor would check in with her tomorrow, and everything would be fine.

Her phone buzzed with a familiar name at the top of the screen and Amy answered it within a second.

"What the fuck took you so long?" Amy demanded instead of a greeting.

"I'm so sorry for not killing all the Nazis quickly enough for your standards," Taylor's laugh was like a shot of morphine and Amy found herself relaxing muscles she didn't even know were tensed up. "Besides, it's been a whole…"

Amy could practically see her checking her watch. As if her phone didn't have a clock. Who the fuck wore watches for practical purposes anymore? Who the fuck even wore watches at all?

Taylor. Because of course she did.

"...eleven minutes. That's like, one Empire cape per minute, ish. Pretty solid pace, in my opinion. Plus, I spent a couple minutes of that talking to Armsmaster."

Amy's emotions were all over the place, so she latched onto the last part of Taylor's statement. It was the easiest to process.

"Wait, you ran into the Protectorate? Am I about to get a late night emergency call?" Amy said.

Taylor laughed again and Amy's stomach flipped.

Why am I like this?

"Would I do that to you? I mean, yeah, but not this time. The Protectorate is still playing nice. Maybe watching Bitch and I slaughter the Empire will keep them off our backs for a bit," Taylor said.

"Wait, who's Bitch?" Amy demanded. Something about that made her stomach clench, and not in a pleasant way. Taylor was working with someone else?

"Oh, yeah, sorry, you probably know her as Hellhound. I told Assault that we were friends, but I didn't know if that bit made it back to you," Taylor said casually.

Part of Amy knew that it was irrational, but that kind of pissed her off for some reason. Maybe it was just all the stress. Taylor was being entirely too blasé about this whole thing.

"You're working with Hellhound? And you didn't bother to tell me?" Amy hissed. "Since when?"

"Uh, she helped me take down the Empire dog fighting ring, which caused Purity and the rest to attack her. That's why I killed them," Taylor said. "I mean, I would have killed them anyway, but they kind of asked for it."

Amy scowled. The idea of Taylor killing people over someone else was… irritating. And she didn't know why.

"You should have told me," Amy ground out.

"Sorry. At first, it wasn't my secret to tell, and then it didn't really feel relevant… But yeah, I kept it from you, so… sorry, for real," Taylor said.

She was so fucking straightforward and sincere that Amy wanted to strangle her.

And kiss her again. She could do both.

Amy sighed.

"I guess I can forgive you, since you managed not to get yourself killed like an idiot," Amy said. "How did that go, by the way? I saw the stars."

"Pretty neat, right? Purity's blood was tasty. I definitely won't be able to do that very often, but under the full moon… well, hopefully it will be enough to keep everyone guessing," Taylor rambled. "I have literal stars in my brain, now, not just the metaphorical ones you can see with your power."

Amy blinked and decided not to ask. A voice in the back of her head wondered what Taylor would look like, the next time she touched her.

It was intoxicating, knowing that she would definitely get to. That she didn't have to ask, even though she probably should.

"Anyway," Taylor continued. "Apparently, the full moon charges me up, somehow, so I didn't have to worry about collapsing from exhaustion this time. I'll have to test it, but I probably won't be able to pull stunts like that very often. I would thank Kaiser for picking a convenient night to launch his blitzkrieg, but I burned him alive, so…"

Amy pulled herself out of her reverie.

"You burned Kaiser alive?" She asked automatically. Really, she shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

"I probably could have just stabbed him, but this felt more fitting. It worked out nicely, though. He kept trying to make more metal, but I had already dumped an entire canister of burning blood and quicksilver into his armor, so he was cooked. Literally," Taylor chuckled.

Every once and a while, Amy forgot that Hunter was insane. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it just… caught her off guard, occasionally.

"That's… Sure, Taylor," Amy smiled involuntarily and shook her head. "I'm just glad you're alright, I guess."

"Me, too," Taylor said. "I definitely owe you a 'thank you' kiss for the upgrades. I would have been toast without them. Did you fuse my ribs together or something? Not that I'm complaining, but Crusader tried to stab me in like three different places and they all hit solid bone."

Amy's brain momentarily short-circuited at the 'thank you kiss' thing.

"Um, yeah, I didn't see any reason to leave gaps, considering that the overlapping plates can still expand and contract just as effectively…"

It was surreal, talking about this. Like she wasn't a monster.

"Neat! Well, I appreciate it. I do generally prefer not being turned into a shish-kebab," Taylor said. Amy could hear her smiling. "And the new senses are fantastic! I could hear Othala breathing fifty yards away. It was wild."

Amy had no idea what to say to that.

"I'm… glad you like it, I guess?" Amy said faintly. Taylor wasn't supposed to be thankful for what she did to her. It wasn't supposed to work like that. "You aren't… pissed, or anything?"

"No, of course not. Why would I be? The augments saved my life. That's why you gave them to me, right? You were pretty adamant about the whole 'not dying' thing," Taylor said.

Amy couldn't believe she was having to spell this out. Something about this felt like an extra level of self-flagellation. Like she had to determine what she did wrong for herself because Taylor apparently wasn't capable of it.

"I didn't ask, and I should have," Amy said slowly.

"I mean, maybe, but I don't really care," Taylor said nonchalantly. Amy could hear her shrugging. "I didn't mind. I don't mind, really. You can make whatever changes you want to me. Except for healing my leg, or getting rid of my scars. If you think I'm better like this, you're probably right."

Amy's train of thought jumped the tracks completely and she gaped at the empty room.

Oh, right. Taylor is insane.

It was the only explanation. No sane person would agree to this. What the fuck was Taylor thinking?

Amy could absolutely, positively, never, ever be allowed to have that kind of control over anyone.

And Taylor just… handed her the keys to the kingdom. Like it was no big deal.

As if it wasn't the most exciting and irresistible thing she had ever heard while simultaneously being terrifying as fuck.

"Take what you want, and make no apologies."

Amy shivered. She had already broken her rules, and nothing bad had happened. What did it matter if she did it again? And again and again and again and-

"Amy? You okay? Sorry if I-" Taylor started.

"No, you're fine, I just… Thank you, Taylor. For… trusting me, I guess," Amy couldn't find the right words. Her brain wasn't exactly working correctly, right now. "I… I want to do more, and I don't know if I should."

"I don't see why not, but it's up to you, obviously. I really liked kissing you, too, for the record. In case that wasn't obvious. I do want to do that again, with or without the skeletal restructuring," Taylor said. Amy could tell she was trying to be casual, but this time there was some actual emotion burning behind her voice.

Amy buried her face in a pillow and screamed. It figured that Taylor would be more concerned about whether Amy wanted to kiss her again than she was about rearranging her bones and organs.

Why does she do this to me?

Amy took a deep breath and pushed the overwhelming turmoil down into the 'don't think about it' box and threw away the key.

"Okay, um…" Amy cleared her throat. "I'd like that, too."

"Awesome," Taylor said. Amy could hear the wide smile in her voice, and she couldn't help but smile a little, herself. She also heard some muffled shouting in the background. "Oh, shit, I… uh… I need to go finish cleaning up the corpses. Things got pretty messy, and Bitch is getting kind of frustrated trying to find all the pieces of Krieg without me."

Pieces of Krieg. What the fuck, Taylor?

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Taylor asked suddenly.

Amy's brain was still catching up. Talking to Taylor was like being on a roller coaster with no seat belts.

"Nothing, I guess. I could probably go to the Hospital, but I went tonight, so I've already officially hit my hours for the week, even though I obviously don't have to go, ever, and I don't normally go on Fridays, but…" Amy realized she was rambling.

"Do you want to come over to the Workshop?" Taylor asked. "We could go somewhere else, if you want, but I haven't had a chance to make 'Anne' into a real person yet, and I do have quite a few new projects to work on…"

Oh, right. All the dead bodies.

That still sounded really, really nice, though. Time with Taylor, safe from the world.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see if I can get Vicky to cover for us again," Amy said.

"Okay. I'll call you in the morning, then?" Taylor said.

"Yeah."

It was late, and today had been exhausting, but Amy still didn't want to hang up.

I wish Taylor were here.

Stop that. Enough with the pathetic behavior.

Even though Taylor could be here in a minute, if she was selfish enough to ask. Taylor would always be able to find her, if she needed her. It was entirely too tempting.

There was another muffled curse from the other end of the line, and Taylor laughed quietly.

"Right, gotta go. Goodnight, Amy," she said.

"Goodnight, Taylor."

The line disconnected, and Amy just stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

Taylor wasn't dead, and Amy would make sure she stayed that way.

Taylor wasn't angry at her. If what she had already done hadn't caused Taylor to turn on her, maybe nothing would.

Taylor said she could change her anytime she wanted, and Amy didn't think she had the strength to refuse.

Taylor said she could kiss her anytime she wanted, and Amy definitely didn't want to refuse.

If all of that could continue, even after the house of cards collapsed… she could live with that.

More than live with it. It made her grin like a lunatic into her pillow, even if she would never admit it.

For once, the future seemed… pretty okay, all things considered.

And everything was a bit more colorful, even though Taylor wasn't actually here.

I'm going to need a bigger Workshop.

Taylor surveyed the multitude of hanging bodies critically.

Her starfall had been more effective than she'd originally realized. There were… a lot of dead minions. Enough that she had to hang some of them in the hallways surrounding her Workshop.

They may have been Nazis, but still. It almost felt excessive.

Almost.

At least she wouldn't be wanting for blood for quite a while. It may not provide the same benefits as parahuman blood, but it would ensure she never ran low on blood vials, regeneration vials, or anything else she could come up with.

Not that she was low on parahuman blood either.

Speaking of which…

"So, I just gotta drink this, and I won't need you to lead me around anymore?"

Rachel stared down at the chalice filled with ritual blood.

"Yes. Taking communion will tie you to the Labyrinth, so you'll be able to-" Taylor cut off as Rachel downed the contents in a single swallow.

Huh.

"Tastes better than I thought it would," Rachel muttered.

"I know, right?" Taylor grinned. "It sounds a lot worse than it actually is."

Rachel just stared at her for a moment, but her scowl softened. For her, that was pretty encouraging.

"Do you want a door to the Labyrinth at your shelter, just in case?" Taylor asked.

Rachel took a while before she answered.

"I'm trusting you. You healed Brutus, and went back for Angelica and Judas. You're strong as fuck, and you don't bullshit like everyone else," Rachel said. "Don't fuck me over, Taylor."

Taylor nodded seriously. That was more words than she had ever heard from Rachel all at once. She was as straightforward as ever, and it was always refreshing.

"I won't. I am what I am, and I won't apologize for it," Taylor said. She gestured to the rows of hanging bodies. "I may be a monster, but that doesn't mean I don't want allies. Friends. I like you, and the dogs. I want you at my back, and that means I'll hunt your enemies, in turn."

Rachel nodded in response. They stood in silence for a long time, in the flickering candlelight.

"Don't think you're a monster," Rachel said suddenly.

Taylor raised an eyebrow at her.

"Met some real assholes. Don't think you're like them," Rachel looked away.

"I… thank you, Rachel," Taylor said softly.

The quiet resumed, but Taylor felt a bit lighter.

"Gotta get the dogs back," Rachel said eventually.

"Right. Let's see if I can…" Taylor reached down and pulled the ethereal lantern off of her belt. "Oh… I can feel…"

Taylor raised the lantern and turned. In the distance, to the west, she could feel a new light surrounded by orbiting stars. Rachel's shelter, and the rest of her dogs?

To the south, she could feel another light. Definitely more faint, but still traceable.

The Undersiders' base, maybe?

As tempting as it was to mess with Lisa, Taylor managed to resist. For now.

Apparently, taking communion also allowed the lantern to open doors in places that were important to those who were linked to the Labyrinth. It made sense, in hindsight. The lantern was linked to the Labyrinth, and now Rachel was, too.

"Let's go make a new door, then," Taylor said, glancing at Rachel. "I'll be able to find you, now. If you ever want a door, just call."

Rachel nodded again, and they left the Workshop together to go pick up the dogs and take them for a walk through the Labyrinth.

Taylor grudgingly turned off the water and stepped out of the shower in Kurt and Lacey's guest bathroom.

She hadn't quite realized just how much blood coated her skin and soaked her clothes. It had a way of fading to the background in the heat of battle.

They hadn't found very much of Krieg, but Taylor thought they could probably get a fair bit of him if they wrung her coat and formalwear dry.

But no. Her costume was in the wash, and it was worth the slight waste. Now, it was just her skin that was stained red.

A hot shower had taken care of the worst of it, but she could still feel the blood sinking into her.

Even clean and renewed from the warm water, her reflection was both alien and comforting at the same time.

Damp midnight ringlets framed her face, porcelain stark against her hair and scars.

The face she had once considered plain and ugly felt significantly less so, now. For multiple reasons.

Her eyes were black and crystalized, resolved. There was nothing quite like killing hundreds of monstrous men to harden the soul.

Although, they looked darker than before. Not dark brown ringing her pupil, but black in truth. Had Amy changed that?

She liked it. The jagged onyx was striking.

It went well with the scars.

The cut from Sophia's crossbow, a deep line under her right eye.

Above it, her Hunter's Mark stood out starkly on her forehead, just touching her right eyebrow.

Her wide mouth curved up at the edges, and didn't look quite as out of place as it always had before. Amy certainly didn't seem to mind.

Her eyes roved over her bare skin.

Victor's sniper shot, spider-webbing across the right side of her chest.

The gashes where Cricket's Kamas pierced her.

A smattering of other smaller pinpricks, bullets from unpowered soldiers and Crusader's spears.

Taylor took a deep breath and pulled on a clean black sweater and jeans.

She was definitely changing, both from the blood and from her actions.

But she liked who she was becoming, and saw no reason to stop. She was the Hunter, and even if Taylor Hebert may not be as dead as she originally thought, that didn't mean she couldn't be someone Taylor was proud of.

Amy woke up early, for once. The cold morning light was only just starting to slip through her window.

She felt… good, for once. Like she wanted to stay in bed to enjoy the comfort, rather than to forestall the terrible day ahead.

Today…

The events of last night caught back up to her and Amy sat up abruptly.

Taylor killed the Empire.

And she was supposed to call in the morning to figure out the details of spiriting Amy away to her gruesome workshop for the day.

She needed to talk to Victoria.

Luckily, her sister didn't usually sleep in. On purpose. Horrifying.

Amy dragged herself out of bed and put on some pajama pants before heading downstairs. Hopefully Carol was working today.

Unfortunately, it wasn't her lucky day. Carol was still in the kitchen sipping her coffee when Amy arrived.

Maybe I can just get my coffee and…

"You're up early," Carol said without looking up from her tablet.

Shit.

"Woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Coffee sounded good," Amy grumbled. It was too early for this shit. Even if she had brought it on herself.

Carol hummed noncommittally.

"What are you doing today, then?" her adoptive mother asked. It could have been an innocent question, but every interaction with Carol had teeth.

"I don't know," Amy said. "I was going to see what Vicky's plans were. I went to the hospital last night, so I'm probably taking today off."

Carol glanced up at her.

"Victoria has her own life to live, you know. You should find activities that don't revolve around her," Carol said.

Amy bit off an acidic response as she poured her coffee. Today wasn't the day to get into a fight with Carol, and it wasn't like she could win anyway.

Taylor was right. Carol's disapproval was irrelevant, and she wasn't a threat. Amy could end her in a heartbeat if she got her hands on her, and Taylor would kill her without a second thought if Amy asked her to.

So, instead of telling her exactly where she could shove her bullshit advice, Amy just said, "Yes, ma'am. I'll work on it."

Carol's stare pierced her for another long moment before she returned to her work.

"Sarah and I have an emergency debrief with the PRT this morning, so don't go too far. We'll probably have a meeting tonight to discuss the Empire's broadcast yesterday and the results of last night. Did you see anything at the hospital?" Carol said.

Amy flinched slightly. That was not something she wanted to talk about with Carol.

"I saw the message on one of the TV's they had playing the news. Something about Kaiser challenging Hunter? Is that Carpenter?" Amy tried her best to play dumb.

Luckily, Carol was in lecture mode and didn't notice anything off.

"Yes. Hunter met with the Protectorate earlier this week and formed an uneasy sort of cease fire, or at least mutually assured destruction," Carol said. "They have requested that we avoid her lair in the Trainyards, and contact them immediately if she's spotted. Apparently, they are surveilling her base and need to know if she has found a way to skip under their radar."

Amy managed to keep her expression neutral, but it was difficult. If only they knew that Taylor had found a way around their blockade within hours, all because she wanted to see Amy and deliver her cigarettes.

Taylor was insane, but it was… endearing, somehow.

"Have you healed any of Hunter's victims at the hospital?" Carol demanded.

It was always something.

"No," Amy said. "I don't think she normally leaves… survivors."

"Well, keep an eye out. I don't like this. Hunter may be targeting the Empire for now, but we need to be prepared for her to turn on the heroes at any time. Vigilantes who don't play by the rules are just as dangerous as villains," Carol said.

Amy nodded and retreated to the living room with her coffee.

Carol wasn't even wrong, this time. Not really.

But Hunter wasn't just as dangerous as the villains.

She was so, so much worse.

But not to Amy, and that thought made her smile.

Carol left for the PRT debrief and Amy was actually able to relax. At least, until Victoria floated down the stairs.

"Morning, Ames!"

Vicky flopped onto one of the sofas across from her in the living room.

Part of Amy had hoped that kissing Taylor would magically get rid of the twisting in her chest every time she saw Victoria, but sadly, life wasn't fair.

Still, she could power through, now. It wasn't hopeless. She just needed to ignore the clawing, aching need for long enough to get back to Taylor so she could direct her broken obsession into something less destructive.

Not that blood tinkering in an abandoned hospital or making out with a mass murdering villain was all that much better, but… baby steps. It was better for Victoria, at any rate, and it was probably better for Amy, too.

It might even be better for Taylor. The blood Tinker definitely hadn't complained, yet.

"Hey, Vicky," Amy took another sip of her coffee. "Are you up for another day of covering for each other? I want to go over to Anne's again."

Strangely enough, her words almost managed to sound casual. This kind of conversation was getting more comfortable by the day. Weird.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Vicky answered automatically. "It sounds like things are going… well, then?"

Amy couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, they really are," she said. "I finally took your advice, I guess. I… decided what I wanted. And things actually worked out, for once."

Victoria's eyes widened and her smile was infectious. She flitted quickly over the coffee table and landed on the couch next to Amy.

"Wait, so you and Anne are, like, actually together, now?" Vicky asked excitedly.

Were they?

Pretty much. Labels didn't exactly matter with her and Taylor, what with all the murder and body enhancements, but Taylor wanted to kiss her again, so…

"Yeah," Amy knew her smile looked stupid. Her expression fell after a moment, though. "I'm still not ready for Carol or anyone else to know. I'm sure it will come out eventually, but… it's a lot, Vicky. The publicity, the scrutiny. Even with the Empire gone…"

"Wait, what do you mean, the Empire's gone?" Victoria said suddenly.

Fuck.

Amy didn't really have a good story set up for that one. Hopefully her inexplicable knowledge didn't come up. Time to play dumb again.

"You didn't see the broadcast yesterday?" Amy asked.

"I mean, yeah, I got the cliff-notes from Mom last night, but you don't think they actually got wiped out?" Victoria said incredulously.

Amy shrugged.

"Hunter's been cutting them down without issue so far. Maybe she got them all, this time," Amy said.

"Shit," Vicky muttered, leaning back into the couch. "I mean, maybe. I guess that would be a good thing, right? Maybe they all killed each other or something. That'd be nice."

Hunter is not allowed to die.

"We'll probably find out tonight," Amy said, to cover up her slip of the tongue. "In the meantime, I'm going to get ready and head to Anne's. If Carol asks, we went to the mall or something."

"Do you need a ride?" Vicky asked as Amy headed for the stairs.

"No, she'll come pick me up." If Amy could manage to sneak down to the basement without her sister noticing.

"I still want to hang out with you and her, sometime, especially if you're an item now," Victoria called after her. "My little sister has her first girlfriend and I demand my slice of vicarious meddling!"

Maybe once Taylor gets her fake ID, or however she's planning to become 'real'.

The idea of spending time with Taylor and Vicky together wasn't quite as terrifying as it used to be, though. Maybe it was the knowledge that things wouldn't be over if her house of cards collapsed. Even if Vicky found out, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Taylor wouldn't kill Vicky and Vicky couldn't kill Taylor.

The double date idea didn't even sound as bad, now. It would be kind of funny to watch Dean flounder like a dying fish while he tried to deal with Taylor's specific blend of insanity.

Scratch that. It wouldn't be kind of funny. It would be fucking hilarious.

Amy grabbed her clothes for the day and hopped in the shower. For once, the knot in her stomach was excitement, rather than dread. It was refreshing.

She could definitely get used to this.

Taylor leaned against the wall of her Labyrinth and idly flipped her phone open and closed.

Should she call Amy? Or wait for her to call?

It was still fairly early, for normal people. Taylor had taken a nap after cleaning off all the blood at Kurt and Lacey's. She also caught up with her dad.

He was still being remarkably nonchalant about the whole thing. Even the Empire's broadcast hadn't worried him. He knew she would be back, even if things went badly.

She hadn't told him about Amy. Her touch, her kisses… it felt like they were just for her, for now. Amy was hers. Talking about it would pull back the curtain and let others' opinion and judgement in. Even if she knew it would probably make her father happy, she just wasn't ready for that, yet.

Taylor didn't want the real world to spoil their little bubble of solitude.

She couldn't resist any longer, so she dialed the top number in her contacts.

"Hey," Amy answered. Her greeting was quite a bit less spikey this morning. Hopefully that was a good thing.

"Morning! Are we all set with Victoria and everything?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. Vicky left a few minutes ago to go meet up with Dean or something. I wasn't paying attention. But, I can make it downstairs whenever you get here," Amy said.

Taylor grinned at the open doorway lined with eldritch fire.

"I'm already here."

"What?" Amy exclaimed.

She could hear the sudden footsteps and Amy appeared at the bottom of the basement stairs, only a bit out of breath.

Taylor hung up the phone and her smile widened.

"How long have you been lurking in my basement?" Amy hissed as she approached, but Taylor could see she was smiling, too.

Taylor still wasn't used to seeing Amy out of costume. Her hair and her freckles were even prettier when they weren't shadowed by her hood, and the casual jacket over an old graphic T-shirt looked perfectly natural on her.

"Not too long," Taylor whispered back. Only an hour or so.

They stood in the silent furnace room of Amy's adoptive family's basement, and for a moment Taylor felt a strange kind of awkwardness. Like she wasn't sure how to be with Amy, after everything that happened yesterday.

Fuck it.

Taylor stepped forward and pulled Amy roughly against her, arms wrapping around her soft waist just as Amy reached up to run her fingers through Taylor's curls again.

Maybe this didn't need to be so difficult, after all.

Amy's chocolate eyes were burning with excitement and something else, something darker, underneath.

Taylor's heart thundered in her chest and electricity sparked in her veins.

Closing the last few inches between them was somehow both the easiest thing in the world and an insurmountable challenge.

Then their lips met, and Taylor couldn't think of anything else. There was nothing else, just the warmth and Amy's hands in her hair and her body pressing against Taylor's own as she raised herself onto her toes and Taylor pulled her even more tightly into her arms.

Not too tightly, though. Taylor didn't want to break her. Still, Amy's feet may or may not have left the concrete.

Even through the fire and the haze, Taylor heard a floorboard creak upstairs. It took herculean effort, but Taylor managed to focus despite the wonderful feeling of Amy's lips moving enthusiastically against her own.

She pulled back, and Amy whined in annoyance as they separated. It was cute, and Taylor had to resist the urge to kiss her again. They both gasped for air for a long moment.

Amy's face was perfect, beautiful and flushed and alive and-

"We should probably go," Taylor whispered into Amy's ear as she set her back on the floor. "Unless you want Flashbang to know what you get up to in his basement."

Amy snorted and retreated until she was just holding her hand. Taylor definitely wasn't complaining at the continued contact, and she liked the idea that Amy could still see her, even like this.

And that Amy obviously liked what she saw.

"Well, let's get on with it, then," Amy smirked at her. "Do you get sidetracked this easily on all of your villainous kidnappings?"

"You're a special case, don't worry," Taylor grinned back. "Besides, I'm not generally in the business of kidnapping."

Oh shit, I forgot about Alabaster again.

He'd probably be fine for a few more hours. She had more important things to do.

She and Amy left the Dallon's basement together, off into the infinite Labyrinth once again. The real world could wait, for as long as they wanted.