~ Comfort Zone ~
by Shea K.

Disclaimer: Welcome to another original story by this lunatic. The story and the characters are mine. Do not use them without my permission. Also, any and all characters, events, and situations found in these stories are fictional. If there are any similarities between these things and real people, events, and situations, it is purely a coincidence.

General warning: I'm sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don't know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story.

If this story looks familiar to anyone, it's because its actually based on a fanfic I wrote called "There for You." The characters are different, but the plot is very similar. I hope you enjoy it.

Contact the lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think of the story. Thanks and enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386

Many thanks to my betas - Rleef and RevSrVixena.

7: Date night?

Poe worked on her novel, going over parts that she felt fine with changing. She got an email from her dad about the story not too long ago. He actually enjoyed the sidekick and listed almost a dozen reasons why she should stay in the story. Reading his email made Poe check her phone, suspecting correctly that he had called her before sending the email. He preferred the phone to email, but he accepted that an email could always be read at the earliest convenience while sometimes a phone call just could not be answered.

She returned the call. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Poe. Good to hear from you. I can tell your mom you're not lying in a ditch. Can you just admit to her you have a girlfriend?" Nolan asked with a sigh.

She balked. "I don't have a girlfriend, though. I can't lie to Mom!"

"Well, Nadi called your mom and added to her worry. Nadi says she hasn't spoken to you in a couple of weeks and she went by your place, but you weren't home. She thought you came home."

Poe sighed and shook her head. "Two worrywarts working each other up. I'll call Nadi later. I don't have a girlfriend, though. I made a friend and I've been hanging out with her." She felt a blush burning her cheeks for some reason. She missed a lot of phone calls while at Mallory's place and never thought to check her phone afterwards.

"Hey, I know how it is when you get a girlfriend."

"Dad!"

He laughed. "Okay, you don't have a girlfriend. Let's talk about the book. I like the sidekick. She's a hoot. A nice balance to Maru's constant seriousness and someone to remind the reader that Maru is human, a very lonely and serious human. I do think you should dial her down a notch because she changes the tone of the book too drastically. You can use her at full strength in the next book."

Poe nodded. "Okay, that sounds good, but my editor thinks I should lose the sidekick altogether."

Nolan scoffed. "He's an idiot. The sidekick is hilarious! She brings a nice spark to Maru's existence."

"Well, my editor thinks the sidekick will make more people think Maru is gay and he wants the series to stay mainstream."

"Oh, he's full of shit! Just because Maru has a female sidekick doesn't make her a lesbian. If it was up to this guy, I'm guessing Batman never would've had Robin. Besides, it's not like you're going to put romance into the stories. You've had Maru flirt with a princess or two, but nothing serious. Hell, Maru didn't even realize she was flirting because she's so damn serious all of the time."

"I think he thinks I'm eventually going to out Maru, but I'm really not interested in doing that. I don't even know if Maru is gay. It's not important to any stories I have planned for her."

"Did you explain that to him?" he asked curiously.

"Uh … I don't think I said it like that," she admitted. She had mostly listened to her editor grip and then she cursed him out before hanging up.

"I'm sure you didn't. You don't typically do much explaining when someone is talking at you. Call the guy and explain the whole thing because the sidekick needs to stay. She simply makes the story better."

She smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I really needed to hear that. I needed a second opinion."

He chuckled. "Anytime, kiddo. I'm more than happy to be of service. Now, call Nadi and let her know about your not-girlfriend. You have to be aware of the people that care about you and how crazy they can be."

She laughed. "I know, I know. I'm kinda mixed up right now with this new friend and this book and I only just got my painting muse back. It's so much to keep up with and I'm doing a really poor job of it right now." At the best of times, she could only keep track of her arts and her family. Nadi and Justin tended to keep up with her more than she did with them, but now throwing Mallory into the mix, an overflow of creativity, and her editor breathing down her neck, and Poe was surprised her head did not explode.

"You'll work it out. Sounds like you have more going on than you're used to. You just need to get used to it and understand where everything goes in this new, busier world of yours."

She nodded, forgetting that he could not see her. "You're really smart, Dad."

He chuckled. "I like to think I am. But, you are too, so you'll be able to sort yourself out. Now, call your friend."

"Yes, sir."

"And then, call your editor."

"Yes, sir."

"Love you, kid."

"I love you, too, Dad."

Poe sighed as she disconnected the phone call and scratched her head. She had not realized that she had not spoken to Nadi in two weeks. She wondered if it had been that long since she saw her best friend. I'm a horrible friend. She dialed Nadi.

"Poe, where the hell have you been? I was ready to report you missing!" Nadi shouted into the phone. Through the fury, Poe could hear a little quiver in her best friend's voice, as if the dancer was on the verge of tears. The artist did not deal with crying well, but Nadi would never deign to weep while she was so outraged.

"Sorry, sorry. I just have a lot going on right now," Poe replied cryptically.

"Since when? Your mom already told me that you probably have a girlfriend. I can't believe you actually managed to get a girlfriend on your own. I can only imagine she finds your awkwardness cute." The sneer on Nadi's face was so clear in her tone that Poe could see it in front of her face.

"I am not awkward and she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend," Poe huffed.

Nadi laughed. "Even if that's the truth, it's amazing you made a friend on your own. You didn't punch her, did you?"

"No! … Although I might've been really rude to her when we met."

There was more laughter. "Of course, because you can't meet someone normally. Are you going to bring her to the party, so Justin and I can meet her?"

"Party?" Poe wracked her brain for what party her friend was talking about.

A tired sigh escaped Nadi. "This is why I try to keep up with you and you shouldn't ever go AWOL. We have a party tomorrow, my dear."

"One of your parties?"

"Yes, so dress up, for heaven's sake. Try to be on time, too. People might think your quirks are cute now, but they're going to wear thin eventually, so show some class for once. At least it'll surprise some people and they might comission you for some work."

Poe groaned. "I look stupid when I dress up."

"You look even stupider when you show up to an elegant party dressed like a damn panhandler. And, you know people know you're with me, so you're making me look bad. I don't like looking bad."

"Yet you always drag me to these things." She knew Nadi was trying to help her by bringing her to parties. Nadi wanted her to meet someone special and also to sell paintings. But, Nadi also had to complain because that was part of her personality. It was nothing really personal towards Poe.

"Because someone has to make sure you get out of your damned apartment every now and then. You need to socialize and become civilized. Now, make sure you're at the party tomorrow. I'm going to text you all of the information. Text me back when you get it to tell me you got it, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm serious. Don't wander off and start painting, or writing, or eating peanut butter and marshmallows. Understood?"

"Yeah, I'm not a baby."

"I know you're not, but you live in your own little world. I want you out in the real world every now and then, so we don't have to fit you for straitjacket. I don't need you peeling your wallpaper off."

"I don't have wallpaper."

Nadi sighed. "I know you're doing this to be annoying and it's working like it always does, but you still have to come to the party. Got it?"

Poe sighed again. "I got it."

"Okay, text me once you get the information. If you don't text me, I swear, I'm coming to your apartment and I'm beating you to death with your laptop. Be at the party on time and dressed appropriately, for heaven's sake. See you later."

"See you later."

Poe hung up and sighed again, scratching her head. She waited for the text from Nadi while trying to focus on her novel. She shook that away as she remembered that she had to contact her editor. Her thoughts were drawn from that as her phone alerted her to a new text message. She texted Nadi back to let her know that she got the information.

"So much to do," Poe groaned, rubbing her head, which was swimming now.

Taking a moment to gather herself, Poe listed what she needed to do in her mind and then got started. First, she called her editor to let him know that the sidekick would be staying in the story. She would tone her down some, but she refused to get rid of a character just because some people might think Maru was a lesbian. Besides, she did not see anything wrong with being a lesbian anyway.

Her editor began stammering. "I don't mean to suggest there is anything wrong with being a lesbian!" Not only was he being politically correct, but she was out and he did not want to insult one of the company's best authors.

"I'm sure you don't, but it doesn't come off that way when you act like the world will end if people think Maru is gay. Most people think that anyway and they still buy the books. Besides, she might actually be gay. I don't know yet."

He made a noise that she did not know how to classify. It might have been a groan. "That could hurt book sales. You know mostly teens and such read the books. It's less likely their parents will let them if the main character is a lesbian."

Poe scoffed. "Parents hating it would make kids want to read it more. Besides, it's not like a book costs a bunch of money. They're easy for kids to buy, even easier with ebooks. You're making a big deal about nothing."

A long sigh echoed through the phone. "I hope you're right. No point in going through all of this trouble only to have the publisher decide he doesn't like it."

"He doesn't seem to have a problem with Maru being an assumed lesbian. No one has said anything to me about her being a lesbian, actually. You didn't even care until now."

"You're right, you're right. All right. Make the changes you want to and then send it to me. From what I could tell, it doesn't need that much work beyond the sidekick making Maru seem gayer than before."

"Okay then. Talk to you later."

Poe sighed and dropped her phone, glad that was out of the way. She went to get something to eat before tackling anything else. She grabbed an apple and some macaroni salad, eating those on the couch as she went through her novel. She used a notepad to keep track of things that she could and would change, as well as jotting down ideas that she might be able to make use of in the rewrite. She wanted to make sure everything made sense before she began seriously writing.

Eventually, she finished eating and focused just on her novel. When she felt hungry again, she checked her phone to see how much time had passed and realized that she had been working for hours. Scratching her head, she did not think much of it, but she remembered Nadi's party.

"I wonder if Mallory will go with me. I bet it would shock the hell out of Nadi if I had a date and I wouldn't have to worry about her trying to set me up with anyone. Hell, I might actually have a good time if Mallory's with me!" The thought brought a bright smile to her face.

She pressed Mallory's name in her contact information and placed the call. It took a few rings before the redhead picked and she sounded confused when she demanded, "Who is this?"

A lump formed in the artist's throat and she had to swallow it down before she could respond. "Poe."

"Oh, hey, Poe. Are you okay?" Mallory's tone was softer now and it helped set Poe at ease.

"I'm fine. You?"

"I've had worse days. I'd rather be home, but that's typical. You're not sitting outside my door right now by any chance?"

"No, I'm at home. I'm not calling because I'm thinking about your place or anything. I wanted to know if you want to go to a party with me," Poe requested in her own unique way. She sounded like she was making an offer more than anything else.

"What kind of party?"

Poe shrugged and scratched her chin. "I dunno. It's at The Mar. Last time I went they had really good chicken."

Mallory sounded like she choked on something. She coughed and had to take a few breaths. "It's at The Mar? You've been there before?"

"Yeah, a couple of times. My best friend Nadi, she's a dancer and the producers of the show she's in are trying to create a buzz and hopefully get money for other projects, so they put together this thing."

"Okay, what does that have to do with you, though?"

"Nadi always takes me to parties. She helps me get commissions and stuff."

Mallory scoffed. "I could do that." There was something in her tone that Poe could not entirely place, but she did bother to try.

"Well, I figured we could hang out."

"I'm sure we could, but you'll have to pay me for it."

Poe could not hold back to the stunned gasp that escaped her throat. All this time she thought that she and Mallory were friends, but a friend would not charge her to hang out. Am I still just a client to her? Her heart clenched at the thought and breathing became much more difficult.

"I have a date tomorrow," Mallory said.

"Oh." Poe was certain one word should not sound so heartbroken. She was also certain that she should not feel as if her her guts had tumbled out of her abdomen.

"I'll cancel it to go to this thing with you. But, my boss is still going to expect her cut."

"I can't afford …"

"Poe, it's not that much. You're not paying for me. You're just paying twenty percent. Can you afford that?"

"Oh." And suddenly the world did not seem so dark and bleak. "I should be able to handle that. You have to give twenty percent to your boss?" Poe asked curiously.

"It's a hefty fee, but for the most part, she brings good clients my way and, typically, I'm safe with the clients that she offers me. Every now and then a crazy person sneaks in, but most people don't want to fuck with that crazy Russian bitch."

The younger woman scratched her head. "Sounds like I better pay then. I don't wanna hafta deal with a crazy lady if I can help it."

Mallory laughed. "Wise decision, although I think one on one, you might be able to take her. So, what should I wear?"

"I dunno. Something nice, I guess."

"You know what, what are you wearing? I should coordinate with you."

That statement threw Poe a bit. She could not figure out why Mallory should coordinate with her, but she had learned that sometimes it was better to not ask questions. "I'm probably just going to wear jeans or something."

"You will not! I refuse to go to the Mar with you in jeans!" the redhead practically hollered. Poe hoped Mallory was not somewhere crowded because people would definitely stare.

Poe's face fell. "I always wear jeans. Usually it's because I forget there's a party and I don't want to be late."

"Well, you won't be doing that this time, so stop pouting. I will not go to an elegant establishment like The Mar with you wearing your usual busted jeans. That's fine when we go to little family spots or the movies, but not The Mar. You've been there before. You should know better, but you are you. Dare I even hope that you have a dress?"

"Uh …" Instinctively, Poe knew better than to answer that question.

Mallory sighed and the author knew that the older woman was shaking her head. "Why did I even bother to ask you? Of course, you don't. We're going shopping tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere with you until we get you the right clothes."

"I hate shopping," Poe grumbled. Despite all of the conditions that seemed to come along with Mallory going to the party with her, Poe was still happy that she asked the redhead to go.

"I'm sure if it were art supplies, you'd love shopping. But, the deal is I go with you as long as you're dressed appropriately."

Poe grunted. "Does it have to be a dress?"

"Not necessarily, but we may find a dress that suits you, so keep an open mind. What time is the function tomorrow?"

"Eight."

"Excellent. That gives us plenty of time to find you a decent outfit. And don't give me this 'I can't afford it' song and dance. You're a best selling author, dammit. Indulge."

Poe stammered and puttered in her defense. Her sudden inability to express herself led her to concede. "Okay, fine."

"Good." The triumphant smile could be heard in her voice. She rattled off instructions about where and when Poe could meet her for their shopping trip tomorrow.

The younger woman had to dive for her notepad to make sure she got everything down. The last command was for her to give Mallory a goodbye kiss, which confused her for a moment, and then she realized Mallory wanted her to blow a kiss into the phone. She made a loud smooch noise, which made Mallory laugh.

"Thank you, Poe," the redhead said before hanging up.

Poe smiled. Okay, Mallory is gonna go with me, but she wants to take me shopping. Now, she groaned. Underneath that, though, her stomach sort of rolled and twisted. She did her best to ignore it.


Mallory spotted Poe in the crowd, shifting from one foot to the next. She chuckled and slightly shook her head. Poor thing is actually nervous about shopping. Poe was so anxious, in fact, that she barely noticed that Mallory was standing right next to her.

"Boo!" Mallory joked and was pleased when Poe did not jump. She's partially grounded at least.

Poe let loose a long exhale and her shoulders relaxed. "I didn't know if you were gonna come," she blurted out.

Mallory felt her insides soften and she wrapped a gentle arm around Poe's broad shoulders. "I'd never stand you up. I did suggest this little soiree. Now, let's get moving my little chickadee. We need to get me home, so I can change into my sexy dress."

A cute blush stained Poe's tan cheeks. "Oh. Uh … okay. I'm following you. Where to first?"

Mallory grinned and took Poe by the hand, pulling her through the congested shopping center. In the back of her mind, she noted how Poe squeezed her just a little when the crowd seemed to get a little too close. Something inside of her became light, but she ignored that and focused on their mission. Poe needed clothes to avoid embarrassing them both at The Mar.

They traveled to a few small boutiques first. Mallory was certain that she had never seen a girl more miserable than Poe in trying on a dress. For a while, she thought Poe had a thing against dresses, but the expression remained when she was trying on pants, shirts, and suits.

"You really do just hate shopping, huh?" Mallory asked as Poe changed into another outfit.

"I just have other things I prefer to do," Poe grumbled, pulling at the maroon vest that she was wearing that matched her pants.

"Stop tugging." Mallory lightly slapped the younger woman's hand. "You look dashing," she commented as she straightened out the vest and shirt. She turned Poe to the full length mirror.

Poe twisted her mouth up. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. Are you comfortable?"

Poe shook her head. "Not really. I don't dress this way."

"Well, that's why it's dressing up. You don't like dressing up?" She could guess the answer to that one, but considered her young companion might surprise her.

"No."

Mallory sighed. "I'm not surprised. You look nice dressed up, though. But, if you don't like it, take it off. We'll find something that you do like and you do feel comfortable."

Almond-shaped eyes blinked. "You sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal. But, we can't do this all day. I do have to go home and change."

Poe nodded and changed into another outfit. She seemed more relaxed in the next suit, but Mallory could not understand why since it was almost identical to the outfit she just took off. The pants were the same, but the vest was cut lower. It was black, but had a shine to it that was meant to catch the eye. Mallory circled her.

"I think it suits you. What do you think? How does if feel?" the redhead inquired.

Poe rolled her shoulders while staring at her reflection. "It's okay, I guess."

"I don't want okay. I don't want you to settle. I want you wearing something you're comfortable in. We're going to look like a power couple when we walk in. All eyes will be on us," Mallory declared quite seriously. Her blue eyes were hard as steel, as if trying to force Poe into understanding how magnificent they were going to be.

A light blush colored tan cheeks. "Couple?" Poe practically squeaked the word. She wobbled a bit, but managed to stay on her feet.

Mallory chuckled. "Calm down, Poe. It's only for one night, but you get to be my legitimate date."

The blush deepened and Mallory laughed again. They pressed on until they came to a little black dress. Mallory was up as soon as Poe came out of the dressing room, circling like a shark in the water. Poe watched her with a careful eye.

"You should wear this dress. First and foremost, every female on Earth needs a little black dress. Second, you look fucking sexy in it," Mallory praised the artist. She could already imagine herself ripping Poe out of the damned thing at the end of the night, but she decided not to share that because she doubted that Poe would have been able to handle the information while already so overwhelmed with shopping.

Poe visibly preened at the compliment, smiling slightly as she squared her shoulders and straightened her back. Mallory smiled and just took in the sight. Poe clearly did not wear dresses often just from the way that she stood, but now that her confidence was up, she had the poise to pull off the snug, knee-length gown. Her powerful arms were left on display thanks to the dress being sleeveless and her muscular shoulders were open for touching. Now, I just need her to stop standing like a boxer posed to attack.

"Relax," Mallory whispered into Poe's ear as she stood behind the younger woman.

Poe practically melted as the redhead lightly fingered her spine. Mallory focused on them both in the mirror, which made Poe do the same. A gentle smile curled onto Mallory's face and Poe's eyes seemed to light up.

"You're so beautiful, my little bohemian." Mallory placed a gentle kiss to Poe's ear. She traced small circles at the base of Poe's spine.

"You think so?" Poe asked, eyes transfixed on their reflection.

"I know and you should, too. You're so beautiful. So very beautiful. How do you like this dress? Are you comfortable?" the redhead asked and her companion could only nod. "Shall we buy this one then?" Again, Poe nodded and Mallory's smile grew.


Poe doubted that she had ever felt as awkward and nervous as she felt sitting next to Mallory in her own black gown. The pair were in a cab, on their way to The Mar, and Poe was not sure if she would make it without throwing up right in the taxi. She kept one fist clenched tightly in her lap while Mallory held her other, lightly, almost tenderly massaging her knuckles. Mallory looked like a goddess with a fiery mane as if she was coming down from the heavens with her sapphire eyes sharp and fierce. She was poised, practically in command. I can do that, too. Be like that, I mean.

Taking a deep breath, the artist held her held up high. Mallory smiled at her and her touch became even more gentle, almost intimate. Somehow, things settled in her belly while her guts clinched together. How the hell does that even work?

"Are you sure you're comfortable?" Mallory asked in a gentle tone.

"Yeah. I'm just used to going in jeans … and by myself. This is new," Poe admitted with a nervous smile.

"It'll be fine," the redhead promised. "You look wonderful. We're a damned good looking pair and everybody is going to want to be us."

Poe smiled more and her body settled somewhat as the cab pulled up to their destination. She paid the driver and then got out of the car to open Mallory's door. The redhead smiled and thanked her.

"My dad showed how to treat a lady. I just forget sometimes," Poe chuckled as she offered Mallory her hand.

"You're doing fine," Mallory assured her as they stepped into the party. Blue eyes surveyed the area like a majestic queen looking out on her kingdom. She made it seem like not only did she belong there, but she owned the placed.

Poe felt the rest of her anxiety melt away as she was in the normalcy of a boring party. She could see that everything was as she thought it would be, even if she was in a dress and even though she did have Mallory on her arm. She straightened up and decided to try to avoid Nadi because she had an inkling that Nadi would make a big deal out of her showing up with someone. She was not sure how she would or should explain Mallory.

"You rub elbows with some high rollers," Mallory commented with a smile.

Poe shrugged. "Not me. My friend, Nadi. She invites me to help me to get commissions and to try to find me a girlfriend."

A low growl escaped Mallory, but it was so low and so quick that Poe figured that she misheard. A hand on the small of Poe's back took her mind off of the sound as Mallory led her deeper into the crowded party. Poe went with the flow.

"I'm sure I can help you gather commissions," the redhead said with a confident smirk.

Poe shrugged and walked with Mallory, who spoke with an ease that Poe would envy if she had a real interest in connecting with people. It's probably a talent that I could use, though. Maybe I can learn if I watch Mallory.

The artist did not get much of a chance to study the older woman in play because Justin appeared before her. The frown was expected, especially since he was in a tuxedo. But, then his expression turned downright grim. He looked like he walked into a horror movie.

"What the hell are you wearing? If Nadi sees you in a dress, I'll never be able to wear jeans again! What the hell?" Justin hissed, making tight fists because it would be undignified for him to just throw his arms up and start flailing.

Poe balked. "What?"

"What? We're supposed to be in this together. If you start dressing up, Nadi will make me dress up! We …" He motioned between both of them. "We hate dressing up!"

Sighing, she nodded. "I know, but I look good!" she practically chirped proudly. She had not meant to sound so happy about it, but she did look nice and she felt good about it.

Blinking, Justin finally looked at her. "Holy shit, you do look damned good. Wow. But, that's not the point! We're a team and you're hurting the team by voluntarily getting in a dress."

"Says the guy wearing a tuxedo with a vest no less!" she countered.

"I was threatened into this!" He pulled at the lapels of his jacket.

"How do you know I wasn't threatened into this?"

He blinked again, realizing that was entirely plausible. "Did she threaten to call your mom?"

She shook her head. "She didn't threaten me. How did she threaten you?"

Snorting, he scratched his head. "Same threat as always. No sex for a month or the tuxedo. Wasn't a hard decision, but 'tis a bitter pill to swallow," he lamented, drawing a laugh and smile from Poe.

"Sucks for you," she remarked. "She gets you every time with that. I think you need to call her bluff one day."

He scratched his chin in thought briefly. "Maybe. She probably wouldn't last a week. So, why'd you get all dressed up?"

"That was my doing," Mallory purred as she eased behind Poe and pulled the younger woman into a light embrace.

Justin's eyes went wide and he leaned back for a moment, as if he was going to flee the area. But, then he leaned in, as if requiring a closer look. Mallory stepped to the side of Poe and put her arm around the artist's waist. She pressed Poe closer to her and the author slowly exhaled, content with her place at the moment.

"Poe, you brought a date?" Justin asked, beyond incredulous. He probably would have sooner believed that there was a man in the moon.

"Obviously," the redhead replied with a sexy grin.

Now, Poe blinked. Is this a date? It was news to her, but not really. Maybe it was just the shock of hearing Mallory openly admit it in front of people that made her stomach dance a bit.

"Well, I'm Poe's best friend, Justin Haywood." He extended his hand.

Mallory smirked and, for a moment, Poe became extremely nervous. What if she tells him her name is Scarlet? Then this is nothing more than a job to her. I'm not even her friend then!

"I'm Mallory. Mallory Glen," the redhead replied, taking Justin's hand. They exchanged a brief, but polite shake.

"Wow, I'm amazed. I don't think Poe's ever made a friend without Nadi's help. Uh … no offense, Poe," Justin said with a small, apologetic smile.

Poe shrugged. "None taken." She would never be offended by the truth coming from him.

"Sorry to drag you away, Poe, but there is a gentleman over there that might be interested in commissioning you," Mallory said while slightly tugging Poe in the direction that she came from.

Poe moved with Mallory, who introduced the artist to people as if they were old friends. Poe could not believe how easily Mallory blended in with everyone. The redhead spoke with people as if she was the most important person in the room and her skill made Poe feel oddly proud. It also helped Poe get commissions.

Eventually, Poe was separated from Mallory as they both worked the room in their own ways. Poe was mostly lost in conversation with people that seemed to be rotating in and out of her little sphere. She bumped into Nadi, who gasped before grinning.

"Oh, my god! Justin said you were here with someone, but he didn't mention you were in a dress! Look at you, looking like a grown up," Nadi remarked, hugging Poe as if complied to do so by her disbelief.

Poe shrugged to show it was no big deal. "It's nothing. Don't make a fuss."

"Oh, you know I am! When was the last time you wore a dress? Hell, I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress." Nadi's forehead wrinkled, possibly trying to recall a time when Poe was last in a dress or possibly just baffled by her best friend's formal wear.

Poe scratched her head. "I don't think I've worn a dress since I've known you. Mom never made me or anything. You didn't make me wear one to Prom."

Nadi nodded. "Yeah, you didn't need a dress for Prom. You look gorgeous, though." She took Poe by the hand and admired her with a pleased smile. "You are so beautiful, Poe."

"She knows," Mallory said from behind the artist again. She pressed herself into Poe's back, rubbing her plush, ample bosom into Poe's bare shoulders.

Poe inhaled sharply, feeling a flare in her belly. A slow exhale caused the fire to go down, but not out. It did not help that Mallory put a hand on her elbow and let her fingers dance lightly across sensitive tan flesh. Poe went a little fuzzy, but was able to pick up on Nadi's gaze sharpening and narrowing.

"I've told her that often today and I do tell her that she's cute much of the time," Mallory informed Nadi.

Nadi remained tensed. "And who are you?"

"I'm Mallory. You?" In the small part of her brain that remained rational and alert, Poe thought there was some challenge in Mallory's voice. She wondered why that was.

"Nadira." The dancer sort of grunted her name out. The sound of her full name brought Poe back into the real world. Nadi rarely gave people full name, unless they were in a professional setting. While they were in such a setting, Nadi was meeting one of Poe's friends, which had nothing to do with her career.

"Nadi, Mallory's the one that got me into the dress. Oh, and she made sure I got here on time," Poe offered and she could see exact the moment Nadi relaxed.

"Oh, god, please marry Poe," Nadi begged Mallory. She seemed to be quite serious, too. "Do you cook, too?"

The redhead chuckled and offered Nadi an easy going smile. "I do, but not very often. I do make it a point to feed her, though. I'm assuming she's like a stray cat since she keeps coming back."

"You feed her, you keep her. No take-backs," Nadi joked, but somehow she seemed serious again.

"What, were you Poe's keeper before I showed up?"

Nadi rolled her eyes. "It's an unfortunate side effect to being her best friend. Had I only known," she lamented, shamelessly being melodramatic and throwing the back of her hand up to her forehead. "Alas, she'll turn my hair gray prematurely."

Mallory laughed and arched an eyebrow. "You're not really selling her to me."

Poe eased away as the pair bantered back and forth with each other. She thought they were getting along well with each other after what seemed like a momentarily rough start. The fact made her smile.


"Thanks for coming with me," Poe said as she and Mallory rode to her apartment in a cab.

Mallory held Poe's hand, gently caressing the knuckles. "No problem. I had a great time. You rub elbows with a surprising crowd."

"You moved with ease through that crowd."

A smile graced her creamy features. "I've had a lot of practice. Bring me along whenever you want. I'll help you get commissions."

"You helped a lot with that, but more …" the younger woman trailed off.

"More? What else did I help with?" Mallory asked with a crimson eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Well, you'll probably think it's silly, but you made me more comfortable. I usually hate these things and I'm always trying to figure out how to escape, which I never do. You made it bearable. I had a lot more patience and was able to talk to more people than I usually would. I never once thought about ducking out of the place."

The redhead smiled softly. "That's not silly. I know you like to be quiet and talk at your own pace when you get going."

A blush colored Poe's tan cheeks. "Thanks for coming, anyway."

"Anytime. I had fun."

"You did?"

"I did." Mallory was silent for a moment. "It's rare for me to go to something like that and it not be for work. I was able to go at my own pace and I didn't feel pressure to be perfect, even though I did my best to help you get a commission or two. But, for the most part, I was able to just be myself and enjoy myself."

"I'm glad."

They shared a smile and continued the ride to Poe's apartment in a comfortable silence. Somehow, it felt like they had just conversed about something beyond the party, but neither mentioned it. Poe was not sure what could be beyond the party, though. Maybe I'm just tired and it's nothing.


8: Bliss and dawning

The phone ringing ripped through the silent apartment. Poe groaned, groping the floor near her side of the bed for her cell phone. She found it close to the head of the futon. Her mind was foggy with sleep, so she could not really focus on the sound from the phone, just that it was going off. She opened her eyes to see who was calling and for a moment all she could see was a blur.

"Hi, Mom," Poe croaked when things made a little more sense.

"Hey, baby. You sound asleep," Rayne noted.

"I am."

"Is there a beautiful redhead next to you?"

Poe groaned again, but checked the other side of the bed. She was not surprised that Mallory was gone. There was a note on her pillow, which Poe quickly read and it put a smile on her face. She then remembered that her mother was on the phone.

"Nadi called you already?"

"Nadi called me last night as she got into a cab to go home. I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you!" Rayne declared and the artist could hear the grin that was definitely lighting up her mother's face.

Poe moaned and rubbed her eyes. "Mom, Mallory isn't my girlfriend. She's just my friend."

"That's not what Nadi said and Justin backed her up. They were talking about how she was quite possessive of you whenever you were close by. Her arm was around your waist or on your back all night. Nadi said she even seemed to glare at her before she knew who Nadi was, as if she were jealous."

Poe scratched her head. "That doesn't mean anything." Mallory could have been putting on a show through force of habit, or the redhead could simply be a bit more touchy when people were around. There were so many explanations for what Nadi saw as far as Poe was concerned.

Rayne chuckled. "All right, you go on and believe that. How was the party?"

"S'okay. I got a few commissions."

"And had a long night?" her mother teased.

"It wasn't that long."

"My little Leonardo, it's four in the afternoon. If you didn't have a long night, I'll have to worry about why you're sleeping so late."

Poe rubbed her eyes and then looked at her phone to see the time. It was nearly 4:30 actually. She could not believe that she slept so late. She did not understand why either because yesterday seemed pretty normal to her. Maybe being so nervous actually exhausted me.

"Still there, Poe?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah, Mom. Sorry. I was just shocked that it was so late." I guess that explains why Mallory said I was dead to the world in her note. I wonder how long she'll be at the gym.

"Of course, it doesn't really matter with you as you have no schedule whatsoever. As long as you're not getting sick or anything."

"I'm not getting sick, Mom," she promised because she knew that if she did not nip that in the bud, her mother would then worry about her health.

"Will you be seeing your not-girlfriend today?" Again, the smile could be heard in her voice. She could picture her mom just lighting up the whole house with her expression.

Poe groused. "Mom."

"I'm just wondering! Poe, you're so special. I want you to find someone that gets you and realizes how special you are. Nadi and Justin both said that she seemed to get you. She knows how to talk to you and she knows how to let you go when she needs to. She understands that you're not the average girl and I'm hoping she knows how to cherish you because you're precious."

The artist was not sure how to respond to that. She thought on it more than she would like to having just woken up. Mallory did have a way of sliding through her defenses, getting in through any little space that other people found impossible to pass. She was not sure why that was and her brain was too clouded to come up with anything.

"Poe, you know we, your whole family, support you. You don't have to be shy about having a girlfriend. You know we'd love for you to have a girlfriend to take care of you," her mother said softly.

A long sigh escaped the younger woman. "I take can of myself, Mom."

"I know, Poe. I know, but sometimes I worry. I'm your mother. I'm supposed to worry."

"I wish you wouldn't."

Rayne laughed. "I wouldn't be your mother if I didn't worry. I hope we can meet this girl eventually. I'm sure she's lovely."

"She is," Poe blurted out.

Her mother chuckled again. "I know you're tired now. I would use your moment of weakness to pry information out of you, but I know you'll tell me at your own pace. For now, go back to sleep and get as much rest as you need. I hope you take care of your not-girlfriend, too."

The pair bid each other farewell and Poe snuggled back into her pillow. She read Mallory's note that promised her return, but that promise was soon to be broken. A text from the redhead ordered Poe into the shower because they would be having an early dinner outside of the apartment. She given instructions on where to go and also what to wear. Poe did as commanded.


Mallory smiled as she caught sight of Poe entering the restaurant. She was happy to see that Poe had worn a snug fitting t-shirt, as Mallory had ordered. She was not sure if Poe would do it or not, but she glad to see that the younger woman had indulged her. She looks so sexy in that. I might have to jump her the moment we get some place dark even to hide what I'm doing to her. She licked her lips at the thought and fought down a rush of arousal.

"I'm glad you came, Poe," the redhead said with a smile. Her eyes shined like the ocean on a sunny day.

The artist sat down. "Well, I gotta eat. Besides, it gives me an excuse to go back to your place and watch soccer."

Mallory chuckled. "I suppose I should've told you to put the dress back on if I had known you had plans to use me for my television."

Poe smiled. "I just figured since you said we'd go back to your place, I'd get a chance to watch some TV. And, I wouldn't have worn the dress again anyway."

"I know. I'm the one that took it to the cleaners, after all." She had a feeling that it would never occur to Poe that the dress needed to be dry cleaned.

Poe scratched her head. "I could've washed it."

"It was dry clean only, my little bohemian. Now, let's just enjoy dinner and maybe go to a movie before we go to my place."

Poe nodded and Mallory smiled. She was not sure why, but the normalcy of the night sat well with her. On any given night, Mallory could be dining at some of the best restaurants in the world and seeing sights that most people could only dream of seeing, but it all paled to being in a family restaurant with Poe and on their way to a movie afterward. Mallory shook that notion away. She ordered for both of them, knowing that she could. Poe did not object.

"So, did you get any work done while I was gone?" the redhead asked curiously.

"No, my mom called and woke me up and then I tried to go back to sleep until you called and told me about our sudden dinner plans," Poe replied with a shrug, showing that none of that was a big deal.

"You need time to work, though."

Poe waved her concern off. "I'll make time. Don't worry about me. I know how to make time for my work."

The redhead shrugged, figuring if Poe knew anything about her life it was how to produce her art. "Have you figured out how to fix your novel?"

Poe nodded. "Yeah, and my editor is fine with the changes, but it doesn't make my main character look less gay."

The redhead laughed. "At some point you're going to have to admit that Maru is a lesbian. Did you have a problem with coming out?"

"Nah. I was nervous, but when I told my parents, they took it like champs. My dad said he always suspected, which is weird because I never really suspected. I just don't think Maru is gay yet. That's not going to change anytime soon. For now, she's just a teenage tomboy."

Mallory shrugged. "I believe it. My sister was actually like that."

"The sister that's married with kids now?"

"Yup. The little tomboy met the man of her dreams. He accepted that she's not a girly girl and she's head over heels for him. My whole family was surprised by it because everybody swore that she was a lesbian because before him she didn't even show an interest in guys. We like surprising each other."

Poe craned an eyebrow. "They were surprised that you were a lesbian?"

"Whoa. You're more observant than I gave you credit for it. How did you know?" Mallory asked.

The artist shrugged. "You tend to ogle women when we're out."

Mallory made a gagging noise. "I don't! I don't even ogle."

"You do. Don't worry, you're not obvious or anything. You don't do lingering stares or anything."

The redhead's mouth dropped open. "I do not. Besides, I'm only, like, eighty-five percent lesbian, which is why I still see men on my day job. When I have my choice, I do tend gravitate women, though, which is odd as I tend to like hard bodies."

Poe laughed now, but she preened a bit, too. "You like my hard body. You're always touching it."

Mallory smiled and leered."Oh, yeah. My favorite hard body actually. I'm going to be touching it a lot later on actually."

"After soccer."

The older woman scoffed. "During soccer. You won't notice me enjoying your game. History has proven this fact." She would actually like to be touching it before soccer, possibly in the movie theater if they made it to the showing that she wanted to see.

Now, Poe scoffed. "You think I don't notice? I'm not made of stone!" She laughed. "And you're really good at that whole touching thing. I notice, but you let me watch and I let you wander."

All Mallory could do was smile. She liked the wandering. It helped build her up before she had to take Poe or explode. She was looking forward to that later tonight now. But, first, she still wanted to go to the movies.

When their food was brought to them, Mallory was again struck by how comfortable she was doing something so plain. She was content sitting there with Poe, eating a rather mediocre steak with a baked potato as well as stealing bits of Poe's chicken, shrimp, and potatoes, and she was looking forward to a movie. It was almost cliche, but nothing pleased her more than that moment. The idea caused a little tumble in her belly, but she was able to shake it away along with those thoughts as Poe began musing aloud about sharing a slice of chocolate cake.

"Sounds like a marvelous idea," Mallory remarked and Poe smiled.


The pair ended up back at Mallory's apartment with soccer playing. Mallory was interested in another game, exploring Poe's body. She had done plenty of that while they were in the movies, but all that served to do was make her burn to touch the artist even more. She had enjoyed how Poe made almost no noise in the theater and no one guessed what she was doing, even able to bring Poe to a quiet climax halfway through. Now, she wanted more than a silent orgasm, though. She wanted Poe panting, screaming, clinging, and sweating as they moved with intent, but, of course, it would have to wait until after soccer.

Poe's focus remained on the television as Mallory's hands and occasionally her lips wandered the author's form. She gave no indication that she was aware of Mallory's attention, which enticed the redhead further. I want her attention. I want her acknowledgment. A growl escaped her. I want her.

Poe jumped unexpectedly and briefly Mallory thought that she succeeded in getting a reaction from the younger woman. And then she noticed the excitement on the television. Apparently, Poe's team had just tied the game with seconds left. Dammit, soccer still has her!

Mallory snaked her way around, easing her way to the front of Poe. Her hands went under Poe's t-shirt while her mouth wet precious gems over the shirt. Since those jewels stood at attention, Mallory smiled to herself, knowing that some part of Poe noticed her effort.

"Is this wretched sport over yet?" Mallory asked. "I want nothing more than to tie you to the bed and lick the sweat off of your abs."

"Overtime," Poe replied distantly.

Mallory groaned. I'm offering to bathe her body with my tongue and she's actually able to pick watching overtime over that? Damn, she's good and I love it! Enjoying the torment made Mallory consider that something might be wrong with her, but she did not care. I only want this sweet torture. She kissed her way up Poe's delicious neck and took gentle nips at her chin. Making her way to Poe's earlobe, she sucked on it, knowing that it tended to drive the artist crazy. Of course, that generally happened when soccer was not on.

Poe's breath hitched, but other than that, she did not react. The older woman swallowed hard as the fire blazing in her veins roared higher thanks to that small noise, even though it could have been directed toward what was happening in the game. Her nostrils flared as she began to imagine that she could smell Poe, who kept her eyes glued to the television.

Mallory decided to go all out. She tore Poe's shirt off and bombarded sweet flesh with her mouth. A little whine escaped Poe, but that was all. She did not even move into the affection. Mallory found herself so enthralled with the wonderful skin that she did not mind the lack of response.

"Fuck it," Mallory hissed.

The redhead attacked Poe's pants, pulling them along with her underwear off. While Poe did not make a sound, she did not resist. Her hand went in between Poe's legs while her mouth reattached itself to a perky brown nipple. She was surprised as Poe spread her legs wider for better access and hugged Mallory closer to her. That action made curious blue eyes look up.

The younger woman smiled. "Game's over. My team won."

Mallory smirked. "Now, we both can win."

"I've already won."

Blue eyes studied Poe for a moment, wondering what the artist meant. She decided that it was not important, not when her fingers were engulfed in warm heaven. Instead, she wrapped her lips around Poe's nipple again and enjoyed.

Poe let out a long moan and Mallory smiled to herself. The artist slid down on the couch and Mallory moved over her, making sure not to lose the delight in her mouth. Poe held on tight as Mallory worked her magic. Slowly, the redhead pulled away and a disappointed whimper escaped the younger woman.

"Why?" Poe complained.

"I prefer this in the bedroom, where another soccer match can't suddenly attract your attention and make you forget about more important matters," the redhead pointed out.

Poe grinned. "Then we better hurry because another match comes on in less than two minutes."

Mallory growled. "Damn you to Hell, twenty-four hour soccer network."

The older woman climbed to her feet and pulled the nude artist up. Poe's chocolate eyes wandered to Mallory's biceps, watching the muscles strain to pull her up. She licked her lips and Mallory's knees went weak.

"Let's go before I fall on the couch," Mallory whispered as they disappeared into the bedroom.


Mallory was starting to get the idea that Poe had more going on in her life than painting, writing, and soccer because the younger woman invited her to another party. Of course, she did not sound very enthused about it. So, Mallory guessed that it was another formal gala, which was confirmed when Poe told her the venue. Poor Poe. Not that Mallory minded. She looked forward to taking Poe shopping again.

"Do we gotta go shopping?" Poe whined, dragging her feet. Mallory had her by the hand and tugged her through the street, which was lined with wonderful shops.

"Yes, we do. You need clothes,'' Mallory argued.

"But, I have a dress!"

The redhead chuckled and shook her head. If only she knew that's not how it works. "That's one dress! You can't live off of one dress, especially since you seem to be an undercover party animal."

"I'm not and I did fine with no dresses until you!"

"No, you did fine in your own head, but you're not in the real world, Poe, my dear. I don't know what crazy, coco world you live in, but here on Earth, wearing busted jeans to a formal party is not fine. Living in your own little world is fine and all, as it allows you to create beautiful art, but not at a fancy shindig. You have to step into the real world every now and then."

Mallory paused when the shorter female did not respond. She glanced back and noticed the dazed, but happy smile on Poe's face. Those chocolate eyes looked like they were staring into heaven.

"You think my work is beautiful?" the author inquired.

"Not only is your work beautiful, but so are you," Mallory declared with the utmost sincerity. "Besides, don't you like dressing up?"

Poe screwed up her face. "Well, it's not really my style."

"We have time now to find what your style is. You have a casual style, but now we can find you a formal style. It doesn't have to be a dress or suit. But, it shouldn't be jeans and t-shirts or soccer jerseys. Give it a shot. You never know what you might come up with."

Poe sighed, but she did not object. Mallory took that as permission to play dress up with the artist until they hit on Poe's "style." She was certain it would be an adventure.

"Pick things you'd think you'd like that aren't jeans and a t-shirt," the redhead said as they entered a department store. She figured the wide variety would be good for Poe and give her an idea of what she should be on the look out for. After she had a notion of what Poe wanted, they could hit the smaller boutiques for something chic.

She discovered that there was little rhyme or reason to Poe when it came to considering clothes. None that she could find anyway. Poe would show interest in dark tones, light tones, soft tones, loud tones, busy designs, plain designs, loose clothes, tight clothes, and everything in between. Mallory's head was the one that ended up dizzy after walking through the department store.

"Are we going to another store or are we done?" Poe asked curiously.

Blue eyes narrowed on the writer. "Are you purposely being difficult?"

A playful smirk danced on Poe's soft face. "Why would you say that?"

Mallory could not help snickering. "Dammit, Poe, take this seriously. I'm not going anywhere with you if you insist on being a brat."

The younger woman pouted, but a light still shone in her coffee-colored eyes. "I'm not a brat. I'm just not sure this is gonna work."

"You won't know if you don't try. Now, take it seriously."

Poe nodded. "Okay, but I'm not sure what kind of clothes I'd wear if I couldn't wear what I have on now."

"Just take it seriously and I'll help you."

"Okay."

Mallory took them to another department store and found that Poe taking matters seriously was just as bad as her being a brat. Poe clearly had no clue what she was looking for. Mallory stepped in to help, telling Poe what styles might flatter the younger woman's body. The artist was able to figure out designs and colors on her own. And then, miracles of miracles, they found an outfit that Poe thought suited her and Mallory agreed.

Mallory smiled. "That was relatively painless. Shall we continue?"

Poe nodded and she smiled, too. "It wasn't so bad, yeah. But, I still don't like shopping."

The redhead had to laugh. "I didn't think one outfit would change that. Stick it out, bohemian, and then I'll take you to lunch, okay?"

"I'll take that."

"Then let's get moving. We should get you a few things since you seem to party a lot."

Poe shrugged. "Only with Nadi. Me and Justin have parties, but artist stuff is not the same as the fancy, stage stuff that Nadi has. If you go to a party that I or Justin get to invite people to, you'd see I'm not so bad. I just look bad in comparison."

Mallory laughed. "At least you're aware you look bad compared to everyone else. At least we both know you're not blind."

"No, I just don't really care. I mean, I don't like those parties and I don't really like the people at those parties, so I'm not really interested in dressing the part or acting like something I'm not."

"I understand that one. It's sort of your way of showing you're not having a good time. But, you'll be having a good time with me," Mallory declared with a grin as she bumped Poe with her hip.

The artist nodded. "You're probably right."

"No, paint-by-numbers, I am right. So, let's go find more 'I'm having fun' clothes." She took Poe by the hand and led her to the next store. Poe actually giggled and put up no resistance. They would go on to purchase three more outfits.


Mallory yawned as she moved through her apartment craving coffee for the first time in a long time. Usually, I'm craving tequila. Suddenly, blue eyes went wide. It was in that moment that she realized that she had been drinking a lot less in recent weeks.

"Which is a good thing, I guess, but now I have to go out and buy coffee," she sighed, but she could not help smiling. Not only had she been drinking much less, but she had not thought about her cigarettes at all. For once, it would seem that her vow to quit actually stuck and she was not smoking anymore.

Scratching her head, Mallory turned to go back to her bedroom to get some clothes. She barely made it a step before her cell phone began ringing. Sharp, cerulean eyes scanned the apartment for her phone and spotted it on the couch. She realized that if was her mother based on the ring tone.

"Hey, Mom," Mallory cooed, smiling as she spoke.

"Hey, baby. It's so good to hear from you. If only you actually called me," her mother laughed.

"God, Mom," Mallory groaned and rubbed her face with her free hand, feeling a bit like an asshole. "Sorry. I get so busy that I forget. How are things going on in your corner of the universe?"

"Things are fine. Your niece has been asking about you. She wants you to come home soon."

Mallory smiled. "Oh, I miss my little goober. How's her brother doing? Is he walking yet?"

Her mother scoffed. "Running is more like it. I swear that boy is going to give me gray hair before my time! You need to come and take them for a day. Not only will Kelly appreciate it because that girl does miss her aunt, but her parents would appreciate it."

She laughed. I really should go get them sometime soon and hang out with the little goobers. I miss them. "Tell Meghan to stop having kids if she can't handle passing on her crazy personality."

"Ricky is the last one, they both said. Patrick just wanted his junior."

"I need to see Ricky. I haven't seen him in so long. He's probably so big now." Well, big in baby terms. She knew that kids grew quickly, though. She did not want to miss her nephew's entire infancy.

"What have you been up to, sweetie? You don't usually stay away for so long and you don't typically go this long without calling either. What has you so occupied you've forgotten the niece that adores you?"

Mallory flopped down on her sofa. "I think time just got away for me. I'm not doing much that's different from usual. I've got a new friend and I've been hanging with her more often than my other friends. In fact, she's taking me to a party later on."

"Are you dating this girl?" her mother asked with interest.

Mallory scratched her head. "I haven't really thought about it. I don't think so. We just hang out often. She cute in an adorable way, but she's a kid. She's only twenty. We're just friends." Yeah, just friends with benefits. And while she is damn adorable, she's also sexy as hell with that cut body.

"Okay, if you say so. You should settle down, have a family. You love kids and you're good with them. I'd love to be a grandma again."

Mallory scoffed. "Mom, that's not going to happen any time. I still want to try figure out what I want to do with my life."

"What do you mean? You have a wonderful condo and a good job. You should have gotten your adventures out of the way considering how much you travel. Now, you have to start your family."

"Mom, being a physical trainer is not a good job and I can't do it forever. And I don't want a family by myself, so until I meet the right person I'm not starting a family."

Her mother snorted. "What about this girl you're hanging out with?"

"Mom, she's just a friend. We have fun together. It's nothing too deep. Don't try to make it more than it is."

"Okay! Okay! I just want you to get started with your life. You've been doing the same things since you graduated high school. That's ten years of stagnation. You've got to do something. Get out there and find the one for you and move on with your life. You can't stay in the same place forever."

"We all move at our our pace, Mom. Maybe I'm not ready to find the one for me or move forward or whatever. Don't be a nag." She shook away images of Poe in her little black dress followed by images of Poe curled against her on the couch and writhing against her in bed. She dismissed all of that. Poe's just on my mind because of talking about her and having plans with her later. Nothing more.

"Fine, fine. I'm letting it go."

A smile appeared on Mallory's face. "What's Dad up to? Tell him to stop giving my little brother a hard time."

Her mom laughed. "Tell your little brother to be more responsible before he gives your dad a heart attack."

"That's what he was made for. We all know Shaun doesn't have any good sense."

They shared a laugh and continued discussing their family. Mallory made plans to go home soon to see everyone. She was smiling by the time they hung up.

"I'm glad Mom called. I can't believe I haven't called any of them in so long. What did I get so wrapped up in? I really do need to see them soon, but before all or that, I need coffee and to get ready to go out with Poe." The redhead picked herself up from the couch and set about her task.


Poe crawled into her bed and snuggled into her blankets like a burrowing animal. She had come from a night out with Mallory and needed to recover. She could not do that at Mallory's place earlier because the redhead had a different meaning for "recovery." Just as she was drifting off to sleep her phone rang.

"Oh, Mom! I just wanna sleep," she whined as she grabbed the phone off of the floor. "Hi, Mom." She hoped that her voice was not as gravelly as it sounded to her ears.

"Whoa, did I wake you at four in the afternoon again?" her mother asked in a teasing tone.

"No."

"It certainly sounds like it."

"But, you didn't. I'm up, so what's up?" Poe asked curiously.

"I just wanted to ask about your weekend," Rayne replied with teasing tone in her voice. Poe could hear her father in the background, reprimanding her mother from what she could tell.

"What's Dad going on about?" the artist asked, if only to keep her mother from inquiring about her exhausting weekend.

"Never mind him. So, how was your weekend?"

Poe scratched her head and sighed. Of course asking her about Dad wouldn't work. "It was good."

"That's all?"

The writer could tell her mother was fishing by that point and she know why. She and Mallory had gone to Nadi's party on Friday, but Nadi had also spotted them in a club on Saturday. Nadi had been excited both times, especially since Poe had been dressed "properly" for both outings. She imagined that Nadi was having a good time reporting everything to her mother and she could see them both plotting, trying to figure out how to Mallory to marry Poe.

"Mom, what is it, really?"

Rayne chuckled. "Will you just tell me about your girlfriend? I'm going to die of curiosity!" she practically screamed, still laughing.

"Will you stop bugging the girl about her girlfriend and let her try to build a relationship!" Nolan called and it sounded like they were playfully struggling over the phone.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Poe shouted, in case the phone was not near anyone's ear.

"That's not what Nadi says!" Rayne replied.

"Ignore your mom!" Nolan chimed in. There was some grunting and it sounded like the phone dropped. That was confirmed when a new person got on the phone.

"Hi, Poe!" Calvin said, a smile in his voice.

"Hi! How's my skating buddy?" Poe replied.

"I'm fine. I miss you! Can you come to show and tell with me? I wanna 'show and tell' everybody my big sister."

She grinned. "You tell me when I need to be there and I will."

"I knew it!"

The background noise died down, but her parents did not get back on the line. Poe spoke to her baby brother for almost an hour, forgetting her exhaustion. It was like she soaked up his energy long enough to stay on the phone. As soon as the siblings said goodbye, Poe fell asleep.


Poe found herself at yet another party. She was beginning to wonder when Nadi actually had time to dance because of all of the parties. She did not say anything about it because she was not upset. Briefly, Poe considered that her acceptance came from her new, "formal" style. Terra cotta-colored slacks wrapped around her legs, with a sharp crease in them, but they fit her like most of her jeans. She had on a matching sleeveless shirt underneath a beige button-up shirt, but she left the top two buttons undone. The button-up had spotted deer running through it. She wore brown and copper-colored shoes that felt more like sneakers than any other shoes that she had ever worn.

"Here you are and all dressed up again. Mallory works miracles," Nadi commented as she stepped over to her best friend. A small smile played on her lips and a delighted light danced in her eyes.

"Hey, stop telling my mom that Mallory is my girlfriend," Poe requested. "She keeps calling me and saying crazy stuff."

Nadi's face scrunched up. "She is your girlfriend. You've brought her to three parties, you were at a club with her, and you're always at her place when I call you or she's always at yours. You're her girlfriend."

Poe scoffed. "That doesn't prove anything. We're friends."

Now, Nadi scoffed and rolled her eyes for good measure. "Really? Could you be anymore of a Poe?"

The artist squinted as she processed those words. "You say that like it's an insult."

"Because it partially is. You're so lost in your own world, drowning out other people, you miss the simple things in life."

Poe's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You don't see the way her eyes soften when they fall on you? The way that she searches for you when you're separated and her eyes linger on you for a long moment? The way she drifts toward you whenever you're apart, so that she's in your space within minutes, like she can't escape your graviton pull? And, of course, there's the fact that her arm always finds its way around your waist when you're within arm's length."

Poe thought on it a while and noted that her heart fluttered at the notion. She shook it away, though, dismissing it as Nadi's surprisingly romantic side. She and Mallory were friends. They had never agreed to be more and those listed behaviors could just be Nadi seeing things that were not there because Nadi wanted Poe to be more than friends with Mallory. Before she could tell her best friend that, the dancer spoke.

"You're the same."

A sharp inhale was Poe's response. She wanted to deny, dispute, and debate that claim, but found it impossible because she was scanning the crowd for Mallory. Making matters worse, Mallory was making her way toward Poe after a couple of minutes apart. Blue and brown eyes locked momentarily and the pair shared a smile. Poe felt like her insides melted, but in a good way. Her heart felt lighter as she anticipated Mallory being by her side. She would go as far as to say that her soul settled when Mallory was near.

"Love looks good on you. I'm glad you've finally let someone in," Nadi said before easing away.

Poe did not have a chance to retort and did not see the point. She doubted that she could change Nadi's thinking. As she watched Mallory walk toward her, she forgot about what Nadi said. She noted the warm sensation that began in her chest and how it spread as Mallory came closer. She was not sure what to make of it, having never felt anything like if before. Or at least never realizing it.

"Are you going to stand here all night?" Mallory asked with her usual teasing smirk. Her eyes were soft, just as Nadi suggested. Her arm went around Poe's waist, too. She pulled the artist close, having their bodies touch, and Poe doubted that she had never experienced such a divine calm inside of her. Of course, the recognition blew her mind and her thoughts began going a mile-a-minute as she tried to make sense of it.

"I just needed to catch my second wind. So many people," Poe replied honestly, surprised that she could even speak now that she had been properly overwhelmed by her best friend's words and foreign emotions. "I realize I know most of them, but there's still such a … I dunno. I just …"

"I know, Poe. I know." Mallory kissed the top of her head.

Poe smiled and huddled closer to the redhead, letting her thoughts go and just reveling in whatever it was that they shared. Those simple words "I know" somehow offered Poe more comfort than anything that anyone had ever said. She supposed that was because she knew they were true. Mallory did know; Mallory knew her.


Scarlet frowned as she exited a rather swank hotel. She had to hold in a growl. I hate fucking nights like tonight! Why the hell do I do shit like this to myself? She hated that the answer to that was money, a lot of money. She had just made more in one night than most people made in a month. And yet, my skin continues to crawl and I actually feel a little dirty. Need a fucking shower and maybe some amnesia pills.

All she wanted to do was go home and take an hour long, burning hot shower before she fell into bed for the next few days. She left her boss' cut with Baran after he dropped her off at home. She was greeted at her door by Poe, who was sitting by the door with her cell phone in hand. Adoring brown eyes looked up at her and her heart melted, easing tension from her soul, and settling the trouble toiling inside of her. She was too overcome to contemplate why.

"I was about to call you," Poe unnecessarily explained.

Mallory smiled softly. "What happened that you need soccer at this very moment?"

Poe shrugged. "Burned myself out getting ready for an art show."

"Of course. An art show? That's great. How's the work coming along?" the redhead asked as she opened the door. Poe climbed to her feet.

"Great. I already had a lot of work. I've been working well for a while now. I've got a couple of paintings that I still need to start on, but I'll be ready for the show."

Mallory smiled. "That's good. I'm going to sleep, so be quiet."

"I always am."

"Yes, you are."

The redhead kissed Poe's forehead and for some reason that helped her feel a little better. She rubbed Poe's head, earning contented coos from Poe, which soothed her even more. Curious chocolate eyes stared at her, but Poe remained silent. She went to take a shower and crawled into bed, hoping to forget the day ever happened.

Before she was completely asleep, she felt the bed depress and powerful arms wrapped around her waist. A gentle kiss to her neck almost brought a tear to her eye. She would have been alarmed if only she was able to stay awake as she felt Poe's strong body press against her. Sweet slumber washed away all ill effects of the day.


Mallory awoke from one of the best sleeps of her life and she immediately knew why. Delightful warmth was pulling away and the limbs around her middle were falling off of her. In a panic, she quickly grabbed for the arms and held on for dear life. Poe ceased all movement as tension gripped Mallory like a python.

"Stay," the redhead whispered. It was actually lower than a whisper. It would be a miracle if Poe heard her.

Surprisingly, Poe's arms returned and she pressed herself against Mallory once more. A long exhale escaped Mallory as she relaxed. Blue eyes drifted shut as soft lips kissed her neck again.

9: Block

Mallory woke up to the wonderful feel of a strong body pressed against her. For a moment and in a haze, she lost herself in the feeling, reveling in it like some drunkard. She stayed. The realization brought a smile to her face and a warmth to her belly, but was followed by a more horrific thought.

I asked her to stay and she stayed. I asked her! Why the hell would I ask her that? A million reasons ran through her head as to why, but she refused to accept any of them. No, I do not having feelings for Poe beyond being her friend! She's just my friend and a good lay! Nothing more.

She refused to think that she could suddenly be attached to someone. She was too independent for that. One of the reasons she could do her job was because she was unattached and she knew how to compartmentalize. Somehow, Poe had slipped out of her little section of Mallory's mind and was now wandering all over her body, leaving disturbing emotions in her wake. That won't do.

Mallory scratched her head until she realized it was a habit that she picked up from Poe. Blue eyes widened in terror and the urge to get away gripped her like a vice. She remained calm enough to ease out of the bed without waking Poe.

Putting some physical distance between them did not ease her panic. In fact, her body cried out to return to the warm embrace of Poe's body, which made her chest tighten. Her mind reeled from the reaction and her instincts begged her to flee. Her body reacted to that with her heart pounding, her stomach turning, and burn rising in her throat. She almost fell over herself in getting out of the room. She did not know where she would go since she was at home, but she needed to get away from Poe. I can't. I just can't … not that she could figure out exactly what she could not do.

Once there was a door between them, with Mallory hiding in the bathroom, she tried to collect herself. Taking a seat on the edge of the tub, she sighed and rubbed her face. Her heart seemed to be speeding up as she tried to calm down and she did not know what to do. Taking a deep breath did not help, nor did holding herself because she felt like she was about to fly apart at the seams.

Does Poe have feelings for me? Like major feelings? I know she's got friendly feelings for me. She seems too … guarded to have anything beyond platonic feelings for anybody. She doesn't want to let someone in. Well, I don't want to let anyone in either. Friends are fine, but nothing else.

Mallory liked being on her own, always had. It was extremely rare for her to do relationships, even before she got into her current line of work. She rarely connected with people on a deep level and she did not mind that. She always believed that she did not require a deep connection with anyone because she had everything she wanted in life. Everything was simple and she could afford to get her pleasure whenever or wherever she wanted it from and almost any form that she chose. It was not like she was hurting for friends or lonely. I'm perfectly fine and I've always been fine.

So, she was not sure where the sudden emotions came from. But, she wanted them to go away, immediately if not sooner. How do I do that, though? In her heart, she was more than aware what she would have to do. She had done it several times in her life when things got too serious, but the thought of doing it to Poe, her cuddle buddy, caused pains in her abdomen. She was not sure what to make of the oddly visceral reaction.

"Look, it's clear this isn't going to get any easier, especially if I'm calling her a cuddle buddy in my own head. I'm in deep already and I have to get out before this blows up in my face, as it has in the past." With that, the decision was made.


Poe awoke to find herself alone in Mallory's bed. Typically, she woke up before the redhead, but it was not unheard of for the older woman to rise first. What was unusual was a note on Mallory's pillow. Poe yawned and rubbed her eyes before reaching for the small paper to see what it said. Hey, Rip Van Winkle, I had some stuff to do. It'll probably take a while. Lock up when you leave.

The artist shrugged the note off and rose from the bed. She took a minute out of her life to make the bed, knowing that Mallory preferred that to the "leave it as it is" method that Poe employed at home. She then left the apartment.

"I'll call her later and make sure everything is all right. For now, I've got to get ready for this art show," Poe told herself as she walked home.

In Poe's loft, her hard work littered the whole area. Canvas of different sizes sat against any available surface. Her production level surprised her, especially since she had been blocked months ago. She supposed the dam burst and everything inside of her was pushed to the surface, which was good because she had feared that she would not be able to produce enough art for the expo and then she would not be able to afford simple things in life, like paying her rent.

She still had things to fix in her novel, but that could wait until after the art show. Besides, her editor was looking the book over and she had to wait for his input. Hopefully, he doesn't tear the book apart.

She put the novel out of her mind and put her focus back to her painting. She took a shower and changed into some art clothes, which were splotched with paint. She then sat down at her canvas, which had the basic outline of her next piece. She got to work, smiling slightly.

A few hours passed before Poe realized that she was hungry. She got up to see if she had any food and found that she had a banana and a single can of tuna. She ate both and decided to call Mallory, just to check on her. The redhead had seemed down and out last night and Poe hoped that she was feeling better. The phone rang and rang until the voice mail picked up.

"Hey, it's me. I just wanted to tell you, I locked up and everything like you asked." With that, she made a kissing noise, to let Mallory have her usual goodbye kiss even if they were apart. She dared not leave a message about being concerned for Mallory because she knew that the redhead would not want to acknowledge her emotional state.

"I wonder why she was so down," Poe muttered. She knew it had to be serious when Mallory clung to her in her sleep and requested that she stay. "Well, I hope that made her feel a little better. She must've felt somewhat better to get up and do whatever she had to do."

That sounded reasonable to her, so she returned her attention to her work. As she painted, she thought about how happy she was to be able to be there for Mallory. It felt nice to just hold the older woman and lying next to her innocently had made Poe feel warm inside. A small part of her hoped to be able to do it again.

Time got away from her and she did not realize how many hours passed until she was tired. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and stood up to stretch. She glanced at her phone, seeing that she had been working for over fourteen hours.

"She didn't call me back. I hope she's okay. I wonder if she had work or something," Poe grumbled as she shuffled through her home toward her "bedroom."

She showered again because she was covered in paint. She then changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She checked her phone once more before crawling into bed. She did not think too much on Mallory not calling her back. It was not unusual for them to go days without making contact. It worked for them. I hope she's okay, though.


The phone rang, interrupting Poe putting the finishing touches on one of her final paintings. She reached for it, hoping that it was Mallory. She had not heard from the redhead in over a week and wanted to invite Mallory to the art show. I should've done it when saw her before, but she seemed so overwrought, I wasn't even thinking about it. If push came to shove, she considered camping outside of Mallory's door, but that could prove fruitless as Mallory sometimes went on "date vacations." For all Poe knew, Mallory could be around the world with some date and might not be back for a week or more.

Poe shook that away when she saw who was calling. "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, my little Leonardo. For a second, I thought you were going to let me go to voicemail. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" the suggestive tone made Poe shudder.

"Mom! Don't do that! I'm painting, anyway."

"Well, will we finally be able to meet your Mallory at the art show?"

"She's not mine, Mom. We're just friends."

"All right," Rayne conceded with a dramatic sigh. "But, will we be able to meet her at the art expo?"

"You should be able to. I've been trying to invite her, but I keep getting her voicemail."

"Is everything all right?" her mother asked with concern. She could imagine her mother looking at her with big, worried eyes.

"I guess. She seemed a bit depressed or upset the last time I saw her. She might need some time to get herself together. Or, she could be traveling, as she does that for work from time to time. I'll give her some time. Not like the art show is tomorrow."

Rayne squealed slightly. "What happened? You should be taking care of her!"

"Mom, not only do we not have that type of relationship, but I'm not that type of person and she's not the type that would want someone to take care of her. She didn't even tell me what was the matter with her." She could only imagine how "well" it would go over if she had actually offered to "take care" of Mallory. She doubted that would go over well in any scenario.

"Well, what kind of girlfriend are you?"

"Mom!"

"I know, I know. She's not your girlfriend. But, I can see why she's not. You're supposed to take care of a girl when she doesn't feel good or when she's upset. I have to tell your father to talk to you to help you keep a girlfriend."

A long groan escaped Poe. "Mom." She shook her head. What am I going to do with this woman?

"Baby, I just want you to be happy. Nadi always leaves me with the impression that Mallory makes you happy. If it's just a friendship, that's fine. I just want you to be happy."

Poe took a calming inhale and thought on it. "I never really thought about it, but, yeah, she does. Well, it's more like contentment. It's like being at home."

"That's good. Hold onto that, Poe. The form of relationship doesn't matter. It how the relationship makes you feel. Be content. Be pleased with your life."

"I am, Mom. I do like Mallory. Our relationship doesn't really have a name, but I think we brighten each other's days. Seeing her is better than watching or playing soccer."

Rayne laughed. "Only you would put it like that, but I'm so happy for you. I want your life to turn out nicely, not just professionally, but personally, too. I want you to be able smile all the time. I might tease you about it, but I really just want you to be happy."

Poe smiled. "You know, the best thing about that is that Mallory would understand how big that is. It used to be that only you and Dad got me totally, but Mallory knows me just as well as you do. It's cool."

Her mother chuckled. "So, why is she not your girlfriend?"

"We work as we are. I like how we are, even without a definition, and I think she does, too. I'd rather it stay like this than we try to put a label on it and then I mess it up. I like things the way they are now and I don't think that'll change anytime soon."

"That's good, sweetheart. I know how hard it is for you to let people in. Hold her close to you if that makes you happy, Poe."

The artist smiled. "I'll do my best, Mom."

"Are you going to come by the house any time soon or will we have to wait until the art expo to see you? Poor Calvin continues to assume the bears got you."

Poe chuckled. "Tell him to call me when he can. I'm really stuck in my painting mode, which is good. Hopefully I can get some money at this art show. Then, I can show Mallory a good time and make you proud."

"Oh my god, Poe! You made a joke! This Mallory woman is good for you! I can't wait to meet her!"

The artist groaned and blushed a bit. The mother and daughter bid each other farewell. Poe went back to painting and was only interrupted by the sound of her phone going off again. Hoping that it was Mallory, her heart actually dropped to see her parent's number. Even when she found out that it was her brother, she did not recover completely from her disappointment. They spoke for about twenty minutes.

"Mallory, where are you?" Poe wondered once she got off of the phone with her brother. Sighing, she turned her attention back to her work and tried to put the redhead out of her head. It was hard to put Mallory out of her mind after she realized she admitted to liking Mallory to her mother. She had let Mallory in and she was happy with that. While they were not girlfriends, they were something that she could not put words to, but they worked. They worked. She smiled at thought.


Mallory sighed as she flipped through her missed calls. Near the bottom, Poe's name came up frequently, but the closer she got to the top, the less and less her name was there. Her stomach twisted on itself and her throat burned, but she was not sure what to make of that.

"She's gone. I should accept that. It's what I wanted. She got the hint without me having to tell her outright, which is nothing short of amazing. She's usually so thick …" An involuntary smile graced her features, but it quickly turned into a frown as she realized what she was doing. She's out of my life and I should be happy over that. I am happy over that. No baggage from someone else in my life, no risk of someone trying to change me, and no threat to my lifestyle anymore. I am happy.

So happy that she had been avoiding her house, stopping by for quick showers and a change of clothes. She did not want to chance running into Poe, who might camp outside her door. Mallory actually checked in with the doorman each time to make sure Poe was not around. She was also tipping him to stall Poe if she ever showed up while Mallory was home. So far, it was a waste of money.

Her mouth dropped a bit. She's just giving up on me? I wasn't worth a fight from her? She's just going to leave me be? Well, it was what she wanted, so she supposed that she should be happy. I am happy. She had her life back the way it should be. She was even working more than ever, earning more than ever. One step closer to a dream that she could not pin down.

"I'll have more than enough money to get started,'' Mallory said, convincing herself that things were all right.

In fact, she had a date tonight. He was of the European aristocracy. One of those rich nobles without actually being rich. He had "debased" himself by marrying a wealthy American heiress, who unfortunately fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Mallory did not know if his wife was aware of what he did with her money when he went out and she did not care much about it since it was helping fund her.

She moved to get ready for her date with Lord Corben Telfor. She had several dates with him before and knew that he preferred for her to look as elegant as possible to show her off. He wanted people to know he was a lord based on the lady on his arm. She did not mind dressing the part. So, she had her hair styled in lovely drop curls and slipped on a light cerulean gown that matched her eyes almost perfectly. Expensive jewelry purchased by the lord himself and the perfect makeup followed. Everything was carefully chosen and applied. She wanted a reaction from him as soon as he saw her. She got what she wanted.

While Lord Corben was a long time customer, Mallory still met him at a hotel across town. He was waiting when she got out of Baran's car. His dark brown eyes went wide as the nobleman watched her walk to him. She made sure to put a little extra spice in the sway of her hips and he licked his lips as he watched her move.

"My, my Scarlet, don't you look lovely," Corben said with a smile as he reached out for her.

She slid her hand into his. His hand was soft, but that was probably the only soft thing about him. He had a long, severe face with nearly black eyes that had bags underneath them. It did not help that he walked with a cane, sort of hunched over. He always dressed in black suits and she often considered he wanted to seem sinister or was actually the Devil. She would bet money of the latter, considering she knew many of the things he liked to do for pleasure, beyond what he did in the bedroom with her.

Corben kissed her hand. "It's wonderful to see you as usual, my dear."

"It's always a pleasure, my lord." The first time that they had a date, he made it perfectly clear that she should call him that and she did despite how much if made her want to retch. He paid too well for one night for her to get bothered by his ego. Besides, if she let all of her clients idiosyncrasies get to her, she would have no clients.

"That it is. Well, shall we?" Corben motioned to his waiting town car. The driver had the passenger side door open.

"Of course," she replied and eased into the car. He was right behind her and his hand went to her bare leg as soon as he was secure next to her.

"I hope you're ready for a bit of culture. We have an art expo full of talented young artists. My collection is quite dry of this fresh, modern look. Afterwards, we shall have dinner and then retire to my suite," he explained to her, as if she needed to be in the loop.

"If that's your pleasure." I sound like a character in a freaking Victorian era novel. She hoped the art expo was not the art show that Poe was talking about. She also hoped that Poe was not considered "talented" in young, art circles. Of course, she knew that was probably a bit much too hope for since she had seen Poe's work.


Poe sighed as she and her family finished setting up her space at the art expo. Usually, she enjoyed these things, even more so than having her own personal art show. There was something about being surrounded by fellow artists, especially painters, that calmed her nerves. Yet, she did not feel that now. She thought about Mallory.

She truly wanted Mallory to be there with her, to experience the whole expo with her. Her calls continued to go unanswered. She had gone to the redhead's apartment a couple of times, but she only got a sore butt for her troubles. It got to the point where she contacted the escort service and was able to find out Mallory was at least still alive. But, she also started to realize Mallory was avoiding her because she was desperate enough to try to buy a date with Mallory only to be offered a different girl no matter what day of the year she picked.

Apparently, Mallory had no desire see her. She had not been the same since that epiphany. It felt like a storm cloud was overhead, raining down on her, dampening her spirits and sullying her demeanor. When her family arrived, they noticed immediately, but were kind of not to ask her about her mood yet. Even Justin had let it slide when she helped him set up. She knew that Nadi would not be so kind. She needed to school her expression before the dancer appeared.

"You've been really busy with your art," Nolan commented as he looked around at Poe's work. The sound of his voice drew her out of her thoughts.

Poe shrugged. "Yeah. The painting bug just bit me a while ago." The urge had also abandoned her as she worried about Mallory and then she could barely get out of bed when she figured out that the redhead did not want to see her. At least I have more than enough work for this. I might not be able to do my own private show for a while, though.

"This is good work. Maybe some of your best," Justin added. His eyes drifted to the last painting she completed before the show. "A little morbid in some pieces, but still some of your best work."

She shrugged again. "I guess." She found that she did not care. None of those painting could sell and she would not care or she could sell every last piece and still feel like something a dog pissed on.

Things were quiet momentarily before Rayne chimed in. "Justin, do you think you could show Calvin the comic section? He really wants to see some comic books."

"Yeah!" Calvin cheered.

"No problem. If any of my family or Nadi shows up, just tell 'em I'll be right back," Justin said before walking off with Calvin.

Poe knew that she should be protesting. She should be the one showing her brother the comic book artists because that was one of their things together, but she did not have it in her. Then, she noticed the look in her parents' eyes and she knew that she would not have been allowed to leave, even if she had objected. Her parents wanted to talk to her alone.

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine," Poe insisted because she was all too aware that they were worried about her mood.

"No, you're not. We've seen you at these art shows. You usually have way more energy than ever at these things and we definitely tend to see more smiles," Nolan pointed out. She knew things had to be serious if her dad had the opening line.

"Now, what's wrong?" Rayne gently pressed.

Poe sighed. "It's just … I dunno …" She shrugged. She was not sure how to put what she was feeling in words and she definitely did not want to say what happened aloud.

"Is it because Mallory never got back to you to come?" her mother guessed.

"I dunno. Maybe. I mean, I wish she did come," Poe admitted.

Rayne offered her a sad smile and caressed the artist's head. Poe sighed again, but did not move away from the touch. Rayne leaned down and kissed the top of Poe's forehead. Poe moved closer to her mother, just wanting to bask in the secure hold of the only woman to truly love her and never hurt her.

"I love you, Mom," Poe blurted out.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Nolan teased as he got in on the cuddle-fest.

Poe laughed a bit. "I love you, too, Dad. You're both great parents and great people. I'm so happy that you took a chance with me. Thank you for that." They were the first people to let her know that humanity was not completely worthless and despite what the world continued to try to show her, her parents continued to prove that she was worth loving. At least they love me, care about me, and would never abandon me. I have them. That should be enough because some people don't even have that.

"It'll be okay, Poe. There are plenty of fish in the sea," Rayne assured her.

"I know," the young woman mumbled.

"You'll find your special someone. I'm sure of it," Nolan stated with certainty. "Do you know how long it took me to find your mother? There's someone out there for everybody, Poe. One day, you'll find the girl of your dreams and she'll shock and amaze you by loving you back," he promised, giving both mother and daughter a smile.

Poe forced out a smile. She stepped away from them to try to get her mind back on the art expo. I've lost a lot of people in life. Mallory is just one more on that long list. Of course, she's the only on that list that seemed to totally understand me. Mallory knew me better than anyone else and apparently did not want to know anymore. What does that say about me?

The artist did not have time to feel sorry for herself. Nadi showed up, all elegant excitement. Poe had to smile because Nadi loved the art shows and such as much as the balls and galas. She hugged Poe, holding her tightly and lifting her off of her feet.

"Let's sell a lot of paintings!" Nadi grinned. She let Poe go only to grab Nolan and then Rayne into hugs. They returned the embraces with just as much enthusiasm. "Where's Justin?" she asked once the hugs were done.

"He was kind enough to take charge of Calvin for a few minutes. They should be back soon enough," Nolan explained.

Nadi nodded and accepted that. Justin was back soon with Calvin carrying swag - a pile comic books. Calvin went to Poe's side immediately, wanting to show his sister all of his new stuff as well as the books that he purchased for her. Justin went to Nadi while giving her a sheepish smile because he also had a pile of comic books. Nadi did not say anything to him, only hugging and kissing him as if that would help her get rid of her extra energy.


Scarlet felt Lord Corben's arm tighten around her waist, warning the crowds of people that she was his. She was not bothered by it. He was paying a pretty penny for the illusion, after all. As she looked at the art, she saw that she was not the only thing that he would be paying a hefty fee for. Every piece that he looked at was at least four figures. But, it was not his money that he used to buy fancy art, high-price call girls, or expensive cigars that he kept on his person at all times.

"This is much larger than the one that they held last year. I would've loved to bring you, my dear, but the beast insisted on accompanying me," he explained. "The beast" was the a name that he called his wife when she was not around.

"But, you've brought me now, my lord," she pointed out with a small, demure smile.

"Yes, I could use your eye for beauty to pick up some pieces. I know you understand art," he commented.

"Well, my lord, art is subjective. What I find beautiful might not be to your liking," she countered.

"You'll do fine, Scarlet." His fingers caressed her side to reassure her.

The redhead did not argue and offered him a smile as thanks for the compliment. They moved through the surprising crowd, studying the large areas of different art. They made their way through the sculptures and Lord Corben purchased several. Despite his flashy ways, she admitted that he had culture and knew more about it than she did. But, she did have enough knowledge of it to keep up with him, as was expected of her.

"This would have been better in a different medium," he mumbled to himself.

Scarlet was about to chime in, but suddenly she was tugged away. A yelp almost escaped her, but she was able to hold it in as she spun around to find out what the hell was going on. She flinched when she saw Nadi glaring before her. She damn near gulped because of the heated look in those light hazel eyes.

"Nadi, hello," Scarlet said with a bright, cheery, and very mocking smile.

"Don't 'hello' me. What the hell are you doing here with that creep?" Nadi demanded while roughly motioning to Lord Corben, who was distracted by the art and not paying the pair any mind.

Scarlet smirked. "What does it look like?" she countered in her best smart-ass voice.

Nadi clearly did not appreciate the tone. "You really cannot be this much of an asshole. You dump her without even having the decency of telling her, knowing how thick she can be. She's been worried that something happened to you."

Her heart clenched in on itself as Scarlet thought about Poe's frequent phone calls and sporadic, mumbled voice messages. She took a deep breath to calm herself and consciously steeled her soul. I don't give a shit about Poe.

"So what?" the redhead replied, sucking her teeth.

"So what? You break her heart and then have the nerve to show up to her thing with a man of all people? A creepy man at that," Nadi huffed.

"I do what I please. Besides, stop acting like we were a couple. Poe knew what we were and we were not girlfriends."

Nadi's glare became stronger, more powerful, as if she were trying to set the redhead ablaze with her eyes. Scarlet squared her shoulders, letting the dancer know that she was ready for combat. Nadi did not back down, even though she was much shorter than Scarlet.

"What do you mean you were not girlfriends? You came to parties with her on time and she's been dressing better. Her eyes light up around you and she talks about you almost constantly, for her anyway. She would never do that for a friend. I know that for a fact."

Scarlet scoffed. "Whatever. She's not my problem. Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned to leave, but Nadi grabbed her arm. The prissy dancer had a surprisingly strong grip.

"She is your problem. She cares about you and I know you care about her. I've seen the way you look at her. Don't throw her away like everyone else has for whatever fucked up reason you have," Nadi growled.

Blue eyes glared at Nadi as a way to stop the words from getting through. "I don't care about her anymore than I care about the gentleman I'm with right now. Actually, no, I care about him more since he's paying for the night."

Nadi stepped back, releasing her in the process. Disbelief and confusion clouded those hard cocoa eyes, putting together what the redhead meant. Scarlet figured her smirk would clear it all up.

"Poe would never hire a date," Nadi declared strongly, staring Scarlet down again.

"Oh, but she has. She might have forgotten and bought the fantasy. It happens sometimes, people just assume that everything is so real because it feels that way."

"She wouldn't."

"Oh, but she would and whatever you thought you saw between us was all part of the fantasy. Now, go away," Scarlet growled and gave Nadi a burning glower that finally backed the chocolate-skinned woman up just enough for the redhead to make her escape.

Scarlet fell back into line with Lord Corben, who was ready to move on to the next booth. His arm seemed to automatically go around her waist. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Nadi had vanished. She tried to put the encounter out of her head, but now she was aware that Poe was in the building somewhere, probably in the section of most of the painters.

Her stomach was grinding against itself as they moved and it felt like acid was eating away around her chest and throat. Soon her "Poe-sense," which she did not even want to admit to having, was tingling. Lord Corben was heading straight for Poe's work. Scarlet secretly took a deep breath and hoped like hell that Poe was not there. Cerulean eyes scanned the area and it seemed like luck might be on her side. There was only a blond man there, holding down the fort from behind a small table.

Lord Corben began examining some of the larger canvases. Scarlet wished that he could just pick one and they could get the hell out of Dodge. Unfortunately, the nobleman was interested in several pieces. Part of Scarlet was proud because Poe worked so hard and her work was so pleasing to the eye, but Scarlet did not want to feel that. She did not want to feel anything in regards to Poe.

"Nice piece, isn't it?" the middle-aged man keeping on eye on the section said as he appeared next to the lord.

"Yes, it is. Are you the artist?" Lord Corben inquired.

He chuckled. "No, sir. I wish I was so talented. I am the artist's proud father, Nolan Bryant. If you hang around for a minute or so, she should be back by then. Please, feel free to browse her work and I'll answer whatever questions you may have to the best of my ability."

The nobleman nodded and introduced himself while Scarlet tried her best to ease away and become invisible. She could not believe that she was meeting Poe's father while she was on a "date." Not just any date either, a date with one of the most sinister-looking clients that she had. Lord Corben pulled her close and gladly introduced her to the proud father. She had to hold back an awkward laugh as he shook her hand and offered her a warm smile that made her feel lower than a snake's belly. Before they could exchange pleasantries, Poe suddenly showed up with a brunette middle-aged woman and blond little boy behind her.

"Hey, Poe, you're just in time to discuss your work with a potential buyer," Nolan proclaimed with a grin.

Poe smiled until she saw the costumers and then she looked like she had been punched in the gut. For a brief moment, her body actually shook enough for all to see. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Scarlet tried to ignore it, but she felt her heart break, shatter, and turn to dust as Poe's eyes dropped to the floor. Her stomach, which had already been tying itself in knots, dropped to her feet. She was not sure how she did not vomit right then and there.

She ignored the urge to pull Poe into a hug and caress her head, to kiss her and cuddle her, to drag her away and make love to her until everything was right in their world again. No, everything will be all right in my world as long as I stay away from her. I just have to be strong and stay away from her. Soon, the feelings will pass.

As Poe stepped away with Lord Corben to discuss the artwork, Scarlet swallowed down bile that was working its way up her throat, burning her insides. The feelings that she had been ignoring since letting Poe go hit her a million times worse now that she saw that broken look in Poe's beautiful, alluring brown eyes. Breathing was now a chore and she was not sure she would be able to continue acting normal if her chest could not pull in the right amount of air. Of course, breathing might not be an issue if her legs collapsed underneath her as they felt like jelly and they might not be able to hold her up for long.

A lump rose in Scarlet's throat as she opened her mouth, which was good because she had no idea what she was going to say. So, she kept quiet and tried to get her body back under control. Poe glanced at her and it looked like she was going to say something, but Lord Corben had questions. Scarlet focused enough to hear what they were discussing.

"Your brush strokes are quite intriguing. Do you purposely do them to draw the eye to the center of the painting?" the nobleman asked.

Poe shrugged. "Yeah."

Lord Corben frowned when she did not elaborate. "And these colors? Do you mix your own paints?"

"Sometime." Poe's gaze pleaded with Scarlet, who turned away to ignore her. She could have sworn that she heard the artist whimper. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lord Corben scowl even deeper than before.

Amazingly enough, Poe did not talk herself out of a sale. The nobleman purchased two paintings and arranged for their delivery before dragging Scarlet away from sorrowful brown eyes. Suddenly, Poe reached out, grabbing the redhead's hand. It felt like molten lava and lightning passed between them.

"Mallory -" Poe started and the sound of her real name caused Scarlet to rip her hand away.

It took all of her willpower not to run. What the hell are these feelings? I've never felt anything this powerful before! She needed to escape the emotions, escape Poe.


Poe watched as Mallory was lead away by the strangely crooked man that was probably a "date." She did not care about that. She wanted to know what she had done wrong and why things were suddenly the way they were. She wanted to apologize because she missed Mallory, but obviously the feeling was not mutual. Why would they be? I've always been disposable.

"Poe, was that -?" Rayne tried to ask, but her daughter cut her off.

"That was nobody, Mom. Nobody." Poe could be rid of people just like anyone else. It just never hurt like this.

10: Grat

Poe packed up her section at the art expo with the help of her family and friends. Her mother and Nadi hovered around her, watching her like hawks, and she knew why. She had already lied to her mother, hoping it would keep Rayne from worrying. She doubted it worked, but she had to try. She did not have the energy to continue doing so, not after Mallory had dismissed her so thoroughly by pretending that she did not exist. She felt defeated, done, and doomed. Everything inside of her was gone, yanked from within her when Mallory pulled away and denied her, denied everything. She was certain that she would crack like a dropped egg if someone asked her a relevant question.

"Should Justin and I come by your place later?" Nadi asked Poe in a gentle tone, reaching out and tenderly stroking her forearm. It was if she knew that the artist was on the verge of physically shattering. "We'll bring some movies and we can order takeout."

Poe shook her head. "Don't bother. Once we take this stuff there, I think I'm gonna go home for a few days." She was surprised that her voice sounded somewhat proper, but it was scratchy, as if even it was torn out of her body.

Nadi nodded, knowing that Poe planned to go to her parents' house. "She doesn't deserve you, Poe," she said in a powerful whisper before giving the shorter woman a brief hug.

Poe did not return the embrace. She also did not say anything to that, did not know what to say. She had to grit her teeth to keep from flying apart at the seams and losing all that was left inside of her, which admittedly was not much beyond pain, grief, and suffering; something to remember Mallory by. I can't be so special that no one deserves me. I'm the one that doesn't deserve her. No, something is seriously wrong with me. No one ever wants me.

She tried to put it out of her mind as her mother put an arm around her shoulders. She pulled Poe close and led her out of the expo space. She dragged along, finding it difficult to even pick one foot up to walk. Somehow, the air felt gritty and grey, the sky lacked a gleam, even though it was a clear day. It still felt like it was pouring, frozen, razor-sharp rain to Poe. She would not be surprised if she was drenched, even with the sun out.

The artist was glad that she had sold most of her pieces, so it would not take long to load them into the van her dad rented or carry them back to her apartment. She doubted that she would survive much longer out in the world. Hell, she was not sure if she would survive much longer period. Any moment now, she expected her whole body to break apart, her blood to ooze from the pieces, and her soul to go to Hell for some peace and a reprieve from the agony that she was currently experiencing.

"You know Justin's parents are going to have a celebration tomorrow. Do you want to go?" Nolan asked Poe from the driver's seat of the van. He was the only one in the van because the rest of the family rode in his car as there was no space when the van had been packed with her paintings. The rest of the family would ride back in the car while he went to drop off the van.

"They're going to barbecue," Rayne chimed in to help.

"Oh! I want hotdogs!" Calvin spoke up, bouncing on his heels.

Poe only made a noise. She liked barbecues, especially when Justin's dad ran the grill, but she was not sure if she was up for it now. She felt like she would never be able to eat and even if she could, she would never be able to hold the food down. Her stomach bubbled at the thought and her throat burned from imaginary bile rising. Her mother sensed her hesitation and rubbed her head. It actually did nothing for her toiling insides.

"Just think about it. It's not until tomorrow afternoon," Nolan said.

"Okay …" Poe muttered. It felt and sounded like she chewed the word before it made it out of her mouth.

Rayne kissed her distraught daughter's head before she gently pulled Poe to the car and they all started for Poe's apartment. They unloaded the van, but did not stay in the loft after that. Her parents just knew that Poe was coming with them, even though she had not said anything to them. So, they went to drop the van off at the place they rented it from and then proceeded back to the house.

"Hey, Poe, wanna watch a movie at home?" Calvin asked with a toothy grin, which was too cute because he was missing one of his top front teeth. He recently lost it to a skating fall, which was fine since it had been loose in the first place.

Poe shrugged. "Sure. What do you want to watch?"

After watching the first and second Transformers' movies with her little brother and doing a rather impressive job of not curling into a fetal position and bawling her eyes out, Poe retired for the evening. She was glad that Calvin had not asked anything about her mood beyond, "How come you're not making fun of the movie like you usually do?" She did not have the energy to deal with anything. She did not want to deal with anything.

"Maybe some sleep will change that." Or so she hoped.

After taking a hot shower that she did not feel and certainly did not make things better, the writer fell into bed. It felt like the darkness of the room devoured her, consuming the bits and pieces that Mallory had left bit. She had a fitful sleep, tossing and turning, feeling as if she was being nibbled on by gnashing, pointy, rodent-like teeth. She woke up several times in a cold sweat, hands wandering her limbs for imaginary wounds and her heart in her throat from unknown, unseen terror plaguing her emotions. The final time, she was not surprised to find her mother sitting by her bedside.

"Was I screaming or something?" Poe asked in a low voice, trying to catch her breath. It was not unheard for her to have night terrors, but they were very few and far in between lately.

"No, but you were thrashing about the bed for a while. You calmed down on your own, though," Rayne explained. "You left your door open, so I saw you and decided to sit in."

Poe took a deep breath and sat up. Rayne immediately reached over and scratched her head. A small, lazy smile appeared on Poe's tanned features. Rayne kissed her forehead before enveloping her in a loving embrace. It helped calm her heart down.

"I wish …" her mother sighed and sniffled, trying to keep tears at bay for a wish that was almost a decade old. "You know what I wish."

"Honestly, Mom, I wish the same thing. I'd be someone different, better, if you had me when I was a baby." There were days when all she could think about was how everything would have been different for her if only her parents had been her biological parents. She was certain that she would not be so disposable and broken.

Rayne blinked. "Better? What do you mean 'better'? There's nothing wrong with you."

The artist sniffled. "Then why do they always throw me away?"

"Oh, my little Leonardo, people are awful all too often and you have seen much too much of that side of humanity. There's also the problem that all too often the wrong people get kids who need them and those people let those kids down. You were let down. You didn't do anything wrong. You were wronged."

Her throat began burning and tears stung her eyes, but she was able to keep them at bay. "I feel like I am wrong. I was made wrong or something. I mean, I can never keep a girlfriend, not that I really want to."

"This is about Mallory." Her mother was making a statement.

Poe screwed her face up. "What? Mallory doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Poe, I like to think that I know you fairly well, being your mother and all." Rayne smiled softly. "I know that was Mallory at the expo and I saw your heart break when you realized that she was there with that man. And I saw it shatter when she pulled away from you."

"My heart --" Poe growled, biting off her own sentence.

"Is in tethers," her mother chimed in, holding Poe just a little tighter. "It happens, my precious child. But, her walking away from you wasn't your fault. That was her fault and she walked away from something spectacular."

"But, I must've done something!"

"Tell me what you could've possibly done," her mother requested in a soft tone, petting Poe's head to help keep her calm.

Poe took a deep breath and thought on for a couple of minutes. "Maybe I should've paid more attention to her. I mean, I was more into soccer than her … well, she thought, anyway. I mean, I was just teasing her. Dad told me girls don't like that. Why the hell would I do that?" Her voice cracked at the end.

Rayne clicked her tongue in admonishment. "Hey, no swearing. Now, did you ignore her when soccer was on?"

Poe scrunched her face up because she was not sure how to answer that question. "Well, yeah and no. I mean, I thought it was like a game that we played. But, maybe I was being stupid and immature."

"I doubt that was it, Poe. That sounds rather benign. Is that all?"

Poe could feel her brow furrowing deeply as she searched her mind. "Well, I never have food that goes together. She never eats at my place unless we order out. In fact, my place is always like a dump, even when I think it's clean and my bed isn't even really a bed. I don't even a TV for her to watch when she's there and I'm painting! I don't pay enough attention to her either because if she is at my house, I spend a lot of time painting or writing and, at her house, I watch soccer! I just don't do anything, Mom! Why would she want to be with someone that doesn't do anything? You say she didn't deserve me, but I didn't deserve her. I am not special."

"That is not true!" Rayne practically roared.

The sound was so startling that Poe had no choice, but to look at her mother. She was pinned by the intense, boiling expression. Her mother cupped her face with both hands and it was impossible to look away.

"You listen to me, you are special. Not only are you an individual, different from the rest by sheer beautiful personality, but you are a best-selling author and brilliant painter. You're kind and loving to the people that you let in. And we know how blessed we are that you let us in."

"Obviously, Mallory disagreed," Poe grumbled.

"Maybe, but there could be other reasons for her actions."

That earned a snort. "Oh, yeah? Well, she didn't tell me. Instead, she just cut me off, like an extra finger." A deep scowl dug into Poe's face.

Rayne nodded. "All right, but maybe she didn't tell you because it actually has nothing to do with you."

Her tan face twisted. "What? How could it have nothing to do with me and she left me?"

"Well, I mean, maybe something inside of her caused her to pull away. You shouldn't assume it's something that has to do with you or how you act. It could be something inside of her. People are like that sometimes."

Silently, Poe wondered if that were true, but she could not see how something was wrong with Mallory. The redhead always seemed fine to her, almost normal, not counting some of the things she liked to do in bed. She could not figure out what could possibly be wrong with Mallory that caused her to dump Poe … dump as a friend. Poe decided that her mother was just trying to spare her feelings.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if I stay here for a few days?" The writer thought that she might be able to sort through her inner torment in the comfortable environment, and if not, her brother and father were there to distract her for her problems.

Rayne smiled. "Of course, it is. You don't have to ask. This is your home, no matter what. You're always welcomed here."

That was one absolute Poe knew in life and it brought her some comfort. She should be able to get her head together at home, piece together whatever was left inside of her, and fill in the void. It always worked. Home cured all of her ills.

"You ready for some home cooked food?" her mother asked with a teasing smile.

Poe laughed a little while nodding. She got out of bed and stretched to buy herself some alone time while her mother went to make breakfast. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to fortify herself and then she went and spent the day with her family. For a while, she was able to put Mallory out of her mind, but as she settled in for bed again, she stared at her phone. Before she knew it, she was dialing. The voice mail picked up and her stomach grinded against itself. She decided to leave a message.

"Just tell me what I did wrong," she begged in a small voice that practically clawed its way out of her mouth before disconnecting the call.


Mallory sighed as she dragged her weary body into her apartment. Her hair hurt and the sunshine felt like it burnt her flesh. She told herself that the aches came from Lord Corben and his kinks, but she was used to that for the most part. A traitorous part of her whispered heartache and empathetic pain from the ruptured expression in her favorite brown eyes that haunted her; that would probably haunt her always and forever, the voice added.

"I don't care," she said aloud, if only to make it true. Unfortunately, she did not know what she did not care about. "I don't care about …" she growled as she realized that she could not rip that lie from her throat. "I don't care," she mumbled on her way to the shower. She allowed almost scolding hot water to rain down on her for over an hour, used her favorite soap, favorite shampoo, and her favorite lotion, believing that the combination should ultimately soothe her body and soul. It did little for her mental or physical agonies. I probably just need some sleep. So, she crawled into bed after putting on her favorite pajamas. It took a long while for slumber to take hold.

She was drawn from her sleep by the sound of her personal cell phone. The ring tone let her know it was Poe. She groaned as her stomach sank and twisted and her ribs felt like they were caving in. She reached for the phone despite her brain telling her not to, but she did have the presence of mind to not answer the phone. Soon, the noise ceased.

Sighing, she relaxed back into her pillow only to notice a light on her phone. She groaned again as she realized Poe left her a voice mail. Staring at her phone, she contemplated what to do for what seemed like an eternity. What did she say? What does she want? What if she forgives me? Worse, what if she screams at me? Worst of all, what if she forgives me?

A lump formed in her throat and her stomach did that twist thing again. Her ribs now felt like they were jabbing her heart and lungs. It hurt to breathe. She feared that she might throw up, so she sat up, which turned out to be a bad idea. The lump in her throat was accompanied by a burning sensation that was becoming a little too familiar for her liking. Swallowing did not help and she almost ruined her favorite bed spread, which she had put on her bed the day after she made her decision about Poe.

"I made a decision. I made a decision," she growled and focused on her phone. "I made a decision." She pulled up her voice mail and deleted the message from Poe. "I made a decision."

Putting her phone down, she dropped back onto her pillow. She turned onto her side and closed her eyes. She was not surprised that sleep did not come. Her stomach refused to calm down, her throat continued to burn, she still could not breathe, and, dammit, her eyes stung with the promise of tears.

"I'll be damned if I'm going to cry. This is bullshit," she snarled and then sniffled.

Gritting her teeth, she lay there, tense and determined not to cry. Eventually, that exhausted her and she passed out. When she woke up, she found that her body still ached and her stomach was still rearranging itself. Her throat and lungs decided that they were going to have a bonfire, which made it painful to inhale and exhale. Frowning, she dragged herself to the bathroom for a hot, hopefully relaxing shower.

"Head in the game. You have a date tonight."

She had booked most of her month with dates, to avoid Poe. To distract yourself from the absence of Poe, a horrible voice in the back of her mind said. She growled again and shook her head to get rid of that traitorous whisper. She wanted to believe that she would be fine once she got into her Scarlet persona, but Scarlet felt her pain, too. Going out on her date, underneath her act and the activities, she still felt off, felt like wounds were bleeding and festering inside of her. She was not sure what she was going to do and had to consciously remind herself to pay attention to her date.


While Mallory was torn up inside and wanted nothing more to forget, she did have the presence of mind to stay sober with her date. But, now, I need a fucking drink! It had to do what her favorite things, work, and a hot shower could not, which was suppress her memories of Poe and stop the sharp ache stabbing at her entire being. She reached for a drink the second that she came home and did not stop until she was passed out on the sofa.

The shrill sound of her phone ringing cracked through her intoxicated snores and pounded on her brain, rousing her from a dead sleep. The noise cut into her head like an ice pick through the ear. She moaned like a zombie in need of brains. The groaning turned to growling as bloodshot eyes scanned the dark apartment for her cell phone. Nothing was in focus for a moment; the whole place seemed like one big blur of brown. Blinking helped clear her vision for her to at least know that she was still at home and not in a cave. She could not find the accursed device from the comfort of her couch, so she got up to look around. She discovered the phone on her kitchen counter just in time to miss a call from her sister.

"Dammit," she frowned while calling back. She was not in the mood to talk with anyone, but if her family had taught her nothing else, it might be an emergency. Growing up, she and her siblings had broken more than their fair share of bones and her little niece was already showing signs of being just like them.

"Hey, Mal," her sister greeted her in a warm tone.

"Hey, Meg. Everything's okay, right?" Of course, the fact that her sister had not answered the phone in a panic was a huge clue, but she needed to be sure.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine, except that my kids haven't seen their favorite aunt in way too long. I'm hoping you'll be back before Thanksgiving, but if not, at least tell me we'll see you then."

Mallory groaned and palmed her face, as if hiding from shame. "I know, I know. I'll definitely be there for Thanksgiving, but I'll try to come before that. How about this weekend?" she suddenly offered. She was all too aware that she needed to do something different with her time before hurt and despair consumed her. She was all too aware that being passed-out drunk was not a good sign, especially when she had not quit drinking not too long ago. Next thing I know, I'll smoking again, which definitely isn't good.

"Great! You'll be able to see Kelly in her judo class! She'll love it! Hell, you'll love it," Meghan declared with confidence.

Mallory laughed, despite it hurting her head and chest. "I would. I can just imagine her being a little Tasmanian devil in class."

"She's a riot."

A fond smile curled onto Mallory's face. "I'll bet. You were the same when we were going."

Meghan chuckled. "And you were so serious about it, showing everyone how you'd kick their asses. We've always been opposites, despite being Mom's Irish twins."

Their mother lovingly referred to them as her "Irish twins" because they were born ten months apart; Mallory had shown up a month earlier than she was supposed to. They had been always been sort of opposites from each other, but close at the same time. Usually, they wanted to do the same things, but went about those things in different ways. Mallory always threw her all into something, taking it on as if it was the only thing she would ever do. Meghan, while giving it her all, also threw out theories of a million other things they could do once they were finished.

"You got all of the insanity," Mallory argued.

"You got all of the boring, strange intense calm," Meghan countered.

"I'm not boring or strangely intense. I just make sure to keep my focus when I'm doing something rather than already thinking about the next thing. I'd also rather be at a museum than diving out of a plane."

"News flash, that's boring. Thank god you're outgoing or I'd assume we weren't really related."

Mallory snorted. "Mom hasn't told you that you're adopted yet?"

"Oh, please, we all know you're Dad's love child by some other woman. All those pictures where Mom claims that she's pregnant with you, she's actually pregnant with me, which is why I'm never in them."

"Conceded much? If anything you just proved that you're the love child."

Meghan scoffed. "I'm too cute to even be related to Dad."

Mallory laughed. "Dad is too ugly to related to any of us."

"Ricky looks a bit like Dad."

"Poor little guy."

"Yeah, but you'll see when you come this weekend."

Mallory agreed. The sisters spoke for a bit longer before Mallory had to get ready for a date. Sighing, she disconnected the call and resisted the urge to have another drink. If anything, I need to sober up. She went to get ready for another night of pain and suffering. Of course, that had nothing to do with her date.


The weekend was upon her and Mallory had to fight to keep from praising God for the reprieve. She itched to see her family, especially her niece and nephew. Even though she took a long time between visits, she loved hanging out with her niece. Smiling, she took a cab for the hour long trip. The thought of being on a bus or train that long did not sit well with her. She brought an overnight bag in case things went well.

Her brightest smile instantly appeared on her face as the car pulled up to its destination. She gave the driver the money, along with an awesome tip for making the drive in forty-five minutes. He seemed as delighted as she was and actually tipped his hat to her as she exited the vehicle. For a moment, she just stared at her childhood home, a well-groomed front yard with a huge tree that she and her siblings used to climb all the time; in fact, her brother had fallen out of it and broke is arm when he was younger. A warmth filled her for the first time in a long time and she marched to the two-story home.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, or some other member of my family that might be here," Mallory called with happiness in her voice as she stepped into the foyer.

"Aunt Mallory!" her niece, Kelly, practically howled as she charged out of the kitchen. She was already in her judo uniform, even though her match was not for another three hours.

"Hello, my sweet, little goober," Mallory grinned as she bent down and snatched up the little blond into a tight hug.

"You're gonna watch me do judo? I'm gonna win a trophy like you and Mommy!" Kelly dragged, pointing at her grandparents' glass display bureau. It was full of trophies and ribbons that came from raising competitive and athletic children. Meghan had certainly passed that on to Kelly.

Mallory laughed. "You better! I traveled so far to see you, so you can't lose!" She tickled the little girl for good measure.

Kelly's cerulean eyes shined as she burst into a fit of giggles. "Mommy! Aunt Mallory started already!"

"You little tattletale!" Mallory's fingers worked even faster. Kelly squealed and tried to slide out of her aunt's grip. Mallory held tighter. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Mommy!" Kelly continued to try to escape, but she was only six. She was too small to do anything, except take the torture until her aunt released her.

The little blond retreated back into the kitchen as soon as she could. Mallory left her bag by the door on the dark hardwood floor and followed her niece to the kitchen, where her entire family was located. Kelly was hiding behind her mother, who was standing by the counter.

"I'm surprised she remembered who you were to let you play with her," Meghan remarked with a teasing smile.

Mallory rolled her eyes as she went to hug her older sister. With them standing next to each other, it was easy to see why their mom really referred to them as twins. They could easily pass for each other, except that Meghan's eyes were green instead of blue. Meghan was slightly shorter, but it was almost impossible to see unless they were standing next to each other. They also shared the same body type, even though Meghan had two children. The older redhead was so active that she lost her pregnancy weight easily.

"Glad you could finally join us mere mortals," Mallory's brother remarked as he stepped up to engulf her in a hug.

Shaun was taller than Mallory and different from his sisters in coloring. He was darker with broad shoulders and dark brown hair. He shared an eye color with Mallory, which made him a heartbreaker. Mallory would not be surprised if women literally fell into his lap, especially when he flashed his elfish smile that showcased his dimples.

Mallory pretended to fan herself. "It was a great deal of trouble to descend from the heavens to be here."

"Well, it's good to have you here," her mother declared, moving in for the next hug.

Her mother, Shani, was the brunette of her parents and the one with green eyes. She was tall, but not quite her daughters' height. She also gave Mallory an idea of what she and Meghan would look like if they did not work out, which was skinnier than she liked.

"Mom, you need to eat! Is Dad still starving you?" Mallory teased with a light laugh.

Her mother chuckled and swatted at her child. "Oh, you."

"I think Dad still keeps her locked in the basement when we're not around," Meghan joked.

"Is that what the chains are for?" Shaun chimed in.

"I hope that's what they're for," Mallory laughed. "Or we're all going to be scarred for life."

"Really funny, kids. Don't encourage her," her father grumbled, swatting at his son, as he walked over to embrace her.

Her father, Marcus, was the parent that she inherited all of her coloring from. He kept his red hair short, plus he had a beard. He was wide and brawny, which was where Shaun got his build from. Mallory often thought that if bar fighting was an occupation, her father would have had the body for the job and probably made a good living at it.

"Which one of us are you talking about?" Mallory remarked with a smirk.

Her father punched her "lightly" in the shoulder; it was light to her in the sense that she was used to his strength and the fact that he thought he raised three boys. She was certain that he would have knocked any other person over with the "tap" he gave her. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head at her.

Mallory greeted her brother-in-law, Patrick. He was a pretty boy blond with a good heart and he had no problem with Meghan being Meghan, which said a lot about him because she was the definition of a spitfire. But, his ability to tolerate Meghan was why the family adored him. He was holding Patrick Junior, better known as Ricky.

"Hold your nephew before I have to tell you off about not visiting him," Patrick teased as he slid the baby in her arms.

Mallory smiled as the baby settled against her. She could see that her mother had been greatly exaggerating about his ability to run. He was only eight months old with a crown of auburn hair and curious green eyes. He was so much bigger than what she remembered, though. He stared at his aunt, as if trying to figure out who she was. She was just thankful that he did not cry.

"Sorry for not coming by so often, little guy. I'll try to make up to you," she whispered as she bounced the baby in her arms. He smiled and cooed, as if taking her at her word.

The family hung out, catching up and shooting the breeze. Mallory was grateful that her mother did not bring up her "friend" at any point. She assumed her mother accepted her explanation of Poe being a friend. The thought of Poe made her heart clench and a lump tried to raise in her throat, but she made sure to swallow it down. She put on her bravest face for her family because she wanted to enjoy herself, even if she had to force it.

Mallory put on a happy face as the whole family merrily left to watch children beat the crap out of each other in judo. Kelly did well as expected and enjoyed winning a trophy. Mallory cheered the loudest throughout the event.

"Hey, let's take the champ out for dinner!" Mallory suggested, holding her niece on her shoulders.

"Yeah!" Kelly agreed.

"Sounds good," Meghan agreed, but she gave Mallory an odd look. Mallory might have been able to ignore it if only their mother did not give her the same look. She gulped and prayed that they were just upset with her spoiling her niece.

"Then let's stop standing around talking about it and go get it done," Shaun declared with a grin.

The family laughed and went off for an early dinner. Kelly made sure everyone they saw knew that she had won her trophy in judo. It made a lot of people pause and rethink their cooing comments of "such an adorable little girl!" Kelly corrected them, anyway, because she refused to be adorable or cute.

"I am the champion! A winner!" Kelly proclaimed, standing in her seat and holding up her little trophy. Shani was the one that forced her to sit down while the rest of the family laughed and acted as if that was perfectly normal.

"Meg, that is definitely your kid. Let's get this winner whatever she wants and then some ice cream and cake!" Mallory said.

Meghan gave her a look, but she did not say anything. The time out was full of delightful conversation, funny stories, happy laughter, embarrassing old memories, and new embarrassing memories because Kelly refused to just sit down and talk. Mallory was sure her mother was reliving old nightmares as she tried to keep her granddaughter under control. The energy proved so high that Kelly was asleep as they started back for Mallory's parents' home.

"She's down for the count," Shaun laughed as he carried Kelly up to Meghan's room.

"Thanks, Shaun," Meghan said as she slid a sleeping Ricky into his father's arms. She then turned to Mallory. "Let's go on the porch for a second."

Mallory arched an eyebrow, but shrugged and followed her sister outside. It was dark and the quaint neighborhood was quiet already. She inhaled deeply for the first time in what seemed like eternity and she took in the smell of her youth. The place still smelled the same and she knew it should give her some relief, put some balm on her soul, but it did nothing. Mallory stared out into the streets, wondering how she had come so far from the girl that used to ride her bike up and down these same streets. Would the kid-me be horrified to know she grows up into me?

"Mallory, are you okay?" Meghan inquired, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Mallory countered.

"Because I've been watching you try to act fine all day. You're not doing a good job, which says a lot because you're a good actor and I'm usually thicker than this. So, what's the problem? Mom said you met a girl."

A growl escaped Mallory as she frowned. "Of course, she did. Did she mention the girl was just a friend?" Fuck! Mom probably didn't say anything because she thought I'd talk about when I was ready!

"No, because no one is just a friend for you once you start mentioning them. Remember when you casually mentioned Benjamin Walters? We never heard you talk about hanging out with a boy until him. You ended up going to his senior prom. Of course, after that, we never heard you talk about him again, except to point out that he liked older women and you hoped he ended up with someone Grandma's age." They both snickered at the memory.

"He did marry a chick about twenty years older than him, though."

"And then next year you were talking about hanging out with Elizabeth Jacobs. You ended up going to your senior prom with her. It takes a lot for you to get comfortable with a person and hang out with them."

"You make it sound like I don't date or something," the younger sister grumbled.

"No, I know you date. You're too gorgeous not to date and you know you're fucking hot. None of us are shy, but you're different with people you like. You let them in. It bit you in the ass a couple of times, but it happens to all of us. Mom seemed to think you let her in. But, if that were the case, you wouldn't seem as upset as you do now. Unless, of course, this came back and bit you in the ass. You're not yourself. What's wrong?" Meghan pressed.

"Nothing's wrong."

A loud scoff was Meghan's first response. "Bullshit. Come on, tell me what happened."

Mallory growled again, but not as loudly because that damned lump was back in her throat. Her stomach twisted, her heart clenched, and the worst sensation joined in -- that damned burning in her lungs. It was like her whole chest was on fire and she could not breathe at all. Oh, god, what if I'm dying?

"I gotta sit down." Mallory practically fell into one the wooden chairs on the porch. She closed her eyes as she tried her damnedest to suck in air, but it never seemed to reach where it needed to go.

Meghan sat down next to her sister and stared at Mallory with concerned eyes. She put her hand on Mallory's knee and gave the younger redhead a gentle rub. A green eye opened and she could see that Meghan was not sure what to do.

"Mal, do you need a doctor?" the older sister asked.

Mallory shook her head and was surprised that the question chased off the worst of her afflictions. Precious oxygen reached her lungs, enough for her to sigh. She leaned forward and put her head between her knees for a moment, hoping to steady her breathing. Once she sat up, she left her head down, bowed in defeat. As she gave up the fight, she felt some of the tension in her body ease. I do need to talk about this.

"A few months ago, I met a girl named Poe. She's a sweet little thing, a kid really, seven years my junior actually. We never really did anything special. We hung out, like friends. Before I knew it, she was under my skin," Mallory sighed again. She could remember her whispered plea of "stay" as if it happened hours ago and longed for it to only be hours ago.

"What happened?" Meghan asked.

"I screwed up after I panicked. I've never felt what I feel for her. I thought I had felt it before and I thought she could hurt me, but this was something so beyond anything I can even describe to you. It was amazing, but subtle and terrifying all at the same time. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I tried to suppress it and force it away, force her away."

Meghan groaned. "Kinda a bonehead move."

"It gets worse. She's an artist and invited me to an art show right before I started ignoring her. I then went to the art show with a guy after ignoring her for a couple of weeks. We even went to her booth, looked at her paintings. Hell, I think the guy bought one. It's kind of a blur. I do remember the worst of it, though. She reached out for me and I pulled away." Mallory winced as she realized all that she had done. Hell, maybe I should have literally pulled a knife, stabbed her in the heart, and then twist it a few times.

"Okay, wow. Yeah, you didn't do this half-assed in any way. So, now what?"

She shook her head and scratched her forehead. "That's what I've been wondering. I'm actually miserable without her."

Meghan nodded and got a resolved look in her eyes that usually meant trouble. "Then there's only one thing to do."

Mallory arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Get her back, you big dummy." Meghan smacked Mallory on the back rather harshly.

The younger sister scoffed. "You say that like it's so damned simple. Poe has major trust issues. You think I don't let people in? Poe is a fucking pro at this, a damn vault. She'll never trust me enough for us to go back to how it was. I betrayed her."

Meghan frowned. "What the hell? Since when do you just fucking give up? How about you fucking try first?"

Mallory scowled in return and was about to blow up on her sister, but realized that Meghan was right. They were not the type to sit around and be miserable. They went after whatever brought them joy and held onto those things like hoarders.

Mallory chuckled. "I definitely should do something about it."

"Hell, yeah, you do. Jump on it and let us know how it works out, so we can stop worrying … or worry more." Meghan laughed to show that last part was a joke.

Mallory laughed, too. "You'll have to wish me luck. She can be stubborn."

"So can you. Hopefully, since you're older, you've had more practice at getting what you want."

A smile spread across Mallory's face. She hoped that was true. The simple feel of hope helped her feel better. She was able to genuinely enjoy her family after that.


Poe sighed as she tossed down a paintbrush and rubbed her head. She ignored Nadi, who was sitting on her couch and burning a hole in the back of her head with her gaze. Poe focused on the canvas, fighting the temptation to toss it out of the window. She would definitely junk it, as she had her last couple of paintings.

"Let's just go do something else," Nadi proposed. She had been trying get Poe out for four days.

"No, I need to get something done," Poe replied. Painting was a bust, to the point where the smell of the paint was beginning to turn her stomach, so she would try writing again. She hoped that the click of her computer keyboard did not start driving her mad as it had yesterday.

"You can't force it. We both know that. I'm free for the night. Let's do something. We could just go to a movie or something."

Poe scratched her head. "I think I just went to watch some soccer."

"On your laptop?" Nadi guessed. They could not go to Nadi's house because she promised Justin quiet time to let him paint and, if Justin was serious about one thing in his life, it was his need for silence while working.

"No, I don't belong to any sites that'll let me watch soccer."

Nadi sighed. "You can't keep living like this, Poe. You have to commit to something and settle on something."

Poe waved Nadi off, especially since she knew those words were deliberate. There was no point to do any of that because she just had no plans to stay anywhere. Home was a two hour bus ride away and that would always be home. She was just passing through anywhere else.

"Come on," Nadi said, almost whining at that point. She approached Poe and slid an arm around the artist's waist, pulling Poe close to her. "Let's go out and have fun!"

Poe ducked her head. "Do you really think I'll be any fun right now?"

Nadi offered her a teasing smile. "To be honest, you're not fun point blank at any time and never have been."

The writer could not help laughing. Nadi took that as a victory and pulled Poe toward the door. Poe decided not to resist.


After a night of Nadi trying to cheer her up, Poe really needed some soccer. It was not that she did not like or appreciate what her friend did; it was just exhausting to be around Nadi for a whole day and not because of the arguing or forcefulness. Nadi just had a ton of energy and she expected Poe to have the same. Poe needed to unwind. She went to Goodies for the first time in a long time. The bar was almost empty since it was after midnight on a weekday. She found a booth with no problem.

"It's good to see you again, my dear," Leander greeted her a warm smile.

She smiled back at the middle-aged gentlemen. "Nice to see you, too, sir. Do you think I can get some fries and a root beer?"

"Of course," he replied and went to fill her order.

When the bar owner returned, he sat with her for a while, which Poe did not mind. It had been a long time since she could talk about the game with someone other than her father. Eventually, he had business to tend to and she was alone again, which suited her just fine. There was one television playing a soccer match, which did not move her, but she refused to think about why that was.

There was peace and order in her world, as long as she pretended there was anyway, until she noticed Mallory enter the bar and she could not pretend any longer. What the fuck? Can my luck really be this horrible? She scrunched herself up in the booth and tucked herself into a ball to avoid being seen. Of course, that did not work. Mallory seemed to have radar for her, turning in Poe's direction as soon as she got to the bar.

"Poe," the way Mallory said her name, pleading and full of emotion, forced Poe to her feet. She ignored the fact that it felt like everything feel out of her. She just needed to get away. The writer tried to make a break for the door, but Mallory blocked her path. "Poe, please, I just want to talk with you," the redhead implored as she reached for the younger woman's hand.

"No!" Poe roared, snatching her hand back as if Mallory had seared her flesh. She hoped that Mallory now knew a fraction of the pain that she experienced when the redhead pulled away from her.

"Poe!"

The artist literally ran off before Mallory could say anything. She ducked into the nearest alley, wanting to lose Mallory in case the redhead followed her. Eventually, she went back to her apartment because it did not occur to her to go somewhere else.

"Took you long enough," Mallory remarked. She wore one of her smartass smirks and Poe was surprised at how badly she desired to tear Mallory's lips off.

Poe could feel her jaw hit the floor. "What the hell? How did you get in here?"

"You left the window by the fire escape open. It's easy to break in. Poe, I really want to talk," the older woman begged.

"Well, I don't want to talk!" Poe roared, hot tears already stinging her eyes and her chest heaving. "I wanted to talk for almost a month and you didn't care! You ignored me, so now I'm ignoring you! You don't exist to me anymore, so you can just get the hell out!" She pointed to the door, so the redhead did not show the world how accessible her apartment for a second time that night.

Mallory did not seem to get it as she began moving toward Poe. The inability to listen caused Poe to snap. I'm sick of being treated like an object that can be taken out, played with, and put back at everyone's fucking leisure!

"I'm not your fucking toy!" Poe hollered and she was throwing a punch before she even realized it. The artist was seeing red and felt nothing more than the rage at the idea that Mallory thought she could just use Poe.

Mallory proved to have good reflexes and blocked the punch, but Poe kept coming. A series of punches were capped off with a roundhouse kick that sent Mallory skidding across the floor. The redhead was up in a flash and Poe was in her face just as quickly. Any mention of talking was totally forgotten. Mallory began countering and attacking, trying to push back and even ground the shorter woman. Poe continued to try to force the redhead to leave, attempting to either subdue her or get her to the door to simply throw her out. Soon, they were sweating, growling, and fighting like bitter enemies.

Next time: the aftermath of this contest of wills.

Shea K.'s Scrolls
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