Have a Ball Part 2: The Day After
Mara blinked her eyes open and yawned, feeling slightly disoriented. Looking up at Duke, a smile spread across her face. She was relieved to discover that she hadn't been dreaming...it was real; Duke loved her. With a gentle sigh Mara pressed herself a little closer to him. It was still a little...okay, VERY strange to her, but she was gonna have fun getting used to it. Mara kissed Duke's neck softly. Stirring, Duke looked at her sleepily. Without a word he brought a hand to her face and caressed her cheek. After a moment he pinched her.
"Oww!" Mara squealed, hitting his chest lightly with the back of her hand. "What was that for?" she giggled.
"Just checking." Duke grinned.
Mara nodded, "Thought I was a figment of your imagination, huh?" Duke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know...I thought the same thing when I woke up." Mara continued. Duke smiled warmly at her.
"Good morning, Angel." Mara kissed him gently.
"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Duke rolled onto his side and pulled Mara to him.
"I woulda, but this annoying duck kept me up half the night."
"Poor baby." Mara said sarcastically. After a moment she ran a finger up and down his arm, feeling his biceps. "So now that you've compromised my honor, when are you going to ask me out?"
"'Compromised your honor'? Didn't happen, Sweetheart. Compromising a woman's honor means sex; we didn't even come close last night. However..." he kissed her neck, "if you ask me very nicely I may be willing to compromise your honor right now."
Mara smacked him, giggling, "Cute. You're avoiding the question Master L'Orange, are you planning on dating me or aren't you?"
"Yes Angel, I want you to be my girlfriend." Mara smiled.
"Say please and I'll consider it." Duke grabbed Mara by the waist and tickled her ribcage. With a shriek Mara began to giggle uncontrollably.
"Okay, okay!" she gasped, "I'll be your girlfriend!" Duke released her.
"So wait...that's all it took? Well shit, if I'd known that I woulda tickled you months ago!"
Mara sat up, "It's a shame you didn't try it." She moved to the edge of the bed and looked around. "Now where did my shirt go?" Duke picked it up from the floor by his side of the bed and held it up. Mara smiled and reached out to take it, but Duke teasingly jerked his hand back, moving the shirt just out of reach.
"Going somewhere?" he asked lazily. Mara crawled into his lap and tried again to reach for her shirt, which Duke now held above his head.
"You and I need to make an appearance at breakfast, you know." she retorted firmly. Duke frowned, handing her shirt to her.
He muttered, "Yeah, forgot about that." Duke sullenly watched Mara get out of bed and head to her small suitcase.
"Damn, I forgot, I gave Amber my change of clothes...Amber... oh Amber! I wonder how she's doing?"
"We'll find out soon enough." Duke grimly stated.
"You oughta get outta here, Babe." Mara said gently, pulling her shirt on over her head, "You can't go to breakfast in your boxers." She smiled shyly. Duke nodded in agreement and got out of bed.
"Mara, what exactly are we going to tell the others?" She bit her lip, thinking carefully.
Finally Mara made her resolution, "Nothing. We tell them nothing...considering the trauma that just occurred with Amber and my relatively recent breakup with Wild Wing," she paused and shuddered involuntarily, that had truly been the most miserable relationship she'd ever had, mainly because she was in love with Duke, but also because Wild Wing had taken advantage of her unwillingness to reject a friend. The reference had apparently touched a note with Duke too, because he approached her and rubbed her arm comfortingly. " I just don't think a shock like this would be welcome right now."
Duke smiled, "I was thinking the same thing myself. We should wait until things calm down a little. I just wanted to make sure you felt the same way." Mara kissed his hand.
"You and I usually feel the same way about a lot of things." Duke gave her neck one last tender kiss.
"I'll see you at breakfast, Angel. And whenever I smile at you, you'll know it's because I'm thinking about how beautiful you are." And with that, Duke left the room. Mara let out a squeal of delight and skipped into her bathroom.
Nose Dive swirled his spoon around in his cereal. Wild Wing patted his brother's shoulder before pouring milk into his own cereal. "I'm glad you were able to help Amber yesterday, Nose Dive."
"I don't know if I was much help. The whole time at the police station she didn't say a single world, let alone look up. It worries me; she didn't even cry at all." Nose Dive shoved his bowl away and put his head in his hands.
"She's got to let her aggression out before she fl-fl-flips out," Tanya commented.
"And everyone can vouch that depression is anger turned inward," Grin added in. Mara and Duke walked into the dining hall together and stopped short with a sigh. The silence was awkward. Mara squeezed Duke's hand firmly, knowing their descision to wait on their announcement was proper.
At that moment, Amber walked in from the other door. Her hair was unkempt and she still wore the same clothes Mara had lent her from the night before. She stared blankly infront of her as she proceeded to limp toward the table. Nose Dive jumped out of his seat and offered her a chair. Amber stood still and looked at the chair until Nose Dive took her arm and eased her into it. Mara bit her lip and let go of Duke's hand, taking a seat next to Amber; Nose Dive took the seat on the other side of Amber.
"Hey Amber, feeling better?" Mara asked. Amber gazed on the table at the empty plate infront of her.
"You were really brave yesterday," Duke said, sitting down across from Mara. Amber didn't shift her gaze, let alone move. Nose Dive held his arms out helplessly.
"Amber, anything I can do for you?" Mara asked. "How about food? You like food, don't you?" Mara pulled an apple out of one of the food baskets and slowly cut it into chunks. She talked to Amber about nonsense as she cut the pieces, as if she were coaxing a child to eat but Amber was unaware of her surrounding. She stood up and wobbled a moment, before she pushed the chair away and walked out of the room. Nose Dive jumped to his feet and turned to run out after her when Wild Wing's hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Dive, no... she's not stable and you're going to get hurt." Nose Dive looked at Wild Wing with disgust and pulled his shoulder away.
"What? Think I'm going to fuck her right after she's been raped? I thought you'd think more of me than that, but I guess I was wrong."
"Dive, that's not what I meant!" Wing called after his brother as he walked out of the room. Duke stood up and quickly followed.
"I'll get him." He muttered quickly.
Duke found Nose Dive some way down the hallway sitting across from Amber's room, a hurt expression on his face. He looked up at Duke.
"She- she wouldn't let me in." Duke helped him up.
"Amber's a big girl. She wants to do this on her own terms, try not to take it personally."
Nose Dive pulled away from him, "I'm not!"
"Oh no." Duke said sarcastically, "Not at all, you're being completely rational." As Nose Dive turned his back to Duke, Duke yanked him right back, now face to face with Nose Dive. "Now you listen to me, infant, I know you like her but this is no time to play out your happy little fantasies with her. Amber is in pain and when she's in pain she uses guys for her rebound. And YOU, my fine friend, are ripe for the plucking...hence Wild Wing's very present-minded advice that you so churlishly refused. You've been a real help to her, as much as anyone can be, and if you wanna keep helping her, back off! She doesn't need a lover; she needs a friend. Do we understand each other?" Nose Dive swallowed and nodded slowly. "Good." He let Nose Dive go and sat down beside him.
"I...I didn't mean to offend Wild Wing."
"He'll recover." Duke said cooly. "You just jumped to the wrong conclusion. Wing knows Amber, he knows how she works...he was just looking after you, his little brother, that's all."
"Yeah I know. I mean, I really wasn't trying to-"
Duke nodded, "I know Dive, no one's accusing you of taking advantage of her. But the fact remains; you like her. And however much she may like you in return now is not a good time to test it out."
Nose Dive coughed a little, "So, uh, so you think she likes me?" Duke chuckled.
"Yes Dive, I do." He put a hand on his young companion's shoulder, "Now c'mon, what's say we get some breakfast? Then after we get back to the Pond I'll take you and Amber to Captain Comics...if she likes." Startled, Nose Dive looked up at Duke.
"You mean it? You DO! I can't believe it...I usually have to BEG you to come along."
Duke sprang to his feet, "Consider it a special occaision!" he grinned.
Dive blinked and cautiously stood up, "Okay...what's wrong with you?" Duke rolled his eyes and began to walk away from Dive, "No, no, I mean it, there's somethin' different about you, man. You've got this new kinda glow or an aura about you; What happened to YOU last night, Buuuddy?!" Dive elbowed him, winking.
Duke patted him on the head, "You're too young to know, Divey."
Now stopped dead in his tracks Dive just watched him walk off, "Amazing. I didn't even get a rise out of him. I've GOT to find out what's goin' on with this guy!"
Tanya chewed on her spoon anxiously. "Oh, wait, here they come!" Everyone watched Duke and Nose Dive reenter the dining room. Dive went right to his place beside Wild Wing.
"Hey man, I'm sorry about snapping at you before...I know you were only trying to help." Wing smiled at him warmly. "Forget about it Baby Bro."
"Well I'm glad you two have made amends." Tanya snorted, "And I've been thinking; I happen to know of a Dr. Rick Gelding that I think Amber should see."
Mara sat up, alarmed, "But I thought there was nothing wrong with her."
"Oh no, dear." Tanya explained, "Dr. Gelding's a psychiatrist...one of the best there is. He might do her some good. I'm actually a little ashamed that I didn't think of it sooner."
Grin put a hand on her arm, "Even geniuses can't think of everything, Taunny-poo." Tanya blew him a kiss. Duke and Mara both rolled their eyes.
"You start calling me by any cutesy nick names I'm calling it off." Mara said across the table to Duke in Corellian.
"If I was the cutesy nick name sort you wouldn't be dating me in the first place." Duke said evenly. Everyone looked at them, puzzled.
"What was that all about?" Mal asked.
"We were simply considering some painless methods of suicide...just in case we have to put up with anymore baby talk." Everybody laughed.
"Well Tanya, I think that's a great idea; it'd probably take some weight off of Amber's shoulders to see someone." Wild Wing stated. "What do you think, Mara?" Mara didn't respond, she was far too busy staring at Duke who was giving her the sexiest smile she'd ever seen. "Mara?" Mara jumped, startled.
"What? Oh! I'm sorry Wild Wing, I was just...uh...what is it you wanted?" Mara could feel her face going red with embarassment. No one else seemed to notice but Duke.
"Do you think Amber should see a psychiatrist?"
Mara nodded, "It'd be nice for her to have someone to unload this stuff on, she keeps a lot bottled up inside...not just this incident, either. I'm just afraid she won't want to go."
Wild Wing leaned back in his seat, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Can you set up an appointment, Tanya?" She nodded. "Great, then we're all set. Now everyone grab your stuff and meet in the lobby in ten minutes. Nose Dive, you go get Amber. And if you need any help just call."
"Sho' nuf, mi amigo!" Nose Dive hopped out of his chair and walked out.
"While we're at it maybe I outta make him an appointment too." Wild Wing muttered. The others all laughed.
Duke tossed all of his clothes into his suitcase, humming cheerfully. Looking up, he smiled as he heard the door open. Duke didn't even need to turn around.
"Well, what've you got to say for yourself?" he asked mockingly. Approaching him from behind Mara ran her hands down his back.
"Hello handsome." Duke turned around and gathered her up in his arms.
"You're absolutely beautiful, did you know that?" Mara blushed and refused to respond. "Well, get used to it. Because you're gonna be hearing it from me all the time from now on. I have to make up for a year and a half of hiding the truth from you."
"Oh Duke," Mara murmured, "I love you so much." She backed away from him a little, suddenly uneasy, "God, I feel like such an idiot, pouring my girly little heart out to you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, now I don't even know where to begin! And now I'm babbling, great. Look what you've reduced me to, you should be ashamed of yourself." Just as quickly Mara's defenses melted again, "I love you. I'm completely in love with you, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying it: I love you." She paused, "Am I being repetitive?" Duke pulled her into a long, passionate kiss.
"You're having dinner with me. Tonight. And what's more you're letting me pay for the entire thing...and it's gonna be ridiculously expensive. Say yes." he insisted.
"But Duke-"
"Nevermind that, say yes."
"I...yes." Mara submitted, sinking into his arms. It felt so warm and secure to be held by him.
"You're awfully cute when you're vunerable." Duke whispered in her ear. "I'll pick you up at seven alright? And I expect you to look absolutely stunning as usual. Now you've gone and distracted me...we're late. The others'll wonder where we were."
"Let them wonder." Mara smiled, reaching up to kiss him again. Phil poked his head in the room.
"I had a feeling I'd find you two here. Wild Wing was about to come up looking for you, but I told him you were doing me a favor. Now get down there before they get even more suspicious." Duke smiled lovingly at Mara before releasing her to walk out. As Mara left the room she gave Phil a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Phil, you're wonderful." Phil grinned and watched as she walked out. When he turned back around Duke was glaring at him.
"Relax!" Phil laughed, "I'm not her type. Now get moving." Duke chuckled and patted him on the shoulder as he left.
"Thanks for all your help, Phil."
"You've earned it. Go on now, she's waiting for you." Duke jogged to catch up with Mara. With a little sigh, Phil took his suitcase and closed the door to his room. "Ah, young love."
Once everyone had gotten settled back at the Pond, Nose Dive took Duke up on his offer of comic books, but first, they had to coax Amber out of her room.
"Come on....I've got orange soda!"
"Good, now just a few more steps..."
"Almost there now. See, isn't this easy??" It had taken them over an hour, but little by little they'd managed to talk Amber all the way to the door of her room. Finally, she crossed the threshold and the two boys grabbed her. Duke laughed triumphantly.
"Ah ha! Gotcha. Now come on Amber, I know that somewhere deep down you're secretly laughing at how pathetic we are...go on, let it out." Amber looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.
Dropping to his knees Nose Dive cried out, "My God, MOVEMENT!" Finally Amber cracked a little smile. Duke smacked Nose Dive upside the head.
Alright Idiot, now you've done it, she's smiling. You outta be more careful or pretty soon we might actually get her laughing."
"Disastrous!" Nose Dive chimed in, giving Amber a big grin. Duke motioned to Nose Dive, "Well, lead on already." So as they walked Duke and Nose Dive mocked one another viciously, tripped each other, and anything else they could think of to entertain Amber. Sure enough, she slowly began to snap out of her melancholy state. By the time the comic store came into view Amber had actually begun to speak a little.
"Okay Nose Dive, I'll bite, what kind of superhero WOULD you be?" Duke asked, dreading the response. Nose Dive leapt onto a nearby bench.
"Burnout Boy." he said reverently. Amber looked up at Duke.
"I don't get it." she murmured.
Duke nodded, "I'd be worried if you did, Shortstuff. Alright Dive, explain."
"Burnout Boy!" Nose Dive continued, "One night while studying for his Biology final, mild mannered B- student Dick Grayson SNAPPED! Yes, mutated by years of long, unspeakably dull, pointless school assignments his mind finally melted under the pressure, turning him into BURNOUT BOY! Able to drink five kegs in a single sitting, he can go months without attending a single class! With breath so bad it could stop a steaming locomotive, and incredible non-existant hygiene!!! All tremble before the might of Burnout Boy!"
"Alright Moron, first of all, Dick Grayson is Robin, Batman's assistant. Second, that's the lamest thing I've ever heard!" Duke joked. Amber shook her head.
"I never knew anyone could read too many comics...but he finally did it." She managed another weak smile. "Truly amazing." Nose Dive hopped of the bench and gave Duke a self satisfied grin.
"See Duke? I'm amazing!" he scoffed.
"You sure are." Duke laughed. Nose Dive tilted his head to the side and looked at Duke for about the fiftieth time that day. What was different about him? They walked into the shop, first Amber, then Dive and finally Duke. As always, Thrash attacked Duke with his supersoaker, covering him in bright purple goo. Nose Dive snickered and got ready for Duke to explode. The ducks all hated going into Cap'n Comics for fear of the constant gooey assault. Even more obnoxious was the fact that Nose Dive always managed to avoid it. Duke looked down at his shirt and back up at Thrash.
"Nice color. Shame it doesn't match." He said good naturedly before walking to the back to get a towel. Nose Dive's jaw dropped. Thrash, Mookie and Amber all watched too.
"T'cha...what's with Duke?" Mookie asked with a smile.
"Not a clue." Nose Dive murmured. "He's been like this all day...I just can't piss him off."
"Dude...maybe we're losing our touch." Thrash added in, holstering the water gun.
"No chance." Dive insisted. "I will issue a tactical retreat...for now. But worry not, compadres, by the end of the evening I'll have him spouting out obscenities in that terrible accent of his once again!" Nose Dive leaned in a little closer to Thrash and Mookie, "But at the moment there's a sick duckling I gotta look after." and with that Nose Dive walked over to Amber and lovingly offered her his hand. "What say we check out some Phishman?" he asked with a smile. Amber mirrored his smile and followed him to one of the shelves. Mook looked at Thrash and poked her head, "Nose Dive thinks DUKE'S crazy? HE'S the one that, like, needs a head doctor."
"...So then Dive put on this apron and took a flying leap, and he broke the shelf in two! Lucky he didn't break anything else really..." Amber talked on and on while Mara applied a new bandage to her arm carefully. Every once and a while Mara looked up and gave her an encouraging smile, urging her to continue. It was a real relief to have Amber speaking again. She was by no means completely cured, though. Amber spoke softly, in a somber voice that rarely betrayed a smile. But when a glimmer did appear Mara pounced on it, trying to draw a little more life out of her. She detected such a glimmer at this latest mention of Nose Dive's antics.
"Making a spectacle of himself, was he?" Mara laughed. "What posessed him to think he could fly?" Amber shrugged, swinging her feet on the side of the bed.
"Who the hell ever knows what's going on in that mind of his?" Mara handed her the large tube of cookie dough she'd been picking at and Amber gratefully took a bite. "See, Duke said that if anyone could fly it'd be Nose Dive, being as he's such a featherbrain, and I think Divey took it as a challenge."
"I'm sorry, did you just call him 'Divey'?" Mara leaned back on the table, regarding her sister with a sly look on her face.
Amber shook the tube of cookie dough at her, "Don't you look at me like that. I know what that look means. Divey's just a...a cute name, that's all."
"No dear, Divey's a pet name...and who uses pet names?"
Amber winced, "Cutesy couples like Grin and Tanya?" Mara nodded.
"I wasn't aware you two had an arrangement...something you need to tell big sister??" Mara's teasing had gotten the desired result: emotion. Amber's face colored as she tossed Mara back the cookie dough. "Half sister if you don't mind, and no! So what, I have a name for him! I can't help it if I'm more open about my feelings than SOME people here!" Turning back to the medicine cabinet Mara smiled, biting back the urge to prove her wrong. Instead, Mara didn't respond at all.
"Okay now, one more to go." Mara said, supressing a little giggle. Carefully, Mara cleaned out a small cut on Amber's face, unable to help laughing just a little to herself.
Puzzled, Amber jerked away from her a little, "Something funny?" she asked.
"No...not at all." Another giggle slipped out. "Sorry." Mara said quickly, looking at her hands as she laughed a little more.
"What's gotten into you?" Amber asked with a smile.
Mara burst out laughing, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" Amber shook her head.
"Look at you, Mara, I've never seen you like this...you're acting like me." Mara raised her head to gaze at her sister.
"Well someone has to." she said softly. Amber took her hand and squeezed it.
"You were real worried about me, weren't you?" Mara nodded, the smile fading. "I'm a lot better now Mara, really. I think I can deal with it. Do you...do you think Wild Wing's still gonna make me see a shrink?"
"Now who told you..."
"Duke. He didn't want me to be surprised when Wild Wing brought it up...but I'm better now, see?"
Mara shook her head sadly, "Baby, 'I think I can deal with it' just isn't good enough. You do seem better, but what happened to you was traumatic, believe me, I know. And it's not just this Amber...I mean, consider the past couple of knocks you've had. Talking to someone will be good for you. Besides, you like to talk, remember?" Amber nodded half-heartedly. "And don't worry because whatever you tell them is strictly confidential. I don't know, Wild Wing doesn't know...no one but you and your therapist." Amber nodded, that DID make her feel a little more secure. "Doesn't that sound nice?"
"Well, maybe..." she muttered, "But you owe me. Big time."
Mara laughed, "Oh, I'm sure." She looked up at the clock and took a sharp breath. "Okay you, you're done so out you go." Amber nodded and hopped off the table.
"Kay, thanks Mara. Wanna come to Tanya's room with me? She claims she's inventing a new toaster that walks and talks and dances to Britney Spears."
Raising an eyebrow Mara responded, "And here I thought we were only to use our powers for the forces of good. No thanks Amber, not right now. But you have fun." Mara watched Amber walked out and waited a few minutes until she was certain Amber was out of sight. Then Mara very quickly rushed to her room to get ready for what would hopefully be the first of many wonderful evenings.
Checking his watch once more, Duke let out a deep sigh and ran his hands through his hair. Silently he cursed himself for not making the date earlier; the waiting was killing him.
"Hell, I've waited a year, another ten minutes won't kill me." he decided, lying back on his bed. After a moment he reached down to his mattress and pulled something out from under it.
Duke recalled one particularily nasty fight Amber and Nose Dive had had back when Amber and Mara were still relatively new to the team, a good 10 or 11 months ago at this point. It was difficult to say who had run out first, but whoever it was, Mara followed them out of the base and into what was then described as the worst storm to hit California in a decade. Meanwhile Duke had consoled the other and convinced them to apologize...now that he thought of it, Duke remembered it was Nose Dive that Mara pursued. Amber and he were giving each other the usual bullshit; Amber teasing him about being a worthless junkie or whatever other slings and arrows she used against him and Nose Dive jabbed at her about her lover Wild Wing. Of course in retrospect it had become fairly obvious to everyone that they only clashed so much then out of physical attraction. Everything was much less confusing now. At any rate, Amber slapped Dive and when Wild Wing intervened Nose Dive became incredibly, and perhaps righteously, distraught when his older brother sided with his girlfriend and not him. So out Dive went and behind him went Mara while Duke sat with Amber berating and conforting her. It was four hours before the storm cleared up, and just in time for a beautiful sunset.
Duke remembered that he and Amber had just left the base in search of the two wayward teammates when they spotted Mara strolling calmly towards them, just a silouhette against the gorgeous reds and yellows of dusk. and beside her walked a much happier, wiser Nose Dive...sporting what looked to be a black eye. All Nose Dive ever said about it was that 'there are just some women you can't ignore'. So the two teens finally met face to face and right then and there was the moment when the ice began to melt; Amber and Nose Dive had finally connected. In that moment Duke saw the first glimmer of hope for them, and sure enough, now it had blossomed into a close friendship...and maybe more, who knew? Duke and Mara had kept their distance, letting the two kids have their moment without interruption. Water dripped off Mara's clothes and hair as she smiled knowingly at Duke. He could relive the whole scene in his mind with perfect clarity; from the crisp smell of the recent storm right down to Mara's vibrant eyes. And so the moment passed and Nose Dive approached Mara, demanding that she pose for a painting for him.
The finished product sat in one of Nose Dive's dozens of portfolios just one of the odd hundred or so works he had done. But the original sketch he'd made of her standing there with the sun at her back rested right in Duke's hands. He looked down at the pencil sketch and shook his head with a smile. He'd found it in his room about a week later; no explanation, no note, nothing. Nose Dive had obviously left it there to poke fun at him about his crush, but Duke for once, didn't rise to the bait. Instead Duke pretended he'd never received it at all, much to Dive's annoyance, and kept it there in his room so he could look at Mara whenever he liked. But now the picture seemed somehow less riveting than it used to- quickly, Duke answered his blaring communicator.
"L'Orange here, what's up?" From the other end he could hear Tanya stuttering, obviously very upset.
"D-Duuke...it's-ah-ah-Grin! Oh, it's all my fault..."
Soothingly Duke responded, "Hey, hey, Sweetheart, everything's fine,just tell me what's happened."
"Well," Tanya continued, "My-ah- my new automated toaster helper seems to have a bug or two to work out."
Duke nodded, "The one that was supposed to dance to Shakira or whatever?"
"Well, Britney, but yeah. Anyway it kinda-duh, well, it tried to kill Grin."
WIth a sigh, Duke rubbed his temples, "Is he alright?"
Tanya got a little more upset, "Well yeah, but um...I need you at the medlab right away."
"Why's that?"
"You're the only one that knows how to remove bullets." Duke momentarily considered asking Tanya why the hell anyone would arm a toaster with a gun, but he thought the better of it.
"Be right there." He said quickly. In one swift move Duke pulled off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, hardly noticing the picture fall onto the bed as he ran out of his room to aid Grin.
Amber's hand wavered, sweat began to bead at her forehead. This was a difficult choice....Finally Amber just shrugged and grabbed the pink bottle to her right.
"Fuck it. One shampoo's just as good as another." Besides, Mallory wouldn't miss it, she had a good fifteen bottles in her bathroom where Amber had stood for the past few minutes trying to pick the right one. Amber looked up, hearing a commotion in the hallway, and moved to the door. Wild Wing and Mallory both ran straight past her down the hall, cursing all the way. Puzzled, Amber left the room completely and looked after them, running right into Nose Dive. Laughing, Dive smiled down at her and extended a hand to help Amber up. Eagerly Amber took it, holding onto him even after she was back on her feet.
"Thanks Divey."
"Always." He replied with a dopey grin.
Suddenly feeling awkward, Amber coughed, "Say, uh...you have any idea what's going on?" Nose Dive shook his head.
"All I know is I didn't do it!" Amber giggled. "So, wanna check it out?" Amber nodded, sliding the bottle of shampoo into her pocket.
"Let's go."
The med lab was total chaos. Mallory and Wild Wing darted back and forth looking for supplies while Tanya ad some kind of a nervous break down. Amber and Nose Dive were of course anxious to join in the flurry of activity, wrapping each other up in bandages like mummies and giggling about it devilishly. They paued only when Wing found a spare moment to scold them and maybe throw some stray gauze in their general direction. The only real peace in the room was right in the center cot where Grin sat more annoyed than anything else while Duke quietly, calmly and swiftly patched up his scathed arm.
"You okay Grin?" Duke asked, looking up from his work to touch Grin's shoulder.
"I have transgressed beyond pain." Grin replied, suddenly inhaling sharply and wincing as Duke continued. With another weary sigh Duke drowned out the hollering of his companions, trying to focus on his patient.
"Well, it didn't hit the bone, so be thankful for that, but still, this is gonna be a job." Duke muttered, "You've ripped some ligaments here, it looks like and this burn's gonna be nasty. If I had to guess I'd say you won't be playing hockey for a while." They both looked up at Tanya who was sitting in a corner rocking back and forth, muttering to herself. "But we won't know until your girlfriend's done with her mental trip." he finished dryly.
Grin nodded, "Probably right. Don't worry about my Taunny, she'll pull through. I see I'm going to need stitches." Duke nodded.
"We'll see to that in a minute but first I gotta get rid of these lunatics." he smiled. It was remarkable to both Grin and Duke that this chaotic bunch of misfits looting the med lab could pull together so well whenever a real emergency presented itself.
"Wing." Duke called to Wild Wing, right in the middle of cursing Amber and Nose Dive out for pelting him with cotton balls. Jerking his head towards the door, Duke pointed at the others. Wild Wing comprehended Duke's signal and immeadiately pulled his shoulders back.
"Okay everyone." he said authoritatively, "No more horsing around, we need to leave them in peace so Duke and Tanya can concentrate on poor Grin over here." He headed for the door and turned to look at Duke, "Keep me posted." Duke nodded and waited for the rest of the team to file out of the room one by one before turning his attention to Tanya.
"SINGIN', just SINGIN' in the...the..." Amber paused. "In the...hmm...shower doesn't rhyme, does it?" she contemplated aloud. Amber turned off the faucet and hopped out of the shower, quickly wrapping herself up in a towel. It was amazing how much better she felt now. For a little while she'd almost forgotten...Amber frowned again, shivering. Maybe Wild Wing was right; a therapist might be just what Amber needed.
An hour later Amber looked up from brushing her hair hearing a rap at her door.
"Yeah?"
"It's Nose Dive, can I come in?" With a sudden smile, Amber jumped up.
"Sure, hang on." Quickly she ran a hand through her now nearly dry hair, and looked into the mirror.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Dive jumped back two feet, startled by the shriek that had just come from Amber's room.
"Amber?" he called out, alarmed, "You okay?" When he didn't recieve a response Nose Dive frantically called Wild Wing on his comm.
Amber burst into her bathroom and grabbed the little pink bottle she'd taken from Mallory's room. Could she really have made such a terrible mistake? Holding her breath, Amber looked into her bathroom mirror. No, it was true...Amber's hair was bright, firey red. With a sigh of disgust, Amber read the bottle:
"Hair dye?! I didn't know Mallory used fucking HAIR DYE!" She whimpered. Biting her lip, Amber noticed the little seal on the side that read: 'Lasts 20 to 30 washes'. Amber tossed the bottle on the ground in frustration, thinking fevershly. Nose Dive was waiting outside for her, and he MUST have heard her scream so she probably had less than a minute now to get herself out of this mess. Thankfully, she'd locked the door, but that wouldn't buy her too much time. Even Superman couldn't wash his hair thirty times in one minute, so how the hell could she? With a panicked squeal Amber stuck her head under the faucet as she heard the door open.
"Amber?" Wild Wing called out. "You alright?" He scanned the room and turned to the others, "Well, I see no signs of a struggle."
"Spontaneous combustion then?" Mallory asked sarcastically, taking her place beside Wild Wing.
"Here she comes." Mara murmured, looking to the bathroom door. Amber stepped out nervously and smiled at them all.
"Uhh...hi everybody!"
Anxiously, Nose Dive approached her, "Oh thank God, Amber, are you okay? I was so worried...you're alright?" Amber rubbed her neck and nervously tugged on a strand of her hair, now so wet that it had become quite dark, concealing the dye for the time being.
"Dive says he heard a scream." Mara explained.
"Oh yeah...that. Sorry, just a...ummm...bug. Big fucking bug." she nodded vigorously, "That's it." Everybody looked at one another.
"Well, alright." Wing said uneasily, "if you say so." Amber smiled, relieved that no one had noticed. When Wild Wing and Mallory left together almost immeadiately, Amber, who had been staring at Nose Dive, turned to look at her sister who was busy gazing sadly at her watch.
"Mara?" she asked, "Something wrong?" Mara looked up at her quickly and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"No." she said softly, "Nothing important. Good night you two." she called to them, walking out. Amber nodded and turned back to Nose Dive.
"Well," he said a little sheepishly, "now that the crisis has passed, how'd you like to go see a movie?" Amber nodded eagerly and accompanied him out the door.
Kneading his forehead, Duke sat back in his seat. If he’d just had the stitches to contend with the job wouldn’t have taken nearly as long. But combine stitches with a flighty, hysterical girlfriend and things tend to get nasty. Between the two of them Duke had had his hands full. He wasn’t pissed at Tanya or anything, it’s not like she was trying to make things more difficult, but still, it was times like this Duke wished he carried a bottle of chloroform with him. Duke stood and slowly made his way out the door and down the exit. There wasn’t a single part of Duke’s body that didn’t ache. Using so much focus for such a long time really exhausted him, it always had, really. That kind of intense mental labor was never Duke’s strong point...but it was Mara’s specialty. Sighing, Duke’s thoughts returned to her for about the 50 millionth time that night. Well, he couldn't be that late, could he? Duke groaned, checking his watch. Apparently he could be "that late" and he was...a good two hours behind for what was supposed to be their first date. And however little experience Duke had in the field of serious dating, he was quite certain it was considered bad form to stand up your girlfriend right from the start. This was gonna be ugly. By the time Duke had reached Mara's door he wished he'd stopped off to get flowers first, but that would've delayed him another ten minutes. Nervously he tapped on the door.
"Enter." Mara's voice responded darkly.
"Yup." Duke muttered to himself, "Shoulda brought flowers." Taking a deep breath, Duke entered the room. Almost immeadiately, Duke was smacked in the face with a pillow. Like Lightning Mara brought the pillow back around and hit him twice more, the third blow knocking Duke off his feet. Mara looked down at him menacingly, resting one of her combat boots on his stomach.
"So good to see you, Darling." she hissed. Duke gave her a nervous smile.
"Hello Angel. You look beautiful." Mara pressed a little harder with her foot.
"Don't you 'Angel' me, L'Orange!" she snapped. "But thanks ever so for the compliment, I ought to look nice, I spent a half hour getting ready for you. And a half hour for me is a long goddamn span of time. Of course, if I had known you weren't going to show up I wouldn't have bothered. I called your comm twice, no answer. So I don't suppose you have a RIDICULOUSLY good excuse for making me go on my first date with you ALONE, do you?"
"I can explain!" Duke said anxiously, "I had no choice, I had work to do." Mara's eyes narrowed. "Ooh," Duke stammered, "That came out wrong. What I meant was-"
"I overheard Wild Wing in the hallway." Mara interrupted him, her voice losing it's angry edge, "He said something about how you and Grin were doing something together." Mara took her foot off of him and stepped away. "So don't tell me you were working. And even if you had been, a call would've been nice."
Duke quickly stood and approached her, "Mara, Angel, it wasn't like that." Mara turned her back to him.
"Get out of my room, I don't wanna talk to you anymore." she demanded sadly.
"What if I bring you proof?" he begged.
"What kind of proof?" Mara asked.
"Proof of why I was late, obviously."
"Fine, go ahead."
"But before I go and prove you wrong," Duke added in, "I just want you to know you're being unbelievably paranoid and I'm a little hurt you don't trust me more."
Mara folded her arms across her chest protectively, "I did trust you. I trusted you enough to wait for you like an idiot for TWO HOURS convinced that something must've happened to you, or you'd been injured or who knows what...the thought of you standing me up didn't even cross my mind. And then I hear Wild Wing say that you're hanging out with GRIN?! Don't ever talk to ME about trust, L'Orange."
Duke winced, "Good point."
"Now out." Eagerly, Duke went to the door.
"Alright, I'll be back in an hour."
"Good, I'll expect you in three then." Mara growled, closing the door on him.
"Good one." Duke muttered, walking off down the hall.
Mara paced back and forth, steaming, only stopping to glance at her clock. It had been a half hour since Duke left, but every moment felt like an eternity. What made Mara most upset was not that she had been duped or tricked by Duke, but that she actually genuinely wanted any excuse to forgive him for it. Amber had always been relatively weak-willed when men were involved. Jake was constantly taking advantage of her, controlling her, but Amber always bore it, even defending his actions to Mara. His treatment of her poor sister shocked and appalled Mara, only strengthening her own reserve never to become so totally caught up in anybody as to let them take such advantage of her. But here she was now, pacing around her room, waiting for Duke to come back with his excuse for standing her up, and secretly wishing it was true. Mara had never been so very embarassed. At least she had the comfort of knowing that Amber had no way of discovering her folly.
Mara looked at the clock again and moaned: only a minute had passed since she last checked. Finally she mustered the courage to poke her head out her door and look over at Duke's room. She silently wondered if he wasn't in there, hanging out with the guys, avoiding her. Before Mara knew it she was right at his door, pressed up against it, listening to see if he really was hiding from her. She determined that he wasn't and paused slightly before opening the door, very concious of how childish she was being, but it was too late to turn back now. Once inside, Mara immeadiately regretted ever coming. Her whole being ached for Duke, body and soul and being surrounded by all of his belongings, his clothes, and especially his smell wasn't helping at all. Finally, a piece of paper caught Mara's eye. Silently walking the length of the room, Mara picked it up from the bed and sat down, tears filling her eyes. Smiling genuinely, she gazed at the picture with a sigh. She'd always wondered what had become of that first sketch Nose Dive had made of her...he'd promised it to her a long time ago at this point, but it never quite made it to her. Mara had always assumed that was because Nose Dive knew of her intention to destroy the sketch the moment she got her hands on it. Mara, who had always hated being the subject of pictures, particularily disliked this one. Mara remembered having been quite thoroughly soaked when Nose Dive insisted on drawing her, and not in the best of spirits, either...her smile increased ever so slightly with the memory of Nose Dive's black eye, which she herself had issued to him. Now, finally, she understood that Duke had kept the copy for himself all along.
She smoothed its edges, so lovingly worn ragged by constant attention, and was more than a little pleased at it's battered condition that told of someone who had kept it very close to them. Lying back on his bed she ran all of the events of the past two days through her head. She looked back on their good year or so of friendship, replayed every conversation they'd ever had in her mind, remembered every time Duke smiled at her, particularly recalling the moment Mara realized that she would die for this man. A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, including a recognition of Duke's true feelings for her. All of a sudden Mara knew that she would forgive Duke anything, proof or no. So now all that was left was to wait for his return and hope he found her apology sufficient.
Amber rest her head against Nose Dive's shoulder as they watched the movie. She felt safe and secure next to him, and even safer with his hand holding hers ontop of her black, baggy jeans. Nose Dive had trouble watching the film. He couldn't place what it was about Amber that made her look so beautiful. She had a tight, leather halter top on and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the exposed midriff. She was so alluring and he loved the feel of her breath against his shoulder.
As soon as the movie ended, Nose Dive linked his arm with her and led her out of the theater. "Thank you," Amber said sweetly as they walked along the curb. As soon as they walked underneat a streetlight, Nose Dive turned his head to look at her and stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?" Amber asked worried. Nose Dive couldn't stop staring. He blinked and shook his head--could her hair be dark red?
"Amber... did you dye your..."
"It was an accident!" She pleaded frantically. "I tried borrowing one of Mallory's shampoos and I did it... and I know I look bad but..."
"Hey, hey, hey," Nose Dive soothed, stroking her arm slowly. "Relax. I think it looks fabulous."
"You do?" Amber asked surprised.
"You look so gorgeous! I can't describe it. You're like every rocker's dream!" Nose Dive said excitedly as he walked around her, evaluating her. She looked so sexy--he just wanted her there. "Amber, I really mean it. Oh what I'd kill to..." Nose Dive's voice trailed off and he pulled her across the street to a park bench. He sat down and encouraged her to sit as well. "You have no clue how beautiful you are."
Amber bit her lower lip and waivered back and forth on the bench as Nose Dive brushed his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and waited patiently, knowing he'd kiss her finally after all this time.
And just as Nose Dive leaned in a little closer to her, a distinctive voice startled them both.
"Grin?" Duke called out. Amber was so shocked she fell off the bench. Duke looked down at her and over at Nose Dive and quickly raised an eyebrow at him.
Blushing furiously, Nose Dive snapped, "He's not here." Duke quickly forgot his insinuations and looked around, visibly upset.
"Dammit, where IS he? Do you know?" he asked frantically. Amber stood up and shook her head.
"Sorry Duke, haven't seen him all night, why?"
"Nothing. Nothing important." he murmured, suddenly very downhearted. Nose Dive was now thoroughly puzzled; Duke had been so happy earlier, but now...maybe he was schizophrenic.
"I'm sure he and Tanya are off somewhere doin' the nasty. Why don't you call his comm if you're so hot to join them?"
"Kid," Duke growled threateningly, "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit right now." He left just as abruptly as he came, but not before poking his head through the door once more. "Oh, and nice hair, Amber." Amber blushed furiously, but composed herself quickly and turned back to Nose Dive in hopes of finishing where they had left off, but with no such luck. Nose Dive stared at the door, consumed with burning curiosity. Now he just had to know what had affected this sudden change in Duke.
"So Dive, what now?" Amber asked hopefully. But Nose Dive didn't even hear her. Just then, Wild Wing’s voice on the comm went off.
"Divester, you and Amber up for meeting Mal and I for some late night takeout?" Amber nodded and walked to the duck cycle, looking back at Nose Dive.
"Uh.." Nose Dive turned to look at her then he spoke into his comm, "You go on and Amber‘ll meet you two there...I just remembered something I had to do back at the base."
"Okay, see you later Baby Bro."
"Bye Nose Dive." He smiled at Amber sweetly.
"Bye Amber." As soon she reved up the engine and turned down the side street, Nose Dive bolted for the base as fast he could, hoping to beat Duke there.
Nose Dive carefully peered through the door of Duke's room and, seeing no one there, walked in, heading right for the closet. If he had been paying closer attention he would've noticed Mara fast asleep on Duke's bed, but since Nose Dive was an oblivious sort, he didn't even glance in her direction. As Dive shut himself up in the closet he congratulated himself on his scheme. After all, Duke would have to come back to his room eventually, and maybe a little spying might be enough to uncover what was really going on with him.
Duke rested his head against Mara's door, shutting his eyes tightly. She wasn't even there. Not like it mattered, Duke had been totally unsuccessful in find any proof, any shred of evidence to redeem himself. Grin, of course, had been his first choice, but first of all how could he explain to Grin exactly why he needed him to vouch for his whereabouts, and second, he was nowhere to be found, undoubtedly off somewhere with Tanya, not answering his comm. So that was it. He was finished. Duke slammed his fist against his own door out of sheer frustration, little knowing that the noise had both startled Nose Dive and woken Mara. With a sigh Duke knew he'd been defeated. He just hoped that throwing himself on Mara's mercy would be enough to save him. Duke opened the door, but before going in, felt a shoulder on his hand, holding him back.
"Grin!" Duke said, surprised. He was getting ready to ask where the hell he'd been all night, but Grin cut Duke off.
"Duke, I just wanted to thank you for all your help. I know that mending a bullet wound probably wasn't your ideal way to spend the evening. Tanya and I had a long, long...talk" he said finally, blushing ever so slightly becuase Duke knew full well what a 'talk' meant for them, "and then I realized I'd never thanked you properly."
"Think nothing of it." Duke said softly, "Just doing my job." Grin nodded.
"And don't worry about my gettting shot by any more of Tanya's inventions...she's promised me not to give any more of them firearms."
Duke nodded, "Well, be sure and call me when the next one wrenches your arm off." he said half-heartedly. Grin let out a nervous little laugh.
"Well thanks again. Say Duke...is something wrong? You look kind of down." Duke considered telling him, but ultimately decided against it.
"Been a rough night, that's all." He said softly, bidding Grin goodbye and walking into his room.
Duke listlessly flipped on the T.V. in his room, pulling his shirt off. With a sigh, he tossed it aside and, stretching his arms over his head, walked into the second room.
"Hello Handsome." a soft voice said faintly. Duke spun around and found himself face to face with Mara. "You just gonna leave that shirt on the floor?" she asked, slightly embarassed. Duke looked down at the ground.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked.
"Oh Duke..." Mara began sadly, "I'm so sorry." Duke looked up, slightly surprised.
"Does this mean I won't be getting another combat boot in the stomach?"
Mara blushed, "You could put it that way, yes..." She tugged nervously on her sleeve, "It was silly of me not to trust you. I just wanted you to know...I acted childishly. I really just don't know what came over me. I guess I'm just new at this and, I'm, uh, I'm not quite used to...you know. I'm so, so sorry. Please, forgive me?" Duke actually laughed a little.
"You came to apologize to me?" he shook his head, "Didn't Mallory teach you anything? The girl never apologizes first, even if she's wrong...especially if she's wrong!"
"I guess I'm not your ordinary girl." Mara said with a little smile.
Duke smiled back, "You certainly aren't."
"Forgive me?"
"Angel, I don't need to...anyone would've reacted the same way. Now tell me, what are you doing in here?"
Mara shrugged, "I came to see if you weren't cheating on me with dozens of voluptuous women, and I got here and found that terrible sketch on your bed..." Duke turned a little red. He'd forgotten to put her picture away. "And I guess I just kind of came to my senses. After that I fell asleep and next thing I know I overhear Grin say that you actually DO have a reasonable excuse and now here you are, standing right in front of me with no shirt on. All in all, not a bad night."
Duke smiled at her, "Well, we just had our first fight."
"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" Mara asked, swaying her hips as she sauntered up to him. Duke pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. "Can I take that as a yes?" she murmured. Duke put a hand under her beak.
"Mara, shut up." Mara wrapped her arms around his neck as Duke kissed her again, running a hand through her silky hair. "So, do you suppose this counts as our first date?"
Mara nodded, never releasing him, "Works for me."
Kissing her softly on the lips Duke said, "Well then, happy first date."
"Happy first date." She replied sweetly, returning his kiss. After a moment Mara sighed, "Oh, you poor thing, look at you...taking that bullet out must've been exhausting for you! I'll bet your muscles ache like hell."
Duke shrugged, "Well, not really, not at all, in fact..." he paused for a moment, "Actually, yes, I'm in agony." Giggling, Mara pulled him over to his bed.
"Alright, Smartass, show me where it hurts."
Even pressed right up against the door, Nose Dive couldn't hear much of anything. He could tell that the T.V. was on, and some occaisional rustling, maybe even a murmur that sounded like voices, but that was all. He did however recognize immediately that the murmur had a familiar quality to it: flirting. Nose Dive could detect it miles away. But how? Why?! Had Duke actually been seeing a human without letting anyone know about it? Impossible, Duke didn't even like humans...it must be the T.V. then. That was it. Duke had stolen one of his porn tapes, damn him. Well, Nose Dive wasn't gonna stand for that. It wasn't like he particularily needed those tapes, it was just the principle of the thing...Duke had to learn that he couldn't just walk into someone's room and steal whatever he liked.
Now thorougly pissed, Nose Dive charged through the door and yelled out "Alright, you BASTARD! I KNOW you've got my porn tape and I want it back NOW!!!" By the time he'd finished his demand, Nose Dive was standing in the entrance to the second room. As his situation fully dawned on him, Nose Dive's jaw dropped. Mara, who had been sitting on Duke's lap engaged in a lip lock with him, fell to the floor dazed, as Duke jumped to his feet. "Whoa." Nose Dive said in quiet shock, looking from one to the other.
"Why-you-little-" Duke bellowed, "I'MA GONNA KILL YOU!!!" Panicked, Dive bolted around the room, Duke in hot pursuit. Mara watched this for a few moments, flustered. Duke was stronger than him, but Nose Dive was quicker, no question. Fluidly, in one quick movement Mara stood up and reached under her shirt to rehook her bra which, she realized with a blush, had come undone. The chase continued, and although Duke kept pace with Nose Dive, he couldn't quite catch him. After another minute, Mara took a step in their general direction.
"Duke?" she called out. Neither Duke nor Nose Dive heard her because they shouted out loud obscenities at one another. Mara thoughtfully glanced at the walls, thankful that they were sound proof...a wise descision on Tanya's part. With a sigh Mara shot her grappling hook out and tripped both Nose Dive and Duke who fell right on top of one another. "Duke darling?" Mara said again sweetly. The boys looked up at her, silently dazed. "Let me handle this." She finished menacingly. Duke stood unsteadily and grabbed Nose Dive roughly by the arms, pulling him to his feet.
"Uhh, hi guys!" Dive laughed nervously.
"Hello Nose Dive." Mara said calmly, "Let's you and I have a little chat."
“It was an accident! I thought that Duke was acting strange and so I hid in the closet to see what was going on and I thought that he stole one of my porn flicks, not that I need it but out of principle I thought he should ask and… oh my God, were you two actually kissing?”
“Yes, Nose Dive… we were,” Mara looked at Duke hesitantly. “We need to keep this under wraps, Dive.”
“But why? You need to tell the others. This is practically the romance of the fucking century!" Nose Dive protested. Duke relaxed the grip on Nose Dive’s arms slightly.
“The Amber incident at the hotel. We can’t tell the others after something like that.” Nose Dive frowned.
“It’d make her day. And she’s doing a lot better.”
“Trauma of any kind is no good for her. And the idea of her sister being taken would probably only increase her own sense of isolation-Speaking of Amber, I didn’t like the way you were looking at her when I was looking for Grin,” Duke interrupted firmly. “Dive, a girl like Amber who has so much anger built up inside her can’t see warning signs even if they’re flashing in front of her. She’s not going to be able to distinguish her true feelings from a cheap rebound. It’s not worth it kid… to you or her.”
“It’s so unfair, isn’t it? This play of events that always follows Amber. Something unfortunate happens to her, you two are blessed, I finally get some nerve to show some emotion… not that I have anything special for her…”
“Keep telling yourself that, Dive,” Mara said sweetly. “Duke and I said that stuff for way too long.”
“I know… it’s hopeless. But what are you guys gonna do?”
“Keep quiet, which we’d appreciate if you followed suit.”
"And if I don't?" Nose Dive asked.
Mara folded her arms, "If you don't you find out firsthand what it feels like to wear all your organs on the outside." Nose Dive winced.
"Eeew..." He shivered, "That would clash."
"Most definitely." Mara and Duke responded in unison.
"Well..." Nose Dive thought, "Yeah, alright, I'll keep your dirty little secret."
Satisfied, Duke nodded, "Good. Now get the hell outta here."
With a sly nod Dive grinned, "Yeeeah, I get it! Duke, my man, finally gettin' some action! Slap me five, bro!" Blushing, Duke growled.
"I'll slap ya all right, GET OUT!" He chased Nose Dive out of the room and closed the door, turning slowly back to Mara with an embarassed cough. Mara put a hand on her hip with a wry smile.
"So...a porn tape, huh?"
Duke innocently shrugged, walking back over to her, "I dunno what he's talkin' about, honest."
"I'm sure...we'll discuss this later, Master L'Orange."
"And now?" Duke asked her expectantly.
"Yes, now...where were we before he so rudely interrupted?"
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