"City of Sin"

"What?!" Tammy exclaimed, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. "But she can't do that!"

"Tell that to Isabella," Yasmine remarked dryly. She continued, "The Elders told us everything, including where she's gonna do it, why, and how."

"Yeah," Michelle nodded. "Because the moon is in the third night of it's full cycle, an auspicious occasion has arisen for Isabella's procedure."

"And with her powers," Serena added, "she can do it."

"But," Tammy protested, "that directly violates the Absolution of Existence!" The Absolution of Existence was a universal code of life that all living things, no matter how great or small, had to follow. It ordained that each creature was to evolve through many lives at it's own pace, being sure to gather as much knowledge as needed for their next incarnation. If the cycle was broken and someone who was in their own stages of the Existence tried to play God by breaking the cycle, they would be dealt with immediately.

"So what happens if Isabella violates the Existence?" Tammy scowled.

"She loses all her powers," Serena answered quietly. She continued somberly, "Then she will return to the stage of Existence she was in before this one."

"You mean she'll be dead," Michelle said, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. The thought that one of her closest friends could get into such a massive amount of trouble scared her, but what scared her more was the thought that she couldn't do anything to save her.

"If Isabella dies," Tammy scowled, "then we're screwed. The Five Deadly Venoms will be no more. The Elders specifically told us that we need the power of five to save the child."

"But we're in a catch-22," Serena shook her head. "From what we gathered from the Elders, the only way to save Isabella at this point is to kill her. If we don't kill her, she'll kill one of us."

"So we're pretty screwed anyway," Yasmine drawled sardonically. She continued with a sigh, "Is there anything we can do to pull her out of it?"

"Not from what I gathered," Serena shrugged, "but you never know."

Michelle, who had been unnaturally silent up until that point blurted out, "What about those things the Elders told you, T?"

Tammy arched an eyebrow. "You mean all those love phrases? I dunno how those'll help. I say we just try to talk to her and..."

"And what?" Yasmine cut her off, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell her that we need her? That she's our friend and we lover her regardless? That she's violating the Absolution of Existence? Yeah, I'm sure she'll listen to that. Then, she'll kill us and we'll be no better off than before."

"So what do you suggest?" Tammy challenged.

Yasmine shrugged. "I dunno, but whatever we do, we have to make it count."

Serena looked at her watch. "Good golly, how long have we been up here?"

"It feels like only a couple of minutes," Michelle answered.

"But you forget," Yasmine added, "time passes slower from the spiritual plane. What does your watch say, Serena?"

She chuckled, "That we've been up here for nearly three hours. We gotta go." As she and the others climbed to their feet, Tammy yawned and said, "I'm gonna hop right on a plane after this and fly out to Vegas to meet you guys. We have to meet up somewhere to think up a plan, okay?" The other three nodded as they shimmered, then faded away.

After Tammy left the spiritual plane, she immediately hopped in a cab, directing him to the airport. As she boarded the plane, she felt as if she were letting down the child. She and her friends were supposed to be protecting him, yet they were constantly sidetracked. "And it's not like it's not our faults," Tammy murmured to herself as she took her seat, "we brought a lot of this on to ourselves." And it was true. Tammy and the others were so busy trying to live normal lives and convince themselves that they were like everyone else that they often failed to see the big picture. Tammy was one of the most sought-after screenplay writers in Hollywood, yet that didn't change who she was... what she was. Serena enjoyed her career as an actress, and never gave much thought to the fact that she was constantly supposed to be on her toes about the child, even if there didn't seem to be any present danger. Michelle and Isabella relished their roles as the "college girls", while Yasmine immersed herself in her modeling career. None of them really focused one hundred percent on the most important task at hand, for fear of finally having to accept that they weren't like everyone else.

"But all that's over," Tammy scowled in determination. She continued in a slightly sheepish tone as her scowl faltered, "For now, atleast."

After she got off the plane in Las Vegas a.k.a. the "City of Sin", she immediately called Justin's cell phone.

"Hello?" he answered in a rush.

"J," Tammy said in tone as rushed as his, "it's me, Tammy. I just wanna let you guys know that I'm back on this side and I'll meet up with y'all later, okay?"

"Wait!" he called. "Don't hang up! Where are we gonna meet?"

"Um, I dunno, J," she replied, anxious to call the others, "we'll meet somewhere. I'll just call you tonight."

"Call me back in about fifteen minutes," he said. "We're in a soundcheck right now, but we should be taking a break in about ten to fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she nodded, then hung up her phone. She immediately called Serena, and the two of them decided that all four of them would meet up somewhere to come up with a plan of action.

As Justin hung up his cell phone, Lance asked, "Who was that?"

"Tammy," he answered, a confused look on his face.

"Oh?" Chris questioned from his place on the stage. "Where was she?"

"She didn't say," Justin replied. "I didn't ask since we're so busy right now. Plus, she sounded kinda pressed for time."

"So what did she say?" JC wanted to know. He continued to clear his throat and hum softly as Justin answered as to keep his voice conditioned for the concert.

Justin shrugged. "She just said that she's back and she'll meet up with us later."

"What's with all this mystery surrounding her lately?" Lance inquired, wiping his face with a towel. "It's really weird, like she's hiding something."

"And not just her either," Joey chimed in, picking up a bottle of water and sipping on it. After quenching his thirst somewhat, he continued, "Michelle and all of them, too."

"What's the big secret, I wonder?" JC mused aloud. He turned to the rest of the guys, "Maybe they're axe murderers."

The guys laughed at the absurdness of his suggestion, then Lance added, "Or bank robbers."

"Or hitmen... er hitwomen," Chris grinned.

"Or prostitutes," Joey shrugged, a wolfish grin spreading across his face.

"Whatever you say, Joey," Justin rolled his eyes. He shrugged and said, "It's no biggie. We can ask her what's up when she calls back. For now, we gotta finish the sound check."

The boys continued to sing into their mikes, executing dance moves here and there merely out of habit. Once it was time for their break, they all convened to the hospitality area for some food and drinks.

As they sat around sipping on their bottled water, Justin glanced at his phone for the tenth time and said in a slightly nervous tone, "Yeah, Tammy should be calling right about now." The others nodded their agreement, but even after the break and the soundcheck was over, they still hadn't heard anything from her or the others.

About an hour later, Justin headed wearily into his and Tammy's room, then gasped in shock. "Isabella," he raised his eyebrows, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm just relaxing," she smirked from her reclined position on Justin's bed, her feet propped up on a pillow. With her hair all tousled and the mischievous sparkle evident in her eyes, Justin couldn't help but notice how sexy she looked.

"I just didn't expect you to be here," he grinned slightly. "How'd you get in?"

"I bribed one of the housekeeping ladies to let me in," she answered, sitting up slightly. "Where've you been?" she inquired. "Off signing more autographs?"

"Nah," Justin said, sitting on the edge of his bed, making sure to keep an innocent enough distance from her. "We were at a soundcheck. And," he added, sniffing himself, "I need a shower. So if you don't mind..."

"You want me to get out?" Isabella pouted. "But you let Tammy stay in here. C'mon, Jam Master J, we're like family."

"Okay," Justin sighed. "I just wanted to walk around in the nude for awhile, but I guess I can't have everything." With that, he gathered up all his clothes and toiletry items, and walked towards the bathroom.

As he neared the door, Isabella called out to him in a flirting tone, "I wouldn't have minded seeing your tight ass."

Justin chuckled uneasily, then entered the bathroom. After he closed the door behind him, he made sure to lock it. "It's not that I don't trust her," he thought, "I just don't want her to see my tight ass." As he showered, he wondered when Tammy would call.

Isabella looked at the door of the bathroom and grinned as she heard the shower sounds from behind it. "Whatta cutie," she cooed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Ju-Ju was a bit intimidated by me. Now why should he be?" She laughed, then added, "I guess he'll need a bit more motivation if I'm gonna use him for my plan."

After Justin exited fully clothed from the bathroom, he saw Isabella sitting Indian style on the floor in front of the T.V. "I hope you didn't take my earlier comment about your ass to heart, Justin," she said casually, never taking her eyes from the T.V.

"Oh no," Justin shook his head, "not at all."

"Good," Isabella turned to him and locked her eyes with his blue ones. "I don't want you to think the wrong idea or anything."

As Justin stared into her eyes, he felt slightly off balance, as if he were falling into the depths of her dark brown eyes. Suddenly, he had an overwhelming urge to touch her hair, to run his fingers through it, and get them tangled. "I just want her," he thought, taking a step towards her. As he neared her, Joey stuck his head in and said, "Hey Justin, we gotta go. It's time for us to go back to the venue." Joey glanced at Isabella, then did a double-take. "What are you doing here?" he smiled, walking further into the room.

"Just hangin'," she replied with a laugh as he embraced her.

Justin scowled, slightly aggravated at the interruption. He then shook his head slightly, clearing it of all his confusions and desires, and wondered where the hell all those thoughts came from. "I can never mess with Izzy like that," he thought to himself as he walked out of the room trailing Joey and Isabella, who were laughing and joking around with each other. "It's almost like incest," he thought, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "It'd be like trying to kiss Tammy, or my sister. Gross. That seals it," he nodded to himself, "Isabella is definitely off limits."

Still, even during the Meet and Greet, the action-packed concert, and the after party, Justin couldn't stop thinking about her. It was as if some tainted seed had gotten inside of him and grown, filling him with forbidden desires. As much as he told himself that he wouldn't think of Isabella, the more images of her flashed through his mind. Her saucy winks, sexy smirks, and the cute way she tossed her head when she laughed. "Oh God," he moaned to himself, "what is up with me?" The ironic part was that Justin didn't even like her like that. He had never felt any type of real attraction to her, though he may have played with the idea of fooling around with Isabella here and there. Still, he was never serious about it, and valued her friendship more than any pleasure sex could bring. Now, he had no clue where this sudden sexual yearning for her was coming from. If any of the other Deadly Venoms were there, they could have told him.

One of Isabella's powers was the ability to control people with her mind by implanting a thought or a command deep into their brains. Earlier, when Isabella locked eyes with Justin in a seemingly innocent gesture, she was actually planting a seed of desire in his mind, and the more he tried to ignore it, the more it grew. By the end of the night, Justin was nearly mad with both desire and the guilt of his desires. Because of that, he decided to go back to the hotel by himself so he could get some sleep. Without saying goodbye to anyone, Justin snuck out the back of the club and hopped into a cab. Minutes later, he arrived at the hotel and trudged up to his room.

As he walked into his room, Justin breathed a sigh of relief. "I can sleep now," he muttered to himself, pulling off his shirt and pants. He happened to look out onto his balcony and saw the silhouette of a figure out on it. "Tammy?" he called walking a bit closer. Once he neared the door leading onto the balcony though, he saw that it wasn't Tammy, it was Isabella. She was leaning on the balcony, her back turned to him. As she gazed out over Las Vegas, the bright lights of the city cast a magical glow over her skin.

"Oh no," he groaned inwardly. His eyes roamed over Isabella's body, and he drew in a sharp breath. Somehow, she seemed to make the exact same outfit he was wearing, a wife beater and some boxer shorts, look incredibly sexy. "God help me," he whispered. As badly as he wanted to go hide under his covers for fear of doing something stupid, he was surprised to find himself opening the balcony door and stepping out onto it.

Isabella glanced over her shoulder and grinned slightly. "Hey," she greeted in a husky voice.

"Hey," Justin choked out, his breath quickening. He took another step towards her and added, "What are you doing back here so early?"

She laughed and turned to him, still leaning on the balcony. "I didn't even go to the after party. After the concert, I came back here with the hopes that Tammy would be here, but she isn't."

"Yeah," Justin replied absently, staring into her eyes. "I haven't seen her, either."

Isabella turned her back to him again and gazed out over the city. "Look at this, Justin," she breathed in awe. "Las Vegas. It gets prettier everytime I see it. This city seems so magical sometimes, ya know? It's beautiful."

At that, Justin stood right behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, starting to rub them softly. "You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

"Wow," Isabella thought with surprise. She didn't know that her implant would work that well. "It's like my subliminal suggestions aren't even an active part anymore. This is definitely all Justin." She took a deep breath and turned to Justin. "Do you mean it?" she asked.

Justin nodded, bending his head towards hers. Isabella took a step back, then reached up to stroke his face softly. "Prove it," she whispered, walking past him and back into the hotel room.

He followed her willingly, grabbing her by the shoulders yet again and turning her towards him. He stared at her face, knowing that what he was about to do was wrong, but not really caring. He just wanted his stupid cravings for her to end. "Just one kiss," he told himself, "that won't do any harm." As he leaned in and kissed her softly, he felt something inside him explode, then calm down. "What are you doing, Justin?!" his mind screamed at him. "This is bad, real bad."

"I don't care," Justin told himself, "there's no harm in one kiss. God, I just want her." But the one kiss didn't sate his hunger, it merely multiplied it to the point where even Justin had to check himself. "What am I doing here?" he asked himself yet again as he stared into Isabella's eyes.

As she stared back, she made sure not to implant anymore suggestions. She wanted to see how far Justin was gonna take this. "I knew he always wanted me," she chuckled inwardly. "That tiny little suggestion I implanted for him to kiss me only once, and only when Tammy was walking in must have fueled a desire he's always harnessed for me." As Justin continued to look longingly at her though, she took a step back and stared at his entire face, which quivered with yearning.

"Good God," she murmured outloud in Spanish, "it's like a virus is in him or something." If any of the other Deadly Venoms had been in the room, they would have noticed a glimmer of the old Isabella coming back, and could have encouraged it, but because no one was there, the widow took over again.

Justin dragged in a deep breath, then took a step towards Isabella. Lowering his head to hers, he softly ran his cheek over hers, nuzzling her face affectionately. "Want me?" he whispered in her ear.

"You want me?" she asked in response.

"Yup," he answered, running his hands down her smooth arms. "I want you now, like right now, and I don't know why." His mind screamed at him, "Damn right! If you had any sense, you'd back up, go into another room, and call some hot chick to calm your hormones."

Justin answered himself as he continued to kiss Isabella's neck, "Izzy is ten times the woman those sluts will ever be."

"But those sluts are not one of your forbidden, off-limits friends, either," his mind whispered.

Justin blocked out the logical side of his brain as he continued to indulge himself in the wonder that was Isabella's perfect body. As he slipped his hands under her shirt, still kissing her, the hungry part of him told himself, "Who cares? What harm can this do? This is Las Vegas, the City of Sin." He remembered when Tammy once quoted with a mischievous grin, "The lights of the city provoke evil deeds, but the sun's rays of light erase them all and make everything right again. Vegas is the city that never remembers the sins of the night the next morning."

"Yeah," Justin tried to convince himself, "everything'll be alright in the morning. Besides, I'm sure that after this one last kiss, I can control myself. It'll be all over."

But one kiss turned into two, then three. As he trailed hungry kisses from her neck to her mouth, he was sure that he could stop at anytime but, oddly enough, he couldn't. His body screamed for more, and he had to oblige. "It's not like Isabella minds," he thought, noting Isabella's encouraging nods and the stroking movements of her hands across his back.

Justin's logic tried to intervene one last time, for Justin thought to himself with a groan, "Goodness, what am I doing? I have to stop. This is really wrong. I gotta stop now." But it was too late for that, and both of them knew it. No matter how hard Justin tried, it was as if some gypsy of lust had gotten hold of him. He wanted to stop, he really did, but everytime he so much as thought about it, his body yearned for more. "The only way I'll be free of this torment is to finish the job," he whispered outloud as he continued to kiss Isabella.

"So finish it," she challenged, letting him back her up to the bed. He stopped long enough to remove his shirt, then wrapped his mouth around hers again. As the kiss prolonged, Justin pulled Isabella's shirt over her head and nudged her down onto the bed. He climbed onto the bed, hovering over her and stared into her eyes again, wondering what was happening to him. "Fuck it," he scowled inwardly, "I just want it to be over. I want the aching and the wanting to stop, so I'm gonna stop it."

Everytime Justin stared into Isabella's eyes, he felt like he was floating, like an astronaut with a cut line. He kept getting lost in her beautiful brown eyes, and now knew that there was no stopping. The only way to end the pain was to stop immersing himself in her eyes, and to immerse himself in her. So he did.

An hour later, someone unlocked the door and walked in. "Holy shit!" Tammy yelled in surprise as she viewed an apparently naked Isabella and Justin. As Isabella sat up quickly, her body still covered by the blankets, Tammy continued, "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Isabella taunted as Justin slowly opened his eyes with a groan. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, feeling light-headed and slightly hung over.

"What happened?" he muttered sleepily.

Tammy glared at him. "You just got it on with... with...", but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find one word nasty enough to describe her ex-friend. As she stared at the two figures in bed together, she couldn't believe it. "Justin was up in that," she shuddered. As she stared into Isabella's evil eyes, she realized that whatever was in Isabella probably entered Justin and was infecting his will as she spoke. "You allowed the black widow to trap you, J," she said in disgust. "I can't believe you slept with her."

"It was actually kinda cool," he replied calmly. Closer examination of his eyes showed a certain degree of emptiness, and Tammy knew that Isabella had him. The seed of desire had grown into a full grown sexual addiction to Isabella, and Tammy knew that it was gonna take a lot to break the spell over Justin. He was already starting to crave Isabella's body again.

"Wanna join us?" Isabella giggled as Justin turned over and started to kiss her again, his hands roaming all over her body.

"I'd rather not," she curled her lip in disgust. With that, she slammed out of the room. In the hallway, Tammy leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy and light-headed as she remembered the look in Justin's eyes. "That's another problem we have to handle," she groaned. "On top of the whole Rakshiki situation, which could actually blow up at anytime, the Isabella problem, which is definitely about to blow up in our faces, and now Justin, I don't know what to do."

Suddenly very tired and burnt out, Tammy trudged downstairs to the bar and ordered some alcoholic beverages. One drink turned into two, two turned into three, and before she knew it, Tammy had a nice buzz going. "Can't stop now," she mumbled, her eyes half-opened.

She got up from the bar and walked to the hotel next door and tried to appear as sober as possible. She succeeded, and ordered three more drinks. Realizing that she was about to get drunk, Tammy left that bar and went to an ABC store. After purchasing a bottle of Wild Irish Rose and other alcoholic drinks, she went back to the bar of the hotel that she and the guys were staying at and proceeded to drink herself into oblivion in a quiet, isolated corner.

What Tammy didn't know was that this was all part of Isabella's plan. She knew that when Tammy saw her and Justin together, it would knock her for a loop, and leave her feeling helpless and betrayed. Isabella also knew that Tammy would be too shaken up to do much of anything, meaning that the other Venoms had no leader to instruct them on how to stop her. To Isabella, everything was finally coming together, and she was sure that her plan would be carried out without a hitch.