Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

[Argus Steele]

While the pair were deciding on what to do with their free time, Jara decided to call and check up on Darcy. After several attempts, she was finally able to make it through; by the look on her face, she wasn't all that pleased with what she heard.

After folding her phone back up, her nails drummed on top of the plastic casing, frown lines visible. "Tha's way too weird." Spoken softly, before glancing over at the driver of the SUV. "Darcy has taken a leave o' absence. Personal reasons, they said. Okay luv, mum's been the word long enough. Wha' did ye see in tha' mirror that caused her to bolt like tha'?"


Eve had been interested in how Darcy was doing, particularly because it had been *their* session she'd ran out on; that left her feeling a tad uncomfortable, hoping she hadn't pushed the woman into a mental breakdown somehow. Darcy had said she was an Empath, which meant she'd picked up on the emotional changes and cues better than anyone else, but did she have the Sight too? "A girl. She's always there, always following me. Used to absolutely terrify me, and while I still don't like it and I *am* afraid of her, the terror isn't quite what it used to be. Don't get me wrong, it's not because I'm used to her. I'm just more sure of my sanity these days, rather than being scared she was some twisted figment." Shrugging, her brows had drawn together in a frown. Leave of absence. That wasn't good at all... "I just never really told anyone before that because it's always sounded absolutely batty."


"Mmm. Maybe nae so batty after all, iffin' Darcy picked up on tha' twisted mojo, hun. I'm hungry. Ye hungry? Let th' boys hav' their fun doin' whatever. Girl's day out! Whoot! Mebbe ye should look into tha', considerin' wha line o' work we be in, yanno?" Her nose scrunched up again as she was looking out of the window, staring up at the storm clouds that roll in from a distance. "Ugg. Gonna be needin' some Advil too while we're out, 'kay? Bloody storms always make me a wee bit more sensitive to th' spirits, nae to mention givin' me one hxll o' a migraine!"


"Yeah, tell me about it. She's *always* been there, for as long as I can remember. Made ballet classes as a kid a real pain, considering the mirrored walls in those places." A nod in response to Jara's question about eating, and Eve tapped her fingertips lightly on the steering wheel. A storm coming in. Great. Not only was she getting to test out her driving abilities, but she'd probably get to do it in rain, too. "Storms always make me feel a little shaky, for some reason. Just ... try not to have another of those possession attacks, huh?" Spoken with a smile, but she meant it. The first was trippy enough.


A lip tremble - a quiver, even. The signs of someone trying not to laugh was quite evident. Then one escaped - a snort. A chuckle. Then came the avoidance of eye contact. "Ballet, eh? Bet ye were *sooo* cute, a wee lil lass in her wee lil tutu!" Pulling off her best Shrek voice, before another chuckle left her, in the guise of a cough.

"Sorry luv, I'm nae a bloody faucet. Cannae just turn it on an' off, yanno. Lots of lonely folk out there tha' go unheeded. Be needin' a voice. Or an' ear. Yanno, yer boyfriend found this DVD set called 'Tru Callin'.' Sort of wha' I hav'. He seems to hav' a knack fer findin' things like tha'. Mebbe you should talk to him."

That's when she screamed suddenly, and pointed. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! We *have* to eat there!" Pointing at the golden arches just several blocks ahead. "I am *so* addicted to their bloody fries! They are to *die* for! Um, no pun meant."


"Hey!" Even she was grinning though, with a note of laughter in her voice. "Don't knock it until you've tried it! Believe it or not, I loved ballet. I love dance overall; I think it was the only think my parents ever pushed me into that I liked. It was hxll with the mirrors, but I'd still love to get back into it. Eventually." A shrug, and the smile faded off. "But yeah, I know what you mean. It'd be so much easier if there were a switch or something to throw to turn it *off* once in a while."

Then ... "And he's not my boyfriend. Um ... well, I don't *think* so, anyway. I'm not really ... sure." Just a hint of color in her cheeks at admitting it. Clearing her throat softly, Eve turned into the parking lot and found a spot, quite happy to stop driving for a bit. She was a bit happier as a passenger - with full control of the radio, of course.


"Nae yer boyfriend? Then ye always parade about in yer undies in his place, tha' ye jest *happened* to move into? Mmmhmm. An' wha' about those li'l shows of affection, hmm? Slap of the bum here, kiss on the cheek there, here a grope, there a grope, everywhere a grope-grope!"

With a wide cheshire cat grin, Jara was already out of the SUV, making a beeline straight inside. She paused long enough to hold the door open for Eve. "So, how do ye Americans put it? Ye not been past first base? Ye turn enough colors though. Ha' ye not tellin'? I will find out. 'Tis wha' I do! Saddle up luv, lunch is on me."

Jara would order three McChickens, two large fries, a McFlurry, and a large diet Coke. High metabolism, anyone?


"I *do not* parade around in my undies! I think most skin he's ever seen on me is when I wear shorts." ... Carefully, so carefully, not mentioning that she'd walked in on him naked. Besides, that didn't count; reality was screwed up by the Daemons! ... Or that was what she kept telling herself. She'd been a bit shocked by Jara's order (and wondered why the woman topped it off with a diet Coke?) before placing her own - Fish sandwich, large fry (as Jara *was* right about them being addictive) and a sweet tea. "Um ... No, hasn't been passed yet." A brief pause, in which she shrugged, a little uncomfortably, and found something really interesting to look at through the window, keeping her eyes fixed. "By anyone. Keep in mind that I'm a complete nerd and that I spent the greater part of my teen years in the looney bin." Yeeeeah ... felt really good admitting it. Not!


Her comment about not parading about in her undies was picked up by several male college students who whistled at her and threw a few random comments her way. "Whoo! You hear that? She likes to walk around *nekkid!* Oh, me likey-likey!"


They'd hoot and holler some more, blowing the two women kisses before getting back into their van and driving off. They made sure to blow the horn when passing by the window. "I guess th' nerd is th' in thing this season, hmmm?" Murmured before speaking up. "Ye wanna play coy, ye go right on ahead, but I don' kno' too many nerds tha' be havin' th' set up ye be." Oh, talk about a wicked grin! Jara would only stop because it was impolite to talk when one's mouth is full. But that smile alone spoke volumes. It suddenly faded, those dark amber eyes distracted by something else for a moment. Tipping her head off to one side, Jara maintained the perplexed expression for a few more moments before shaking it off.


At the comments made by the bunch heading for the van made Eve give a long-suffering sigh before shrugging it off. "Idiots." Murmured to herself before returning to the conversation at hand. "Who's being coy? I'm telling the truth." She couldn't help grinning for a moment, though. "... It is one hell of a setup though, isn't it?" Even *she* admitted that she lucked out with that one! She was quite happy to get down to the business of eating, and it seemed to be the only thing keeping Jara hushed. For the moment. She did catch a look that was slightly odd, though. "Something wrong?" The delicate arch of that left brow, and a sip of her tea.


A roll of her eyes, and she gave Eve a look. "Ye hav' got to be kiddin'. No, yer nae, are ye? Fates be savin' us from the ones tha' attractive an' do nae realize it, always thinkin' they be the plain Janes o' the world."

Now pointing a french fry at her. "Those boys saw it. Steele sees it. Hell, even I see it. Iffin I were a lesbian, I'd do ye." And with that, Jara ate the french fry.


She'd been eyeing Jara as she drank the tea, then made an abrupt sputtering sound at the last. It was all she could do to keep from having it come out her nose! Eve coughed, covering her mouth with a napkin until she recovered. She had to laugh a bit then, between clearing her throat. "Well ... I'll take that as a compliment, I guess." Had to, or she'd start thinking too much on it. That was just a very weird thing to hear a friend say! "Okay, it's not that I don't realize that I have some appeal, mostly when I've had some sleep and don't look like I'm strung out on something. It's just ... I don't know. I just never thought of myself like that, I guess." A half-shrug. Notice that she was leaving the food and drink alone, for the moment. "Weird, huh? In some ways, I think I'm still adjusting to the normal aspect of things." And a slightly mischievous, coy smile. "And experiencing some of the stuff most people dealt with while they were teenagers." Not that she was too far past those years; it just didn't make things much easier.


"Ye bloody Americans are sooo pent up when it be to things like tha'. Ye fine iffin' ye blowin' somethin' up, huntin' somethin' down, or playin' a video game!" Pausing again to eat another fry. "I'm willin' to be tha' ye never been to a nude beach either, hmm? Hav' them lots over seas, yanno?" Getting a saucy grin on her face, she found one of those extremely long french fries. "Three words luv: Co-ed beach Volley ball. All tha' bouncin' and jigglin' goin' on, and tha' just on the men!" There. It happened again. Jara got that distracted look for just a moment. (m) "Dxmmit all, cannae a person even eat in peace?"

Shaking her head, she finished off her fries, and some of Eve's as well. "Sometimes there be spirits about tha' are caught in between, yanno? Here an' there, blinkin; in an' out, makin' me feel like me brain's got a bloody glitch in there now." She shot Eve a look before she could even respond to that last comment.


"Never been overseas, but I'm not against travel." She gave Jara a sweet smile, mostly trying to ignore the rest of what the woman had said. It was a conversation she'd never expected to be having!

Her lips pursed as she watched Jara get that look again, all joking aside. Eve got a quick drink before starting on her sandwich again. "I think there is a glitch in there." Eve even had a straight face! "But point taken. They can pretty insistent when it comes to being heard or even just acknowledged, sometimes. If they're not after something else entirely." She was watching the other woman a little more carefully though.


Jara shook it off, and if Eve continued to watch her, she'd even throw a french fry or two at her. "I forget m'self sometimes. You're not the Eve I knew, but you're so much like her, just a few differences here and there."


Gently shaking her head, Eve had sat back from the table, now pleasantly full. There was a smile on her lips as she spoke. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, only knew the other version of you for a short time, but you remind me of her a lot. Outspoken, funny enough to make me choke everytime I tried to eat." With a mischievous glint in her grey eyes.


"Well, I'm glad I ... um ... she was constant. An' don' worry, I'm sure Steele will hav' ye chokin' in no time." She blinked at what she just said, and how it sounded. Instead of correcting herself, she just started gathering up their trash. "I bet ye don' hav' any tatts on ye, do ye? Eve did ... She hid them well when we were on out in th' field, but th' girl was a closet Goth queen. Ye kno' wha' they say about ye quiet ones." Another chuckle and wink given.

Before Eve had a chance to answer, Jara's cell phone went off. "Hullo, hullo, hullo, dear brother o' mine." Pulling the phone away from her mouth long enough to roll her eyes, and do the gagging bit. "Mmhmm. No, we just finished actually. Eve was jus' tellin' me how she parades around Steele's place in her underwear. Oops, I meant sans underwear. Yeah, we're close to that location. Ye kno' we both hav' light duty restrictions ...."

She cringed as she held the phone away from her ear, as Jared went off on one of his tangents about Jara needing to take her job seriously and set an example for Eve. "Okay, okay! Don' get yer boxers in a bunch! We'll check it out an' get back to ye, ASAP luv. Ciao!" Flipping the phone back into place, she shot Eve a grin. "I may nae hav' had a brother where I came from, but I'm likin' the idea more an' more! Let's roll, partner!" Jara raced towards the SUV, seeming to have the intent of doing the sliding across the hood bit. Instead, she stopped and darted around to the other side, then stuck her tongue out at Eve. "Oh, ye would hav' so like tha' wouldn't ye?"


"No, no tatts, but I don't rule it out." Eve shrugged, considering the idea of herself being a 'goth queen.' Couldn't be too much of a stretch; there had been Nora, after all ...

Jara did it again. She'd been in the midst of a drink, trying to finish most of it before tossing it when Jara made her choke. She'd managed *not* to do that just before Jara asked about the tattoos, but the woman got her again! Eating and drinking were dangerous things to do around this woman. Once the coughing fit had passed, Eve had opened the top and fished out a piece or two of ice to throw at Jara. She'd soooo have to remember all those comments!

Too bad, though; she'd been hoping Jara would slide off the hood again. Eve was armed with the cell phone camera, this time! "Yeah, but I wanted proof with pictures!" Unlocking the doors, Eve climbed back in, buckling up before starting the car. "Okay, so where are we going?"


"Believe it or nae, Evie? We get to check out a vacant house. Some kids were playing in it, and swore they saw a ghost! Jared's already sent the location to ye GPS. Transform and roll out!"


"Haunted house. Oh joy, I can hardly contain myself." Not the greatest assignment maybe, but not the worst either ... so she hoped, anyway.

"Tha's what Steele said. *Coughcough.*


*Thwap!* Then Eve was smiling sweetly.

[Argus Steele]

Once they were on duty, Jara Celeste Van Rico was all business. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the dark sunglasses were placed on. Even her accent changed to a more polished sounding American one. She leaned over to check the GPS, then calibrated the information into the portable scanner. "I'm locked and loaded, partner. This is probably nothing more than a routine check, but at least it's giving us something to do, right?"


"I have yet to find anything routine about our line of work." Eve had shrugged gently, but she'd done much like Jara. Her curls were pinned back from her face rather than a ponytail, but she'd slid her sunglasses on and pulled on her jacket; the better to hide the arms and shoulders that the halter top left bare. With the jacket, she looked professional enough. "What exactly happens if we find something?"


"That's easy enough, Agent Lizt: We determine the level of the potential threat, and notify Agents Van Rico and Steele to investigate since we are on restricted duty, causing our role then to be backup." Jara paused long enough to take a deep breath before continuing. "*Then,* considering the potential threat, we may have to be ready to call in more agents, and we would be reduced to keeping watch on the bystanders and onlookers. In other words, crowd control. Stick close rookie, and you'll do just fine. Ah, here we are ... " Still over a block away, the pair were easily able to spot the local police vehicles parked in front of the house in question. Bright yellow caution tape sealed the area around it off.

Once Eve put the SUV in park, Jara was already unbuckled and out the door, actually doing the slide across the hood of the SUV, much to the oohs and ahhs of the kids near by. Flashing them a grin, she pulled out her badge upon approaching the officers.

"Hey, hey! Welcome back to the fold, Agent Rico. Heard you took quite the tumble a few weeks ago. How are my favorite twins?"

Jara would peer over the top of those dark glasses, her Cheshire cat grin in full effect. "The twins are just fine, perky as ever. How are things hanging with you?"

Holding the tape up for the two ladies, the officer gave a sly grin of his own. "Long and lean, Rico. Long and lean." A look passed between them, then it was business at hand.

Tilting her head in the direction of Eve, Jara made quick introductions. "This is Agent Lizt, latest to join our merry little band. These are officers Stanton and Gregg. Okay gents, what's going on?" As the usual banter between them continued, it gave Eve the time to look over the outside of the house in general. It looked a lot like the house where she had her first encounter with a Daemon with Steele and Rico. A for sale sign was planted in the middle of the yard, the grass looking like it could use a good mowing, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.


Agent Lizt. That had a funny ring to it. The only change in her expression during Jara's exchange with the officer was the slight rise of her left brow, but that was all. She couldn't say it surprised her too much with Jara, somehow; the woman seemed to be a natural flirt.

She tried to maintain the awesome chick-in-black look as long as she could, but the sunglasses soon got on her nerves; Eve felt like they interfered with her vision somehow, and soon raised them up to sit on top of her head as an impromptu headband. She was studying the exterior, finding it quite familiar, and listening to Jara and officers with half and ear - until they got down to business. She'd propped a hand on her hip, pushing the jacket out a bit to do so. "Mmm. Spotted in a house up for sale. That won't boost the number of offers too much ... " Murmured more to herself than anyone else, and the young woman was soon turning back to Jara and the officers. She wanted to get it over with, whatever they had to do, but she figured it wouldn't be nearly that clean cut and simple. Then again, she could always be surprised, couldn't she?


"It's a quiet neighborhood most of the time, until the previous owners of this house moved out. No one paid the noises any mind at first, until the other night when some of the kids were playing hide-and-go seek around they house when they heard *something*. It was enough to spook them and there has been reports from neighbors that live on either side of the house, as well the mailman. The Captain figured it was reaching the point to call in the Ghost Busters."

Jara had a totally serious expression during the entire explanation, and nodded her head while adjusting the scanner. "Okay then, let's see what we can see, shall we?" Whistling the theme to the X-Files, Jara was walking around the house, pointing the scanner in every which direction. Her lips would give the occasional twitch now and then, but nothing concrete enough to see a real reaction from her. "Hey Stanton? Any reason why the owners decided to move? Looks like a real nice area."

Leaning on the For Sale sign, the officer looked at Jara. " Job relocation took them off planet. Would have been away more than home, so they were trying to sell it for pretty much what they bought it for."

Jara was now standing in front of the house, using the scanner but *not* using the scanner; now Eve knew what the dark glasses were for. Evidently the
general public was still in the dark as far as understanding there were some *gifted* people out there with special abilities; their division was seen as just another branch of the government.

The scanner still could be used, but Jara could *see* things that the little piece of high tech equipment could easily miss, no matter how far advanced. "Okay, I'm picking up something faint. Nothing huge, but enough to warrant a look inside. " The key was tossed to her, as Jara glanced over her shoulder at Eve. "Shall we, partner?"


She'd been watching the interaction, but just getting a feel for the place as well. It didn't Feel like most haunted places did; at least, not on the outside. That numbing cold had yet to strike, and she didn't feel like *someone* was breathing down her back, but Eve wasn't ruling anything out. Not yet. Her stormy eyes were narrowed slightly as she peered up at the house, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah. Lets." Jara was a Sensitive, Eve knew; she wasn't sure it was different from her own Sight, or if it was simply as matter of the woman's abilities being more refined or advanced. Whatever the case, she *was* glad that it wasn't something that showed much about her eyes. She generally felt weird enough without that happening. She stepped lightly onto the front stoop, peering through the nearest window as she did.


"Whoa there, partner." Jara leaned in close, as if she were showing Eve the scanner. (w) "You bring your gloves? Don't want you hands on, hmm? Not unless it's called for." Then she'd slowly walk up the steps, stopping right at the door, her eyes still looking over the tops of her glasses. "Hey Stanton?"

"Yeah I know the drill. I hear anything weird, we come after you both."

With a nod of her head, she actually took a deep breath before inserting the key. Unlocking the door, she swung it open to let the pair inside. It looked like nothing more than an empty house. A little stuffy, but still empty. Closing the door behind them, Jara exhaled. "Somethin's in here. Tha's fer sure. I'm thinkin' the owners jus' didnae leave because o' another job. Ye wanna stick together, or split up?


Touching anything hadn't been a good idea, and Eve had intended to avoid that if at all possible. "... Gloves?" Did she have gloves? A blink at Jara, and Eve checked the pockets of her jacket. Bingo! One in each side, as neatly folded as if she'd done it herself. She pulled them on outside despite the warm air; they were thin, pliant and easy to feel textures through without making actual contact. Funny, they even looked kind of like leather ...

One step inside. That was all it took. The air inside felt thick, and Eve had just a split second to feel the real warmth of the air before the chill took over. Few other people seemed to Feel that; it *had* to be some physical reaction of her own to whatever sort of energy that was. Her breath hissed out quietly between her teeth, and she curled her fingers once, then relaxed them. "Stick together. Splitting up is always a bad idea." Eve *knew* Jara had to have seen horror movies. Separation was almost *always* a precursor to someone getting killed! "Besides, you just said it: Something is in here. We just don't quite know *what* yet."


"Oh, I know, partner. That's why we're starting up there first." She pointed to the stairs that led up to the second level.

"Here, this scanner will help you more than me at this point." Taking off her glasses, Jara looked around again, then headed upstairs. "Stanton said it was a family of three. A father and two daughters, one eighteen, the other fourteen. Let's check the youngest one's room first. Should be the first room we come to." Jara was switching accents and not even realizing she was doing it. Something had her rattled ... or maybe it was just from getting her feet wet again? "Ugg. Now I kno' wha' this reminds me of. There was this movie called 'Th' Grudge,' ye seen it?" Reaching the second floor, the first room was right near the top of the stairs.

Opening the door, the two were greeted with a view of black, mirror lined walls and tinted windows. "Goth. Go figure." Even the carpet and lights and ceiling were black. It was as if no the person hadn't wanted light of any kind inside the room.


"Sure." Eve didn't really expect the scanner to help her much, either. The last time she'd used one, it was mildly helpful, until the Daemons made her drop it. It was something to hold anyway, something to do with her hands.

Upstairs. Great. Going upstairs in these places rarely resulted in anything good; it was usually the same with heading down to the basement. "No, can't say I have. The horror movies are really more Steele's taste than mine." Too impressionable, her little brain was.

The room was...unbelievable. Black carpet. Tinted windows, black walls and the mirrors. They were all over. Eve stood outside the room, just beyond the thresh hold, looking in. Balked where she was, as surely as if she were glued to the floor. "Oh my God ... " *What* could someone have been doing with all those mirrors?


"*You* stay there. I got this one, 'kay? Oh my *God!*"


"I don't really think it's wise for you to go in there, either." Her voice sounded almost mechanical to her own ears, almost devoid of emotion. The fear had crept in at the sight of the numerous mirror, and she only just kept from shuddering. What the looking glasses could have been used for was just *beyond* her. Of course, she didn't doubt it was connected to the supposed haunting, either... "What is it?" Snapping out of it a bit, Eve looked to Jara quickly, eyes widened a little.


"Mirror's on the ceiling, an' I look jus' horrid! Does all this black make my butt look big?"


Facepalm. Eve squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then peeked out from between her fingers at Jara. "Enormous."


"Good. Jared said I was losing too much weight!" Deeper into the room Jara ventured, making her way over to the window in hopes of opening it to get some much needed light. "Nngh! Dxmned thing won't budge! Hey Evie, if you were selling your house, would you *leave* a room looking like this?"

-Scritchscritchscritch-

"Huh? What the fxck was tha'?"

-Scritchscritchscritch- It was faint, but sounded like it was coming from the room. The closet? How cliche' was this?


"Jara? I hate to tell you, but he lied to you." A lie of her own, and there were hints of amusement in her voice to give it away. She didn't want to go in there. She *really* didn't want to go in there. Eve grew braver though, releasing a deep breath slowly, and stepped closer to the door - still not quite going *through.* She could see her reflection in the mirror though. The black jacket and slacks wasn't bad at all, but ... "Jeeze, why didn't you tell me to change shirts before I left?" That was a lot more cleavage than she usually liked to show. She pulled the jacket shut, and was about to button it up about the time the sound started. Eve froze, fingers still on top buttons,
peering into the room. "No, I wouldn't. And ... I wouldn't have left something in the closet to scratch around either." Creeeepy.


"Evie, stay there! I saw wha' happens wit' ye and one mirror, k? I'll be the stupid one an' take a look. Light duty, my arse!"

-Scritchscritchscritch- A pause, then -Scritchscritchscritch- -Scritchscritchscritch-

With a determined look, Jara gripped the door knob of the closet, then yanked it open. A raccoon came running out, right through Jara's legs, and headed for the only source of light it could see: the doorway where Eve was standing.


Buttons forgotten, Eve had been braced, tense, ready to dash into the room if need be. She couldn't leave Jara in there alone if all hxll broke loose!

... Probably neither of them had been ready to see a furball come running out of the closet. Eve got a glimpse of greyish fur and a black stripe for eyes coming right for her before she pivoted, spinning to the side of the door and putting her back against the wall. "... How the hxll did *that* get in here?!" Raccoons she could handle. Mostly.

Jara was having a time catching her breath right then. Ever been startled to the point where you lost your voice? She remained hunched over, gripping her thighs. "Huhn! Huhn! Huhn! Look for my heart, I think I lost it somewhere in here! Oh my God! Vegas! The boys do *not* hear about this, deal?"


"Not a word." She could just *see* the expressions of Tohmaz and Jared if they'd found out that part. It was funny, but she'd laugh later. Trying to calm the fast pace of her head, Eve took a deep breath and rolled away from where she'd been pressed against the wall, stepping back around to look through the doorway into the room. Her eyes found Jara quickly, but she had to do a double take toward the left side. She'd *swear* she'd seen another figure in the mirror; not her reflection or Jara's, and it didn't seem look like the oddly washed-out figure of her specter... "Jara?" There was a knot of tension in her chest suddenly, and she was looking at the glass, trying to find the figure again. Nervousness had set in, and the tension was clear in her voice. "Come out." She didn't even want to waste time with the *why.* She just wanted Jara to get out of there as quickly as possible...


Jara didn't need to hear Eve a second time before she made her way out of the room. "Wha' is it girl? You be lookin' like ye seen a ... Well, a ghost! I didnae sense anything in th' room ... Guess it's clean. Ironic much?" Leaning against the wall, she was finally catching her breath.


"No, I don't think it is. I Saw someone else, Jara, just a second ago. It wasn't your reflection or mine, and it wasn't the Other that I'm used to Seeing there." Eve rolled her shoulders slowly, trying to ease some of the tension from them. She felt a little better since Jara wasn't in there anymore, but Eve was still unsettled. She didn't like the house overall, and couldn't *wait* until they were clear to leave.


"Wha', you hav' another ability? Darcy's gonna luv hearin' tha'! I'm nae likin' this house, an' since we *both* are on light duty, let's be callin' the boys to check out the rest, 'kay?" Jara was already heading back down the stairs, and right towards the front door.

"We were wondering if things were okay in there. Didn't hear anything."

Jara had a smile on her face when Officer Stanton said that. At least no one heard them. "Well, outside of the all-black room with mirrors, we don't have the technology to do a good strong sweep. I'm calling in the boys on this one. You'll still be here when they arrive?"

Both nodded their heads. "Sure thing. Catch you at Joe's tonight?"

Jara gave Stanton a thoughtful look as she headed towards the SUV. "You'll know if you see me, right?" The facade was kept until she was inside the SUV.

She flipped open her cell phone and dialed up Jared. She explained the situation, skipping the part about the raccoon, of course. "Yeah, we'll head back. Have fun. Buhbye now."


She'd just given Jara quizzical look at the question of another ability, but she'd been more than happy to go back outside. She did wonder faintly where the raccoon went, but that wasn't really her concern; being out of that chill, oppressive atmosphere was. Eve kept her features still, belying nothing as the two re-emereged, and she had even kept quiet during Jara's exchange with the officer. It seemed to take forever to be able to unlock the car and get in.

Dropping her head back on the headrest, Eve released a breath she hadn't even noticed she'd been holding. There was more to that house than surface, she was sure. She'd Felt it, Jara had Felt it... It was just *creepy,* especially considering the odd sighting within the mirrored room. "Okay, that was just creepy. Beyond creepy." Understatement!


"Oh my God. We were like bloody newbies in there! " -Thud!- That was the sound of Jara's head hitting the side window. (m) "Ow."


"I *am* a freakin' newbie!" A roll of her head, and Eve was looking over at Jara. "I kinda get the feeling that I'm just wandering around in the dark. I feel like I'm learning, but it's slow and the rules keep changing on me." A shrug. Did it even make sense? A quiet sigh, and she straightened up in her seat, buckled in. "Okay, so where are we headed?"


"I say we head back to the Base and do some research on where exactly we are, and compare it to what and where we both have been to get a grasp on things." She nodded the entire time, except when she stopped to free her hair from the ponytail.


"Good idea." Better than anything she could come up with. Eve wasn't sure she would ever puzzle all of this out, but hopefully she'd get to the point where she could fake it pretty well. She started the SUV up, and away they went. One good thing about the day - it had been a crash course in driving!


"So .... Is Steele a good kisser?"


Good thing she wasn't drinking anything, or Eve could have choked again. That one just came out of the blue! Somehow, she managed to keep a straight face, and didn't even change colors. Miracles *did* happen, even if they were small. Rather than just popping off a response right away, Eve let the question hang in the air long enough that Jara might wonder if she was being ignored. Had to at least *pretend* to give it some consideration, didn't she? "Fantastic." The grin that followed was only *slightly* tinged by a smart-alec response, though sincere.

[Argus Steele]

It was hot. It was hazy. It was humid. It was sticky. It felt like trying to view through the bottom of a coke bottle - two even. It was dark. A lingering first person view.

Heightened sensations of another presence, other than her own. Awareness of one's own clothing . . . Or the lack of it. Hands touching where mutual permission given. Sharp intake of breath. Then another. A building zenith reaching higher. Higher still. Fingers reaching. Finding. Curling around the knife. A straddle. A smile. A deep slash of flesh and muscle. Visions of black and white now colored with streams of fluid red. Screams. Laughter. Hearts desire sought for. Discovery. Still beating heart found.

-Flash!-

Clock radio alarm goes off.


Her heart was pounding, chest tight and burning for lack of air. The transition from sleep to waking was jarring, enough so that it left her very confused for a few long minutes afterward. It had been . . . intense. Her skin felt wet, particularly her hands and forearms, but it was only sweat. The sensation of hot, spilled blood was something that lingered, and the thought of it turned her stomach. Eve groaned and finally reached over to turn off the screeching alarm. Her hand was shaking, and not subtly.

Stealing a few more moments of peace was out of the question now. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Eve sat still for a moment, curling her fingers into the sheets. The air was cool on her skin, but she didn't really notice. That was . . . That was . . . "What *was* that?" Murmured to herself, and followed with a shake of her head. Oh, great. A new worry. Throwing a glance at the clock, she sighed and rose, going for a change of clothes. The black sleep shirt wasn't exactly appropriate for . . . well . . . anything, really. "I'm gonna learn, one of the days, to stop sleeping altogether."


Dark circles under the eyes. Usually the results from either not sleeping, or not enough sleep altogether. Jara had not gone to sleep after Eve had called it a night; instead, she'd decided to continue to pursue their research on what and where they were, and how if was different from their own collective realities. Steele was going to have to restock his coffee supply, as Jara went through a good portion of it during the night. She knew now why he drank the foul smelling brew: It was quite addictive, and good for keeping one on the alert side. Hearing the faint sounds of a clock radio alarm caused semi blood-shot eyes to blink before they were made worse by rubbing them. (m) "Ow . . . Stiff neck. Ow!"

Slowly, painfully, she'd push herself away from the desk. Her body cried out in painful protest from being forced to remain in such a cramped position for such a long time. Then came the pins and needles sensation of circulation coming back to her legs, and she almost fell to the floor. That feeling was quickly replaced by the sudden building pangs coming from her overtaxed kidneys. Too much coffee inside them. With a cringe, Jara sought refuge within the guest bathroom. Had she been up *all* night?


A short time later, Eve emerged downstairs, dressed and presumably ready for action. Dressed in black, though the front of the fitted button-down was open low enough to reveal the pink lace hem of the cami she wore under it. She'd left her hair loose and was feeling slightly better now that the morning necessities had been taken care of, but still a bit out of sorts. Going for a bottle of juice from the fridge, she took a long look around. The smell of coffee was still in the air, but no one was to be found. Had Jara left after all? She'd expected the other woman to crash on the couch . . . "Hey, anyone here?" The quiet was just *too* much for her right now.


The answer would be given in the sound of a toilet flushing, followed by the return of the red-eyed wonder herself, wringing slightly damp hands. "She lives! How ye sleep, luv? I hope ye got enuff fer th' both o' us! Oh yeah, let ye boyfriend kno' he's almost out o' java." Quick jab to Eve's shoulder, then Jara yawned and stretched while making her way to the closest window to open the blinds. She cringed at the bright light.

"An' speakin' o' th' boy toy, he never came home last night. Guess him an' me brother must hav' found somethin' juicy. No messages or nuthin'. Hmph. "


"That's a bit on the odd side. Um, I think, anyway. Breaking the new recruit in right, maybe." Hopefully. She didn't really like the no-word-at-all thing, but there wasn't much she could do about it. A long drink from the juice, and she winced slightly at the bitter aftertaste. "Sleep sucks, but that's the usual. Come up with anything?"


"Sort of. Hav' a look. The current events? Pretty much th' same. Tabloids? Th' same. UFO sightings? Ditto. Unless we both be losin' our collective marbles, you an' I are th' only ones tha' sort of kno' differently. There is th' lack o' Daemons. Cannae pull anythin' up on them. It's like they don' exist . . . Nae like I be complainin', jus' weird, yanno? I pulled up ye file as well. Nuthin' out o' thr ordinary, save fer this: Yer primary shrink at Stonebridge was Dr. Darcy Jason. Friend o' the family, an' has been wit' ye since ye were first admitted."


"Yeah, that is kind of weird." Eve dropped into a chair, but she was frowning a bit at the news. "Darcy Jason. Hmm. Did it say anything about *why* I was admitted to Stonebridge?" Curiosity as to whether the reasoning was generally the same or not.


"Mmm . . . The short version? Fear o' mirrors, and imaginary friends. Huh. I didn't read dis part. 'S a new entry. (m) I hacked the system, so let's keep dis in Vegas, hmm?"

Jara would let Eve read it for herself. They were assigning her a new doctor. His name was Maxwell. Dr. Maxwell. Top of his field in dealing with . . . Mental issues. Jara did give her partner a side glance, then went to refresh her cup. "Dehm girl, wha' did ye do to her back dere?"


Her eyes had narrowed thoughtfully as she'd read that, and she hissed a sigh through her teeth. "That's just it, Jara. I don't know that woman. I've met *a* Dr. Darcy before, but that wasn't quite. . . *her.* My doctor *was* Maxwell, and he was an ass. Aaaand. . ." Here she paused, looking just a touch sheepish and rolling her shoulders in a shrug. ". . . That wasn't exactly why I was admitted, though it was up there." Groaning, Eve reached up to cover her face momentarily, fingertips pressed against her eyes. "Ooooh. . . this just gets better and better. I don't even know what she *expected* me to do about the mirror, you know?" Dropping her hands, a little tension had crept into her voice. "I don't like feeling like I'm crazy, but I'm glad that I'm not the only one feeling it."


"Yeah, but whatever she Felt, they be replacin' her, so don' be too happy. Now ye be doin' it from scratch. Hmm." Tapping her nails on the screen. "Mebbe dis be the universe's way o' fixin' things? Ye did say she was nae yer doctor, an' *bam!* She's nae anymore . . . Spooky." Jara glanced over her shoulder, hearing the sounds of the SUV pulling up, followed by several voices.


"She wasn't. Isn't." A shake of her head. "But I'd also fired Maxwell at one point, and. . .um. . . bribed him at another." A shrug, and slightly sheepish look. "I just hope his mindset is a bit different this time around. I've seen a reality where he's actually. . . nice. Open-minded." At the sounds of the SUV pulling up, Eve quirked a brow, glancing absently at the clock. All-nighter, apparently.


Enter the three Amigos . . . Or was that Musketeers? No, Stooges! Steele tossed Eve a bag of freshly baked donuts, and Jared did the same for his sister. Brehnic just went to the first available seat and plopped down, looking very tired. "Glad you two are up and dressed, because you're heading out into the field with us in a few."

Jara cringed between bites of food. "Nooooo! I was *so* lookin' forward to sitting at me wee desk on me wee' lil chair." In her best imitation Shrek voice.

It took Steele all of three seconds after giving Eve a good look before he had a slightly concerned look on his face. (m) "Had another vision, didn't you?"


Oh, joy. Was it that obvious? Eve had caught the bag, though she didn't have much interest in food at the moment. Particularly not when thinking about the dream again. . . "I don't know." A half-shrug, before opening the bag for a bagel. She wasn't hungry, but if she didn't eat *something,* what energy she did have would start flagging very soon. "I really hope not." A bit darkly before daring a bite, then shifting the subject a bit. "So what's up?"


Passing out several pictures to both women, Jared took over. "We were called out to the old Stonebridge building. Had reports of some sort of activity going on in the lower levels. Brehnic was able to get a good picture of this . . ."

The image in question looked like some sort of ancient portal or door. "We get first dibs to see what exactly it is. Eve, I didn't want to you to go back there, considering your past, but your boyfriend here feels you're strong enough to handle it."

Jara flashed Eve a sly grin at her brother's boyfriend comment. "So we get t'play like Ghostbusters? Or was tha' GhostHunters?"


Well, the general consensus seemed to be that Steele *was* her boyfriend. Funny, that. She glanced between the Ricos, giving Jara a glance that said she wanted to throw her donut at her, then looked back at the photo. "Portal, yeah, but do we know if it still works? And more importantly, where it goes?" So her cheeks *had* colored a little, but the blush wasn't too bad this time. Gave her fair skin a healthy flush, at least momentarily.


"She's *not* my girlfriend, and you two need to get a hobby or something. Besides, Eve is the *other* woman. " Spoken with that trademark grin, Steele pointed over toward Brehnic, who picked up where Jared left off.

"Good questions, Agent Lizt. Granted we didn't have the proper equipment to do any full testing, but that was placed with all intentions of not being found. It's inactive, and as long as none of us touch anything, it should stay that way." Nodding as he spoke.

"Alright troops, here's the drill. Two SUVs. I'm driving, Eve's with me - *shut-up* Jared - and Brehnic's with us also. The wonder twins get to take the second SUV. Let's grab what we came for and get out there before the top brass gets cold feet and send in the Feds."

Jara just continued to have that 'I know something you don't' grin towards Eve, then stuffed a donut into her mouth and grabbed the duffle bag from her brother. "I'll be bahk. Need shower." And off she went. Brehnic continued to sit there, shaking his head with a bemused expression. He was the new guy, so he'd keep any comments to himself.

"C'mon, Elf, you can help me load some gear from the basement."


She'd managed to keep her expression still, but in truth, she wanted to laugh when even Steele denied it. But. . . wait. What? Other woman? She'd looked at him, but it was the close, even expression that said nothing at all.

Nodding slightly at what Brehnic was saying, Eve then drained the rest of her orange juice and tossed the uneaten half of her bagel. She'd had as much of that as she could take. A ponytail holder pulled her back pocket, and the young woman absently drew her hair up. Too bad she didn't have a spare, or she would have popped that one at Jara. "Okay. So what are we looking at loading up and using?" Not that she really knew anything about the equipment, but she was all business now. Had to be, or her mind would run in circles until she drove herself insane.


"Anything that might scream out Daemon related." Wait, did Steele just say something about Daemons? Either way, he had a deep, thoughtful look about him as he was took a mental inventory of what to take. "You know the wonder twins are only going to get worse after coming across this picture. . ." He handed her a photo of a certain pair in a less than platonic embrace.


She gave him a sharp look. ". . . Daemons?" A blink, wondering if she heard him correctly. Didn't Jara just say a few minutes ago. . . ? A brief shake of her head, mentally replaying the conversation.

"Oh. . . I'd hate to know what worse is like." They were photographed like that? When? Eve made a soft tasking sound, and shook her head gently. "Incriminating evidence. I'm the other woman, remember?" There was a smile as she said it. Not the best of subjects to tease or prod about, but it took her mind away from the nightmarish thing she'd woken up to.


"Frail, yer the only woman." He tossed her a Blackberry. "That's yours." Glancing over his shoulder and past Eve to look up the steps, Steele then held a finger up to his lips. A motion with his other hand indicated for her to follow him.


Given that he'd left her standing with the picture (with the threat of both Ricos nearby, at that), she threw a quick glance around for somewhere to stash it. Nowhere that wouldn't have been terribly obvious close at hand, so she folded it in half and slipped it into her back pocket. Oooh. And a Blackberry. . . "Okay. . . " She caught the gesture once she looked up from the device, and on light feet, she followed him.


Once they reached a deeper area of the basement, Steele knelt down to go through some of the electronics and gestured for Eve to do the same. (w) "How you holding up, Elf?" There was a sincere look inside those dark eyes. This *was* the Steele she knew!


She knelt down and did the same, though she didn't have any idea what she was looking for. "I'm holding, but sometimes it's better than others." Like when someone was around that she *really* knew! A moment of thought, before she asked, double-checking. ". . . Did you say we were looking for anything Daemon related?"


Slowly nodding his head. (w) "Fxcking Cromwell screwed reality over but good. I'm afraid this is as close as it gets to what you knew and know. Jara's from another reality too, and I'm gonna assume you already know that. The Pirate is from ours, and Brehnic checks out okay. He's from this one. Like you, I woke up to *find* myself already in circulation in this reality, sans any Daemon sightings. Save for what we stumbled across at the *old* Stonebridge. It looks and smells like Daemon technology."


Eve fell out of the kneeling position, sitting square on her backside. She felt like she had to sit down, just out of relief alone. "Oh, my God. You don't know how happy you just made me to say all that. I mean. . . Not about the Daemons or Cromwell, but. . ." A wave of her hand, giving up on trying to articulate it, for the most part. "Yeah, I knew about Jara. She'd told me as much. But it is a real pain when there are things I'm supposed to know and remember and it's just not there." Mostly things like what happened with Darcy, before. A half-shrug, and she returned to the task at hand; at least it kept her hands busy.


(w) "No sign of Amber though. We'll talk more in the SUV. Just wanted to give you a quick heads up. And. . . do this." Wait, was Steele actually leaning closer to her? *Wait!* Was he brushing away stray strands of hair from her face?

*Wait!* Was that really about to happen? "Ahem. You two *friends* done down here yet?" Jared was standing at the bottom of the steps, arms folded with a grin on his face. "You two sure you're not from Egypt? Because you're both in *denial!*"


She'd been nodding slightly at his mention of Amber and about talking more in the SUV, and even opened her mouth to ask a question when he'd continued. And seemed to be leaning closer. . .

Giving a short laugh, Eve glanced at Jared almost casually. It was pretty good; she wasn't really even red this time! "What?" All innocence. Shifting around, she rolled back into a kneeling position, better to move the box in front of her to the side once more.


"Weeeell, we're all set, and we're waiting on our leader and his wide-eyed, elf-like life-mate."


"Uhhhh-huh." Slowly spoken, with the slight arch of that left brow at Jared. A glance back at Steele, then, with a grin. "Ready when you are, fearless leader."