Reality Check .... Again!!!

[Argus Steele]

< ......??? >

The sensation was one like waking from a deep sleep, but still too groggy to really comprehend your surroundings just yet. For him, it was like the spool of a running filmstrip snapped, with a piece of the film melting from the heat of the projection bulb.

White light, so blinding that closing your eyes would not offer very much protection from it's brilliance. Then blotches of reality start bleeding through, offering virtual images that looked like they were pulled from the washer, faded and cracked. Semi sharper focus followed, providing the sight of one other person.

The air was so still, it was well ... Scary to say the least. There was no signs of the PSD ever being there. Save for Steele's phone, there was no physical proof that he, Stacy, and now even Jara had been there. But that Daemon that appeared long enough to offer a less than cryptic message, along with the chill that gave goose bumps on various levels? That was real. This was real.

Wasn't it???

<This is ground zero, Eve. Where it always ends. Where it always begins. >

More cryptic words?? Only there was a familiar ring to them. standing off to Eve's left, about several feet away was the ghostly visage of Evan Lizt, her male counterpart from a destroyed realm. He looked more like one of those special effects you see in the movies, where his appearance looked like it was running off of 8 mm film, with nearly all the color bled from it.

His hands were stuffed inside his jacket pockets, his image flickering on and off as he looked about the vast wheat field, seemingly ignoring any questions Eve may have offered, or perhaps he just did not hear them ....

<You remember this spot Eve? This is where I died ... The first time, right before I pushed you through the portal. This is also the same spot where Steele shot ... Killed me. This was where the PSD should have been ... I saw the Daemon, but that didn't look like Cromwell. It didn't notice me either. Guess that's a good thing, hmmm?>

Whether the young woman answered him or not, Evan flickered out of sight for several seconds, before appearing by her side. That trade mark empty eyed expression was reflected right back upon her ....

< No, I don't know what happened, really. You? >

Once again his attention wandered, as if it was a concentrated effort to maintain any coherent thought. Or perhaps it was the slow approach of a black van from the distance?? < Company's coming. >

The van would come to a stop, 10 yards from where Eve had parked her car. Soft tinted windows, with Ohio plates. And nothing could prepare Eve for what was to happen next, as the driver's side of the van swung open, an Asian woman stepped from it, dressed in a military Goth style outfit, shoulder length hair in a ponytail, and with some sort of gadget in hand. "Hey, the sign says nada trespassing. This be private property ..."

The passenger side opened, as a brunette stepped out from the other side, blowing a huge bubble gum bubble before letting it pop, sucking the contents back inside her mouth, dressed in camouflage gear, also with a similar device in hand .... "You getting this J? The readings are spiking, right about where that girl is. Think she's the cause, or the effect?"

Lips twitching a bit as Jara peered over the tops of her sunglasses, glancing down at her reader, then back at the girl. "Mmmm, it's not her Stace, but she's close enough the source though. Dammit!! It's gone .... " Stepping closer, Jara's eyes would squint as she got a good look at the girl .... Almond colored eyes growing wide with surprise ...

"You??!!?? Holy shyte Stacy, it's Eve Lizt!!!"

[Cracked View]

It was a Feeling that Eve was getting used to; the feeling that the bottom had fallen out from under Reality, and everything was in free-fall. During her teen years, it seemed that it was chaotic, unguided, whereas now, it seemed guided by stealthy hands. She'd come to recognize the warped feeling as one of the hallmarks of a Daemonic presence, and it had even gone as far as to make that certain. It had *showed* itself to her!

Once she had the feeling that things
had settled once again - and yet hadn't, at the same time - Eve pulled her hands from her eyes and looked around. It looked...much like before. She was still at the opening of a wheat field, with the PSD obviously lacking. Her eyes lighted on the still, flickering figure of Evan, lingering there for a long moment. Without the PSD, he wasn't in containment anymore; but would he be anymore forthcoming? "What...What just happened, Evan?"

With no response, she sighed and looked around. Her car - a sleek deep purple Mustang, complete with a tribal-ish butterfly on the front license plate - was still in place, and she still held Steele's cell in her hand. Sighing, she slipped it in the pocket of her jacket along with her own, then found herself looking at Evan all over again. She'd missed the flicker-trick, and opened her mouth to speak, before pausing, just studying him. What was going on with him? Eve got the feeling that the lights were on, but no one was home; it seemed to be a a sustained effort for him to focus for long, and she figured that if she said anything, she might as well be talking to herself again.

He'd remarked about the company before she ever quite made up her mind on that one. Twisting around, Eve watched the approach of the van, and let a slow breath slip out. Curiousity wasn't really getting the better of her here, and she was actually afraid of exactly *what* might be pulling up there. Steele had gone missing, and so had Jara; those were just the two she *knew* about! "Great. Please be friendlies." Muttered to herself as she turned to face the car, letting her hands fall loosely to her sides, regarding them warily.

"Ohio." Ohio? Did she *know* anyone with Ohio plates? Her brows drew together in a frown, but she didn't say anything. The first to bound out of the van didn't do much for clarifying anything. Goth military. And then...bubble-gum popping military. Don't mind the dubious look; she was looking relatively plain herself (if not a bit pale,) in curve skimming khakis and a red shirt open to let the lace hem of a cami peek over the hem. No makeup, and the loose curls of her hair was even free at the moment, rather than being bound into a ponytail. She'd been in a hurry, once Tohmas' had called.

Her eyes had locked on the Asian girl first, then narrowed slightly, before moving to the other, then back again. Something was familiar about both of them, wasn't it...? A blink of surprise, and her eyes widened a little. "...Jara?" A brief pause, and she knew the next thing she said was rediculous, but it was out before she knew it. "...And you always said *I* was Goth."

It was in the back of her mind that the two might *not* exactly be friendly to her; she'd found simliar cases before, she wasn't sure *what* was going on. Had Reality been altered again? Was she misplaced? ..Or something else entirely?

Whatever it was, Eve was sure that by the end of it, she was going to have a serious headache.

[Argus Steele]

Stacy arched an eyebrow, before running a hand through her hair, slight signs of a tiny smile becoming evident on her face before looking over at Jara. "Girl, she knows your name. Ba Da Dun!!! Creepy!!" Jara at the moment was ignoring her friend/associate, her focus trained more on the young woman standing before them. "You ... Are Eve Lizt, aren't you?" Raising her hand slowly, Jara would reach towards her, extending it before ... Poking her in the arm. "Holy shyte, it's really her. "

Taking a deep breath, Jara folded her arms across her chest, those mental wheels turning inside her head. Before she could ask another question, she was interrupted by a low whistle coming from Stacy who was eyeing the car. " Nice ride there. Luv the color. That a limited edition?"

A roll of the eyes, was what Jara gave Stacy, a smack to the head was her first choice, but Stacy was too far away, once again looking back at Eve. "Um, no offense, but where the Hell have you been??? You went via milk carton like ten years ago. "

< WTF?? Since when is Stacy a brunette??? > Leave it to a minor detail change of hair color to be strong enough to snap Evan from his stupor, his *physical* image even becoming stronger in color and contrast, though still remaining a tad bit grainy. < Did Jara just say ... 10 years??? >

Both girls were giving Eve a look, wondering exactly who she was looking at, because it wasn't either of them. But Evan's reemergence caused both their scanners to light up again, startling both women. "There!! Just to the left of Eve!! You gettin' this Hanson?"

- Hey you two, find anything out there? -

Stacy would reach up to tap her bluetooth, which had been covered by her hair. " Yeah we did, and it's playing out like an episode of .... Supernatural. Possible paranormal sighting as we speak, and get this ... We found Eve Lizt. Or she found us."

- Lizt?? You sure it's her?" -

" Ya huh, and she's looking like a martini right now. A little shaken, but not stirred. Here, I'll transmit a picture to you .... " Jara would continue to try to get a fixed reading on the recent hot spot, while Stacy had pulled out her cell phone, taking a picture of Eve, before reaching up to adjust her Bluetooth again.

"Mmmmmhmm. I'll ask. Later days. " Not having taken her eyes off Eve during the short conversation, Stacy blew another bubble with her gum .... "Um, would you mind coming back with us? Guess it's Q&A session time." Evan looked over at his realm counterpart, nodding his head slowly. < I'm game if you are. They don't have any weapons or anything inside the van. Just a bunch of stuff used for ... Ghost hunting. Your call. >

"Hanson, what did he say when you told him?" Jara asked? " Oh, the usual. So I sent him a picture. You know TS2, always hands on. Mr. Proof positive."

Jara was still in the process of tracking Evan, when he poofed on her suddenly. "This is way cool. I told you this area was prime ground zero for some paranormal sightings!!" Both girls would high five the other before looking back at Eve, waiting on her decision. Eve could still *feel* his presence, even though she could not physically see him herself.

[Cracked View]

She couldn't help it. She was giving both the women a look, left brow arched slightly. Things felt off-kilter, but she couldn't figure out how; it was more than just the changes in Jara and Stacy, though they were odd. Hair color was easily changed with dye, however, and though she'd never really known Jara to be Goth...well, it was a style. Eve watched Jara poke in her the arm, lips parted slightly, before reaching over to rub the spot, as if she'd prodded too hard. Sort of reassuring herself that, yes, she was still solid, and she'd felt the touch. "Yeah, I am. Jara...what's going on?"

Eve even found her mouth opening to respond to Stacy about the car before shaking it off. No, the car didn't really matter - though she'd gotten to like it. That train of thought was knocked from the tracks by Jara. "...What?" Note the blank, incredulous stare. "Ten years? No, no...that's impossible." Wasn't it? It had to be! Had she Shifted again?

Everything spun for a few seconds before she closed her eyes, pressing her fingertips to the bridge of her nose. Feeling the ground under her feet, the stir of the breeze in her hair. That was real, solid; she was awake, but what she was being told wasn't making sense. Eve didn't even think about it when she reacted to Evan, looking to him with an almost pleading gaze. "Yeah, that's what she said. It can't...I just..."

She fell back a step, pressing her lips together for a few seconds, fingers kneading for a moment - curling, uncurling, before she realized what she was doing and consciously made herself stop. "That can't be right. I *just* got here - -"

But it didn't look like they were listening. It looked as if the two of them were trying to pick up on Evan, which threw Eve in itself; she wasn't *used* to be around people anymore that seemed ignorant of the 'other side.' Snapping her mouth shut, she sighed, thinking that she *really* didn't want to have to explain all of this.

The young woman didn't seem to be paying Stacy much mind, aside from realizing that she was on the phone with someone. She was watching Jara, trying to let her expression go empty - but not succeeding very well. About the time she decided that Jara didn't seem to be doing much harm with...well, whatever she was doing, she looked back to Stacy - just in time to have her picture snapped with the cell phone. It wasn't the most flattering picture, complete with wide, startled eyes and a slightly open mouth, and followed with a sigh. "You could have at least warned me. I might have smiled." Might have.

The 'offer' of attending a question and answer session (she expected more questions than answers, actually) was met with a cautious look. Eve gave no reaction to what Evan said, and was even a little glad when he suddenly disappeared. Better that he wasn't there, she'd decided; it seemed to complicate things. He was still near enough for her Feel him, however, which was somewhat comforting. "Okay, but I get to follow and take my car. And who is 'he?'" Eve had a feeling, but thought she'd ask anyway.

[Argus Steele]

"Eve? Eve can you hear me?"

Dr. Maxwell shined the tiny light into the young woman's eyes in hopes of getting some sort of response. He had been on vacation when his pager went off, the message on it caused him to practically drop everything he was doing at the time, (golfing) and catch a red eye back to Philadelphia ASAP.

The assembled cast went as followed ... Her parents. Dr. Maxwell. Tohmas, Jara, and Stacy. Dr. Maxwell had a small problem with the last three being there, considering his last exchange with Tohmas Steele over ten years ago concerning his patient, but took into consideration that it was his little group that found Eve, he allowed them to wait out in the lobby.

-Several hours ago ... -

" TS2? Oh, that's Thomas Steele the Second. I think he added the *Second* to make himself sound more professional. "

< So, I'm at a lost for words. How about you? > Evan would say as his form flickered into view in the back seat Eve as she followed Jara., while Stacy sat in the passenger seat. < This freaking you out as much as it is me? Outside of you, me, the car and Steele's phone ... > Evan would leave it at that, no need to explain the obvious. < It was sort of weird that Jara didn't pick me up, without that gizmo, y'know? She's supposed to be the ghost whisperer, right? > He knew she couldn't exactly respond right then with Stacy there, but it was his way of venting.

"Brrrr!! You don't have the AC on do you?" Stacy inquired while rubbing her arms. < Hey, ask her about being a shrink. > When asked, Stacy was a little caught off guard by Eve's inquiry ... "H-how did you ... Spooky. Okay. That's really spooky. Well, I'm currently an intern at Stonebridge. The doctor I'm working for does not care for my involvement with this, but as long as it does not interfere with what I'm doing there, guess he has to deal with it. " Small grin.

" The right thing to do would be to first contact your parents, even though you are legally an adult, it's a formality for the whole missing persons bit. Then the authorities, then Stonebridge. Problem is, TS2 has this knack of not always doing the *right* thing. Evan would chime in on what Stacy had disclosed. < She did work at Stonebridge before getting her own gig. She used to talk about it all the time. >

A few more turns and Eve could see Steele's place. Jara was already at the door waiting on them. " Welcome to the jungle. " Jara mused before inserting her card key." Hey Thomas, we're back!! "

A voice coming from the media room would inform them of his whereabouts. The house looked exactly the same, save for not as many high tech gadgets around. There was no PSD, and from what she could tell, this trio was working freelance style, not to mention, the whole Paranormal thing was still based about/around Urban Legends and haunted houses. The *media * room was covered with tabloid mags, newspapers, and the like. Fancy computers were replaced with several laptops, along with several DVD players hooked up to a couple of flat screen televisions.

And there he sat, with his back turned to them, reading over the latest venture. The trademark black baseball cap covered his head, matching the usual black attire. Spinning around in his chair to meet Eve, he smiled at her. WTF??? Thomas Steele the Second was ... White ???

- Back to the present -

" Careful, you have quite the goose egg on the back of your head. You fainted. " Stacy said, while holding a clip board, and wearing her traditional lab coat. Eve's clearing eyesight was not failing her. She was back inside Stonebridge!!!

[Cracked View]

The dark haired girl groaned softly as she turned her head a little, trying to avoid the stinging light and go back to ... nothing. She wanted to sink back into the velvet blackness that had enveloped her before, retreat from the noise of the room and the ache throbbing through her skull. The slight movement only brought more pain, and made her stomach twist into a knot. Trying to will the nausea away, Eve relented and cracked her eyes open, blinking and squinting in the too bright light.

"St-." The word came out as nothing more than a croak from her dry throat. Swallowing, she cleared her throat, put a hand over her eyes in an effort to block the light, reduce the sensitivity of her eyes. Her hands were cold, but the chill felt good on her pounding head. "Stop. I can hear you just fine." Her voice was clearer now, and she hadn't yet made any effort to look around. The voice that had woken her was familiar, but there were gaps in her memory; the last thing she could remember was being in her car...


***********************

"The Second?" Her brows drew together as she mulled that over, lips pursing slightly. Had he been a 'second' before? It was hard for her to recall, but she didn't think so. "'TS2' sounds like a video game system." Afterthought.

Glancing in the rearview mirror just in time to See Evan flicker into place - the chill that preceeded him was her forewarning - and she nodded very slightly, one time. Don't mind her, just nodding to the beat of the music... Slipping her hand into her jacket pocket, she touched the cell phone she'd picked up just before everything went screwy. Funny, the way things had twisted so suddenly. "No, the air isn't on."

She did hesitate a little before popping the question about Stacy, but knew she'd have to ask sooner or later. It'd start to bother her if she didn't. "I'm a spooky person, Stacy. Hang around me for long and you'll find that pretty quickly." A gentle shrug, and both her tone and expression were a little apologetic as she spoke. "But I can't say that Stonebridge is a place I'm fond of, or had had given me many happy memories." Then again, how many things really did? Her best memories were of dance or one of the activities her parents had placed her in, and had happened after starting work and meeting Steele. Bizarre at times, but better than much of her childhood.

"My parents? You're kidding, right?" Eve gave Stacy a dubious look, then glanced in the rearview at Evan before looking back to the road. She hadn't seen her parents in a long time; she hadn't seen her mother, Abigale, since the evening she'd made friends with a razorblade, and her father, Jackson, more recently - but Reality had been Shifting then, so did it even count? He'd shown up with Maxwell in an attempt to talk to her about her connection to Jasmine's death. It made her head ache to think about it.

"Well, if he doesn't want to do the supposed 'right' thing by notifying them, I'm all for it." It was a strange thing; it hurt not to have them in her life and to think about what *could* have been if things had been different, but at the same time, she wanted to push forward, leave them behind. She'd even wondered once or twice before if she really even *was* their daughter; the differences were night and day, so it seemed. Eve let it go at that, mulling it over, and trying to mentally brace for whatever might be coming next.

She parked in front of Tohmas' place just as she had been doing of late, and sighed after getting out of the car. Well, this was it, wasn't it? Time to see just how peculiar things had really gotten in such a short period of time - and figure out how she was going to explain everything, or if she even *could.* The threat of getting herself locked back in Stonebridge lingered around the edge of her thoughts, and it was a chance she was afraid to take.

"Honey, I'm home!" Called out in jest, and she'd only grinned and shrugged at Jara. Maybe no one got the joke, but she had to do *something* to keep herself from getting mired down with that sinking feeling. If she let fear bog her down, things were bound to get much more difficult.

Eve looked around, taking in the changes as she went. What would she find if she went upstairs? She wondered idly, hooking her thumbs through her belt loops. What kind of connection was she supposed to have shared with the people here - if any at all?

Okay, so she had to admit to butterflies as she stepped into the media room. She really cared about Tohmas, and they'd just gotten ... close. The changes in Jara and Stacy seemed extreme enough that she was a little worried about what might have happened here. "Tohmas?" Softly, her head canted slightly as she eyed the seated figure, trying to peek around the side of the chair. A few steps forward, and he spun around, making her freeze. He was ... He was white now? Not that she really had a problem with it, but she'd found him smokin' hot before. "What the - "

************************

She fainted? Pulling her hand away from her eyes, she looked around the room, squinting. Her eyes lighted on Dr. Maxwell, Stacy, then her parents. They each looked a little different than she remembered, but she didn't quite look the same as when she'd been commited, either.

Forcing her eyes away from them, Eve pushed herself into a sitting position, and felt her stomach fall somewhere in the vicinity of her feet as she looked around. Stonebridge. There was absolutely no mistaking it. Stonebridge, Dr. Maxwell, and her parents. Swinging her legs over the side and ignoring the brief spin of the room, she raised one hand in a gesture to keep anyone from touching her. "What happened?" Memory was trying to catch up, but the drum at the back of her head didn't help much.

[Argus Steele]

Dr Maxwell offered Eve a simple explanation to her question. "Well Eve, you've lost some weight, probably due to a lack of a proper diet. Those bags under your eyes still tell me you're not getting quality sleep. And the results from your blood work?" He was on quite the roll until that point, as Dr. Maxwell reread the results and then again, those creases appearing on his forehead .... (m) "This ... This can't be right. Stacy, was there any mix up in this?"

Stacy took the chart, rereading it herself, her eyes quickly glancing at Eve, before back to the Doctor. "Um ... No. Those are the right results." Dr. Maxwell would frown for a moment, before snatching the chart from his intern. "That is not possible. I'll be back momentarily after I run the results again myself." Stacy would just arch an eyebrow, watching Dr. Maxwell depart ... (m) " This type of thing *never: happens on House.

Then Eve's parents started. What began as sincere concern soo turned back to the same ole accusations, as her father would go off on a tandem about her putting them through all of this, making them think she was dead. Again Stacy would arch her eyebrow, before rubbing her right temple slightly ... And finally stepping into the Faaaaaaaaaaamily Feud!!!! " Okay, I'm going to have to suggest you two go wait out in the lobby. It's obvious that whatever happened to your daughter, she's still very much disoriented, and neither of you are help matters any by increasing her stress levels. Matter of fact, if this is how you are going to act, then just go back home, and I'll have Dr. Maxwell contact you."

As one would expect, that didn't go over well with the Lizts, not that Stacy expected it to. She had already call for security, who would escort them to the lobby if they wished to wait, or outside, if they continued to be disruptive. Closing the door behind them, Stacy would let out a deep breath before looking over at Eve. " I'm so sorry about that, hun. " Rubbing her temple again.

When asked about the results, and Dr. Maxwell's reaction ..... Stacy was up front and honest with her. "You went missing for ten years. Those blood test *should* say that you are the same age you were since your ... Disappearance. Aaaaand with Dr. Maxwell being a man of pure science ... Yadda yadda yadda, blah, blah, blah. I ... Changed a few things on it, so that when he goes to rerun the test, it's going to should that you have slight low blood sugar, and are healthy as a horse. TS2's idea. Speaking of which ... " Stacy would brush aside her hair, revealing a bluetooth. "You can come in now, guys. We have some time before Dr. Maxwell returns."

What was the best way to describe Thomas Steele the Second? He looked like younger version of Daniel Craig, you know, the new James Bond? He even spoke with a bit of an accent as well. He and Jara joined them moments later .... "Well Eve, I guess this isn't the typical coming home party now, hmmm? I'm positive that you have many questions, as do we. And after encountering your ... Delightful parents, it is a good thing you are of legal age, this way you cannot be forced to return with them. I offer an alternate solution. Perhaps if you allow us, we can assist you in obtaining the answers you seek ...."

[Cracked View]

"Spare me, Doc. You're not really telling me anything I don't know - and it's rude to tell a girl she looks like hell." That was pretty much what it was, wasn't it? Eve knew the dark smudges were there, but that had to do with 'fainting' as well as the sleepless night she'd had before with Tohmas. Her chest tightened a little with apprehension at the thought, and she sighed, settling her feet on the floor, then standing slowly.

The young woman watched the back-and-forth with Maxwell and Stacy silently, expression relatively empty. Try as she might, she couldn't really find herself to be too interested in what the test results said; she was suddenly tired, and leaned against the padded examination table she'd been laying on, crossing her legs at the ankle. "He's determined that he's always right." Spoken to Stacy with the slight arch of a brow.

To this point, she hadn't acknowledged her parents with more than a cursory glance. Once her mother opened her mouth to go on the spiel about how worried they were, however, Eve smiled just slightly, but there was no humor in it. "Oh yeah? You were really that worried about me?" She stopped, nodding as if in agreement. "And yet you could never call or write or even show up on visitation days to see me while I was in Stonebridge, eh?"

Oh, but *that* set it off! She had to admit a little satisfaction at that; it touched a nerve in her parents that it seemed they presumed she'd leave alone. Maybe they thought she'd be so happy to see them that she'd be beside herself? Maybe they were there for appearances sake only? Whatever the case, Eve let them prattle on, watching them with folded arms and half-hooded eyes, her expression blank. Of her parents, she favored her mother more than her father, and the resemblance was mild there; Eve's features were more refined, more soft than sharp, and her eyes were that striking grey rather than the muddled blue of her mother's.

After letting her gaze slide to Stacy once and watching the other woman rub her temples, Eve decided it was time to cut this short - not that she really wanted to listen to it, anyway. "Tell you what: Get out my sight. Better yet, just get out of my life. Not like you were ever really here before, so why bother now, hmm?"

It was a look she remembered well on her father's face - when the scowl melted away to nothing, leaving him with his own empty-eyed expression. It differed a bit from Eve's own; rather than trying to hide anything, this was when he was at his most angry, and likely most dangerous. She remembered more than a few times he'd taken on that look when she was a kid, and the bruises that soon followed.

Without Stacy's interruption, there was really no telling what might have happened; Eve had leveled her own empty-eyed stare at him, and simply waited until security arrived to escort them out. She didn't expect them to leave without a fight, but sighed and tipped her head back once they were out of the room. "Pitiful." It wasn't clear if she was talking about her parents or herself, but she didn't try to elaborate, either.

By the time Jara and Tohmas joined them, Eve had opted to climb back onto the exam table, and sat with her legs dangling off the side. She was sitting up straight, but still looked and felt drained.

She'd found herself eyeing Steele, a little doubtfully. *This* was Tohmas Steele the Second? He didn't really look like the kind of dabble in the paranormal to her, but Eve knew that looks to could be decieving. Not bad looking either, though she was partial to the way he'd looked before. Everything threatened to culminate into one huge, bizarre mess that she probably couldn't make heads or tails from... "Oh, Steele. I wouldn't go home with them, regardless. I'd *make* them have to commiit me again, first." A shrug, and there was a hint of despair in her tone before she pushed it aside, then reached up to rub at her left shoulder. Had she hit the floor on that side, too? "I do need answers. I don't understand what's going on, or what's happened in the time that I've been...gone." Her gaze had flitted between everyone as she spoke, though she settled on Steele with the last word. She needed some light shed on the situation, and the sooner, the better.

[Argus Steele]

Dr. Maxwell like being right. he enjoyed being right. Something he loved to show in front of those that studied under him. Stacy just took it all in stride, with a small smile on her face, with a continuous nodding of the head. Despite her dabbing in what he considered paranormal nonsense, Stacy Hanson was his top student, often displaying a maturity far beyond her twenty years. Unlike most her age, she always seemed to listen, waiting until he was finished speaking before asking rather intelligent questions. This one had a bright future ahead of her.

Stacy had a knack of reading people, and it was a talent that would benefit in her intended line of work. It took all of one conversation to figure out Dr. Maxwell, and cater to his ego without appearing to be kissing his ass. So her ploy in altering the test results came off without a hitch. Dr. Maxwell would go off on his usual tandem about trusting one's own judgement, not having too much faith in machines, and Stacy would give him that *soaking it up like a sponge * expression.

As long as Eve PROMISED to make an effort to see him once a month, he had no real reason to keep her there. Stacy even volunteered to her get settled back in, while letting Dr. Maxwell know in private that this way she could keep tabs on her, without appearing to be ... Keeping tabs on her. Yes, Dr. Maxwell had his new prodigy, and her name was Stacy Hanson.

After signing all the release forms, Stacy was there to escort her outside, where Jara and Thomas were in the parking lot, in the middle of a conversation ...

Jara - " .... And I'm telling you, something was out there with Eve, Thomas. It poofed on us before we could get a solid reading, but something was there. " Pausing long enough to throw her arms in the air ... " Hell, maybe she brought it back with her, from where ever she came from ...."

Thomas - "Maybe, but all I'm saying is that there's been some erratic sunspot activity of late that's been playing havoc with our scanners. I just don't want you getting your hopes up over nothing, alright?"

Jara - (sighs) "Maybe one day I'll just become like Hewitt's charrie in Ghost Whisperer, or the former bad girl slayer Faith in Tru Calling, then you'll .... Hey, how'd it go? She green?" Motioning towards Eve.

"Her shit is bananas ... B-a-n-a-n-a-s!! .... What? FINE!! She's good to go, sheesh!! My suggestion? We vamoose back to the Bat cave and let her get herself together, then we play 20 questions. That sound like a plan??"

Thomas would just stare at Stacy, before shaking his head ... "Luv, you have to be one of the most upbeat people I know. You sure you're not on drugs?" Spoken with a grin.

I want a new drug
One that won't make me sick
One that won't make me crash my car
Or make me feel three feet thick
I want a new drug
One that won't hurt my head
One that won't make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red

" Great, you got her started. You're taking her back, Eve's riding with me."

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel
Like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you

" You're not going to sing the whole song are you?? "

I want a new drug
One that won't spill
One that don't cost too much
Or come in a pill
I want a new drug
One that won't go away
One that won't keep me up all night
One that won't make me sleep all day
One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel
Like I feel when I'm with you
I'm alone with you
I'm alone with you, baby

[Instrumental Interlude]

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ April 16, 2008 03:50 AM: Message edited by: Tohmas A. Steele ]</font>