Whose Reality Is It Anyway???

[Argus Steele]

Reality snapped back into place abruptly, but Eve had found herself sitting upright in the bed, breathing hard with the alarm clock screeching beside her. It took a moment for her mind to catch up with her body, to grasp what she was actually looking at: her old apartment. It had been a small affair, but cozy to her, just right for someone starting out. She had to be dreaming, didn't she? Or *had* she been dreaming? Thoroughly confused, she twisted in the bed to turn off the alarm, and spied the tote bag and the little plastic bag beside the bed. As if things weren't strange enough...Eve took a moment to look at the roller blades inside, trace a finger over one of the laces as she thought back to the entire encounter with Evan...and Everret...and Nora. Her lips pursed as she shrugged it off, and tossed the covers aside to get out of the bed.

Padding lightly across the worn carpet, she went to the bathroom to go about the little necessities of getting ready. If she was there, she'd have to go to work, wouldn't she? But what had happened to reality? Hadn't she been staying with Argus Steele? Her pulse picked up for a moment, and she had to wonder if the entire thing was something her mind had come up with. But then there were the rollerblades...and the other thing.

Blinking to herself as she dried her face, straightening over the sink - her apartment alright, as the mirror was covered - she blinked, realizing she hadn't even looked at it. What had Everett said? 'That thing there helps you see what is and what's not.' "What does that mean?" Whispered to herself, before dropping the towel and bolting back to her room. It took all the self-control she had to make herself get dressed first, though she eyed the plastic wrapped item with more than mild interest. Finally, clad in jeans and a fitted black button-down shirt, she took a look.

Granted, Eve was a bit hesitant to do so, at first. The black case seemed something mystic, until she opened it and found...glasses. Delicate wire frames, and they seemed easily adjusted. A blink, and she tried them on...but the results seemed minimal at best. Everything just a tad sharper, but she thought perhaps it was because of a defect in her eyes. A few blinks at the room with them on, and her gaze caught on the clock. "Dammit, I'm late!" Bounding up from the bed, she bolted for the door, pausing only to grab her keys along the way. Just...lovely, Everything felt helter-skelter, so she only hoped she actually *worked* at the shop!


Things felt painfully normal, as Eve would slip right back into her normal routine, right down to being caught by that same traffic light.

The morning air still had that spring bite to it, complete with morning frost. There were the early birds out scraping their windows that did not have the luxury of having a garage, the fitness freaks that had to get their metabolism charged by doing their daily run, along with those that really needed to have a doggie bag for the scooby doo when curbing their pets. At least the skies offered hints of a non-rainy day for a change.

Eve would get about two steps inside the shop, when she was hit in the face with her apron. "What? Let me guess! You forgot about the time change? We've been open over an hour already!"

And yes, it was your basic early morning mad house rush, for those that had no time for a decent breakfast, but had enough time to fill their gullet with various flavors of caffeinated and noncaffeinated brands. Yup. Normal.

A look at the clock, not only told the time, but the date. This was the day that her whole life was turned upside down.


...Too bad she didn't *feel* normal. Ordinarily, Eve would have gone in with a smile, if not a little guilty, and seemed rather cheery about getting started. This time...Linny got a murmured apology, and she had to try and get into the rhythm of things all over again. The only problem with all if was that she'd been *out* of the rhythm long enough that it was like having to re-learn some things. Blessedly, she was a quick learner.

Granted, her anxiety level was even higher than before, particularly on noticing the date and time. How...how could that be? Was she just crazy?

..More to the point, was it going to happen all over again? It was enough to keep her pulse quickened, put her a tad on edge and keep her slightly distracted. Luckily, it was a simple job, and she managed well enough. She could already feel the headache starting behind her eyes, and it was only about that time that she realized she'd left the glasses on. In a little lull in the usual routine, she pulled them off and eyed them curiously - to an onlooker, it seemed she might have just been looking at a scratch or a smudge on the lens.


The sound of a sudden plop could be heard by those close enough, as a paperback book was dropped onto the counter. The cover offered a image of shattered glass, with the title in bold white letters: 'When the Glass Breaks' by D. M. Glass. The owner of that book would flash his best winning smile, at least for that early in the morning. "Can I get a Columbian Blend ... Mmmm, large?" Bass tones so deep, it sounded like James Earl Jones.

Settling down onto a stool, the eye contact was maintained, along with another question. "I hate these time changes. Some of us like that extra hour of sleep. How about you ... Eve?" There was no mistaking the voice, nor the figure sitting in front of her. The smirk, the shades that were for the moment placed inside his jacket pocket. And the trademark color black attire.


If she hadn't been so busy looking through the clear lenses of those glasses, she might have jumped at the abrupt sound. Not even a flinch. It was only the sound of the voice itself that made her move, look over to the speaker even as she still held the glasses aloft. For all of a heartbeat, she was thrilled, thinking he recognized her...just before quashing it. She was wearing a nametag. Duh. Slipping the glasses back on, she turned to get the coffee. All she needed was to make an idiot of herself. "Yeah." Still, she couldn't resist a try...

Turning to put the large coffee in front of him, Eve even let the corners of her mouth quirk up just a little in a ghost of a smile. "It is a pain, isn't it, Mr. Steele?" Crossing her fingers, she hoped some kind of recognition sank in. Or...that at least she didn't seem nuts.


"...Mr. Steele?" That got the girl behind the counter an arch of the left eyebrow, before he glanced down at his chest, where the photo badge with his name on it was in plain sight. "Do me a favor though. Drop the 'mister' part of it, especially since it looks like I'll be a regular here. "

And that 's when she heard him say something else, only his mouth didn't move ....

"Mmmm. Good coffee. Gotta love places like this anymore, that doesn't have a sign that says Starbucks, or one of those made for Internet freaks looking that prime hot spot."

Wait ... didn't he say that the first time he met her? And the paperback? He had one before, but it wasn't by that title. Testing the coffee for to make sure it wouldn't burn his tongue, he smiled, nodding his head in approval, before moving the book out of the way.

"I swear, I wasn't going to read this thing, but a friend was adamant that it was the best book he read since the Left Behind series. Makes you wonder though. Some of this does make sense when you stop and look at the overall picture."

Took about your Bill Murray's Ground hog Day effect! At least his lips were moving when he said it this time!


He...said it without saying it. Didn't he? Eve knew she would have ended up staring like a freak, so she'd had to look away - but she'd been watching him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't think telepathy was among her little quirks (at least, she *really* hoped not) so surely he *had* to have spoken and she just missed the movement? "We get plenty of 'net junkies looking for a fix, but there isn't much we can do for them." She said the words with a shrug, wiping off the clear spaces on the counter nearby. "So they have to look elsewhere." Okay, so she was reluctant to go far from him. She wanted to burst out with questions, but...well, she had no way of knowing if he was there *because* of her like before, or if this was happenstance.

Either way, it was seriously screwing with her head. Shooting a glance toward the cover of the book, she leaned down to pick up a box of the little sweetner packs from under the counter. "...I don't think the glass breaking would be a good thing. Never know what's behind it." Well, she didn't know what was *behind* it, but she knew what was almost always *in* it, looking back at her.


Okay, that reply got a tilt of the head to one side ... "Net junkies?" Thinking she was talking about the book, he turned it over to read the back of it. That was when Eve had a clear look at not only the writer, but the name as well. The D.M...It stood for Maxwell, Darcy Maxwell, and the black and white image on the back of the book, looked like Dr. Darcy Maxwell!

"Oh, you a fan of her work? Never heard of her myself. I guess her claim to fame was a bestseller called 'Psychic Phenomenon: Fact or Fiction.' "

Once again, that deja vu vibe would hit Eve, for that was the name of the book Steele had with him the first time. Which would bring up another thought...Just as the chimes on the door were heard, Eve had that...*feeling.* It was a chill that breathed across the back of her neck, a cold hand dragging down the length of her spine. It always felt as if her breath should fog the air, as if her skin should free and muscle begin to quiver from shivers.

A couple had come in, though the man stayed at the door while the woman wandered. Instinct screamed at her that something wasn't right, and the cold hadn't gone away.


"Psychic, or psychosis?" Eve spoke the words quietly, but she was giving him a look that really had little to do with the book in question. Yeah, she remember this first bit of conversation well..."And how could you tell the difference? Physical proof would be hard to come by, and I don't think you could see it under a microsc - " She drew up short, felt the cold breathe over her, sink into her skin. Oh yeah. Them. Her cheeks paled a little with the sensations, and her chilled fingers curled and uncurled slowly, belying the fast pace of her heart. A glance from Steele to the pair, then back to him, though she kept herself angled to see them.

He'd thrown coffee on her last time to give her reason to duck out of there. She wasn't looking for him to do it again, and didn't want him to; if there was to be a confrontation, she wanted it to happen now rather than later. This was all getting too heavy for her little brain to deal with.

"Mind readers? Hxll, that would explain why sometimes certain women looked like they wanted to slap me, like they knew what I was thinkin' !" Spoken with a grin, he had noted the slight change in her posture, the look she quickly gave him, then at the door.

Dark eyes squinted for a second or two, before that large Columbian sized cup of coffee he had been drinking was spilled all over the counter top, some getting on Eve as well. That actually got a positive response from some of the regulars, as several started trading dollars bills? Those blokes had a running pool going to pick a day, shift, and time where some unlucky sod would spill his drink.

The winner Aaron one a quick $78.00, and was all too pleased to buy him another. "Oops! Dxmmit! Sorry 'bout that, frail."

Too late. The woman had seen Eve, and was making her way over there, with more piercings than the human body should have, along with countless tattoos, and those were the ones that could be seen! A total gothic nightmare.


"Don't worry about it." Coffee had splashed onto the front of her shirt, and even hit her jeans a bit. A half-hearted swipe at it with a cloth, though she only gave it the quickest glance; she felt the warmth on her skin, but it was distant, unimportant. Vaguely, Eve Felt herself do something else; it was like a mental retreat, like clamping a proverbial lead box around her mind; nothing in, nothing out. Shielded. Made her feel a little better, though it was odd. Eve didn't want to be there, but managed to fake it realtively well; she even managed an almost serene smile at the pierced up woman. "Can I help you?" Too bad the muscles along her shoulders were positively screaming from the tension there.


The accent if heard by anyone else would simply say from Europe. She was asking for directions, while looking over the patrons. Then pausing long enough to give Eve a peculiar expression, before Steele stepped in the woman's line of sight. "Frail, let's cut the bullshxt. It's early, and I've spilled my coffee, which I only had a sip of. I'm cranky until at least my second cup. Don't do anything stupid which will have me filling out paperwork until noon, hmmm?"

Now this was a twist. The female seemed to be looking Steele over more than with a casual interest, almost like he was something to eat? Wait! That didn't happened before either!

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ October 06, 2007 04:24 PM: Message edited by: Tohmaz A. Steele ]</font>

[Argus Steele]

Okay, okay, okay...Think fast. All of this had her mind whirling. This *couldn't* be her reality, unless being in Evan's had very seriously altered her own. Trying to think on the fly like this was making the beginnings of a migraine begin behind Eve's eyes.

So Steele was Steele, right down to the way he dressed and apparently his attitude, too. She just...didn't know if he was there because of her, or what the circumstances surrounding this one were. For all she knew, Little Miss Gothic could have been his partner or his girlfriend - especially by the way the woman was looking him over...

Eve tried not to think about that too much, for reasons she didn't really understand; life was already too confusing. Blinking as Steele stepped between herself and the pierced-and-tattooed nightmare, she gave him her best wide-eyed, innocent stare. "What? I only asked if I could get her something." She even managed to sound innocent when she said it. It was much easier for her to pull off sweet-faced innocence than stern authority.

She felt funny with herself...contained, as she was. Eve wasn't sure that it was something she'd try to do too often; she had the idea that it was like trying to fill a pitcher with water, only the water kept running until it spilled over the brim...

"If you want another coffee, I'll be happy to get you one." There was a flicker of knowing through her grey eyes, just a hint that she suspected something more. "So long as you don't throw it on me again, that is." She'd spoken the words quietly enough that it would only carry to him.

Granted, with everything seemingly turned on its head as it was, she wasn't sure she could even trust Steele here, wasn't sure about anything - except that regardless of the situation, she didn't like that chill. Her fingers felt icy, and Eve found herself rubbing her hands together in an effort to shake some of it. Just an early morning chill. Yeah. Right.

Of course, the idea flickered through her head again that maybe she should have taken the opportunity he'd presented her with and turned to run, as she did the first time this situation came about. Something inside her railed at that, however, and she didn't even wonder why; it was childish to try and avoid that confrontation again. This was, *if* there was a confrontation...

Too many 'ifs' to take into account, here. Eve was starting to think she preferred her own warped little reality, whether the daemons were just starting to edge their way in, looking for Amber, and she was pretty sure Cromwell was a daemon lord. Now...well, all certainties were pretty much out the window.

[Argus Steele]

Eve was more than a little sure that they were drawing more attention with the little display than she actually wanted, but on the other hand...well, if things went horribly wrong, then at least other people would be there to see. Needless to say, the muscles in her neck and shoulders were positively screaming, but not only from the tension alone; it was also from the sheer feeling of *containing* herself. It made her think of a trying to contain a quick flowing stream in a bucket...

She played the part well, though. If she was right, if this was anything like the first go-round of all of this, then a lot depended on it. The young woman managed to play the congenial, friendly server, filling the order of the Columbian and cappucino pretty quickly...while almost pointedly putting Tania's in a to-go cup...

Letting the smile fade off for the most part, she leaned on the recently cleaned counter, watching the interactions of the two, but had the smile just lingering at the corners of her mouth; it gave the impression of a cheerful demeanor, all innocence, nothing unusual there. Not easy to pull off with her head hurting.

But...hold on. Now she was beginning to understand what Everett had meant about those glasses; Seeing him as he really was made her break into a cold sweat, her stomach tie itself into a knot. It took absolutely everything she had to keep from outright betraying that she knew, or screaming outright. He looked like something from one of her nightmares, and she was sure the smile she plastered on as she looked at him was an unmistakable fake. Her cheeks flushed a little, and it actually gave her the look of being shy, flirty. She held the look for just a second, before blinking at herself, and pulling the glasses off. See? Nothing odd there. She even went about the boring little routine of cleaning them, as if she'd gotten dust or a fingerprint there...

Was the sigh of relief she breathed when the left audible? Obvious? Eve was sure it had to be, but after tucking a few strands of hair from her face and slipping the glasses back on, she glanced up at Steele at his mumured words. "Name's Eve, not 'frail.'" She even managed a slightly weak smile, but offered a little shake of her head. At least now she could stop trying to supress that energy, let it flow more freely. That alone made a huge difference. "Really? Mmm. You could say I have experience." Oh, but she wanted to tell, but...well, that would have been a bit whacked out. Eve didn't have any idea if he was the same person, in the same line of work, not to even mention that she didn't want to go and start talking about alternate worlds and timelines in a public place. They'd cart her back to the nuthatch for sure, then.

She wanted to stay put and chat, really, but she had other things to do; she half-hoped he'd tag along while at the same time, she was glad he didn't. It was tempting, to look back at him now and again, but she managed to focus long enough to get the job done...but was it her imagination, or was he keeping an eye on her? "Paranoid." Whispered to herself, though her brows drew together for just a moment. Paranoid or hopeful? Rolling her eyes at herself, she finished up the little nuances of the job before ducking back to the counter to refill his order for the next cup.

"Do I?" Eve pursed her lips gently, as if giving it consideration. Being a generally truthful person was a pain in some situations, exactly for this reason; she wanted to drag him outside and spill most of it out, but ended up biting her tongue instead. "I don't know. Maybe you've seen me somewhere else. And for the record, I don't usually wear glasses." The smile she offered with the last part was genuine; she couldn't quite help it. It reminded her of another time when he'd asked her if she did wear them, for some peculiar reason...

Opening her mouth to say something else, she had to draw up short as the radio crackled to life with the address. Something about that was familiar, wasn't it? She watched him jump up and leave without so much as a goodbye, but probably wouldn't have notice if he had said anything. As it was, she didn't really hear her coworkers little quips; instead, she was repeating the numbers and the street address to herself, trying to puzzle it out. Something about those numbers...

"Oh my God...That's my place!" Jerking the apron off over her head and tossing it on the counter, she didn't waste any time bolting for the door. She shoved the door open wide and hit the sidewalk, glancing around for his SUV (did he even have one, this time around?) and shouting out, "Steele? STEELE!"

She only hoped he was still around. This was just too perfect, just too...Convenient.

[Argus Steele]

Most of the local patrons were now paying a little more attention to this possible volatile situation, nothing like an early morning encounter to have something to gossip about later. That was until a certain waitress played the perfect card ... Doing what she was paid to do. Her job. She'd given him her best wide-eyed, innocent stare. "What? I only asked if I could get her something." She even managed to sound innocent when she said it. "If you want another coffee, I'll be happy to get you one." There was a flicker of knowing through her grey eyes, just a hint that she suspected something more. "So long as you don't throw it on me again, that is."

That comment in itself had several chuckling, those wondering if there was a double or nothing pool. Steele just gave the spunky waitress a smirk before settling back onto his stool. Even the gothic queen was amused at the whole episode, with hands on hips, she stuck out her bottom lip which was pierced also by the way. "Yeah, tough guy, I'm just looking for place that's holding the rave festival tomorrow. I was told to look for the coffee house, jeez!!! Don't be judging a book by it's cover, or someone might think you're just a close minded, grade A, not a very nice person!!!"

"................................................. ................................................!! !!!"

Okay, the look on Steele's face at that point was priceless, and it would only get better... Or worse, depending on one's point of view. Clearing his throat, he had a sheepish smile of his own. "I stand corrected. My bad. How about we rewind the tape, and try this again. Btw, the place you're looking for is two streets over that way. That's where the Coffee House is. This is ... well, the coffee shop." Giving Eve a quick look, and pointing/motioning for that Columbian Blend before his foot found it's way inside his mouth again.

"I never refuse a freebie, and apology accepted. And for the record? Don't let this all of this ..." Stopping long enough to motion about herself ... "Not all of us are drug toting slackers. And make that a cappuccino." That being said, things slowly went back to normal ... Until looked over at the goth girl's boy toy who still stood silently by the
door ...

Daemon!!!

The color/aura rolled off him like Hell fire. Bright hues of oranges mixed in with variant reds, all frame by an onyx obsidian ... A most apt description to say the least. There were tiny symbols that floated around it's true form, a masking spell of some sort. Well, staring too long would at him/it be the incorrect thing to do ...

But why wasn't anyone else seeing... Then she had that slight glare reflecting off the glasses ... Bingo. The glasses. And the way he looked in her direction just then ... It was almost like he knew ...

She knew.

" I be liking the dark brooding colors of your ensemble, perhaps you like to party? Rave bash. Friday. Midnight. Club Obsidian. Tell the Bouncer Tania sent you. Find me. Fun had by all." She would look over at her partner who was not all too pleased with her subtle flirtatious display, and if looks could kill, Steele's troubles would be over. She would thank him for the directions, and upon reaching the door, the pair were having a rather heated whispered discussion. She would motion around the shop, while shaking her head at the big bruiser who motioned back, before staring over in Eve's direction once again before grabbing her by the arm, and making their way back outside, where a Harley could be heard starting soon after, with the pair roaring down the street.

Steele had been given a towel by Linny, and was in the process of wiping off his jacket, while muttering to himself. (m) " Psh ... Glad the boys at the station didn't see this. I'd never live it down!!! " Taking a sip of his refill, he'd give the waitress that smirk again. "Well played frail. Anyone else would have either ran for the hills, or just wigged out. Or both. I guess I'm just being taught the lesson not to assume anything today, huh?" Then he'd go silent while sipping from his cup, just watching the waitress go about her duties, his head tilted slightly to one side. He wasn't checking her out???

Was he???

Steele would order another cup for the road, leaving Eve a nice tip. "Mmmm ... I swear, this isn't a pick up line, but have we met before? I'm real good with faces, and you look familiar ... Minus the glasses." Linny and other co workers would have plenty of ammunition to tease/talk/taunt her later about, and would have had more still until Steele's radio went off, reports of an apartment fire not too far from his current location ... It was like flipping on a switch, as the mirrored shades were placed on, as he responded. "Copy that. I'm on my way!!!" And out the door like a shot he went, leaving his order behind.

"So ... Eve? Ummm, anything you need to tell us? Already got dibs on the new customer, hmmm?"

"You know what they say about the quiets ones ... And the glasses were a nice added touch too!!"

"I'd say that was a big affirmative. Did you see how he was checking out her ..."

Of course it was being said in good fun ... At her expense.

Waitaminute.

Where was that fire being reported again??? The address he was given over the radio ...

... It was hers!!!!

[Argus Steele]

"Son of a... " He had just inserted the key into the ignition, when it occured to him that he ran right out of there, forgetting his order. (m) "Gonna *really* need that second cup." Shaking his head, the black SUV roared to life and was about to be put into drive, when he thought he heard his name being called. An arched eyebrow peeked over the rim of his mirrored shades, followed by the instinctive glance into the rear view mirror that provided the answer to his unspoken question. It was the waitress, Eve, and from the looks of her, she was a tad bit miffed about something. (m) "What? I paid for the coffee I didn't even have .... "

He could have just drove off, pretending not to have heard her, considering time was of the essence. However, those same gut instincts told him to see what was up. A quick flick of a switch on the drivers side allowed his window to slide down, his head poking from it, as he shouted from his SUV, across the street to where the girl was looking for him. "In a bit of a rush, frail! Can it wait?"


Hearing his voice, Eve twisted in that direction, spotted the SUV. Breaking into a brief, quick sprint to get to the driver's window, she was shaking her head vehemently. "No, it can't. That's *my* apartment!" Hands raised for emphasis, eyes wide behind the delicate frames of the glasses. "I need to get there." ...At least she'd managed to avoid demanding that he open the door for her..


Because he was good at reading people, it didn't take long to see this one was telling the truth. Yeah, he'd get heat for it, but following the rules to the *absolute* letter was never in his genetic makeup. "Get in then!" Another switch flipped, resulting in the door unlocking. "Buckle up, frail!" He even had a little more incentive to go faster this go round, as the morning traffic would pull over to the right of the street, upon hearing his siren, and seeing flashing lights of red and blue. Looking straight ahead, Steele would radio his E.T.A before giving Eve a quick look. "Alright frail. As hard as it's going to be, I'm going to have to ask you to stay in the SUV until things get under control. It's gonna be bad enough with all the rubber neckers, and bystanders in the way. I promise the first chance I get, I'll wave you over, 'kay?" With praticed ease, Steele weaved his way in and out of traffic, the clear signs of a fire were quite evident.

Several fire trucks had been dispatched, along with the local city police. From the looks of things, the fire did not originate from her particular abode, but rather the one next to hers, which was pretty much consumed. Getting as close as he could, he'd give Eve another look as he was getting out the SUV. "Stay. Here." And with that, he slammed the door and was making his way to where the other officers and firemen were assembled. Granted, she couldn't hear what was being said, but by the looks of things, Steele was running the show.

About forty-five long agonizing minutes later, the crisis had been faced, fought, and somewhat adverted. Her apartment would suffer some structural damage, more from the smoke, and water used to put the fire out. Steele was indeed a man of his word, for once he was done talking to the assistant fire chief, he'd look over at the SUV, waving her over.


She'd jumped into the SUV without needing any more prompting than that, automatically reached over to buckle the seat belt...and he'd hit the siren. Siren? Flashing lights? They hadn't had those before...had they?

She didn't think she was *that* oblivious...

Her hands had been folded neatly, tightly in her lap, but the toe of her sneaker had been tapping gently on the floorboard - not loud enough to be annoying, but the only movement on her part that betrayed her nervousness. Well, this was new...but then again, a lot of things were going to be new, weren't there? Tipping her head back just enough to stare at the ceiling of the SUV, she tried to keep in mind that even though it had started off much the same, it wouldn't *be* the same. This...this was case in point, here.

When he pulled up to where all the commotion was and told her to stay put, Eve had opened her mouth to protest. It was her building! Why should *she* have to stay put? She did, too, for all of about three seconds after he left. Sighing at herself, she unbuckled her seat belt and got out...but didn't exactly wander off. Alright, so she *did* follow directions..to a point. She stayed with the SUV, but climbed up to sit on the hood, trying to patiently await his return. Yeah. Right. At least it gave her a good vantage point to keep an eye on things...

She'd been looking up at the building itself when a flutter of movement caught her eye, and she realized that Steele was finally waving her over. Good. Hopping down with a dramatic sigh, she ducked and dodged her way over to him, hooking her thumbs through her belt loops. "Okay. So...how bad *is* it?" More to the point: what next? It wasn't even noon yet, and the day just wasn't looking so good..


"Thanks, Jacobs. I'm going to be with her so, it won't be long." The assistant fire chief offered Eve a small smile, before looking back at Steele. "Hell man, you've pulled my fat out of the fire enough timesthat I have no problem letting a local resident check out their place. At least we were lucky in containing it this time around. Not so good with the other one though. Holler when you're done, okay?"

Steele grinned, shaking Jacobs' hand. "Will do." Looking over at Eve, he took a deep breath. "You ready for this frail? It's not going to be pretty in there ..." Motioning that she was with him, the yellow caution tape was ducked under, as the pair ventured towards her apartment. But how can one be prepared to see the aftermath of a fire to one's personal possessions? Water damage. Smoke damage. And that smell.... Steele would let her sort through what rooms she wanted to go through, he'd wait by the door. Now the irony of all this? A certain bag containing a certain pair of rollerblades remained undamaged; not like that was the top of her list of things to look for. The heat from the fire still damaged some of her personal belongings, and it would be several weeks at least before she'd be able to move back in. Steele watched the girl slowly walk about her place, his eyes still covered by his shades.

What could he say to the girl right now, that would help matters? Or her present mindset? She wasn't showing any real expression, at least not on the outside. He'd lean against the wall until she was done.


No, she hadn't really been ready for that. It was bad enough knowing that her apartment had taken that much damage, that everything that she'd worked for and tried to build up had been burned, smoked or soaked. Her stomach had fallen somewhere in the vicinity of her feet with the realization that they were going inside, and her first few steps had been tentative. The acrid tang of the smoke still hung in the air, burned her throat and nose, made her cough once or twice. Eve did well to keep her face still, shut down to all appearances; she'd taken on that empty-eyed look, but her mind was whirling. So in place of the murder there had been...what? Apartment fire? "...Any indication what caused it?" Her voice sounded distant to her own ears, and she wasn't even sure she'd spoken the question for a moment. Stopping beside the bed, she noted the bag with the roller blades inside, and picked it up. Damp, but undamaged. Well, she couldn't exactly stay there...so to the closet and through the drawers she went, going through them, looking for anything worth taking or trying to salvage. Not very much worth the effort; most was damaged by smoke.


A question! At least now he could sound somewhat helpful, instead of doing his impression of a bump on a log. "Well, I guess I can tell you that much. Your neighbors had a party over there last night, from the looks of it, and someone left a cig inbetween the sofa cushion. No one was there of course, and we tried getting a hold of whoever was renting the place, cross town at the University. Damn frat parties. Hey, you have a place to stay until they clean all this up?" He wasn't trying to rush her, it was the automatic instinctive training they provided. "Want to call your folks?"


She couldn't help it. She stopped and looked at him, before blinking and giving her head a shake. Yeah, hard to remember the differences in this place. "My folks? No, that's...that's a no-go area." A shake of her head, ponytail swinging, and her tongue darted out to dampen her lips. She didn't know what kind of relationship she might have had with her folks in this reality, or even if they were alive; Eve couldn't say that she was chomping at the bit to find out, either. "I don't..." Another of those little shakes of her head. "I don't know where I'm going." Another look about the ruined room, and she shrugged, taking a step back before turning to him again. "I'm done in here. Everything else is...not even worth the trouble." At least she hadn't bought the furniture; she'd rented the little apartment furnished.


Glancing down at her tote bag, Steele gave her a small grin. "Well, it looks like you found something, eh?" Okay, he stopped smiling for a bit, as soon as he said it. Running a hand through his trademark buzzcut fade, dark eyes now peering over the top of his shades. "Sorry. Police humor. Look, I know you don't know me from Adam, but I do have a flat not too far from where you work. You can crash there, until they get you fixed up here. " The smile now half there, he felt a little better with the offer, and he was actually sincere about it. This had to suck on so many levels for her, and he knew the coffee shop wasn't the most high paying job in the world. "And before you say no, I'm not going to charge you rent until you get back on your feet, if it takes that long. Safe to assume that you'll be buying some fresh clothes ..." He did it again.. "How about we get some better quality air in our lungs outside, while you ponder my offer?" Putting his arm around her felt like the right thing to do, you know, providing a shoulder to lean on and all that. It wasn't all about shooting the perps, and chasing down would be felons.

Sign of the times, he thought, while escorting her back to the SUV. "Hey, let Thomas know we're done here. What? I don't think she's in a very talkative mood right now, and I can vouch for where she was prior to the fire. Cleaning herself up right after I spilled my Columbian blend on her at the coffee shop where she works. Yeah, I'll get her statement and have it sent to you later. Do me a fav though: See if whoever owns these complexes had insurance or something." Steele wouldn't offer much small talk on the way back to the SUV, if she wanted to talk, she would. "Hey. I have some bottle water in the back seat if you're thirsty."


Keeping her expression neutral, Eve shifted a bit at the offer, though she was a bit unsure about it. Would it be weird, staying there again? While the basics of his personality seemed to be as they were before, there were differences, though subtle. Then again, what *wasn't* weird about this situation? While she didn't withdraw from the arm around her shoulders, she didn't really acknowledge it either; being touched at all was something that took getting used to, even now, and she hadn't had much in the way of contact with him before. "..You're a cop?" Still a little distant, but it was all sinking in through the shock. Her mind was still on overdrive, trying to figure out what to do next. She was used to reality being turned on its head, but this was new to her. She was reasonably sure she'd take him up on his offer to crash there, too; where else would she go? Eve didn't exactly have the cash for a hotel stay.

At least it was a little less oppressive outside, even though she still got the feeling that it was a circus of sorts, even though most were probably trickling away given that there didn't seem to be fatalities, which was good. At the moment, she wasn't exactly sure how much more she could handle. Didn't take much prompting for her to get one of the bottles of water at the SUV, given that the acrid smell had dried out her mouth and throat, and she was pretty sure it was a smell that clung to her now, along with everything in that bag.


"Mmm, not quite, but I work with the city when I can." Okay, sitting there in full view of her apartment, wasn't the smartest thing to keep doing, so until she made up her mind, he'd drive around the neighborhood. "There's my cell, if you need to call work and let them know what's going on." And right on cue, his cell phone went off, to the ring tones of Beethoven's 5th symphony ....

"Steele. What? You're kidding? That makes ... Hold on. Let me call you back later. I have a present crisis that needs to be dealt with. B&T at 9-ish? I'll be there, you have the first rounds waiting, Rico. Later."

Handing her his cell phone, he'd leave it up to her if she wanted to call the shop. "My offer still stands frail. Stay as long as you need to. Sorry if I'm rambling, but this wasn't exactly covered in basics. " Giving her that sincere smile once again.


"Thought you guys did breakfast." Whispered to herself while he was on the cell, but her head was turned to look out the window as they cruised around. She waited until after he hung up to look over at him and nod gently, before having a drink off the water bottle. "Yeah. I don't...have a lot of choice, really." A shrug, scratching at the label of the water bottle with a fingernail. "But I have no intent on being there long." She even managed a smile with that, even if it was a tad weak. "...Thanks." Eve did have some manners, even if she forgot them now and again. "So...if you aren't a cop, what are you? I don't think they'd let just anyone drive around with lights and a siren and such." Brief pause. "Even though I'm sure it's fun." Afterthought.


"That got her a thoughtful look from him. " In a nutshell? I make sure your locals are doing their jobs. Offer a little advice here, a little training there, and then off to another part of our great state to work with another city. Your tax dollars at work. And it is fun, especially on those days when you don't want to wait in traffic...Oops. Did I just say that out loud? So you doing the college thing outside the shop?" Subtle attempt of not telling her what his real job was. Not like he wanted to be looked at like he was crazy. And after offering her a place to stay? Nah! Not kosher.

Since she took him up on his offer, he'd stop with the tour about the city, and just swing by his place instead. The girl looked a tad beat. Steele figured on getting her setup, and then deal with the morning fire paperwork.


"No, not yet anyway. I'd have to get a GED or something first, due to some circumstances that weren't really in my control." She made a waving movement with one hand, followed with a shake of her head. Clearly, not something she wanted to go into right now. Letting him in on the nice little tidbit that she'd been locked up in a mental institution for five years wasn't something she wanted to hit him with, given that he'd just agreed to take her in for a little bit...well, if it was something he didn't know yet. It
was a headache, trying to figure out what he might know and what he might not..."You mean they pay someone to do that?" A touch of disbelief, incredulity. "It looked to me like if you said 'jump' those guys would have asked 'how high?'" Just her own little observation on the matter.


"Something like that. And I get this nifty badge that lets 'em know that too!" Twenty minutes later, they were at his humble abode.

A two story modest condo. Pulling out his key... "Here we are. Excuse the mess, the maid's off this week."

"Kitchen is over there, second floor, first door to yer left, is the spare room. Bathroom is down the hall from yer room. If you need anything, give me a call." Handing her a different cell phone.

There wasn't anything too fancy about his place, save for the odd collection of DVDs, Sci-fi, Paranormal, mostly. Despite his gruffy appearance, he kept a clean home. Ironic?


Taking the cell with a slightly doubtful expression, she'd hopped out of the SUV and opened the back door to get the tote off the back seat. Picking it up and taking a step back, she moved as if to close the door before pausing, looking at something on the back seat. "...NWI?" Well, it was worth a shot, wasn't it? "That wouldn't happen to stand for 'Night Walkers Inc,' would it?" Just a little curiosity in her voice as she followed him in, took a brief glance around. Well, it mostly *looked* the same, anyway.


He practically stopped in his tracks on the mention of NWI, looking at her with his head tilted to one side. "Yeah, that's exactly what it means. Don't tell me you're into the area softball league, or even worse, a rival team? Does the coffee shop even *have* a team?" His phone would go off once again. "Steele. Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm. Mhmmm. Mmmmm. Hmm. Mmmhmm. Hmm. A bookstore? Hmm. Yeah, I'll swing by there on the way. Out. Well, make yourself at home. The fridge should still have food that hasn't grown anything dangerous. I'll be back late, so I'll try not to wake you. Questions? Concerns? "


She'd tried to find a way to distract herself while he was on the phone, but it was hard not to hear at least a bit of it, but...yeah, she had the feeling this was miles away from what she'd dealt with before. Made her more homesick than usual, really. "'Kay. I don't tend to sleep that well anyway, so don't be shocked if I'm still up. But...that's a *softball* team?" Turning an incredulous expression on him now, arch of that left brow. "Sounds more like some... oh...paranormal investigators or something. Like something out of a comic book or horror movie." All innocence. Yep, that was her.


"Hmm. You don't look the Sci-fi type...Don't say anything. I learned my lesson about assuming anything this morning. Need anything, just call." With a small grin, he was out the door, whistling a little tune.

Once he was inside his SUV and on his way, that smile faded quickly. "Yeah, it's me. I need a stat sheet on the employees at that Coffee Shop over on Bronkhouse. Yeah, that's the one. Just run them off over the phone to me. Anyone named Eve? Lizt? Okay, run me a background check will you? I'll be by to pick it up later? Trouble? I'm not sure yet. "

Drumming his fingers along the steering wheel, that frown remained. What were the odds that some frail that worked at a coffee shop would guess what those letters meant?

That instinct about him reading people? Let's just say he was replaying the few conversations he'd had with Eve back through his mind.

Which lasted all about five minutes before laughing it off. (m) "Yeah, like some frail would know anything about the paranormal..."

[Argus Steele]

It didn't take long to realize that Steele didn't spend too much time there, it looked ... too clean by most female standards. Everything seemed to be where it was *before* save a few subtle changes.

There was an X-Files poster on a door where Steele originally called his media room. It wasn't locked or even shut. A flip of the light switch offered a eye catching view of a state of the art sixty one inch plasma DLP television. Next to the plasma were at least seven racks of DVD holders filled with every known horror, sci-fi, and fantasy movie ever created. Some titles known, others of B-movie fame. On the other side of the plasma was a DVR, recently installed by the looks of it. There was a single labtop, with countless post it notes about stats and fantasy league chatroom times. A stack of various magazines were on the floor by a EZ-Boy recliner, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and a couple of tabloids one usually find at your local grocery. Other than that, there was nothing there that screamed Paranormal Investigator. Not even that monitor where she first saw and met the digital image of Amber.


She wasn't sure what to expect on that cursory inspection. Eve had walked through quietly, hands mostly tucked in her pockets or clasped together, feeling more uncomfortable there than she was used to; the differences were slight, but they stood out to her. Maybe she'd just gotten used to the surroundings, being there with Steele before. It was all different this time,though she couldn't say if it was because of a difference in *him* or her own little brand of paranoia. Standing in the door of the media room,

Standing in the door of the media room, she even dared to walk in briefly, look at the titles of the movies, glance around. Looked...well, like she would imagine a typical guy's place might look - but cleaner. Neat, organized; like something she might have done on one of those sleepless nights...Biting her lip gently with another glance around - noting the missing monitor that she'd used to speak with Amber that first time wasn't there - and she finally wandered back out, drawing the door back into position. He'd know she'd been in there, surely; still, she hadn't touched anything. Instead, she'd been toying with the cell phone, opening and closing it, just something to keep her hands busy. "Looks like you spend more time out and about this time around, Argus." Murmured to herself, more or less at a loss as to what to *do* with herself. Picking the tote up from where she left it, Eve hit the steps to make for the spare room. Same directions he'd given her the first time around, weren't they?


Normal. At least to the casual eye. Random thought: If Steele indeed was in that field of work, he wouldn't have any trace of his work for any guest to stumble upon - especially one surprise guest of the last minute variety.

Another subtle twist was the spare room: It was exactly the same, right down to the missing mirror, but wait .... Didn't he have that removed after her initial visit? Just when those whispers of paranoia were becoming more pronounced, the inside of the closet door had a full length mirror.

Bottomline, one just had to know where to look - or touch, if need be. If her quest would continue, it would lead her to where she had not even ventured the *first* time around.

Down the carpeted hallway, there was another room.

Steele's room.

Two options: Leave well enough alone, or follow through with that nagging vibe.

Deal or no deal?

The door was closed. But, possibly unlocked.


The odd thought did occur to her as she looked down the hall at the door to his room. She hadn't even seen that room the first time around. Why? Considering the question, she shrugged at herself. Well, they'd mostly met up downstairs or something. She'd figured it was a private space, and had tried to respect it, even if she might have already been something of an intruder in his home...

Standing in front of the door, she rose onto tip-toe, bounced gently for a second, and glanced back down the hall anxiously. But this place didn't have any traces of the P.I. lifestyle...unless he kept it in there? Another second of hesitation before she decided a glance inside couldn't hurt. She wouldn't even go in, just see that it was a normal room and go on about her paranoid little way. Yeah, right. That was, if it was actually unlocked. Half-hoping it wasn't locked, she reached out to turn the knob. Just a glance, and she'd hole up in the spare room for a while...


It was indeed unlocked. And inside?

A painfully normal bedroom. Even the covers on the bed were only mussed up on one side, an indication that Steele was a sound sleeper. There was some clothing draped in plastic; dry cleaning. Nothing major.

And just when it looked like it was pretty much hopeless, that's when she saw it. By the phone. On the nightstand. A case for holding glasses; a black case at that.

But then again, so was the one that Everett had given her...

Did curiosity kill the cat? Because there was a pair of *normal* wire frame spectacles nestled inside it's black velvety confines. *Just like hers.*


Soooo....the idea of just standing in the door and getting her glance around wasn't going so well. Eve stood still for the most part, until her eyes caught on that case. A glance down the hall, the way she'd come, and she sighed at herself and walked into the room. Only a quick look; she *had* too see if they were like hers...but how could she tell, really?

She held his out delicately, further away, eyeing them curiosly before pulling her own off for comparison. They looked...the same. Exactly the same. She even tried peeking through the lenses, trying to see if they were actually prescription or not. For all she knew, he worn contacts.

Still, Eve couldn't shake the feeling that being there was a bad idea. All she needed was for him to come back and find her *in* his bedroom, snooping around. Yeah, that would have *really* topped off her day..


But other than that? Nothing. Nada. Nil. Wait. How cliche' were those FBI movies? The closet.

And inside?

Dress shoes. Gym shoes. Casual shoes. Jeans. Dockers. Cargo pants. Suits. Shirts. All black.

Behind all those layers of black clothing?

Nothing.

To the left or right?

Nothing.

On the shelf?

Nothing.

And just when she reached for the interior closet light to turn it off? Her foot creaked. A shifting of her weight would offer the same result.

Bingo.

If she hadn't been looking for something, it would have been very easy to miss. A trap door. Would she dare look beyond the trap door? Once again: Deal or no deal?


Replacing the glasses, she sighed at herself and gave the closet a quick once over. Wasn't she supposed to be back in the spare room by now? Eve felt a little guilty over it, but she had the feeling there was something this guy wasn't telling her - or wasn't admitting to, more likely. NWI could *not* be the name of a softball team! And if it really was...well, they *really* needed to work on the name...

When her foot creaked, she winced a little. Not only because it *did* creak, but because she was bright enough to understand that something was there...and that she'd look. Curiosity was something sure to get her killed, one of these days...

Another glance back, as if she expected him to be rounding the corner any second, she crouched down and searched for a second before finding the way to open it. 'Just a glance.' It repeated in her head like a mantra, and her pulse was just a tad quicker now.


Unlike countless horror movies that featured rotting wooden steps that led down to some dank, damp, crusty old basement where a serial killer made his home, complete with bodies of those that were foolish to stick their noses where it didn't belong...None of that. The steps were modern day concrete which lead to another hallway with motion sensored lights that flickered to life over head. At the end of that hallway? But of course, another door. And inside? Words alone could not describe it. Orbital charts of planets never heard of. Books that had unreadable writings that would have been a Star Trek or Star Wars geek's dream. Files, files, and more files. Countless laptops, and several computer monitors that were not on at the moment. Two more plasma televisions, one that was actually on; a cable program called Sightings was on. The whole thing had the feel and vibe of a X-Files episode.

There was too much to take in at once, and time was indeed a factor. Steele was researching something...
-Gotcha!-

It was his voice alright.

-You know the drill. Leave a message.- <BeeeeeP!> [Hey Steele, those ripped out pages came from some pagan book. Unless it was special ordered, I'd check out the local Goth shop across town. It's ran by some metal head named Mortimer. Hope that helps.] -Click!


Well, the glance didn't go so well. She just..wasn't good at poking around. Not a bit. Eve tended to be a bit heavy on the guilt, but she was wondering at this area. It seemed to contain all of the odd stuff that Steele had had in his media room before; why was this guy hiding it? It just didn't make much sense to her. If he had an interest in the paranormal, so what? Why put up the facade?

She jumped at the sound of his voice, twisted in an effort to find out where it was coming from. Her heart had jumped into her throat, and she'd even had to give a tense little giggle at herself when she realized it was on the machine. Oh yeah, she just *wasn't* good at this kind of thing...

Eve went still, listening to the voice. Goth shop? Pagan book? Even more to the point - "...Mortimer?" Did that ring a bell? Her brows drew together as she thought back to one of her first 'investigations' with Steele. The Dragon's Lair bookstore. Not 'Mortimer' but a 'Mortimus' had ran the place. She had to wonder if it was one and the same..."Beautiful. More confusion." A sigh at herself, and with another lingering glance around, she turned to walk back out...while trying to figure out how she might pass the message along sooner without making it completely obvious that she'd been down there.


If she wasn't already on edge, then the sudden ring of the cell phone he had given her, probally didn't help matters. [Hey Eve, just checking in to see if you're doing okay. I'm going to work a shorter shift, so I should be back around 10 or 11-ish. If you're not wanting to tempt fate with what's in the fridge, there a number on there of a good pasta joint that delivers.]

Eve could heard someone else saying something in the background, but it was too muffled to make out what. [...(m) If you shut-up for 1.5 seconds, I'll ask her! Hey frail, a couple of officers that I work with caught wind of your situation, and will be dropping off some clothes for you. And ... since my humble abode isn't really stocked for ... females. Do you need anything?] She could tell Steele really didn't sound all that cool with asking her that. Given the muffled laughter on the other end, someone was enjoying the moment of Mr. Steele being uncomfortable.


Tightly wound? She almost yelped at the sound of the phone going off! It was almost as bad as being caught, for some reason; it made her feel like he *knew* she was down there, and she wasn't exactly looking to get put out... "Um..Oh, no. I don't...I don't need anything." Guilty, anyone? She was only glad he couldn't actually *see* her; the blush would have made it all too clear. "Ah...who's that laughing at you?" She'd had to bite her tongue to keep from asking if it was Rico; she knew he associated with him, or believed he did, from a prior phone call. Granted, she hadn't heard his *first* name... "I think I'm going to try making something here, provided it doesn't go science
project on me. I won't destroy the kitchen or anything, I promise." The innocent grin could almost be heard in her voice; not an experienced cook by any means, but she wasn't the worst either. ...But...but there was still the matter of trying to slip him the message without letting him *know* she knew it, wasn't there? Something occurred to her, and she could only hope it didn't make her look like a complete twit.."Oh.. hey! I hate to ask, but any chance you could stop by a bookstore and pick up a book I ordered? I think the place is called The Dragon's Lair; you know, one of those weird little goth places, but he's willing to order hard to find stuff. Name's Mortimer." She nodded slightly to herself, lips pursing slightly. Hoping this wouldn't explode into something awful. "Book's paid for. Tell him Eve says hi, for me?" She couldn't resist that last little piece, not after reflecting on the slimy nature of the guy in her previous reality.


[Sure. I can do that. Mortimer? Not gonna go there. What's the name of the book?]


Oh. Yeah. She should have known he'd ask that. She was going to have to get *very* good at thinking on the fly if she kept this up..."'Multiverse: Examination of the Idea of Multiple Realities' by T.J. Cromwell." A wince at herself; that title really sucked, but she could only hope he bought it. Sounded like something weird, alright...


[Multiverse. Mortimer. Dragon's Lair. Got it. I'll swing by there before it closes.] With that being said, he hung up. "What's up Steele? You have that *look...*" Putting the phone back inside his jacket pocket, the thoughtful expression remained, along with a stroke of his chin. "The frail that had the apartment messed up because of the fire? I think she's a closet Goth. Wants me to pick up a book for her at the...Dragon's Lair. She even knows Mortimer." Rico looked up from the report he had been working on. "Wait. Didn't you just get a call about that bookstore?"

Steele would slowly nod his head, tapping the tip of his pen on top of the desk, his eyes slightly closed. "Yeah, I have my calls forwarded to me when I'm not home. Hmph. Makes perfect sense now."

Rico pausing once again from his report, glancing up, waiting to hear Steele's thought provoking insight.

"This morning, I was at that coffee shop and some goth queen came through there looking for directions to some place that's having a rave. I thought her and her mutant looking boyfriend were potential trouble, but Eve difused the whole thing. I didn't think much of it at first, until the Mortimer comment. Bloody college kids are going to Hades in a handbasket!"

Rico just stared at Steele, shaking his head. "What? You worried she's going to hold some sort of crazy party at your place or something?" Steele shot him a look back, and was preparing to throw something at him, when...

"Hey Argus, I have that file report you asked for. Eve Nora Lizt is her name, and she was a one time resident of Stonebridge Institution."

Steele would give Rico the *I told you so* expression. "Goth. Go figure. Thanks. I'll read it over now..."


Eve was only too happy to get off the phone, and really hoped he'd bought that. Breathing a sigh, she glanced around one more time, then booked it out of the little underground part, making sure to drop the trap door back into place. The lights and such would go off after a certain amount of time, wouldn't they? Most motion-sensored stuff did...

She even made it a point to make sure everything was as it should have been before leaving his room, closing the door and going back to the spare room..then falling back on the bed with a loud groan. She really *wasn't* a good liar by her very nature; Eve only tried to do so when absolutely necessary, but she was sure the truth would eventually come out in this little fiasco - well, provided she didn't wake up in her own familiar, warped little reality. She still hadn't decided this was really it, but if it was, then it had been seriously altered by her showing up in another... "Ugh. Have things *ever* been simple?" She rubbed both hands over her face before sighing, staring at the light fixture overhead. Funny, she'd broken that same one in her reality... Oh well. Sitting up, she gave a little huff and decided to venture to the kitchen. Had to figure out what she could do there, now, at least make a show of it even if she didn't have much of an appetite anymore..

[Argus Steele]

-We interrupt our local programming for this breaking news: The police are advising that the roads leading to and from Howard Drive and the surrounding blocks are blocked off due a fire at the Dragon's Lair bookstore. Details are still sketchy at this particular time, but initial reports have arson as the result of the blaze, the second as in many days...-


Eve paused just briefly with a steamed carrot on the prongs of her fork, listening closely to the broadcast. So..there was the fire at the bookstore. Was it on schedule, or just a bit early? Her brows drew together as she shrugged at herself, going ahead with the bite of the veggie. The only nice thing about living in a city, she'd reflected idly, was that there was never a store very far away; she'd ducked out a bit earlier to pick up a few things to use to make a meal rather than searching for anything there. No matter what kind of reality she seemed to be in, Eve was pretty sure that Argus just wasn't much on grocery shopping; bottles of water, diet soda and leftover pizza seemed to be the only things in his fridge at any given time. "Second arson..." She murmured the words softly to herself, considering that. Steele had said that the fire in her building was suspected to have been caused by a cigarette between the cushions of a couch, so unless they'd decided otherwise... "Where was the first?" Puzzling over that, she poked at the food on the plate more than ate it, considering it.


-Wait ... We have reports of gun shots being heard just moments before the fire, the owner of the store being taken into police custody for questioning ....-

There would be the usual reporter on the spot, trying to get what information they could from any officer that was willing to disclose anything. ".... Do you see any connection with the first fire, and even the accidental fire that occurred on the other side of town?"

"No, that fire as reported was accidental, and we have possible evidence that the bookstore owner may be a suspect in both fires."

"So these fires do not have anything to do with the recent rumored frat party massacre?"


"Depends on your perspective." Murmuring the words softly to herself, she shot the TV a glance before cutting into the piece of fish on her plate. She wasn't really hungry, but knew that if she didn't try to get a least a little down that she'd only end up feeling weak; it seemed like the ultimate parental cliche. Of course, 'eat up so you'll grow up big and strong' is not something she'd ever heard *her* mother say...

It was an interesting coincidence though; her building catching fire from the apartment *next door* to her own, then the bookstore burning. She was willing to bet that ol' Morty had set the fire, or someone connected to him and possibly trying to cover tracks or just...not very happy with him. Too bad she hadn't grilled more for details before; it would have been nice to know if shots had been fired before it happened then, too... Oh well. "Can't be that picky, I guess." Followed by a bite of fish, then a sip of water. Much as she wished, things weren't going to go as they had in her own reality; couldn't get that lucky. Granted, there were moments she had no wish to repeat, but it was nice in a warped kind of way, having an idea of what would happen and when...

Looking at the clock, she sighed quietly. Seven thirty. Steele had predicted he'd be back around 10 or 11. Funny, the suspense was killing her, not to mention that the place was pretty dull when she was by herself.


"The Frat party massacre happened several weeks ago. The violent act in itself still baffles the community; combining this with the recent fires only adds fear of a possible cult uprising. We'll have more news on each of those topics at the top of our news hour. Back to you Jason." -We will now continue with our regularly scheduled programming....-

Well, it sounded like the frat party murder had already happened, and quite a bit before scheduled. Was that even the same, she wondered? Had it been the tentacle monster that had raped and killed them all? The images flickered through her mind again, as clear as if she'd been there to see personally, as though it had only happened moments before. Shuddering, she dropped the fork and lost complete interest in the food, especially with the way her stomach was doing loops. She didn't know if it was the same; she didn't know if *anything* would be the same, really. Thinking about it was giving her a headache, making her think her way into a labyrinth that didn't seem to have an end. Sighing, Eve went about cleaning up her mess and found some plastic wrap for the leftovers and stuck them in the fridge. Maybe later. Now...a shower sounded good. Maybe it would help her puzzle all this out, help her figure out what do or say if he questioned her even mentioning that bookstore's name...


It was nearly 2:30 am when Steele finally made it back home. Doing countless pages of paperwork when being a witness to a shooting and fire will do that. It seemed like his whole day have revolved around reading, writing, and reading...and truth be told? He had his fill. And there was the turning down of a serious late night stop at the local bar. He had to check up on his house guest.

She had not tried to call him, so that was a good thing. The keys were tossed on the counter, and the remote grabbed, along with two bottles of beer from the fridge. Kicking off his shoes and settling back into his recliner, Steele set the volume on low after finding his favorite mystery channel, though his thoughts were lingering on something else. The lights would remain off, leaving him to be bathed in that weird television glow.


She'd finally given up on TV and radio, even on trying to find something to read and had eventually just laid down in the spare room. She'd probably looked like she was asleep, had he bothered to check; the door had been closed and all had been quiet within. Eve had even been turned on one side, arm tucked under her head, just trying to focus on the quiet sound of her breathing...

It had startled her a bit when the other sounds had reached her, and she realized what it was; Steele was back and since she didn't hear any other voices, she figured he hadn't brought Rico or anyone else back with him.

It was late, but what did that really matter to her? Pushing the sheets aside, she rolled out of the bed and raked a hand through her hair before opening the door and padding quietly out on bare feet. The other officers *had* brought her a box of clothes; some of it didn't fit for one reason or another, but there'd been a good number of things she'd been able to coax into it...like the black tank top and shorts she'd picked out to crash in. Not a bad fit and they were comfy enough. "So the hero returns." Just a hint of teasing in her voice, spoken just as she reached the bottom of the steps. "Rough night?" Yeah, starting with the small talk was always good, wasn't it? She definitely hoped so.


He didn't respond. Not at first. The bottle was tilted back, allowing the beer to be swallowed, before set aside. "Understatement of the year, frail." He had not turned to look at her, his gaze still on the show that was on TV.

"Glad you're up though. Have a sit down." It was all in his tone, he had questions. "Lights, 60%." And just like that, the living room lights flickered on. His gaze still locked on the TV until she made herself all comfy.

"Anything you need to be telling me frail?" Right to the point. Only then did he shoot a glance at her, but he didn't seemed to be visibly upset.


By his tone, it wasn't an offer so much as a demand. Eve sighed quietly to herself and sat down, pretty sure this wasn't going to be an amicable chat between friends. No...They hadn't reached that point, and might not; it was hard keep that in mind, given her prior experiences. "I saw the fire on TV, Steele; get specific here. What do you want to know?" There were a lot of things she *could* have said, and a lot of things she *wanted* to say; the risk of seeming like a psychotic twit and being locked up somewhere seemed too high right now. She wasn't even sure that he'd believe her, at any rate.


"Yeah, about that ... The guy at the bookstore seemed a little off when I gave him your message." Picking up his half filled bottle, Steele pointed the top of it in her direction. "You didn't have a book ordered there though. You *knew* something was going to happen. Color me crazy, but I think you pulled that same stunt at the coffee shop yesterday. Or it could be one big ol' cowinkydink, right?" Those dark browns were locked on her face this time.

"And for the record? I don't think you're a bad seed. The instincts never lie. First impression? I thought you and the other Goth queen were setting me up, new guy on block and all. You were trying to be ...Subtle. Why?"


For a long minute, Eve simply stared at him before simply asking, "Have you ever seen the movie 'Groundhog Day?'" Actually, she'd never seen the movie until she'd ended up staying at Steele's place. Funny thing, that.


"Bill Murray. Classic. Yeah, what about it?" A button pressed on the remote to turn the TV off. She had his complete attention now. "What? You saw this in a dream or something? Or you lived this day out, and will wake up to do it all over again, and I'll remember nothing?" At least his sense of humor was the same; hopefully he was still as open minded?


Opening her mouth to respond, to say something agreeable to that, the girl drew up short. She'd been leaned forward a little on the end of the couch, legs tucked beneath her, one of her arms draped along the arm of the sofa. Sitting back on the couch, she simply looked at him for a moment, as if puzzling over something. "Level with me on this: What made you go into the coffee shop this morning?" The delicate arch of her left brow followed. That would tell her much about this; was it just coincidence, or did he *mean* to try to find her?


Okay ... Now that was a swerve. He actually had to stop and ponder that one. "Hmmm..It was on the way, and I needed my morning rush?"

Half shrug of his shoulders. Steele was curious to see where she was going with this. Then it dawned on him. "You knew who I was." Tilting his head slightly. "I thought it was because of my badge, but you didn't even glance down at it. Sorry, you were trying to make a point or something?"


Pursing her lips gently, she regarded him in silence for a moment. "Okay, possible..But you did something weird, too. When the Goth pair came in and I asked if I could help them, you said..oh..." Raising her eyes toward the ceiling, Eve nodded her head slightly as the general gist of the words came back to her - and she even dropped her voice a little, doing her best imitation of him. "'Let's drop the bullshxt, frail. Don't do anything stupid that will have me filling out paperwork until noon.'" Followed with the raise of that brow again. "I'd only asked her for her order - *after* you threw coffee on me and at me, by the way - and you acted like you thought something was really going to erupt." A shrug. "Granted, it probably *would* have if it had been my first go-round and I hadn't figured out a way to handle the situation, but..." A little shake of her head. "Makes me think you were expecting something too, Tommy." She realized the name *after* it slipped out. Snapping her mouth shut, Eve's fingers curled in her lap and into the fabric on the arm of the couch. No telling what his reaction might be to *that.*


"Hmmm. I didn't really want to start my day off with busting a couple of perps, and the Goth queen's boyfriend? He oozed trouble. As for the coffee? That was an accident. It was spilled, not thrown." He was bemused at that point.

An arch of the eyebrow though at the Theo comment. "Tommy? Me? Sorry frail, the T stands for Tohmaz. What's you game, girl?"

The smile was fading, replaced with one of slight seriousness. "And pick your words carefully, because my next question is going to be about you snooping where you shouldn't."


This made her pinch the bridge of her nose, sigh quietly to herself. "Okay. Differences. All subtle, and all just enough to make me think I've lost it." Softly murmured to herself, just before she opened her eyes again. "And make everyone else think I'm off my rocker too, I'm sure." Clearing her throat gently, she sighed. "Anyway. Pose the question. Let's see just how batty I can look, hmm?" Tipping her head gently, she regarded him quietly. "You already pulled a background check or something on me, didn't you?" Odd question, but she was hoping he wouldn't disappoint her in that aspect; the Steele she knew and had trusted would and did. Here's hoping this guy did his homework too.


"Yeah, I did. You're a former patient of Stonebridge, and was given a clean bill of health. You're not on any prescribed meds, and you're a good worker. That being said, it's probably why I didn't toss you out on your cute behind the moment I got back. So what does this have to do with your 'Groundhogs Day' comment?" He was watching her more intently now, not because of her past, but to see if she was going to be square with him. Upfront. 5 by 5. On the level. Honest.


"Oh yeah, I'm sure you had a camera down there." A wave of one hand, as if it wasn't very important. "My only question is why you had it all down there? The last go-round, it was all in there." Half-turning, she pointed at the media room, but never took her eyes off him. Settling back on the couch, she shrugged gently. "I said that because..." Deep breath and...brace herself. "Okay, it sounds whacked, but I've lived this before. Well, a lot of it anyway. I've met you before - which is where I got 'Tommy ... Tohmaz' from - and Rico, and Amber...or Samantha, or whatever she might call herself here. And ol' Morty too, and I didn't appreciate the come-ons the dirt-bag threw my way the first time around." Deep breath. It was something like having a load off her chest, but it wouldn't help much if he thought she'd really gone loony.

"How do you think I knew what NWI stood for?" A brow rose gently. "I was part of it then, although it was only recent. A lot things are the same, but a lot of them are different too. I only hope you're as open-minded now as you were then because I can only *imagine* how this sounds." Eve hadn't actually *meant* to say all of that, but it was like cracks in a dam; started with a trickle, then she just couldn't stop it. It was all so hard to explain, especially when even *she* was confused and didn't understand any of it.


Those dark browns were narrowed; he did that alot when he was in deep thought. "What? I told you, the NWI is the name of a softball league I joined when I first moved here." There went that bemused expression again.

"Slow down there, frail. Let's say I *might* believe this web you just spun. Let's start with the Coffee shop. You were expecting me to stop in there because ....?"


"Because you did before. You came in, and you pulled out a book..um...'Psychic Phenomena' or something along those lines. And you baited me. The 'psychic or psychosis' thing? We had that chat before. And not long after that, little miss sunshine and her friend had come in. Of course, they'd been *looking* for me at the time, and you took a guess and spilled your coffee all over me so I could duck out and avoid confrontation." A shrug, and she nibbled at her lower lip gently. "I think you'd pulled my name from a series of files, probably even thought it was just luck or something on your part, but I think Amber...Samantha...or whatever her name is had something to do with it." A pause, and her brows drew together briefly. She was still looking directly at him, giving him a curiously intense stare. Trying to figure if he thought she was insane or not. "But I wasn't sure that you *would* stop in. I had no way of knowing if things were going to go the same or not. I mean...there are differences. Some subtle, some not so. The fire at my apartment was a big one. The first time I ended up here because you wanted to keep an eye on me."


"Amber? Samantha? Don't ring a bell, frail. So when you saw me, you just had that vibe, hmmm?" Nodding his head slowly as he spoke to her, he was taking this all in stride. So far.

"I wanted to keep an eye on you?" That got a slight arch of the eyebrow once again. "I have a feeling you're going to tell me why, right?" Steele still wasn't saying what he thought one way or the other, but was still processing all what was being told to him. It was too far out there to be made up. Right?


Did she have that deer in the headlights look for a second there? Her eyes widened just a little, and she opened her mouth before groaning. "Okay, see, that's where it starts to get a little sticky.."

Deep breath. Frame her thoughts, try and make this coherent. Believable. Yeah, right..."Then, NWI was a group of paranormal investigators. Just the three of you. You were checking into psychics disappearing, most all of them under similar circumstances. I think...you were looking into backgrounds." Her brows knitted, but it was all she could figure on that one. "Checking out people that had been institutionalized because..um...apparently it was a common thing for them. Picking my file is what brought you to the Coffee Shop, to me, and I'd only been out for a few months. Just..basically trying to start over. Funny thing was that the same morning you showed up there and pulled out that book and all, the gruesome twosome came in. And...yeah. That wasn't the last we saw of them, either. We both had another encounter with them later. You sorta...kept me from getting killed." A slow shift of her shoulders. Could she *sound* any more whacked? "And before you say it, I couldn't really blame you if you don't believe a word of it." Would she, if positions were reversed?


Steele just stared at her for seemed like to be forever, before setting his bottle down once again, letting out a deep breath.

"Well, Eve. I do believe you. Too many things sort of click, like with the whole bookstore thing. You're pretty much right on target save for a few twists here and there. The Theo thing? Can't help you there. You mentioned Rico? She was just transferred from the Outback, I think. We are having trouble with some random cults popping up here, which was why I was sent here to help out." Pausing long enough to stare into her eyes. "And since you found my ... office, then you know I don't think you're crazy. I guess this *thing* you had ... sort of came true. Figures the first cute frail that I come across, has met me already in some sort of deja vu deal."

Pausing once again. "Tommy?" Making a face before reaching for his second bottle of beer. "Well, this changes things now a little, hmm?"


"Yeah, Tommy. Amber called you that, sort of as a joke because you'd changed your name from Tommy .. Um, Tohmaz to Argus. So we picked at each other; I called you Tommy, and you called me Elf." A shrug, and she bit her lip lightly. Well, the fact that he wasn't kicking her out at the moment or calling the nuthatch to come get her was an immense load off. Drawing a deep breath, she released it in a sigh, then caught onto something. "..Her? Rico's a girl here?" She tried to hold int, but Eve couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from quirking up into a grin. "Jared Rico is what..*Janet* Rico? Oh, that's funny..." Eve even giggled a little over that one, and tried to ignore that her cheeks were a tad flushed. Probably the 'cute' comment. "But seriously...no Amber? Or Samantha? A third member, sort of an information go-for?" Her brows rose a little, and she seemed to be watching him more closely, more seriously. The moment of levity had helped with the tension, though; her neck no longer felt light a bowstring drawn tight.


"Argus?" Okay, that got her an 'are you serious' look. "Who in their right mind would call themselves Argus? Elf? This guy have some medieval fixation? Jara's not a guy, and there's no third member anything, At least, not right now. Maybe you've set that into motion as well?" Those wheels of his were turning big time, and with 98% assurance that she was on the level. "Information go-for? I don't think it's gotten that big to warrant a brain trust. Just random sightings, and even then 70% of those are tabloid fodder."

And if she wasn't convinced then...His next comment. "I can say that it is safe for you to return back to the coffee shop when you're up to it. I swung by there before it closed, your boss along with Linny and the rest of the crew signed a card for you, along with some donated money and a cash advance on your check." Pointing a finger at her. "That told me all I needed to know about you. Your doctor is off base...but doctors are like that." A sincere smile given. "So what happens now?" He was really interested to hear more, and it showed in his eyes.


"Hey! I *like* Argus." She had to pause for a grin. "But I liked the look on his face even more when I called him Tommy. There was a time or two that I thought maybe I should run. It was just...a game, I guess." The smile faded off, slowly, and her expression passed through a little phase of becoming wistful. Yeah, she missed that game...

Shaking it off, she nodded. "Yeah, everybody at the shop is great. *I* never told them that I'd been locked up, personally, but I'm pretty sure they all knew; small staff like that, secrets can be hard to keep. So I'd think." A shrug, and a little shake of her head. "Next?" Her features became a little doubtful, and though she was looking at him, her stormy gaze was distant. Trying to put it all in line. "..I don't...The frat house massacre. Did you ever talk to anyone about that? Specifically, a girl that was locked in a closet?" Worth a shot, wasn't it?


The look on his face told her all she needed to know. "I meant, what were you going to do next?" Small grin. "And yeah, there was a frail locked inside the closet. "


"Mmm." A slow nod, as if she were mulling that around. Instead of saying anything else on the subject, she went on to the next. "Short term or long term?" Her legs were getting a bit cramped. Leaning up on the couch arm for a second, she uncoiled them from under her, dropped her feet to the floor. Sitting nice and proper now, ankles crossed, hands in her lap, posture elegantly straight.


"Well, I'm not going out on a limb here, but maybe you can control your own fate if you're seeing the signs before they happen? Or are you one of those 'fates are set in stone folks, so don't rock the boat and mess up the 'big picture?' " Making a motion with the index and middle fingers on both hands.


A gentle shake of her head, folding and unfolding her hands languidly. "It's not so much that I See the signs as..well...Deja vu. Seriously. I've lived most of it before. I mean, I *have* Seen signs in the precognitive sense before, but it usually leaves me feeling a lot more...off-kilter. Or upset, if it was bad. Depends." A shrug. "But no, I don't think it's all set in stone; at least, I *hope* not. I've been told that some really terrible things could happen, but...I don't know. I can't figure out if this is *my* reality, just changed because I was..um..somewhere else, or if it's an altogether different one." Thinking about what she just said, Eve groaned and closed her eyes, rubbed her hands over her face briefly. She was getting tired now, especially now that she'd said most of it and he seemed to be taking her seriously. "So...um...what *should* I be calling you, hmm?"