........ EUW!!!!

[Argus Steele]

After a hot Indian Summer like day, the temperature that night was surprisingly cool, mid 40's. Grab-a-blanket-out-of-the-closet type cool. Sleep had come easy; too bad those nights were few and far between.

Nudge. Nudge. Nudgenudgenudgenudge! *Nudgenudgenudgenudgenudgenudgenudge!*

Sleep had come easily, and for once, it even seemed to be relatively peaceful. Eve hadn't even recognized the transition, and had been blessedly drifting when something had tried to bring her back up. A shift, a groan and an attempt to bury her face further in the pillows didn't do much good. The pushes were insistent, and soon she was sitting up, bleary eyed and a little bit irked. "What ...?"


A chest. A *broad* chest. A *tan* broad chest. A tan broad *toned* chest. "Who are you, and why are you in my bed?" Eve 'I-hate-my-middle-name' Nora Lizt, meet Evan 'I-sleep-in-the-nude' Lizt. Anyone else sitting there with their mouth wide open?


Eve hadn't been sure what to expect - either Jara or Tohmaz, or maybe even a monster of some kind. Either of those would have provided less of a shock. All hints of sleepiness dissipated as she got a good look at who it actually was (too good!) and half-twisted away, sliding out of the bed to stand up. Well, at least she didn't sleep naked; not the most comfy situation, but she *was* wearing her usual cami and shorts to sleep in, both bright blue. "You've gotta be kidding me." Wow. She'd wanted to see him, but not like this! Speechless for another moment or two after that, her mouth opening twice to speak, but...nothing came out. Until finally: "(Ahem.) So, um, Mr. I-Sleep-Naked, you don't remember me?" Not too much of a surprise, but ... "Erm ... and ... You wouldn't be able to tell me how I *got* here, by any chance, would you?"


"No. Should I? Did we...? Aw, c'mon! And I don't even *remember?*" He threw the blanket aside, landing it right on top of her head. Evan Noran Lizt got up then, pulling on the pair of black boxers that were laying on top on the nightstand. When he glanced back over his shoulder at her, there was actually a goofy grin on his face. "Really, how'd you get in here? Who put you up to this?" Cringing slightly, Evan bolted to the side of the bed she sat on. "Gawd, are there ... pictures?"


She wiggled out from under the blanket, tossing it back on the bed with a brief scowl. But thank God, it had kept her from getting an eyeful. Eve knew she was hot for a guy, but there were limits to what she wanted to see! "Did we...?" Blinking, Eve's mind took a second longer to catch the meaning. "No, nonono. Hxll, no." She was shaking her head quickly, then took a deep breath. "Look, no one put me up to this. I don't know *how* I got here, but ... um ... I guess I just can't believe you don't remember me. Looks like reality realigning itself changed your memories, too." Realizing that probably sounded crazy, she slowed herself down. "Well, I'm Eve Nora Lizt. Nice to meet you, and see that you're well." A brief pause. "Again."


"'Hxll no?'" Okay, that got a look from the guy. And when she introduced herself, that just got her ... a *look.* "Okay. You got me. Ha-ha. Joke's over. Get dressed and get out of here." Sounding a little amused, but not too much.

Wait, was he checking her out? *Eww!* alert!


It was disturbing. It was like ... like being checked out by a family member. "Stop that, right now." She had a grin as she said it; the young woman felt like she had to laugh and smile, else she might scream. "Okay, let me break this down to you in the simplest terms possible: I *am* you, okay. Or .. um ... close enough that we might as well be twins. Take a *good* look at my face. See any resemblance?"


He was half-listening to the girl because he was also looking under the bed, and checking inside his closet. "Are you listening to yourself? You're *me?*"

When he didn't find anyone with a camera or camcorder or cell phone, Evan stood there staring at the girl, hands on hips. "Okay, same hair color. Dye job. Eyes? Contacts. Chest? ...Just kidding. Oooh, I get it now. Doc Darcy sent you, right? You're testing me."


".... Yeah, I've heard that before. Sounds crazy, so I can't blame you for not buying it." Eve clapped her hands together, rocking into her tiptoes briefly, then back down. "Hate to burst your bubble, but everything on me is real, Evan. Besides, it would take a buttload of plastic surgery to get me to look like a girl version of you, and ... I'm not going under the knife for anything." She'd taken a moment to look around, wishing some of her *other* clothes were to be found, too. The PJ ensemble was starting to make her feel a little ... vulnerable. "Nope, she didn't send me. I don't ... I dunno how I got here. I mean, I'd Seen you in the mirror once, and I crashed later that same day, and *boom!* Here you are, waking me up. And you're naked. Creeeeepy." Slight widening of her eyes with that one, but there was a note of teasing in her voice. But she was quickly losing steam, and not really sure *what* to do anymore. Especially if she couldn't convince him!


"Thanks for confirming that for me, Lizzie-Elf. Good thing I'm the *only* one here, because we really don't need to be giving Jara any more ammo, okay?" Steele spoke with a slightly confused look on his face. "You want to sit down?" He patted the edge of her bed. "I only stopped in here because you were talking sort of loudly ... " He was still giving her that concerned look.


Eve jumped visibly at Steele's voice, then quickly twisted to look around the room, wide-eyed. "What the fxck...?" The shock was clear on her face as she looked back at him. "Not again..." She almost *fell* back onto her bed, and covered her face briefly, groaning. "I don't know if it was a Shift, or what, but I *swear* I was just...somewhere else." Either that, or *reeeally* sleepwalking and sleeptalking!


Steele sat down beside her. "I'm all ears, frail. What's going on? You were not *here,* that's for sure. Evan again, from what I could tell, and he was .. Naked?"

Okay, time out. Look at it from Steele's point of view. She's talking to another, *male* version of herself, who just happened to be naked, and the two of them were in the same bed. Two words: Dr. Phil!


Opening her mouth to respond, Eve stopped, then shook her head. "Yeah. God, but I hope I was dreaming or something. Apparently, I ended up in his bed, asleep. He woke me up to run me out." She shook her head, then went quiet for a moment. And then... She started laughing. Not hysterical, but it was the kind of laugh that relieved a lot of tension. "Creeeepy." She even bumped his shoulder lightly with her own. "Evan's name isn't exactly on the list of men that I want to see naked."


Reaching over, Steele messed with her hair, nodding slowly. "I guess we can mark this as a possible tie-in to you and that Daemon portal, or whatever it was. Something's got you all super-sensitive. You think it's serious enough for you to get checked out? I'll let you make that call." He glanced around the room for a few moments, then redirected his stare back at her. "Waitaminute. Is this the same Evan, or a different one?"


Sighing, Eve leaned her head on his shoulder. *Was* it that serious? "I don't know, but ... yeah, chances are I'll get checked out anyway. As for Evan...I don't know if it's the same guy or not. I mean, he mentioned Doc Darcy, but he seemed ... different. More closed than the one I'm used to." A brief pause. "Or that I *was* used to. I mean, Evan was killed in the lower levels of Stonebridge, by Cromwell. But then again, reality could have realigned for him, too." Straightening, Eve clapped her hands on her thighs, staring at the dresser mirror across from her bed - covered by a blanket, of course. "I just ... I hope *that* doesn't happen again."


"Speaking of Darcy, they've moved her out of ICU, but have her under suicide watch. Whatever she Saw through you, the frail's not talking. She hasn't spoke since leaving you and Jara." Getting up from the bed, he also glanced over at the blanket covered mirror. "You know, I can have that removed if you want."

Tilting his head to one side, Tohmaz scratched his chin. "Something in that mirror spooked Darcy, to the point that she's tried to kill herself. This Evan also knows a Doc Darcy. You're Shifting like you did before, when we first met, only even *these* are different. No real Daemon sightings, only Portals. How about ... Any Nora sightings? She seems to be the only thing that's missing."


"Yeah. I still feel bad about that, but I don't know *what* she Saw. I mean, I know what *I* Saw, but...I mean, the kind of reaction *she's* having..." It left Eve shaking her head. She didn't understand it, couldn't figure what the older woman might have Seen - or Felt - that could have that kind of effect.

To his comment, Eve sank back on the bed, propped up by her elbows, and nodded. "Yeah, I know ... But I'm gonna have to really face what's there, you know? Lately, it hasn't been my same old haunt."

Dropping her head back to look at the ceiling, she started to respond negatively to the Nora sightings - then paused. "No, no Nora...But I have been having dreams. Nightmares. Visions. Whatever you want to call them. They're all about murders, and it's *me* the commits them, but ... it *isn't.* But I don't think it's Nora."


Steele leaned on the inside of the door frame, listening. "How long has this been going on?" He was taking Jara's advice this time; Eve had to start coming clean sooner about these things, instead of waiting for something to happen before she finally decided to fess up. "It's not Nora. You think it's one of those other Eve's that were down in the lower levels of the old Stonebridge?"


"It's happened twice, but with the first, I thought it was just a nightmare. Maybe a mental and sensory overload, you know? But this last one..." She even *sounded* like she wanted to be sick. Eve had to stop and clear her throat, take a deep breath, and she sat up once more. "The murders took place in the Coffee Shop. I saw my own reflection in the glass and everything, but it wasn't *me.*"

At his question, however, Eve's eyes lit up a bit. "Another of them?" Her eyes narrowed just a little as she remembered, and nodded. "It's got to be. I mean ... when were down there, one of the tanks was empty. And when Amber was...." She couldn't even finish the words, instead giving a shake of her head as she skipped past it. "...Um, there was a woman's voice, so there *had* to be someone else there." She gently bit her lower lip. "Probably the one missing from the tank."


"Tank?" Man, this was feeling more and more like a maze. "Well, you do have a standing appointment to meet up with your current-again shrink, Maxwell - Not that he would be any help in this particular field. We needed Darcy, who was taken out of the picture. Dxmmit! We have all the pieces, but none of them fit! I need some coffee."

Steele would leave Eve to her own devices, but he did pause for one more question that was nagging at him *just* a tad. "Lizzie-Elf, if you and Evan are alike, does that mean *you* also sleep in the nude?" Wide grin.


"Lab tank. Like...an overgrown test-tube." She didn't know how else to put it, but maybe that clarified a little.

Eve had gotten up again by the time he posed the question, and went to the closet to find something to wear. She did look at him over her shoulder, and couldn't help grinning. And there, she'd thought he was going to ask if he was on the list of men she wanted to see naked! "Why not wake me up sometime and find out?" How could that grin be sweet and wicked all at once?

The grin she got in return was that of the cat that swallowed the canary. "I'll be down in the media room. Thinking."

She was still keeping it together, no matter how random the punches were coming. Nodding to himself, Steele would check into those other Portals that Jara had researched for him.

And Eve? She had to deal with a sudden development of a certain blanket, falling away from a certain mirror, that was over a certain dresser, offering a certain reflection, if she decided to look, to be certain.


She'd managed to get dressed before realizing the blanket was no longer covering the mirror - well, mostly. She'd pulled on the dark blue jeans and a white camisole, and had been getting her boots on when she noticed. Did she *want* to look? Not at all. Would she *have* to look? Of course; Eve was never sure if it was a morbid sense of curiosity or a need to confirm what *shouldn't* be there, but she always looked. With a sigh, Eve straightened, keeping her eyes closed, but had her fingers hooked through the belt loops of her pants. A slow count of five, silently, and she opened her eyes to look.


The reflection was her, but *not* her. She stood over her latest victim, covered in blood, with a most malicious grin on her face. What was left of the man was in bits and pieces all over the hotel room, but it looked like she held his eyes in one hand... "Is that a good enough look for you, Trenton? Do you like what you see?" Her voice dripped a sultry tone, and yet contained a cold edge. Suddenly she stopped, tensing up as she spun around, glaring at the mirror. "Stop haunting meee!"
The woman launched the knife at the mirror. Not only did the glass on her side shatter, but the blade broke through Eve's mirror as well, and the it was headed right at her!


Eve's mouth had fallen open slightly as she stared at the image. Her mind was struggling to soak up every detail about it, while reeling against those same details. Sick didn't even *cover* how she felt...

Her pulse had picked up, breath deepened even as she'd gone cold. Adrenaline had kicked in, so when the knife flew at the mirror, and even come through *her* mirror, Eve had been ready to move. The little yelp she'd given was undignified, but her movement was effective - she threw herself to the side, shoulder bumping the wall, but a bruised shoulder was much better than catching a knife.

Where was the shattered glass? Where was the knife? And the mirror? It was still uncovered, but whole. The glass was cracked, as if something had struck it - but from the other side, which was impossible. Right?


Once she was back on her feet and had checked the glass, Eve shook her head, grabbed her jacket, and left the room. She *really* hated when stuff like that happened when she was alone. Made her feel completely bonkers! Skipping down the stairs quickly, she went to go find Steele - naturally. "Hey!" Draping her jacket on the back of the couch, she stood the doorway, looking just a touch pale. "It happened again. It's not Nora. This one is a lot more ... malicious."


Glancing up from his laptop, Steele stopped what he was doing to give Ms. Lizt his full attention. "What happened?" Getting up, he went to the fridge, and took out of bottle of water, then handed it to her.


Taking the bottle, she shrugged. Not thirsty, but it was something to do with her hands. "I was changing, and ... the blanket had fallen off the mirror. I looked, and she was there. I ... I think she's killed someone. If she hasn't, then maybe she will." Eve walked into the room and sat down, rolling the cold bottle between her hands. "She started screaming for me to stop haunting her, and she threw a knife at me." She pressed her lips together for a second. "And it cracked the mirror - from the inside of the glass."


Steele had moved behind her, massaging her shoulders to work that pent-up tension out. "She said you were haunting her?"

Jara came in at the point, rubbing herself as if she was cold. "Hiya guys. Everythin' okay? I pick'd up on some nasty mojo just as I pulled up. It be stronger in 'ere."

Steele looked down at Eve. "Want me to show her, or do you?"


"Yeah, that's what she said." Funny, in a twisted kind of way. The massage did feel good though, and Eve let her head nod forward, relaxing a little under his hands.

She didn't even mind Jara showing up; it would be another opinion on the matter, even if it meant the massage would be over and she'd have go to back up there... "Um... Come on, let's go." She meant that for all three of them, but especially Jara. New eyes on the scene and all. Dragging herself up from the chair, Eve hit the stairs again to return to her room. Nothing in the way of explanation offered yet, but she pulled the blanket off the mirror for a look at the crack.


The closer to her room the pair got, the more Jara was looking around. She stopped short of entering Eve's room.


"Creepy feeling, isn't it? I think she's still hanging here, in some respects." Eve didn't really want to linger in there, either. The mirror was at an angle to be seen from the door, and that was enough for Eve. "There's another out there that *looks* like me. And ... I guess ... I'm haunting her." A shrug, and she headed back for the door.


"Somethin' was pxssed off." Finally stepping inside the room, she slowly made her way to the mirror. (m) "Geez girl, wha' is it wit' ye an' these things?"

Jara stared at the cracks for several moments before slowly reaching out to touch them. "Now tha's weird. No rough edges."

Glancing over at Eve as she walked back out the room, Jara shuddered once more, looking visibly cold. "Eve, tha' presence I Felt ... It was ye."


Eve watched Jara study the mirror, her features calm, collected. "Oh, that's nothing. I woke in bed beside Evan, and he was naked. Talk about creepy. Steele woke me up from that one, and then ... this." A gesture to the mirror with one hand. "It Felt like me, but it wasn't me. I think I've a clone running around, and I think she's pretty murderous. I Saw her kill someone in the mirror, and the reason it's broken is because she threw a knife at me."

A coughing fit. Jara was choking!


She was a bit concerned on that one, and gave Jara a few good pats to the back in an effort to help her. "Are you okay?" That was rarely a good thing, especially after being in a room where something like *that* had taken place.


"Ack! Thanks, luv. I swallow'd me gum, when ye mentioned being nekkid in bed with Evan. Tha' is creepy. An' iffin' wha' I sensed is a clone, then she' be the closet thin' to ye. Enough to fool anyone." With that being said, Jara reached out to place the blanket back over the mirror.


"Yeah, tell me about it. She looks genuine." Eve shrugged. "The only thing that *might* set is apart are the scars, and she might be authentic enough to have those, too." A shake of her head, but it was just a thought. The scars were inflicted, after all, rather than genetic.

Standing outside the door to her bedroom, Eve folded her arms, looking thoughtfully into the room. "Creepy? Yeah...but *you're* the one Evan had really wanted to see naked." She couldn't help it, and threw a grin at Jara, trying to lighten the mood a little.

[Argus Steele]

Evan stared long and hard at the unopened bottles of beer that he had pulled from the fridge well over an half an hour ago. They were still chilled if he wanted to drink them, but that wasn't the point. He wasn't too sure about anything right then.
Glancing back into his bedroom, those steel gray eyes focused in on where *she* had been. The girl. The one that claimed to be a female version of ... Well, himself.

Eve.

Eve Lizt.

How freaky is that???

He wasn't sure what bothered him more ... That she MIGHT have been telling the truth, or the fact that he looked ... Hot as a girl, and she was sharing the same bed with him, while he had no clothes on. A shake of the head on that one. (m) "Nope. No beer. Matter of fact, as of right *now* I'm giving up this stuff." Evan had lost track of how many showers he had taken since this Eve had vanished ... The thoughts of hitting on her, made him feel ...

Dirty.


But what she told him ... At least from her point of view, the girl was quite adamant in her convictions. With a narrowing of his eyes, the door to his fridge opened, and the two bottles of beer were placed back inside, the door closing soon after. "Hmmph. I guess anything is possible. Least that'll give me something to talk to Doc Darcy with abou ...."

The mirror ... Something was there, watching him ... That cold shiver that went up his spine was not his imagination. Wide eyed and deathly still, goose bumps covered his flesh ... (m) "Dammit, I was finally getting over this!!!!"

Another narrowing of his eyes brought him his cell phone, as the emergency number was dialed ... "Hey Doc. Any chance of you seeing me earlier?? Serious issues. No, I'm not playing ... I woke up with a female version of myself this morning. And she was .... Uh huh. Yeah, I'm on my way."