Title: Golgotha.
Featuring: Desade
Date: 3/6/11
Location: New York City.

They were up before sunrise, two redheaded women dressing for a day that wouldn't be like any other. Amy Campbell sat on a pea-green, vinyl-covered chair in the bathroom of a New York area hotel room. All the lights around the mirror were up, and the small redhead was shirtless, her tattooed torso covered only by a thin black bra.

"I don't know why we have to do this," she muttered.

"Quit moving." Her on-again, off-again, and now on-again lover half-leaned and half-sat against the sink, damp hair falling around her face and a bathrobe belted at her waist. She held a tiny, black-handled brush in her hand, brushing circles of pale makeup along the ink on other woman's shoulder.

"This shit tickles," Amy grumbled. "And I'm getting a crick in my neck."

Alex leaned forward, putting a bare foot between Campbell's legs on the seat of her chair. Her toenails were painted a light, almost girly shade of pink that glittered slightly, and pastel, Easter egg blue toe separators kept them apart. "You could just tell me what's bothering you, you know."

"Nothing." Amy looked away. "It's... it's silly."

"Then you can just tell me." Pierce twisted the brush into the cover-up. "I mean, if it's silly."

"I'm not glad that she'll be okay. And I know I should feel badly about that feeling, but I... I just don't, and I'm not sure what that means."

Alex's smile twisted in wry amusement. "It means you're human."

"I'm serious, Al."

"I know you are." She nudged Amy's head back into position, smoothing more makeup along the other woman's collarbone. "The feeling means that you're â€" stay still, dammit â€" it means you're not perfect. Drusilla is... Dru deserved it. I'm not saying she didn't, but you shouldn't think you're the bad guy."

"But how can I be this numb? I... God, this stuff is caking on already..." She grumbled, reaching a hand up to scratch at the concealer, but found it slapped away before reaching its destination. "Half of me hates you so much right now. I want to scream at you that having her still around is cheating on me, it's... it's treating me like garbage." When tears started to well up, she shook her head to ward them off. Her chin came back up, jaw set, and her eyes were hard when they met Pierce's. "But I just... I feel like I can't care, because it's never going to end, and I either leave and be miserable or stay and be miserable, but staying and... and these people... they'll end up killing me. I leave, I end up who knows where, doing who knows what drug after a while, and it'll kill me because I'll be so goddamn unhappy. It's like... at least you'll pretend to care if I stay, even if everything you do says otherwise."

Alex sighed, half-turning away to busy herself with the jar. She wanted to interrupt, but couldn't find a word to say.

"And I can say all this and feel all of this and just... not be affected by it," Amy finished. "Because I push that part of myself away or something, that reasonable center, because if I listen to it then I'll have to leave you for all of this. And instead, I'm just numb. I'm numbed up and I'm still figuring out ways I can end this day with Drusilla Devonshire being buried. And I have to get through today because it's when that other part of me will find out if you're really willing to give it up, or if you're still just stringing me along, waiting for the next job you'll say you have to have these people on..."

Pierce set the makeup on the countertop, momentarily forgotten. "There is no next job. I know you don't believe it, but this job here, tonight... Golgotha is like a nuke. There won't be an Order of St. Julian, no Bronze, no Cozen, no one to kidnap my little girl, no more monster under the bed. This is it, baby. In a few hours, I'll be able to push the button and end all of it."

"But it won't be the end. It'll only be the end for now."

"It will be. Dru and Kathi will be someone else's problem, and if they come after you or I, if they try to hurt you, I promise you, I will end them. There won't be a question. I promise you."

"I don't see how this actually ends any ofâ€"damnit, can't I just wear a sweater? It's gonna be impossible to cover the scars Kingsley left, and it's not like people aren't gonna recognize me. I don't act. I don't... I'm not them."

"I'm not asking you to act. Just to deliver a package."

"So why do I have to cover up all this – gah, this shit smells, even."

"Because I'm sending you into an Order facility, even if most of them don't know who they're working for. There will be close to a dozen cameras watching you, and when they realize what happened â€" and they will realize, believe me â€" I don't want you to tilt your head wrong or move your arm and reveal the ink. It's one thing for you to be my girlfriend, to be the woman made Desade's grow three sizes. It's quite another for you to be involved in stealing this kind of sensitive information."

The smile that touched Campbell's lips was small but genuinely fond. "You're cute when you're worried about me."

"I'm serious, Amy."

"I know you are." She ducked her head, smile stretching further. "I could just not tilt my head, you know."

"I don't want you to worry about it. I don't want you to have to think about it. You're already going to be nervousâ€""

The little redhead's brows lifted. "You think?"

"You're already going to be nervous because you don't do what I do. You're going to be nervous and uncomfortable and I don't want you to have to think about where those seventeen cameras might be and where you should put your head."

"Seventeen? You just said a dozen."

"Might have low-balled it a little."

"How fucked are we?"

Alexandra Pierce spent a lot of time smiling around Amy Campbell. The little redhead was the only person who saw the full gamut of grins, the only one who saw fully behind the mask. She did not spend a lot of time smirking around Campbell, however, but that's what happened anyway. "Not as bad as they want us to be," Alex said. "I've done worse."

"You always say that."

"It's usually true." She folded her arms atop her knee. "Places like this are designed to prevent a single, large-scale intrusion. A bunch of people with assault rifles and bad intentions would be screwed. Three women on unobtrusive, unrelated errands will be fine. Just focus on what you're doing. You'll be fine. If you do what we talked about and you listen to your father, you'll be out before you know it."

Amy peered up at the other woman, her eyes narrowing. "You're totally just saying that, aren't you?"

"If I didn't think you could do this, do you really think I'd let you?"

"You've let worse happen to me." She sighed. "Sorry... that was harsh."

The chuckle that followed was quiet. "Not undeservedly so. I've never let anything happen to you, but... that's neither here nor there. It's a far cry from any of that to sending you into what's essentially enemy territory." The smirk died on her lips as she lifted a spray bottle. "Now you may want to hold your breath, because I bet this stuff smells even worse."

"There's a spray?" Campbell sincerely looked like she was ready to cry. "Can I sex my way out of this somehow?"

"It would smudge all the work I've done."

The back of Amy's hand touched Alex's calf. "Maybe I'd sit stiller the second time."

"I really doubt you would be. Just hold your breath and I'll make sure that your tattoos won't be seen unless you take off your shirt."

"You say that like it's a possibility."

"Which one of us is shirtless now and which one isn't?" There was a bit of heat in the taller woman's smile. "You can't claim this is unprecedented."

"Bathrobes don't count, lady! Maybe I'll decide I don't like the recent treatment, so I might need to Shaw it up a bit. Maybe things go south and I have to do the same! It's not cheating if it's for the team, right?"

"You wouldn't."

"I might. Not like I'm getting any here. I mean, here I am, sitting in my bra, and you're not even interested."

"Now, wait..." Pierce skidded her fingertips down Amy's forearm. "I never said I wasn't interested."

"Maybe I'm a little bitter this morning, but if I didn't know better, I'd wonder if you weren't too busy thinking about Drusilla."

Alex pushed off the sink, snatching Campbell under the arms. The little redhead let out a surprised squeak as Pierce pivoted up into the corner where the sink met the wall. "You know..." She said quietly, almost growling. "You talk way too much about Drusilla."

"Uh, Al..."

"It's always Drusilla-this and Drusilla-that... you're jealous. You think I want her more than you? After all this time, after how long I waited, you still think I want her when I have you?"

"She's tried killing me and you still find uses for her." Amy looked up, eyes wide and wet. "Why wouldn't I worry?"

"Because..." Alex slid her fingers along her cheek and up into her hair. "I'm still here. With you. Every morning that you'll let me, I'll wake up beside you. Every night that I can, I'll go to sleep at your side. There is no one else I want â€" no one else I have ever wanted. Not the way I want you. You're the fire that keeps me warm, the light at the end of my tunnel, the... something else poetic that I can't think of when you wrap your legs around me like that."

Amy's chuckle was quick and quiet as she scooted back onto sink. "I like it when you're flustered."

"You're mean."

She nodded, winding her arms around Alex's neck. "The meanest."

"You're cruel."

"The cruelest." The words came as a soft whisper right into the ear.

"You're..."

Campbell raised her brows, the very picture of innocence, save the location of her hand. "I'm...?"

In that moment, Alex made her decision. She gave in â€" as if there was ever any doubt she would. "Maybe five minutes. Five minutes couldn't hurt anything. It usually takes Kathryn longer to get ready than she says."

Neither of them heard the door open. Neither of them heard the man come in, look up at the intertwined redheads, and sigh. "I wouldn't make plans," Malcolm Girard said.

It didn't matter whether Amy Campbell would use the term "father" to describe the man â€" something about him appearing when she was very nearly in flagrante delicto still served like a bucket of cold water. Her legs unwound and she dropped back to the floor. "What?" she demanded icily. "Does no one around here know how to knock?"

Malcolm waved a hand dismissively, his lips curled into a frown. "Forgive me," he said. "But if I had to watch Kathryn consider shoes anymoreâ€""

"What do you want, Malcolm?" Alex's voice was still husky, just above a whisper. She tightened the neck of her bathrobe. "We'll be ready."

"Yeah, totally ready." Amy nodded along, chancing a smile.

He stepped closer, hard-soled dress shoes not quite muffled by the thin carpeting. "I just... wanted to make sure you'd be ready."

"What did I say?" Pierce softened the question with a small smile. "She'll be fine."

"Of that I have no doubt." His tone indicated he may indeed have some doubt. "Just go over the plan again."

"I wait for Amyâ€"" Alex began.

Girard cut her off with a look. "I meant for her to explain it."

"I wait for your partner to go in." Amy hissed a sigh. "Then I deliver the package. I don't shake it; I don't drop it. I just deliver it, andâ€"you know, you should make sure that the plan involves her pulling a knife or a gun on me, because that's what's going to happen anyway, and, hey, it's not so bad if you plan for it, right?"

Her father's eyebrows drooped in a frown. "This is serious business, not the time for you to be engaging in your dispute withâ€""

"With the woman that already made you wonder if I could ever trust Alex again because she jumped back into working with her the second we split? The one that keeps trying to off me? Oh! How about the chick I prayed I'd killed last night. That one? I don't need to hear anybody in this room tell me I need to get Drusilla Devonshire out of my fucking head."

Pierce slammed the spray bottle down onto the counter with enough force to gain their attention. "Please! Both of you, justâ€"" She blew a long sigh, enough to disturb her bangs, laying her hand on Amy's forearm. "I need you to take this seriously. Your father is just worried."

"If we didn't need bodies possible to pull this off, you wouldn't be coming." Girard frowned at his daughter. "And before you make a smart remark, neither would Drusilla. Alexandra already knows what I think about this situation. Unfortunately, this kind of plan doesn't afford us the luxury of picking and choosing, and that's precisely why you're involved. It's risky and I need you to keep your mind on the task at hand, because the potential forâ€"" He sighed. "It's... it's dangerous, and we're already tempting fate far more than I'd like."

"I'll be fine."

"And if Alex gets hurt?"

"It's not going to happen."

"It's the most likely result, Amy." Malcolm pressed. "So someone gets caught, injured, or worse, what do youâ€""

"It's not going to happen."

Malcolm Girard was not one to get exasperated. Seeing his chest rise and fall in such a frustrated sigh was a rare sight. He spoke through clenched teeth, jaw set. "I can almost guarantee you it will. You need to understand just what it is that you're walking into." His eyes momentarily flicked to Pierce, then back again. "This seems like light work, playing dress-up with Alexandra, giggling and cuddling in hotel washrooms. As much as I'd like to think she's tried preparing you for this day, something tells me you didn't quite get the full lay of the land."

Amy was preoccupied trying not to smudge the concealer as she slipped her long-sleeved t-shirt on. He folded his arms and turned to other woman. "All right, Alexandra, since she's listening to my side so well, why don't you take a moment to explain what happens in the likely event that this goes south somehow?"

"We've been lucky," Alex said. "When Quinn was taken, when I wasâ€"" She cleared her throat. "We've been lucky. They went out of their way not to hurt anyone. But they're not going to call the police. They're not going to read us our rights. Most people in that building might not know what's going on, but enough do that if we get caught â€" if this doesn't work â€" it'll be Bronze they call, and I don't want to tempt fate for a third time."

"Yeah, butâ€""

Pierce slid in behind Campbell, squeezing her shoulder. "But nothing. So I know you and Drusilla have your issue, but all I'm asking is that you try to set that aside for just a few hours. Get through this, then I promise you I'll take care of it."

"You've said that before. And she's still here."

"I promise you, I will take care of it. Okay?"

"I... okay. But it had better be real this time."

"I'll hold her to it," Girard assured. "Just... please, keep your head on your shoulders today. Both of you."

Alex nodded briskly. "Fine, can we just... hrm."

"Hrm?" Amy tried not to shift under that stare. "I know all the sounds you make, and that's... not a good one."

"I'm just worried about the concealer."

Her father gave her a look that â€" if it were any other man â€" would have made her uncomfortable. But since it was her father, she was just a different kind of uncomfortable. "The tattoos don't show," he concluded.

"That's good, right? I'm not supposed to stand out. That'sâ€""

Another speaker slipped in during their discussion, a tawny-haired bombshell in a deep red skirt that was maybe a little too short. "Why don't you want her to stand out?" Kathryn Shaw asked.

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe because they'd probably figure out it was us?" Amy raised both eyebrows. "I was under the impression that would be a bad thing."

Shaw made a considering sound. "And when they figure out four women robbed the place, who else are they going to think did it?"

"Kathryn," Malcolm said sharply. "You had your opportunity bring this upâ€""

"You wouldn't have listened to me." She shifted her glittering, hazel gaze to Alex. "Unless you're going to drop this bomb immediately, they're going to have time to respond. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather they think it was, say, anyone else but me."

Campbell blew out a sigh, raking her fingers through her hair. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"If we steal Golgotha, Bronze is going to rain all kinds of hell down on that building. They're going to pick apart security footage. They're going to grill security guards for hours about every little detail. They're not going to have footage of me. They're not going to have more than a few seconds of footage of Lexi. They're going to have Dru, and when they figure out what's in that package, it won't be long before they have Amy."

"What are you suggesting?" Alex frowned, leaning back against the sink with folded arms.

"Look, they're going to want it to be you, Lexi. They're going to be assigning roles. Casting parts. Instead of giving them a blank slate, make it hard. Give me, like, ten minutes with her and those boys will remember her, but they won't think 'Amy Campbell' when they tell the tale. It may not buy us more than a few days, but that's time we need."

Campbell twisted to look back at Pierce, then back to Shaw. "You can'tâ€"I am not gonna let herâ€""

Alex and Malcolm shared a look. "As much as I hate to admit it," he said. "She's got a point."

"She's got a point?" If there was one thing in the world that Amy Campbell hated, it was being talked about instead of being talked to. "She's got a point, so I get to be her personal Barbie doll?"

"It's okay," Pierce said. "I'll be right here."

"Oh, no, you won't." Kathryn pulled her fall of hair over one shoulder. "I'm not going to be second-guessed by the father and the girlfriend. Besides, you need to get ready. We have..." She flipped her wrist over, glancing at the face of her watch. "...maybe forty-five minutes before we're green, and I'm ready first so what does that say?"

Malcolm stepped back, but he looked to his daughter. "Amy...?"

Amy'd wound a loose fiber from her shirt's hem around a finger to the point that it cut off circulation, but the rogue thread soon snapped alongside the tension in the room. With her sigh, her shoulders dropped. "Fine â€" and only because it could help keep us safe."

Alex pressed a kiss to the top of smaller, seated woman's head. "We'll be next door if you need us." It was pretty clear she meant she would be next door.

"Do try not to kill each other," Malcolm said wryly, ushering Pierce out of the room.

His daughter's glare followed him the whole way before she snapped it to the brunette. "Well?" she asked irritably. "Are we just going to sit here?"

"No." Shaw stifled a smile as she approached. "Whatever you may think of me, Amy, you have to know I'm good at this, right?"

"All I know is that I want this to work. Even if it means dealing with you."

Kathryn stepped around so she was behind the other woman. "Face front," she said.

"What are you doing?" Amy turned to look back. "We don't have time forâ€""

"I mean it. Face forward. I'm not going to hurt you."

The little redhead folded her arms. "Whatever."

"Now tell me what you remember about me."

"What?"

"How would you describe me to a stranger?"

"Like someone painted the Grand Canyon pink?" Amy shrugged. "I dunno, an obviously middle class, skanky cougar-type trying to look fancy?"

Campbell couldn't see Shaw's smile. "Not bad. When I dress like this, I'm creating an image, a brand. Lexi does it different than I do â€" different than anyone I know, really. She wipes away all traces of herself and puts on another person the way you might wear a pair of sneakers. I couldn't do it that way, but it helps that she's kind of boring."

"She's notâ€""

"Sorry, sorry." Shaw came back around, her hands lifted. "That wasn't an insult. Just saying she's not flashy. She probably would've put you in some drab jumpsuit, head down. Maybe hide your face in a motorcycle helmet. But that's not going to work, because you're Amy, and you're always going to be Amy."

"You don't need to convince me, okay? I'll do whatever. I just want her to be free from people like you."

"Here, I have an idea." Kathryn sashayed casually to the door â€" it was like she didn't think about her hips swinging, they just naturally moved that way.

"So help me, if you're going to try to teach me how to walk..."

"Honey, nobody can do what I do, but that wasn't what I had in mind." Shaw picked up her Coach bag, placing it on the bed. "So..." she said, digging through the contents. "Are you nervous?"

"Am I awake?" Amy scoffed, flailing a shaky hand to gesture at Shaw. "And I can do what you do, but better. Younger, smarter, probably slower... but I can do it all without giving them a minute to realize they're staring. You make guys feel like hunters, like that's really what they want, but it's not. I seem to be somewhat of an expert on making people fall in love, and I don't have to start below the waist. Your charms die with age â€" mine don't need to, so I'd suggest getting a little less arrogant about it."

"Now you're starting to get the hang of it. I can't make you into me â€" and, trust me, neither of us wants that." Kathi glided back, a small pouch in hand. "Guys like a challenge, and I engage part of their brain they don't like to talk about. But you can work with the part of the brain they do. Look, I'm not here to whore you out, but if you go in there and you're worried about cameras or not getting recorded or guys with guns, you're going to... well, you're going to do that thing where you ramble and don't really make any sense."

"I'm worried about all of that, but I make sense. What I don't get is how you think any of this foolishness works, like once all of this information's gone, you're suddenly all free and clear to do whatever you want. And why do you need to do the slut bit? I mean, really, you could become a respectable human being, maybe aâ€""

"And there it is." Shaw chuckled.

That quieted Campbell rather quickly. "Oh, fuck off. Just do whatever you're going to."

"I already am, sweetie." She unzipped the makeup case, glancing into the mirror. "Listen, it's perfectly okay to be nervous about this. Everybody gets a little on edge before a big con. Even me."

"It's not a big con. I'm just delivering a package."

"Yeah, and I'm just meeting a guy at a diner and striking up a conversation with a guy over his bagel. What's the difference?"

"Probably that I won't end up with a dick in my mouth? Don't get all matronly about me being worried or nervous, you don't give a shit about anybody but yourself in this situation, so it's not like you've got a lot on the line. You act like you're so cool with it."

Shaw leaned against the sink, a bottle of nail polish in hand. "Let's put aside the fact that you being nervous is probably the single biggest thing Lexi is nervous about, okay? Let's put aside that I'm betraying a person who scares me here." She unscrewed the top, working on a coat of clear polish, not nearly as showy as her usual fare. "Now, I can get Lexi into the building. Dru will make the guards pliable, because she might be crazy, but she's terrifying when you give her one job. Lexi can find Golgotha's physical component, but that package you have is everything, okay? If they open it before it gets upstairs, if they don't let you past, then all the little work the rest of us doesn't mean anything."

"Now why would I be nervous after that?" The little redhead sighed. "It's not like anyone's counting on me, right?"

"You'll do fine," Kathi assured her. "Just put yourself in the role. Don't try to act. Just imagine what it would be like if you hadn't become Aimz, but if Amy Campbell delivered packages for a living."

"Yeah, I was already thinking about that."

Kathi turned to face the mirror, drawing a bottle of lip-gloss out of the case. She touched the brush to her lips â€" instead of her usual whorish red, it was a paler pink. "And have you come up with anything?"

Amy swiveled on the stool. "I'm sure I will by the time we get there," she said. "So if you're not here to paint me like a whore, then what's the make-up for?"

"Me." Kathi slid a smile to the side. "I didn't exactly tell Lexi the truth when I said I was ready. I'm dressing down a little, since it is going to be six in the morning."

"Then why did youâ€""

"Look, you're not going to get anywhere with Lexi right there and your dad â€" and can I just say how weird that is to say â€" fretting. You're a big girl, and I think you know what's at stake. So what if you're nervous? The only person I've ever seen who doesn't get nervous is my sister." She paused, the brush falling away. "Was, I guess," she said quietly.

Shaw lived behind a different kind of shell than the one that protected Pierce, but it was just as much a shield and just as much an artifice. She busied her hands with the makeup. "You want something? Eyeshadow? Lip-gloss?"

Amy was actually startled when she caught herself starting to feel at ease. "No, that's fine," she said. "No matter what I put on, all they're gonna notice is that my hand is shaking, and they'll wonder if it's because I'm nervous because I'm up to something. Then later, when they realize I was, they'll laugh because someone with tremors was stupid enough to go on a big job with a huge tell that she can't cover."

"No, they're not." Shaw chuckled, a rich, dark sound. "Behind the guns, they're still guys, Aim. They're the guys you met on the street. The ones you pass every day in the hall or see at the coffee shop. They've got wives or kids, and they're going to be a little addled after Dru drops by. You may not push the buttons than I do â€" you may not want to call them buttons at all â€" but if anyone is going to be able to make friends with these guys, it's going to be you, okay?" Her smirk stretched to a smile. "No offense."

"So my job ends up being to make some security guards want to nail me?"

Kathryn smirked into the mirror. "No, your job is to deliver a package to the office and then go sit with your dad. The fact that they'll probably want to nail you means they're men. It also means they're not going to poke at your package."

"And if they're prepared for women who might be trying to poke at theirs?"

"You really are nervous!"

"I'm just trying to prepare. Seems like you guys spend a lot of time dressing up, but not so much with the actual planning."

Shaw turned, resting her hip against the sink. "There's only so much you can plan for. They might be prepped for people like me â€" but as you so eloquently put it â€" you're not me. They may look for wanton and willing, but no guy looks askew at charming and chatty. I couldn't do it, but you can. Look, you don't have to flirt with them. You don't have to kiss them. You don't even have to touch them. Just don't be a bitch."

"What if there are women there?"

"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Kathi dropped her brush into her case. "There won't be."

"What if there are?"

"There won't be." She grabbed the other woman's shoulders. "Look, Amy, Lexi will tell you that you're ready, but you'd have to wonder if she meant it or was just saying it. When I tell you that you're ready, you know that I'm not going to bullshit you, right? No matter what you think I'm going to do later, it's in my best interests to see you succeed, because if you fail, then I couldn't steal the thing later or whatever it is you think I'm going to do."

Campbell dropped her head a little and sighed. "It's fucking crazy that next to Alex and... and Malcolm, I trust you more than anyone on this block." The comment made Kathryn chuckle, but Amy only sighed again, looking back up. "How... how's Drusilla this morning?"

Shaw's hands fell away, and she brushed her palms on her skirt. "She's okay. Youâ€"the shot didn't hit anything vital. Bled a lot, but Malcolm got it stopped, and she was already up and about. Limping like fuck, but you would have had to tear off her leg to keep her from putting on that awful waitress outfit this morning."

"As much as I wish it... y'know, it doesn't matter. It was mostly an accident anyway. Let's just get today over with. She's not gonna do anything to me today, is she?"

"No." Kathryn stepped back to the bed. "Or at least I don't think so. No matter what you think of Drusilla â€" and believe me, I could tell you stories that beat yours â€" I think this means more to her than whatever's between you. Once Lexi has Golgotha, then all bets are off, of course, but until then you're okay. All appearances to the contrary, Dru doesn't do a lot of things without planning. Especially when it comes to Lexi."

The tall brunette settled down onto the corner of the bed. "I wouldn't worry about it yet. You've got bigger fish to fry, cross that bridge as you come to it, tomorrow is another day â€" pick one of those clichĂ©s. But first tell meâ€"" She extended her foot, toe pointed to display her high-heeled pump. "Are these shoes too much for chance meetings at breakfast?"

"They're not the kind of thing any woman would wear to work, no matter where, so I'd avoid them if you're trying to blend even a little. You don't think Alex would ever... I mean, there's no deeper reason she's kept Drusilla around, right?"

"Damn, I'll have to change." She slipped off the pump. "I'd ask if you had something, we're probably not the same size and you don't have anything but sneakers, do you?"

"You didn't answer me. And don't say something just to fuck with me, okay? Be honest."

Shaw rubbed her instep, shaking her head. "I never knew why Lexi kept Dru around, really. I mean, the girl isn't â€" you've seen her. She's not all there. But we needed someone who could pass as Lexi for a job in Detroit, and the rest is history."

"But she wouldn'tâ€""

"With Dru?" Her chuckle dried out into something else. "No. When they were together, it wasâ€"it wasn't good. It wasn't healthy. They fed off each other. It was codependent and kind of scary, actually." She lifted her eyes to the redhead, who hadn't fully turned from the mirror. "I may not like what happened to Alex..." she continued â€" not Lexi, Alex. "But after you, she'd never go back to that again. I've known her for years, since before Quinn was born, and I would trust that woman to have my back no matter what â€" still, to this day, even given what happened, I would. Believe me, I have never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you."

"The way she explained it, 'dating' Drusilla was a byproduct of boredom and the need to keep her under control," Amy couldn't help the growl forming in the back of her throat. "I... it just burns me that Drusilla thinks it's more. She thinks she's got one up on me, and... God, I wish I'd killed her."

"She kept Dru under control, all right, the same way you keep an attack dog under control." Her smile didn't have any of the edge it usually did when the two women spoke. "Look, either trust her or don't trust her, but Lexi's not going to let you down." She glanced at the inside of her wrist again. "It's just about time."

There was a soft knock at the connecting door, and Shaw smiled over her shoulder. "What did I tell you?"

It was Malcolm who pushed open the door. "Alexandra is just about ready. How's it going in here?"

Kathryn looked back to Amy at the bathroom mirror. "He means, 'Have you killed each other yet?'" She stood, picking up her heels. "I just need to change shoes. Excuse me." She turned sideways to step past Girard, not quite touching. "Be ready in a jiff."

He cleared his throat, glancing back to his daughter. "You didn't kill her. And you haven't changed."

"Nope," Amy said. "Not gonna." She didn't indicate which statement she was answering. "Shaw isâ€"I don't like her. Never will like her." She stood, a sharp tug adjusting the t-shirt to make sure it didn't get stuck to the concealer. "But she knows what she's doing. I'm ready."

"Are you?" Malcolm arched a brow, gathering the lines of his lips into a frown. "You don't have to do this, you know."

Her head dropped slightly, snorting a chuckle that was self-deprecating. "I think I kind of do."

"You don't. We can do without. Kathryn can probablyâ€""

The little redhead crossed the distance to her father, looking up at the man. "I do because I'm in love with her and because, if she's right, this will set her free."

"And if she's wrong? If someone tries to screw her?"

Amy picked up her sunglasses from the dresser. "Then I have to be there to stop them." She slid the glasses on. "The package?"

"In the van."

She nodded, pounding a fist against the door that connected the rooms. "Shaw?"

"Going!" Kathryn popped to her feet, having switched to a pair of wedge-heeled sandals. "It should take ten minutes to get there, then give me thirty minutes."

"That's all?" Malcolm asked. "You're not as young as you used to be, you know."

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks I can get it done by then." She flashed a grin back.

"You've got yourself a bet. Amy?"

"Thirty minutes or the sex is free?" Campbell raised both hands. "I'm not betting against her."

"You'd to be mad to take that wager," Alexandra said, emerging from the restroom as Shaw darted out the door.

Amy stopped, her brows came up at Pierce's appearance. "You know how I sometimes joke that I want you to wear your work clothes to bed?"

"I know that you have asked me to wear my work clothes. Those bootsâ€""

"The boots are different." Campbell's response was immediate.

Girard patted his pockets, drawing out a set of car keys. "This is not a conversation I want to be party to."

"What?" Amy laughed. "For your information, I was going to say I never wanted to see those clothes anywhere near our bed."

"I should hope not," Pierce said, fitting in a set of fake teeth. "Shall we?"

---

Thirty-two minutes later.

Amy Campbell pulled her earbud out of her ear with a disgusted sigh. "Gah, please me we're not listening in."

The three of them sat in the back of an exterminator's van ("Lincoln's Pest Control â€" Don't Bug Out, Call Us In!" announced the sign). Malcolm wore a drab gray coverall with the LPC logo on it and a matching trucker hat. He sat in front of a laptop, several screens open to display grainy camera footage. His thumb skimmed over the track pad, bringing up the window that controlled all the earpieces. "You don't have to," he said, dragging an arrow down on the level for his daughter's feed.

"But you do?" Campbell glanced over his shoulder to the laptop's screen. "Oh, come on, you're watching, too? Of course you are." Amy thumped down into the bench. "I can't believe you bet her. I can't believe she won. Guys like that are just... gah." She glanced to the side, resting her hand on Alex's thigh. "I can so see why you gave them up."

"This is what she does," Alexandra said. "It's not really his fault." She'd spent the trip staring out the window, offering only cursory conversation. The only time she'd moved was when they made a stop in the suburbs, and that was only to move out of sight.

Amy slid down the bench, bumping hips playfully. "Something wrong?" She reached across to squeeze the woman's hand. "I'll be fine, you know."

Pierce turned her head slightly, and her rheumy blue contacts couldn't hide the concern in her eyes. "I know. Just... just don't do anything stupid. Promise me. Just deliver the package and come back to the van."

"Drusilla's given the high sign," Malcolm said. He didn't let on that he â€" that any of them â€" could hear their conversation. "Two minutes."

"Should I be prepared for a metal detector?" Amy turned to the disguised woman, mumbling under her breath. "Because I don't wanna freak out, but I am not taking my shirt off ifâ€""

"Fantastic information, Amy, thank you." Malcolm shook his head, adding, "You know that means you can never breast feed."

"Thanks, mom, but I wasn't talking to you." Campbell only glanced briefly at her father, her voice even quieter. "And the promise stays, right? No bodies?"

Alex turned fully, both hands around one of Amy's. "No bodies," she repeated, but she added an addendum. "Unless you get taken." She met the other woman's gaze, and those contacts couldn't fully conceal the intensity of that stare, either. "Then I'm not making any guarantees, so come back in one piece, okay?"

"That's the plan," Amy said. "Just... please, don't rely on anyone in this, even myâ€"even Malcolm. If you take a risk, trusting one of them and they... I almost killed that cunt last night before she had a chance to hurt you."

"Only one person I trust." She pressed her lips to the backs of Amy's knuckles. "And I'm looking at her."

Girard tipped his head down, snorting a chuckle. "May I speak for our otherwise engaged colleagues?"

"No." Pierce and Campbell spoke at the same time, and then both were consumed by nervous laughter, their foreheads touching.

"You'd better go." Alex touched her hand to Amy's cheek. "You can do this."

Part of Amy's smile bloomed, but not the whole of it. "Yeah, so you keep saying," she said. "I'd kiss you right now, butâ€""

"But you don't want to mess up the makeup, I know."

"Actually, I was gonna say it's because you look kinda fugly." Amy slid backwards, their hands parting very last. She picked up the box gently, glancing to her father. "This isn't going to explode in my hands, right?"

Malcolm looked away from the monitor briefly. "For the fourth time..."

"Okay, okay." Campbell yanked open the van door, squinting against the rising sun. She took a deep breath, looking back to meet Alex's eyes.

"I love you." Pierce mouthed the words.

They still brought a small, nervous smile to Amy's lips as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "No turning back now," she said.

---

Laughter echoed in the cavernous lobby, a woman leaning across the welcome desk to swat playfully at one of the guard's arms. "Don't even say that!" She lifted her coffee cup, taking a long sip. "You're bad, Mickey â€" I told you, I just slipped in the shower."

"Slipped in the shower," Mickey said doubtfully, matching her sip with a swig of his own. He waggled bushy eyebrows. "Is that what they're calling it these days? You kids and your lingo. I could never keep track." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey, Marc, you think she fell down in the shower?"

The other man at the desk was a dark-skinned man with wide-rimmed glasses. He sat at the computer, not looking up. "I think that's possible."

"You do?" Mickey was the elder of the two, with a paunch that seemed to grow at the same pace his hairline receded.

"Showers are slippery." Marc looked away from the screen briefly. "Happens all the time. I've seen it in the news. Didn't Mikhail say not to talk to people?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Mickey frowned, waving a hand through the air. "It's just Chloe. He meant different people. Not the girl who brings the coffee."

Marc sighed, rubbing his eyes. "If he'd meant different people, he would've specified." He took a long sip from his cup.

"He's a quiet guy. Doesn't use lots of words. Brevity is the soul of wit an' all that."

"Whatever. Not me they're gonna chew out."

"Yeah? I don't see you throwing the pretty lady out."

Chloe (whose name was not "Chloe" at all) looked back towards the glass door as it was yanked open. "Tell you what, fellas, I'll make it easy, since I should get back anyway. Looks like you've got your first official visitor."

Mickey sighed as he chugged the rest of his coffee. "Fine, whatever. Go. Tell Leo I think he's a son of a bitch for making a crippled lady come to work this early in the goddamn morning."

Drusilla stooped for her cane, leaning heavily on it as she limped towards the door. "Then I wouldn't have gotten to see your smiling face," she called over her shoulder. The smile she tossed back was nothing short of brilliant.

In looking back, however, she missed the oncoming courier, and the two women collided shoulder-to-shoulder, hard enough that Chloe nearly lost her balance. "Maybe you should watch where you're going?"

"Sorry about that!" Amy tugged her earphones from her ear, making a show of brushing the other woman off with her free hand. She patted a little harder near the hip of her uniform.

Devonshire cringed, turning the grimace into a thin smile. "No problem."

The redhead leaned in close, turned away from the security counter but she maintained a wide smile for the sake of body language. "Nice try," she whispered. "But watch your step, huh? Accidents haven't exactly been in your favor lately." She suddenly spoke up. "Everything's okay? Okay, sorry again!"

"Yeah, no problem." Dru clenched her teeth in her smile. "Sorry about that, justâ€"ah!"

Amy cut her off, brushed her hand against the other woman's hip as she passed. "Probably shouldn't be at work, then!" She flipped a wave overhead, continuing to the desk.

"I told her the same thing myself," Mickey said as he slid down the desk to meet her.

"Some people don't know when enough should be enough, I guess." Campbell smiled a little, laying her package on the counter.

He nodded, grinning back at Marc and his computer. "Told her that, too. She said she comes by every day to bring coffee and Danishes, and she didn't want us to go hungry. Now that's what I call respect." His smile fell quiet. "Anyway, welcome to the Winchester Building. How can I help you?"

"I, uhhh..." She tore her eyes away from the door, patting the package. "Yeah. I have a package for the guys up on theâ€"" She peered at the box. "Seventh floor." Amy drummed her fingers along the box, trying to marshal her breathing. "Sorry. First day."

"We can send it up when the eggheads call down."

"Someone's gottaâ€""

Malcolm didn't say anything or offer any words of encouragement. It was Alex in her ear, soft voice strangely comforting. "Don't lose control. He's in charge, let him act like it. Just show him the slip."

"It's no problem, honey," Mickey said. "We do this all the time. Makes it easier than interrupting research."

"O-okay." Amy huffed a breath. "Whatever. Easier on me, right?" She patted her pockets, finding a slip in the front pocket of her jeans. "Sorry, it's a little wrinkled. Just need you to sign, uh..." She slid the paper across, tapping the line. "Right there." She leaned her elbows on the desk, crossing her forearms.

Mickey nodded, picking his pen up. "No problem..." His eyes drifted away from her chest with some difficulty. "Just put my John Hancock right here, andâ€"oh, fuck."

"Hmm?" Amy raised her brow.

"Marc, they fucking... those assclowns upstairs made it limited signatures again."

The black man sighed, turning away from the computer. "You want me to call up?" He picked up the receiver.

"What's..." She smiled sheepishly. "What's 'limited signatures'?"

"Man, you are new," Mickey snorted. "Means no proxy signature. We can't sign for it, so they have to come down."

"Busy signal," Marc said. "Give it a minute and I'll try again."

"We ain't keeping you or nothing, right? Bet you've got a lot of otherâ€""

"Gonna be honest," Campbell chuckled. "I'd be in more of a hurry if I was committed to this gig. Not much for a retirement package, after all."

"Heh." Mickey snorted, glancing over to the other man. "Still nothing? What the shit?" When he looked back, his smile was a little bit sheepish. "No offense, sorry."

Amy knew the calls wouldn't go anywhere, since she'd watched Malcolm override the phone system. "No problem," she said, doing her level best to look uninterested and bored.

"It's just that my ex-wife says I curse too much, especially around ladies, and I've already got a note in my file about offending somebody upstairs. So if you could notâ€""

"My... my ex used to curse a lot. Guess I got used to it from him." She favored him with a brief smile, glancing down. "'Till we broke up, at least."

"Oh, that was good. You've definitely got him, just need the other guy."

"I don't understand this." Marc tapped his mouse, maximizing a window. "They're all here, just no one is answering."

"It's fine, I can wait. They're probably just busy," Amy offered. "Doing... what's this building, anyway? Bankiâ€"oh man, is that a Kuvasz or Maremma?" She pointed to the flat screen monitor. "Sorry, I just saw a flash of your desktop for a second there. That's your dog?"

"Yeah. Maremma, actually," the man smiled. "Tobias."

"That's a perfect name. I've wanted one for ages â€" love big dogs â€" but I can't really do that in the one-bedroom crappy jobs like this pay for, y'know? And breeders are hard to find! Where'd you find one? Like, he's AKC registered and all?"

"There's an older couple upstate, they've got a breeding program with their daughter and her husband," he said. "Great bloodlines, straight from Italy. Toby's pet quality, didn't cost as much as you'd think."

"It sucks that more places in the city aren't dog friendly. I'm stuck with my rescue cat, Alex."

"I'm allergic to cats." Marc sighed, shaking his head. "My folks think it was dumb to spend two grand on a dog, but that's a great deal, and you know, if I ever get married, I figure he's a good dog for kids. In the meantimeâ€""

Marc flipped open his wallet. "I've been trying to get him into one of the shows."

"Ah, man, not the show dog photos." Mickey rested his hip against the desk. "You don't show a girl like this pictures of a dog show. That's not cool."

"A girl like what?" she giggled. "A girl who loves animals? C'mon, guy â€" you might not have had to try so hard for that waitress if you had some pictures of adorable, fuzzy dogs in your wallet."

"Nah, I meant... I meant, a, uh... you know, a girl."

She laughed again. "You're adorable, you know? Can say all kinds of horrible words, but can't tell a girl she'sâ€"" A grin split her lips. "Oh, my god, he is so adorable! I'm completely jealous right now."

Mickey loomed over them, peering down. "I've got a dog, too, you know."

"That's not a dog, that's a mutt, and it's your ex-wife's." Marc grinned up. "He's just trying to impress you."

Alex's whispered words were urgent. "Inbound, thirty seconds."

"Even if he is, the dog doesn't deserve a bad rep. Obviously it was charming enough for his ex to keep around," Campbell laughed. "Y'know, I can just leave this package with you guys, probably. I figure if it was some mega secure document or whatever, they probably wouldn't have tossed it at the new girl who's still gotta do deliveries from her diesel Jetta."

Mickey snorted. "You don't know these guys. They think we're just rent-a-cops. Last week, they fuckin' no shit ordered a DVD from fuckin' Amazon and wouldn't let us sign for it."

"They told you it was Amazon?" Marc laughed. "No way that was from Amazon."

The door opened again, another woman stepping in. She was a little heavy, with bad teeth and a misshapen nose, her eyes shielded by sunglasses. She moved past hurriedly, tugging her badge off her jacket.

"Yeah, well... trying to keep it civil, since there's a lady here." Mickey half-turned as the other woman neared. "I'm going to need to see yourâ€""

Amy laughed, loud, sudden, and raucous. "You are not telling me they ordered a... a..." She leaned over a little, hushing her voice. "A porn movie?"

Alex flashed her badge in the men's direction, continuing past without even pausing. Mickey sighed, muttering under his breath. "Bitch."

"Still nothing." Marc tapped the cradle. "If you wanted, we could... I mean, you could go up."

"Man, I could stay here all day. You guys've got some stories, alright. But... I guess I could go up? Do I need a pass or something?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Actually, you're right. They'd probably be pissed at you guys if they had to come downstairs to get it, and they'd be even nastier if you left your station to deliver it, right? And it's not like I can accidentally wander into some top-secret server room or anything. If you're cool with it, I'll just run it up and hand it off to the next important-looking person I see?"

"Only if you come back here afterwards so I can give you the address of the next show," Marc said. "I don't often get to talk to anyone who actually knows what they're talking about."

"Does this mean I'd get to meet him?" Her smile was bright and sudden.

Marc grinned, looking away shyly. "Of course."

"Then I'm so there. Just give me, like, five minutes." She turned, hurrying away, and grinned over her shoulder as she turned the corner to the lobby.

Pierce stood there, irritation curling her lips as she waited for an elevator. "Good morning."

"Mornin'." Amy tucked the box under her arm, straightening her t-shirt as the bong sounded. She masked her grin by pretending to yawn.

They got into the elevator, standing side-by-side but not acknowledging each other, just two passengers sharing a ride. Campbell pressed seven, Alex five. Amy yawned again, stretching overhead. "Guh," she said. "Tired." Alex favored her with a look but not a smile, watching the numbers go by. "Ohhh-kay, then." She leaned back against the rail.

The chime sounded again as they got to five, Pierce pushing out of the corner, glancing back over her shoulder with pursed lips, blowing a hidden kiss to the other woman, who ducked her head to hide another grin as she waited to go up two more floors. She busied herself with her phone, sending off a text message before she pulled up the blueprints stored among her photos.

Campbell carefully counted out her steps once she was off the elevator, finding the smoke detector just where her father had said it was. She propped the box up against the wall, stepping backwards towards the stairs. "This is where I'm supposed to say package in place or some shit, right?" she whispered.

A quiet mmph sound emanated from within the box, and smoke billowed out the top. She stared at the cloud for a moment before she pushed out into the stairwell, nearly bowling over the woman on the other side. "Jesus!" she exclaimed. "You're supposed to wait for me downstairs."

"Couldn't wait, sorry." Alex had slipped out those fake teeth, and she grinned, shoving the woman up against the wall for a brief nip. "The dog thing was brilliant. Even I didn't know what you were talking about."

"This isn't a disguise you're getting laid in, no matter how much you flatter me. You'd probably get farther dressed up as Kathryn, and that's saying something."

Alex chuckled, leading Amy up a floor as she stripped off the latex nose. They sat on the steps leading up. "Floor above and below are isolated, they won't know there was an alarm," Pierce said. "Evacuation is required inside four minutes, startingâ€""

That was when the alarm sounded, muffled by the security door. It only escaped when someone pounded through, and Alex turned, pushing Amy flat against the stairs. "Don't move. Four minutes start now."

"Four minutes, copy that." Malcolm spoke in both their ears.

* * *

"Thirty seconds."

"It's been a minute since anyone came out."

"Wait it out."

"Won't the fire department get here soon? We should go if we're going toâ€""

Alex clamped a hand over Campbell's mouth as the door banged open again, a man meandering through, humming softly as he hopped down the stairs lazily, as if this were a drill. When the door closed again, Pierce released the woman, grinning. "Four minutes."

"You knew there'd be someone at the end?" Amy hissed her question, walking down the steps as quietly as she could manage.

"There's always someone at the end, doing the final sweep."

"Why didn't he find the package?"

"It's just a box now." Pierce pulled open the door, peering in. "Go to the restroom and change. Then wait there. I'll be alongâ€""

"I can help you find it."

"You can alsoâ€"" She sighed. "Nevermind. Come on."

They moved quickly through the office, which was eerily quiet, computers still running, iPods still playing, and even the coffee still hot. Amy moved for the biggest office she could see, stopped by a hand on her arm. "Not there."

"Why not? From what the guys downstairs said, these guys are big-time assholes. Egotistical, think everyone is lesser than them. The person in that office is the biggest dick on the block, so if anyone's going to have anything secret, it'sâ€""

"Not going to be him." Pierce knelt beside the copy machine, sliding open the bottom drawer. "People who have real power don't flaunt it."

"Someone teach you that?"

Inside, there was a weathered, battered box, like an old safety deposit box but with a new, sophisticated locking mechanism. "I taught that to people," she murmured, carefully lifting the box out.

"This isn't the first time I've ever had to say this, but from the way everyone was acting, I really thought it'd be bigger."

Alex tipped her grin to the side, waggling her eyebrows. "It's not the size of the boat, baby."

"Never say that again."

"It used to be more impressive. Whole libraries full. But... they upgraded it to a flash-drive about three years ago. Even secret societies have to upgrade with the times."

Amy swept her hair behind her ear. "So how do we open it? Doesn't look like there's a keyhole or a combination or..."

"Kathryn's taking care of that now."

"Actually, not quite." Malcolm's whisper in both their ears was quiet, but surprisingly calm. "There's been a development on that front. You'd better get down here."

There was no argument, no banter, and no questioning him. The redheads rose, making quickly for the restroom. Pierce dropped her duffel bag onto the tiled floor, unzipping it quickly. She drew out two pairs of Nomex firefighter pants, sliding one over to Campbell. Long jackets and helmets followed.

"This isn't going to work, you know. We don't look likeâ€""

"They're not going to stop emergency personnel." She removed much of the padding that had made her look chunky, using it to secure the box inside the bag. "Just keep your head down."

Amy stood, looking somewhat ridiculous in the oversized uniform. "Won't be a problem, since this helmet is too fuckingâ€"" The brim fell down. "I hate you sometimes."

Their trip down seemed longer, and the police and fire department were bustling about in the lobby. No one saw them leave, no one stopped them on the way to the van. Once they were clear of the cameras, Amy pulled off the helmet, and she outpaced the other woman back to the van, parked up against a hedge nearby. "Malcolm!" she demanded. "Malcolm, what the hell?"

Alex approached slower, her eyes narrowed. "Hang on," she said quietly. "Something's not right."

"What?" Campbell stripped off the heavy firefighter's coat, glancing back. "You said we needed to get out of here."

"And now I'm saying something doesn't feel right, so just wait."

In the past, Amy might have mocked Alex's paranoia, but that was a time long-since passed, and so she stopped where she was, working hard to keep the tremor out of her voice. "Al... what's the matter?"

"Don't know yet." Pierce stepped carefully around the van, one foot placed carefully before the other. "Just stay there."

"Al..." Campbell glanced over her shoulder, afraid the police inside the Winchester Building would come barreling down on them at any moment.

The taller woman didn't answer, describing a wide circle against the van. There she found Kathryn Shaw, gagged, blindfolded, and her arms bound to the rearview mirror. Alex looked back over her shoulder, lips pursing briefly. "Amy!" It wasn't quite a shout, but it may as well have been, given the speed with which the other redhead circled the front.

"...the fuck?" Amy's fist balled as she approached.

Alex held up a palm. "Wait."

Amy waited. "What?"

"Why not put her inside the van?"

Kathryn clearly heard the two women, straightening. She tried to speak around the gag, but only managed a muffled mishmash. She couldn't gesture with her bound hands, either, but she could move her head, and she shook it fervently.

''Where the fuck is my father?'' Campbell wasn't sure if she was demanding the answer from the bound woman or Pierce. ''Drusilla must have--I'll fucking kill her...''

"Hang on, that doesn't make any sense." Alex's brow furrowed as she crouched to look beneath the van. "Even if she took the sample, I still have the box."

"Hate to break it to you, but Drusilla and sense aren't on speaking terms."

Her lips curled in a slight frown, looking over her shoulder towards the building. "She has no reason to go after Kathryn or your father, though."

She opened the duffel hanging from her shoulder, yanking free a Swiss army knife, which she flipped to the ogre woman. "Cut her down," Alex said. "Just don't touch the car itself, okay?"

"Why not?" Amy snapped free the saw.

"Because it still feels like a trap, and I'm hoping the van hasn't been rigged with something."

"Not exactly comforting." Amy flattened herself between the hedge and the van, reaching out awkwardly. "Ow!" She reached behind her, shoving irritably at poking branches. "Can't fucking believe I'm doing this for her," she grumbled.

Alex stepped to the side, shrugging off her coat to pool at her feet, her head on a swivel. "Any luck?"

"Working on it." Campbell huffed her hair out of her face, sawing through the zip-cuffs that held Shaw in place. "Stay fucking still! Christ, you don't have to do much, okay?"

"Stop!" Alex shouted suddenly, coming around the back.

Amy froze in place, lifting her brows. "Don't fucking do that, okay?" She wiped at her brow. "You're going to give me a heart attack."

"Get the gag first. I want to know what happened."

"We know what happened," she said, pulling the cloth out of the brunette's mouth. Some unknown kindness impelled Amy to take off the blindfold, too.

"Mal..." Kathi worked her jaw, her voice hoarse.

"What?" Campbell grabbed her by the jaw. "What did she do? Where did sheâ€""

"Amy," Alex cut in. "Breathe. What happened, Kathâ€""

A dull, electrical buzzing cut off the question, a cattle prod jabbed into Alexandra's thigh. Pierce stifled a shout, stumbling to one knee.

"Al!" Amy shouted, trying to shove past Shaw and maneuver through the hedge. "I swear to fuck, if you hurt her, I'llâ€""

It wasn't Drusilla Devonshire who stepped around the van. It wasn't even Bronze or any of the people who worked for him. The man was tall, with salt and pepper hair and a dusting of stubble.

"Stay out of this," Malcolm Girard instructed his daughter. He squeezed the trigger on his prod, looming over Alexandra. "This doesn't concern you."

"I..." Amy's eyes widened, unable to put words together. "But... I don't..."

"I need you to understand, Alexandra," he said, unwilling (or unable) to meet Campbell's gaze. "This isn't personal."

Pierce tossed the hair out of her eyes, focusing her glare up at the man. "Feels like it," she croaked.

He stepped away, keeping the weapon leveled at Alex â€" he was clearly concerned about her, even on one knee with her hands clamped to her leg. "You never thought about anyone else, did you? You never thought thatâ€""

"You're supposed to be my fucking father," Amy whimpered, finally managing to maneuver to their side of the van. "What... what're you doing?"

"Don't come any closer." He squeezed the prod, another jolt of electricity visible between the two electrodes. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Put that on her one more time and I'll--"

He smiled, not a little sadly, as he stooped to unzip Pierce's duffel bag. "I told you I wanted you two to have every chance. But there are hundreds of people â€" hundreds of innocent people â€" whose names are on this list. Hundreds of people who would be hurt just so that Alexandra Pierce could be free. These are good people, Amy. Good, honest people who made a mistake and couldn't dig their way out."

"People... people like you, you mean." Pierce glared up from the pavement.

He pressed the prod into her shoulder, but didn't push the button. The threat was enough to keep her down. "I've made my bed, Alexandra. I cannot allow you to make everyone else's just so you two can be free."

Campbell's little fists balled up, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "I just don'tâ€""

"I'm there for you, Amy. Even when you didn't know I existed, I was there for you. This... it's another step." He finally lifted his eyes to his daughter. "I know you may never forgive me for this, but I hope that someday you'll understand."

Amy chanced a step forward, forcing her hands open. "We can talk about this. It doesn't have to be like... like this." She glanced to the side, catching just a glimpse of a drab waitress' uniform nearby. She tried to smile.

"It does. Because you'd convince me not to do it, and I know that I have to."

"You don't. You don't." She was almost begging. "There's got to be another way. You two can work together, you'll come up with something." She forced herself not to look away as Drusilla crept up behind her father, drawing a small box-cutter knife from somewhere. "We can work through this."

"I'm afraid we can't."

He stepped backwards, no more than a half-step, prod buzzing again. Campbell didn't move, her fists tightening again. "If you leave like this, I swear to God, I will find you. I'll... I'll..." She didn't know how to finish that sentence. "Please don't do this, it doesn't ever have to be public, just..."

"Truth takes time, Amy," he said fondly. "Please don't follow."

He turned, and Drusilla was nearly on top of him when Amy surprised herself with the shout. "God damnit, look out!"

Girard blurred into motion, catching Devonshire across the cheek with the prod just as she lunged. The blow spun her to the side, and he jammed his weapon into her injured hip, teeth bared in a sneer. Dru cried out, falling back into the street, and Malcolm stepped over her, tucking the box under his coat and stepping out onto the street. He didn't look back.

He couldn't risk it.

Amy helped Alex to her feet, the leg he'd struck weak enough that she had some difficulty putting her weight down. "Fuck..." she hissed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Alex chuckled, ruffling a hand through her hair. "No." She shook her head. "We still need to get out ofâ€""

Once she was certain there was no lingering damage, Campbell pushed past Pierce, her fists balling as she approached Drusilla. "You!" she growled. "You were gonna kill my fucking FATHER?" She threw a wild right cross, catching Devonshire in the cheek.

"You let him get away with everything we worked for!" Dru was defiant to the last. "I was going to do what was necessary."

"To my father? You pathetic, used-up, nothing-happening cunt." She stamped on Drusilla's forearm, then wound up for a knee to the face. "I'm going to break you intâ€""

"Amy!" Pierce pulled her away. "We still need to get out of here. Those sirens are for us."

"I don't care." Amy wouldn't look back. "I'll happily go to jail for this."

She tried to wriggle free, but Alex managed to spin her around. "This is my responsibility. You go cut Kathryn loose. I'll take care of Drusilla."

"You'd better," the little redhead huffed. "Because if you don'tâ€""

"I will."

She knifed her hands through her hair, taking the (much less painful) long way around to Shaw.

Meanwhile, Alex limped to Drusilla, just rolling to her side on the curb. The prone redhead was spitting mad. "What the fuck," Dru hissed. "I could have had him!"

"I know you could have."

"I mean, it sucks that I would have had to kill him, but we'd have the database and this would be fucking over."

"It wouldn't have mattered. She never would have forgiven me."

Dru sat up, extending one hand, the other to her hip. "Gah, she's such a fucking whinyâ€""

Alex knocked the hand aside, stamping her foot down on the other woman's chest to drive her back to the street. "We're done."

"What?"

"I said we're fucking done."

"How did this become myâ€""

"It might not be," Pierce allowed. "But I can't have you around anymore."

Devonshire sneered, trying to sit back up. "You mean you can't have me around her anymore."

"I can't have you around any of us." Alex leaned down, her foot still on the other woman's chest. "So this is it. You'll move out of the condo at Shadow Woods. You won't approach me or Amy or Quinn or Kathryn â€" you won't come near any of us."

"You can't do this. You need meâ€""

"I need people who I can count on. That's not you anymore. Not with Amy here."

Devonshire's eyes blazed. "You don't want to do this, Alexandra. I know things thatâ€""

"You do, yeah. But if I see you or hear you or smell your perfume again... if I even get the slightest inkling that you're plotting against us, I will end you. And if you hurt any of the people I care about, I will break my promise to Amy, and I promise you, I will kill you. It will hurt for days, and you will beg me to do it."

"You... you wouldn't. Amy wouldâ€""

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "Yeah, she would. I'd lose her, which would mean... I'd have nothing else to live for except to make you hurt. Look at my eyes and tell me if you think I'm lying. Nod your head if you understand."

Devonshire managed a small head bob of a nod, swallowing. "Alex, whatever you think of me..."

"No." Pierce stepped into her chest again, driving a kick with the other foot across Drusilla's face. "You don't get to make me feel sorry for you."

Devonshire didn't move after that, and so Alex turned, only then aware that Kathryn and Amy were both watching. "Are we ready?"

Shaw nodded, rubbing at her wrists. "Yeah. Guess we are. I'll see you when I see you."

''Then we go home and figure out what the hell to do next,'' Amy favored Alex with the slightest smile, glancing briefly to Devonshire. ''With a little less baggage. She shook her head, continuing with a sigh as she snaked an arm around Alex's waist. ''Seriously -- fuck our lives.''

They abandoned the van where it was.
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