#dianne browning

[kemetic-dreams]

Carol Diann Johnson was born in the Bronx, New York City, on July 17, 1935, to John Johnson, a subway conductor, and Mabel (Faulk), a nurse. While Carroll was still an infant, the family moved to Harlem, where she grew up except for a brief period in which her parents had left her with an aunt in North Carolina. She attended Music and Art High School, and was a classmate of Billy Dee Williams. In many interviews about her childhood, Carroll recalls her parents' support, and their enrolling her in dance, singing, and modeling classes. By the time Carroll was 15, she was modeling for Ebony. "She also began entering television contests, including Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, under the name Diahann Carroll." After graduating from high school, she attended New York University, where she majored in sociology, "but she left before graduating to pursue a show-business career, promising her family that if the career did not materialize after two years, she would return to college.

Carroll's big break came at the age of 18, when she appeared as a contestant on the DuMont Television Network program, Chance of a Lifetime, hosted by Dennis James. On the show, which aired January 8, 1954, she took the $1,000 top prize for a rendition of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein song, "Why Was I Born?" She went on to win the following four weeks. Engagements at Manhattan's Café Society and Latin Quarter, nightclubs soon followed.

Carroll's film debut was a supporting role in Carmen Jones (1954), as a friend to the sultry lead character played by Dorothy Dandridge. That same year, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in the Broadway musical, House of Flowers. A few years later, she played Clara in the film version of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (1959), but her character's singing parts were dubbed by opera singer Loulie Jean Norman. The following year, Carroll made a guest appearance in the series Peter Gunn, in the episode "Sing a Song of Murder" (1960). In the next two years, she starred with Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, and Joanne Woodward in the film Paris Blues (1961) and won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (the first time for a Black woman) for portraying Barbara Woodruff in the Samuel A. Taylor and Richard Rodgers musical No Strings. Twelve years later, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role alongside James Earl Jones in the film Claudine (1974), which part had been written specifically for actress Diana Sands (who had made guest appearances on Julia as Carroll's cousin Sara), but shortly before filming was to begin, Sands learned she was terminally ill with cancer. Sands attempted to carry on with the role, but as filming began, she became too ill to continue and recommended her friend Carroll take over the role. Sands died in September 1973, before the film's release in April 1974.

Carroll is known for her titular role in the television series Julia (1968-71), which made her the first African-American actress to star in her own television series who did not play a domestic worker. That role won her the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female for its first year, and a nomination for an Primetime Emmy Award in 1969. Some of Carroll's earlier work also included appearances on shows hosted by Johnny Carson, Judy Garland, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar, and Ed Sullivan, and on The Hollywood Palace variety show. In 1984, Carroll joined the nighttime soap opera Dynasty at the end of its fourth season as the mixed-race jet set diva Dominique Deveraux, Blake Carrington's half-sister. Her high-profile role on Dynasty also reunited her with her schoolmate Billy Dee Williams, who briefly played her onscreen husband Brady Lloyd. Carroll remained on the show and made several appearances on its short-lived spin-off, The Colbys until she departed at the end of the seventh season in 1987. In 1989, she began the recurring role of Marion Gilbert in A Different World, for which she received her third Emmy nomination that same year.

In 1991, Carroll portrayed Eleanor Potter, the doting, concerned, and protective wife of Jimmy Potter (portrayed by Chuck Patterson), in the musical drama film The Five Heartbeats (1991), also featuring actor and musician Robert Townsend and Michael Wright. She reunited with Billy Dee Williams again in 1995, portraying his character's wife Mrs. Greyson in Lonesome Dove: The Series. The following year, Carroll starred as the self-loving and deluded silent movie star Norma Desmond in the Canadian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of the film Sunset Boulevard. In 2001, Carroll made her animation debut in The Legend of Tarzan, in which she voiced Queen La, ruler of the ancient city of Opar.

In 2006, Carroll appeared in several episodes the television medical drama Grey's Anatomy as Jane Burke, the demanding mother of Dr. Preston Burke. From 2008 to 2014, she appeared on USA Network's series White Collar in the recurring role of June, the savvy widow who rents out her guest room to Neal Caffrey. In 2010, Carroll was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docudrama titled 1 a Minute and appeared as Nana in two Lifetime movie adaptations of Patricia Cornwell’s novels: At Risk and The Front.

In 2013, Carroll was present on stage at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards to briefly speak about being the first African-American nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She was quoted as saying about Kerry Washington, nominated for Scandal, "She better get this award."

Carroll was a founding member of the Celebrity Action Council, a volunteer group of celebrity women who served the women's outreach of the Los Angeles Mission, working with women in rehabilitation from problems with alcohol, drugs, or prostitution. She helped to form the group along with other female television personalities including Mary Frann, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, and Joan Van Ark.

Carroll was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She said the diagnosis "stunned" her, because there was no family history of breast cancer, and she had always led a healthy lifestyle. She underwent nine weeks of radiation therapy and had been clear for years after the diagnosis. She frequently spoke of the need for early detection and prevention of the disease. She died from cancer at her home in West Hollywood, California, on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84. Carroll also had dementia at the time of her death, though actor Marc Copage, who played her character's son on Julia, said that she did not appear to show serious signs of cognitive decline as late as 2017. A memorial service was held in November 24, 2019, at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York City.

[peacocknaboo]

Another great picture from Noel’s 50th birthday party. Noel’s mum and dad looking great in the front row.

[thebutcher-5]

Robots (2005)

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo deciso di parlare, dopo molto tempo, di un regista straordinario che ha dato un enorme contributo al cinema, Sam Raimi, ma discutendo di uno dei suoi film minori, per così dire, ossia The Gift. Annie è una donna vedova con tre figli che ha un dono ossia la chiaroveggenza, un dono tramandato da sua nonna, che utilizza per…

[diannepearcefuckingwrites]

I MADE MY OWN TRADERS JOE'S GREEN CHILE CHICKEN BOWL!

And I’m excited about it because it is one of my favorite things to eat these days. I get stuck on things food-wise. Do you? This is my current fave, but, one can only go to Trader Joe’s so often. So, I made it, and I decided to make it more me-friendly. #1. Made some brown rice in the rice cooker, mixed two kinds: brown jasmine, and the brown version of the kind of Japanese rice you’d use to…

[sheilajsn]

Series, series, series – 2024 update

Si ustedes llevan algún tiempo en Nuestro Rincón de Lectura, ya deben saber que yo tengo un problema empezando a leer series que luego se quedan sin terminar. Hace algunos año, después de darme cuenta de que tenía una cantidad absurda de series empezadas, yo empecé un proyecto de terminar series que había tenido olvidadas, algunas por años. Y, poco a poco, me he dado a la tarea de terminar esas…

[dudja]

I miss my mom so so much 🥲

[nemesis-writer]

[Unwanted Ransom (Prologue)]

Who Needs a castle? Masterlist [Prologue(Who needs a castle?)] [Chapter 1(What was I made for?)]

🎶 Ransom- Lil Tecca 🎶

My mother is Regina Dianne Amala and she was known to be a whore for the rich. She had beeen partying and drinking with politicians and governors. That stopped when she had met the famous Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne, my so-called father, gave my mother the "time of her life." And in nine months she had me...

Not something you would call a normal childhood, but I was at least happy with the life my mother gave me. She would buy me second-hand toys and watched cartoons with me on our ramshackled tv.

"No gem could be the sparkle of your eyes little one." I remember her saying those exact words to me when I look at her eyes. She would always call me beasty, little one, or little wolf. I remember giggling at the names because of how funny it sounds. I have inherited all of my mother's wonderful attributes, but I had always hold the darkness of my father's heart.

She would lie to me everyday saying "daddy is busy working" or stuff like that, but I never cared. She gave me the love my father wouldn't, he refused to gratify that small request.

If my mother taught me one thing, it was to never lose my honor and to work hard. I learned how to read when I was four and ever since, I would quote lines that I excerpted from the books to my mother.

Who needed a castle?

Every night I would always ask that to myself, I knew that me and my momma wasn't rich but, she tried to be there for me. She had to work three jobs and take several night shifts, just to feed me. Not once I have complained about our situation. But I always prayed for a miracle, that me and my momma would be rich.

When I was 6 I witnessed my mother's murder, she was killed by a brigand on ourway to the bus stop. No tears could come out, no screams could escape the stricture of my throat.

I couldn't hear, I couldn't breath, I couldn't move...

She looked at me in the eyes through his ski mask and said, "She had it coming." I started to lose conciousness, my eyes were drowning with tears, my heart pound in my ears.

Then everything stopped.

When I woke up I was in a police station, my ears were still ringing, and my head was still pounding from the event. I looked up and I saw a man wearing a police uniform.

"Hey kid, my name is Commisioner Gordon, what's yours?" The kind man asked me.

"Xerxes Dianne Amala." I whispered

"Well then Xerxes, you are going to meet your father." He said.

I slowly got up from my seat, and looked at his brown eyes expectantly.

"Can I pick you up." He asked softly.

"No, I- I can walk." I replied. I grabbed his hand and he walked me to the man, that is my "father." I saw a man in an expensive three peice black Armani suit. He looked down at me, but no signs of love showed. He embodied a blank but openly disappointed expression towards me, like I was some kind of criminal.

"This should do." He muttered loud enough for only me to hear.

"Come on." He commanded, compelling me to get in the car. I didn't argue, I couldn't, so I just climbed in the backseat and never dared to look into his eyes. His chauffeur then drove me to the place he called, "home."

[foreverisntenough]

--------- My tiny one shot short below for you 🤍

'The Babysitter'

8.8 k words | Trent Alexander-Arnold x Reader |

↳ You and Trent decide you to hire some extra help but your two babies don't respond well to her at first. After a few months you start to wonder if you should've trusted their intuition when the babysitter seems to take a little too much interest in your husband, Trent.

I'm posting from my phone so sorry for any grammatical errors!

---------

Welcoming help into the house had seemed like a good idea at first. With Trent away more often than not, and two little ones to care for, whilst you knew you could handle everything on your own, but it didn’t mean you had to. Especially when you could afford the luxury of help. Dianne had been asked around and came to recommend Molly, a friend of a friend’s daughter. Molly seemed kind, well-educated, and experienced. She was younger than you by a few years, but you didn’t mind that—youth often brought fresh energy, which you figured could be a good thing with your babies, Teddy now four, Theo fourteen months.

When Molly arrived at your home, the atmosphere in the house shifted, though you didn’t notice it right away. You greeted her warmly at the door, taking her through the house room by room, pointing out where everything was—showing her the kitchen, the playroom, the nursery, and the family room. It was routine, nothing too out of the ordinary, but you were eager to introduce her to Teddy and Theo. After all, this was going to be a relationship built on trust, and that trust would start with your children. As you approached the living room, where Teddy was playing quietly with her toys, you felt that familiar flutter of pride for your little girl. At four years old, Teddy was normally reserved but would still be talkative, taking after Trent. You’d taught her to always introduce herself. But today, the moment she saw Molly, she shrank behind your leg, her small fingers curling around the fabric of your jeans as if holding on for dear life.

“Teddy girl, can you say hi” you gently encouraged, kneeling beside her and smoothing down her curls. “This is Molly. She’s going to come hang out with us. Help mummy and play with you and Tio.” You cooed gently. Teddy peeked out from behind you, her big brown eyes wide, flickering up to Molly and then back to you, not saying a word. She wasn’t usually this shy. You frowned a little but kept smiling, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Sorry, she’s just being shy,” you said with a laugh to Molly, trying to keep things light. “She’ll warm up in no time.” You told molly. “Teddy bear, can you say hi please.” You asked Teddy and she declined with a shake of the head. 

“No tanks mama, stay with you.” Teddy mumbled her face buried against you, squeezing your leg. Molly gave a polite smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“That’s okay,” Molly replied, her voice light but a bit flat. She crouched down to Teddy’s level, offering a soft greeting, but Teddy pressed herself further into your leg, not budging. Then there was Theo. Sweet, quiet Theo, your just over one-year-old who usually warmed up to people after a few moments. You were holding him in your arms, his small body relaxed against you, his head resting on your shoulder. As Molly approached, his little hands clutched at your shirt, and he turned his face further into your chest, his small body tensing ever so slightly. You could feel his little heart beating faster, his reluctance palpable.

“Tees…” You affectionately said Theo's nickname softly but he didn’t acknowledge your call. “Theo,” you said softly, bouncing him a little in your arms. “Say hi to Molly.” You cooed gently. But Theo refused to lift his head. His tiny hand reached up to clutch the collar of your shirt tighter, as if pulling himself closer to you.

“Mama.” He let out a soft whimper of your name. He held you tighter, his body pressing into yours. You frowned again, feeling a slight unease prickling at the back of your mind. Molly tried once more, this time extending her hand slightly towards Theo, though not too close, respecting his space. 

“Hi, mate,” she said softly. But Theo didn’t move, his face still hidden against your chest. It was such a small thing—both kids being shy—but it tugged at you in a way you couldn’t quite explain.  It wasn’t all that surprising. Your kids weren’t the most outgoing, they were like you and Trent. They took a moment to feel comfortable but your gut twisted seeing them. Although you quickly brushed the feeling aside. They’re just being shy, you told yourself. It’s normal. New people take time, right? Still, you couldn’t ignore how quiet the room had become, the tension in the air suddenly tangible. It was odd, like they knew something. Teddy usually was polite when meeting new people, especially when you had brought someone into the house, it’s not like she was meeting a fan with Trent out whilst they were at the shops, this was in your house with you. And Theo, while quieter and not all that vocal just yet, wasn’t usually this clingy. You couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt. Should you have trusted their instincts more? But you forced yourself to push the unease down. You had already committed to giving this arrangement a chance, and you didn’t want to back out without a good reason. After all, Molly came recommended, and Dianne trusted her friend’s friend, so why shouldn’t you? You didn’t want to seem ungrateful for the help in finding her. 

“They’ll get to know you soon enough,” you said with a smile, though you weren’t entirely sure if you were reassuring Molly or yourself. “Promise, they can be very silly, huh?” You giggled pinching at Teddy trying to lighten the mood. Speaking more to her than to Molly. Teddy, who couldn’t contain as squeal as she squirmed away but gave you an annoyed but giggly ‘mama!’ yelp in response, not happy to be breaking her silence and pout in the presence of this new stranger she wasn't keen about. And as the day went on and you tried to get used to having Molly around, that flicker of doubt never entirely left. There was something about how quiet Teddy had been, how tight Theo had held on to you, that lingered in your mind long after Molly left for the day.

Molly had worked for you all for a couple months and it was an adjustment in more ways than you’d anticipated. Having someone else in your home, helping with your children and the day-to-day tasks, was supposed to ease some of the burden—especially with Trent away so often for games and training. At first, you wanted to make an effort to bond with her, to make her feel comfortable and like part of the family, so you tried to get to know her, asking her about her life, her interests, and her experience working with kids. Molly was polite enough, always answering your questions with a smile, but something about her responses felt… off. Every time you tried to steer the conversation toward her, it seemed to loop back to Trent. At first, it was subtle. She asked about his schedule, curious about how often he was home or away, but soon her questions shifted. She’d ask what he liked to eat, if he had a favorite snack or drink, and what time he usually woke up. It seemed innocent on the surface, but there was something in the way she asked that made you uncomfortable. You brushed it off at first, chalking it up to her being curious about working for someone well-known. But it didn’t stop there. Molly began offering to do things that felt unnecessary—she’d suggest taking the kids to Trent’s training facility, saying it would be a “nice surprise” for him to see them during the day. You appreciated the thought, but something about it didn’t sit right with you. Why was she so eager to be around him? Then there were the little things. She’d offer to do laundry, but you’d notice she’d focus on his clothes—ironing them meticulously, folding them with more care than seemed necessary. When Trent was home, she would linger just a little too long, asking if he needed anything, always offering some sort of convenience that made her entire job seem to revolve around him rather than the children. You told yourself you were overthinking it, that it was just your own discomfort with having another person in the house. After all, you weren’t used to having help, and it wasn’t easy letting someone else into such a personal space. But as the days went on, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. There were moments when she’d make comments that seemed just a bit too familiar, like when she’d mention how much Trent must appreciate having someone take care of all the little things for him. It felt like she was subtly trying to take credit for things that had always been part of your routine, part of your role as a wife and mother. Why was she so focused on making his life easier, on being the one to anticipate his needs? It was unsettling. You wanted to trust her, to believe that she was just trying to be helpful, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you couldn’t ignore. You pushed the thoughts away, telling yourself that it was paranoia, that you were overreacting. But deep down, you knew. Something wasn’t right. And as the days went by, that uneasy feeling only grew stronger.

Trent had an away match so Molly had helped you that night until he returned. But as her time needed to be at the house came to a close, she was still checking on a few things, gathering her belongings but by then you and Trent had already settled yourselves in the cinema for a movie and a late night cuddle. Although that didn’t last long before things heated up between you two, clothes peeling off, the kiss messy as you straddled his lap. It had become a benefit of having Molly, that you two had more time alone. But your appreciation for Molly was suddenly shattered. 

“Oh shit! Mol… Molly.” You stuttered awkwardly seeing the light from the hallway get let into the room through the door as she opened it. Trent grunted not exactly thrilled that your hands flew off him grabbing for a blanket next to you, confused why you were stopping. You quickly pulled the blanket up further around you and Trent, your heart pounding in your chest from the shock and the vulnerability of the moment. “Molly, is everything okay?” you asked, your voice steady but with both an edge of annoyance and embarrassment you couldn’t quite hide. Your brows furrowed with your jaw slacked as you tried to keep your composure. You bare chest heaved out of breath from shock under the blanket now in front of Trent who was still taking in what was happening. She never interrupted like this, especially not when her workday was already done. You’d always trusted her to let herself out, to shoot a quick text if needed. This wasn’t like her—or maybe, you were realizing, you had missed something all along. Molly shifted in the doorway, her face flushed but not in the way one might expect from someone genuinely embarrassed. It was more like she had been caught in something—something that didn’t quite sit right.

 “I—I just wanted to check if you still needed me to come on Wednesday,” she said, her voice light. She glanced at Trent briefly, then back at you, her apology feeling insincere but her eyes lingering a little too long on Trent. He ran his hands over his face adjusting to the circumstances. Your brow furrowed deeper, the unease you had been feeling since the hiring before beginning to churn into something more intense. You’d already confirmed with her several times about her schedule—Wednesdays were always the same. There was no reason for her to be here, let alone come into the room, let alone while you and Trent were in the middle of… well, clearly something private.

“Yeah, sorry about this but erm… you know we need you on Wednesdays,” you replied, your voice firmer now, laced with a hint of suspicion. You weren’t sure what game she was playing, but whatever it was, it didn’t sit well with you. Trent, who had been so relaxed only moments ago, was now sitting up straighter, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to make sense of the situation.

“We’ve had the same schedule for months now.” Trent added not rudely but seriously. Molly’s eyes flicked to Trent again, and you could feel your body tense on top of him seeing her look at him. Reminding you very clearly he was yours, he was under you. You could sense his growing irritation but you weren’t sure if it was the interruption of what was about to happen or just her in general. But Trent wasn’t the type to let anyone make you feel uncomfortable, especially in your own home, and right now, he was clearly on edge.

“Sorry, I must have forgotten,” Molly said, her voice quieter now, but still not entirely convincing. She took a step back, and for a second, you thought she might leave. But then she hesitated in the doorway again, her eyes darting back to Trent one more time before finally mumbling another half-hearted apology and slipping out of the room. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, the tension in your body slowly unwinding. You turned to Trent, his expression hard, his jaw clenched as he stared at the closed door. His arms instinctively wrapped tighter around your waist, pulling you back into his chest protectively.

“What the hell was that about?” he muttered, his voice low but simmering with annoyance but flicking to you with inquiry. He glanced down at you, concern flashing briefly in his eyes. “That didn’t feel right. You nodded, your mind spinning. You’d had an uneasy feeling for a while now, but this? This was crossing a line. 

“I don’t know, but it’s been off. She knew her schedule, T. She didn’t need to come into the room, especially not like that. T baby… she’s been…” You stuttered and then paused trying to think how to phrase this. Trent’s hand rubbed soothing circles on your back, but you could feel the tension still radiating from him. 

“You think she’s been weird with me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly trying to gauge if this was about more than just tonight.

“I don’t know,” you said but you knew exactly that she had been, biting your lip. “But something’s been off with her for a while. The way the kids were hesitant around her when she first came… It feels like I ignored my gut, but now—this was different. She had no reason to come in here, and definitely not while we were… like that.”

“And you’re sure this isn’t just being protective over me and our babies?” Trent asked gently, his fingers tracing soothing circles on your back. But it wasn’t dismissive—he was genuinely trying to understand, and that’s what made you feel even more validated. Trent let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, clearly thinking things through. He leaned back a little, eyes soft but serious. “Okay, I hear you. You’re right, walking in like that was weird. Definitely weird considering…. She didn’t need to be anywhere near here that late at night.” He chuckled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, still processing what happened “I mean, if I were her, I would’ve made sure not to interrupt my boss in the middle of… well, this.” You laughed softly with him. but it was brief, your mind still on the situation.

“I don’t know, T. I really don’t know. The way she looks at you sometimes… It’s not just admiration. And when she’s around the kids, it’s like she’s too focused on impressing you. Not in a professional way either.”

“Do you think she’s trying to get close to me? Like… crossing a line? Really crossing a line?” Trent raised an eyebrow, his fingers brushing lightly against your cheek.

“Honestly? Yeah, maybe. And that’s what’s bothering me. I mean, she’s young, she’s probably just caught up in all the Trent Alexander-Arnold stuff.” Trent rolled his eyes with a soft laugh at you saying his name like that, “But baby it’s still odd, and I’m not sure I feel comfortable with her in our house.” You cooed.Trent nodded slowly, his expression softening even more. 

“Hey, pretty girl… if you want her gone, she’s gone, baby. If you’re uncomfortable, that’s enough for me. I don’t care if she’s good at her job—if she’s making you feel uneasy, then she’s out. I’ll handle it.” He cooed.  You felt a weight lift off your shoulders at his words, but there was still that lingering sense of unease. It wasn’t just about Molly’s inappropriate behavior, but about how protective you felt of your family—of Trent, of your babies, of the sanctuary your home was supposed to be.

“I don’t want to fire her. It’s her job. I just… now I feel bad.” You said quietly, resting your head back on his chest. “But our family is too important to me. My babies…. My T…. I don’t want anyone disrupting that.” You pouted. Trent’s arms tightened around you, his lips brushing your forehead softly. 

“Baby, come on now.” He teased with a sweet sincere smile. “No one could ever come between you and me and those two silly tots we got upstairs. We’re solid. Mummy, Ted, Tees and daddy—we’re a team. I’m always going to have your back, just like you’ve got mine, yeah?” He smirked and kissed you again. You smiled into his chest, feeling reassured by his words. 

“Thanks for listening,” you murmured.

“Of course,” he replied, pulling you even closer. “But seriously, I’m going to make sure this is handled. No one makes my wife uncomfortable and gets to stick around.” He cooed and you giggled stupidly just liking anytime, even after years, trent stuck up for you. You felt a surge of affection for him, realizing how lucky you were to have someone who always put your feelings first. Trent’s protectiveness wasn’t overbearing—it was loving, rooted in his commitment to making sure you always felt safe and secure. You both fell into a comfortable silence, the warmth of the blankets around you, the hum of the TV still playing in the background, though you weren’t paying attention anymore. Trent pressed a kiss to your temple again, and you sighed in contentment.

“You enjoyed that didn’t you?” you teased softly, your eyes twinkling. ”Oh my god, you’re sucha boy…Little attention from the nanny got you acting all smug.” You smirked. Trent returned the smile, raising an eyebrow as he leaned down closer to you, his lips brushing your ear as he whispered, 

“The only attention I want is from you, baby. And trust me, you give me more than enough.” He cooed. You giggled, playfully swatting at his chest as you shifted in his lap, snuggling back into his arms. 

“Good answer,” you said with a satisfied smile.

“You know I only have eyes for you. Always have, always will.” He grinned down at you, his hand gently cupping your cheek.  His words, as simple as they were, filled you with warmth. You loved how he could make you feel cherished with just a few sentences, how he knew exactly what to say to melt away any doubt.

“You better,” you replied softly, gazing up at him with a teasing smile. “No one else is putting up with your dramatic ass.” You pinched at him and he acted as if it hurt until he fell into a smile and pulled you into a silly messy kiss and then it turn soft and slow, as if he had all the time in the world to show you just how much he meant it. When he pulled away, you let out a breath, feeling lighter, more at ease.

“Now, can we please finish this movie?” Trent asked with a grin, his eyes sparkling with a mix of affection and amusement.

“Yeah, you want to watch the movie?” You laughed, leaning back into him knowing he was really itching to get you back over top of him again.  As you both settled back on the couch, the warmth of his arms wrapped around you, the earlier tension now completely gone, you knew you could face whatever came your way. With Trent by your side, everything felt right. The next morning, you’d deal with the situation with Molly. But for now, you were content to just be here, in this moment, with the man you loved, knowing that nothing could disrupt the life and love you had built together.

And so a few days had passed since the interruption. You were standing in the kitchen, casually tidying up after breakfast, when Trent's phone buzzed on the island. He'd just popped upstairs for a quick shower, enjoying a rare day off. At first, you ignored it, assuming it was a message about something trivial. But then it buzzed again, the screen lighting up with a notification that caught your eye. Molly. It wasn't that she texted often, so it piqued your curiosity. Maybe she had a question about her payment or something like that. You tried to brush it off, but when the second text came, you found yourself glancing at the screen. The preview of the second message read:

'OMG pls delete! Sorry! I didn't mean to send to you.'

Your brow furrowed in confusion. What could she have sent to Trent by mistake? A sense of unease crept over you, but you brushed it off as you picked up the phone. Trent was always open with you, and he wouldn't mind if you checked to see what was going on. Right? You slid open the message. What met your eyes made your heart stop. A video. You clicked on it without thinking, and instantly, a naked molly laying on a bed getting off burned into your brain. But what made the vile rise in your throat was the unmistakable sound of Molly moaning Trent's name. The desperate whine filled the kitchen. The phone slipped slightly in your hand as shock washed over you. Your eyes widened, your heart pounding in your chest as you quickly swiped the video away, exiting out of it as fast as you could. But the damage was done. You'd seen-and heard-enough. The room seemed to close in around you as you stood frozen, the reality of what just happened sinking in. Molly. Moaning. Trent's name. Your husband’s name. The phone in your hand suddenly felt like a weight you couldn't hold, and you set it back down on the counter with trembling fingers. For a moment, you couldn't breathe. What was that? Why did she send that? And worse-why was she saying his name? You felt a mix of anger and disgust bubble up inside you. There was no way you were imagining this. No way you were overreacting now. Your instincts about Molly had been right from the start-she wasn't just a harmless nanny with a little crush. This was something more. Something you never could've imagined. Your mind raced, replaying the moments leading up to this, all the signs that now felt so obvious. The way she looked at Trent, the excuses she made to linger when he was around, the strange energy that you couldn't quite put your finger on but now seemed glaringly clear. Your chest tightened as you stood there, trying to figure out what to do. Trent had no idea. God, you hoped he had no idea. He had no idea that this woman-this person you'd let into your home, around your children-was capable of something like this.As you stood there, feeling the weight of the situation sink in, you heard the water upstairs shut off. Trent would be coming down any second now. Your stomach twisted with the thought of confronting him, of telling him what had just happened. You knew you had to say something, but how? How were you supposed to explain this? You took a deep breath, your heart still racing as you tried to compose yourself. There was no way you were letting this go. Molly was done. She wasn't setting foot in this house again. But first, you needed to talk to Trent.

As Trent came down the stairs, his skin still damp from the shower and his shoulders relaxed from the day off, he caught sight of you sitting at the kitchen table. You were now holding Theo, up from his nap, but your gaze was far away, deep in thought. There was an unfamiliar heaviness in the air, and he could sense it immediately. Still, he walked over with that cheeky grin, trying to keep things light. 

"Am I in trouble?" he asked playfully, as if expecting some little domestic joke or quip about his bags by the door. You looked up, giving him a soft pout, shaking your head. 

"No," you said, but there was a weight behind the word that didn't match your usual tone. Theo, ever the restless little boy, squirmed in your arms, eager to get to his dad. His little hands reached out, his legs kicking, and so you gently put him down. The moment his feet hit the floor, he stumbled over to Trent, his unsteady legs wobbling as he reached for him. Trent immediately bent down, grabbing Theo's chubby little arms and lifting them high above his head to steady him, smiling down at his son. But when he looked back at you, his expression changed-concerned now, no more teasing.

"What's going on then?" He asked. You took a long breath, feeling the weight of what you were about to say sink deeper into your chest. You couldn't put it off, not after what you had seen. A part of you felt a bit worried that Trent and Molly had somehow managed to pull the wool over your eyes. 

"I... I looked at your phone," you started, immediately seeing the slight confusion in his eyes. He smirked thinking you were awfully dramatic for looking at his innocent phone filled with football schedules, photos of Teddy, and texts to his mum. "There was a text from Molly." You said unprecedented. Trent's brow furrowed, clearly not expecting that. "At first, I thought it was about work or something. But then... another one came through." You explained hesitantly. Theo was still tugging at Trent's joggers, his little fingers gripping the fabric as he babbled, but Trent barely noticed, his focus locked onto you. You swallowed hard and forced yourself to continue. "She sent you a video... of her. And she…” His eyes widened, and for a moment, he just stood there, stunned into silence. “She moaned your name as she…” You paused. “Well she was masturbating in it." You awkwardly explained. His eyes widened all the more, and for a moment, he just stood there, stunned into a complete silence. Theo pulled more insistently at his joggers, impatiently wanting his dad's attention, but Trent remained frozen, his mind spinning, trying to process what you'd just said. Finally, Theo's persistence won out, and Trent glanced down at him.

"Sorry, Tees," he murmured barely aloud, lifting Theo into his arms with one hand, his gaze still fixed on you, full of confusion and disbelief. "I…I can't believe that," Trent finally muttered. "Let me see the text." He asked you.

"No!" You yelped, grabbing his phone from the table before he could reach for it, a laugh bubbling out of you despite the tension. "You are not seeing that, T!” Your eyes lighting up with both fear and hilarity. Trent raised an eyebrow, still trying to piece things together, but there was the faintest glint of amusement behind his serious expression.

"Baby..." he said in that low, teasing voice, his hand reaching out, palm up, as if coaxing the phone from you.

"You're holding our son! There is no way you're going to see our babysitter touching herself saying *your name like that." You shook your head, laughing again,  Trent rolled his eyes, smirking slightly, but you could see the shift in his expression-the disbelief giving way to a quiet, protective anger.  You sat at the kitchen table, staring at Trent as you reached for his phone again. "Alright, I'm playing it for you," you warned him, your voice stern. “But you’re not seeing the girl’s… well I have an opinionated description but my Theo doesn’t need that and neither do you.” You smirked. He nodded with a sympathetic yet sheepish look, still clearly not expecting what was about to come. You hit play, and the unmistakable sound of Molly moaning his name filled the air. His eyes widened, stunned into silence, and you could see the realization dawn on him.  "Trent." You didn't hesitate, narrowing your eyes as you said his name with a warning edge pausing the video. He snapped out of his shock with a laugh, but it was more out of surprise than interest or amusement. 

"Baby.. I didn't think you were serious," he stammered, his voice rising with disbelief. "That's insane." You looked at him, keeping your face dead serious. 

"I am fucking serious, T. She works for us and that was not a mistake." You whined. Trent shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the unsettling sound he'd just heard.

"Well, she's obviously fired," he said bluntly, his tone more serious now as he looked at you. Theo, oblivious to the undercurrent of tension between you and his dad, giggled and patted at Trent's cheek, trying to pull his attention back to playing. Trent gave Theo a small smile, his free hand brushing over his son's curls, but his eyes met yours, silently reassuring you that he understood just how serious this was. You leaned back in your chair, shaking your head with a wry smile.

"I knew something felt off with her. But I never thought it was this. Like do you know how fucking insane that is to send that not only to the person you work for but to a father… a husband… like she is so integrated in our lives and she tries to play it off like it was a mistake." Your bottom lip quivered. Trent sat down next to you, balancing Theo on his lap. A free arm wrapping around your waist. You leaned into him. “She holds my babies, my beautiful little babies I made with you and then she sends you a video like that.” You whimpered.

"I’m so so sorry, beautiful. Well, you were right. I can't believe she did that… and after being in our house, with our kids. I know you’re going to worry but you don’t have to, I will take care of everything." His voice was low but simmering with anger. "You shouldn't have had to deal with that."

"I just... she crossed so many lines. And you know me, I trust you. But I needed you to know." You sighed, glancing at the phone again, still in your hand.He nodded, his expression softening as he reached out to hold your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. 

"I know. I'm so sorry, baby. I’m sorry you had to find out something like this. But I'm glad you told me." He cooed. Theo babbled again, squirming in Trent's lap, Trent finally tore his gaze away from you to focus on his son. "You're okay, mate, yeah?" he murmured, bouncing Theo slightly, the tension in his body starting to ease as he focused on the present.

“Dada!! Dada! Mama!” Theo squealed in a jumbled babble. Lighting up seeing you both. His adorable smile making dimples sink into his cheeks mirroring the ones in Trent’s. You watched them for a moment, a small smile tugging at your lips as you thought about how easily Trent could shift from being your rock to being the world's best dad. He caught your eye again, that same soft smile on his face, and you both knew-no matter how bizarre or frustrating this situation was, you'd handle it together.

"Alright, alright," he said, more soberly now. "I was serious though, baby. She's out. We'll change the locks tomorrow, promise." He glanced down at Theo, who was now very content with the attention,sitting on his dad’s lap, completely oblivious to the adult tension in the room. Trent gave him a playful squeeze. "We need to find someone who doesn't fancy daddy so much, huh?" Trent teased. You couldn't help but pout slightly, your lips pressing together as you watched Trent be so nonchalant about the situation. It was part of his charm, but still-it unnerved you just a little. Trent moved Theo to his leg closest to you.  He leaned down, his lips brushing over your forehead in a sweet, grounding kiss then looking at Theo. "Cause daddy loves mummy so much. We don't need anyone else, huh?" He cooed. Theo nuzzled into Trent, his little face pressing against his dad's chest in a gesture that made your heart swell. You smiled, mouthing a quiet ‘thank you’ as you reached out to kiss Trent's shoulder, finding comfort in his warmth. His smile softening as he wrapped his arms around you and Theo. "We don't need anyone but mummy in our lives," he added, his voice tender. You nodded, finally feeling the tension melt away. It had been a weird, uncomfortable moment, but now, as you stood there with your husband and your little boy, the love between you all was what mattered most. It just ached that someone you invited into your home tried to seduce your husband, the man holding you and your little boy. 

You stood in the kitchen, arms crossed tightly over your chest, shifting from foot to foot. The idea of Molly coming back to the house made your stomach twist, but you hadn’t found the right moment to tell Trent how unsettled you felt about it. Finally, you mustered the courage and spoke, your voice a little shaky. 

“Trent… I’m scared for her to come back to the house.” Trent was standing by the counter, and as soon as the words left your mouth, he looked up. His expression softened immediately, and without hesitation, he walked over to you. His hands found your waist, pulling you close as he gently swayed you back and forth, trying to soothe your nerves. You could feel his calm energy, and it helped a little, but the anxiety still bubbled inside you. He smiled softly, knowing exactly how to ease your fears. 

“Baby, I got this. Don’t worry,” he reassured, his deep voice steady and comforting. “I’ll handle it. I’ll talk to her. You’re not doing this alone.” You rested your head on his chest, letting yourself relax slightly against him, but the worry lingered. 

“It just feels awkward… like, it’s not ideal. I don’t want to fire her over the phone, but having her here makes me feel—” You frowned.

“I know,” he cut in, his hands staying firmly on you, grounding you. “But we’ll do it face to face, with respect. And trust me, I’ll make sure she is no longer working for us.” Trent’s confidence always thrived in moments like this, where he had to step up, be the protector, the dad, the husband. He didn’t shy away from responsibility; he embraced it. You could feel it in the way he held you, the unspoken promise that he would fix this. He leaned down, pressing his lips to your temple, and you closed your eyes, savoring the warmth of his kiss. “You don’t have to be scared,” he murmured. “I’m here. We’ll handle it together.” You nodded, letting out a small breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but with Trent by your side, you felt just a little braver.

When Molly arrived, it was like the warmth in the house disappeared. The air felt heavy, and the tension was immediate. Trent stood tall, his usual calm demeanor in place, but there was an edge to him. He kept his words straightforward and polite, informing Molly that her services were no longer needed. He didn't mention the text or the video. He didn't have to. But Molly had other plans. She stepped forward, too close to Trent, making him instinctively step back, his brow furrowing as he tried to process what she was doing. There was an unsettling boldness in her posture, like she thought the moment had been orchestrated just for them. 

"You don't need her, Trent. You could have anything you want." Her voice was low, almost predatory as she spoke.  Her words dripped with insinuation, and then she crossed a line you could never have expected. "How often are you even getting to have sex anymore? I could offer another service if you need it." Trent's face twisted in disbelief, but before he could respond, the sound of tiny feet pattering across the floor broke the tension. Teddy came running from the kitchen, her sweet voice babbling excitedly unaware what was happening in the foyer.  

"Daddy! Daddy, come be with me and mummy! Hurries!" Her innocent interruption was a lifeline, pulling Trent away from the bizarre reality of the moment. You heard her too, and instinctively chased after her, scooping her up as you came to the entryway. You barely made eye contact with Molly, your heart pounding in your chest. But she wasn't done. She turned to you, saying your name like she could explain herself, like she could reason her way out of what she'd done. It was strange it was like this person in front of you now was like someone you had never met. 

"Molly, I was so kind to you. Why... why would you do something like that?" Your voice cracked with emotion as you struggled to understand. The words felt surreal coming out of your mouth. You had trusted her, and now here she was, trying to rip apart your family. Your hands trembled, and tears began to well in your eyes. Trent picked Teddy up, his strong arms cradling her gently as he turned to you. 

"C'mere, my baby bear," he whispered softly to Teddy, kissing her forehead. "I'll come be with you and Mama in just a second, okay?" Teddy clung to Trent, still oblivious to the situation but sensing something wasn't right. 

"This is my family," you said, your voice shaking as the tears finally spilled over. You’d laughed with her weeks ago and now she was making you cry. "This isn't some random person for you to sext. Why?" As you kept talking, your emotions overwhelmed you. Trent's eyes flashed with protective anger as he gently handed Teddy to you, his arms wrapping around you both. "You’re okay, baby.” He pressed a kiss into your hair, his touch reassuring. 

“Ted, go with mummy to the kitchen," he murmured, his voice calm but firm, his presence steady. I'll handle it." You stood there, holding Teddy tight, tears streaming down your face as Trent kissed you once more, this time on your temple. You buried your face in your daughter's hair, inhaling her soft scent, trying to ground yourself in the love you had, the love that Molly could never come close to. Trent's hand found the back of your head, gently soothing you as he took control of the situation, ready to protect what mattered most.

As you left the room with Teddy in your arms, the weight of your emotions overwhelmed you. Your heart pounded as you tried to steady your breathing, clutching your little girl close. You could still hear the confrontation behind you, but it felt like a blur. All you wanted was to protect your daughter from the turmoil inside the house. Molly began stammering, attempting to explain herself, her voice faltering as she realized the gravity of her actions. But Trent cut her off sharply, his voice laced with controlled anger. 

“I don’t need to hear your excuses about the text,” he said, his words dripping with disdain. “It was beyond inappropriate.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping but growing in intensity. “What you will never understand is that you will never be my Y/N. No matter how good you think you look, you will never look as good as my wife. No matter how sweet you are, you will never be as sweet as my wife.” His words were like fire, burning through any delusions Molly might have had. His voice grew even more forceful as he continued, “You will never be something I want because you’re not her. You’re not the mother of my children, the woman who holds my life together. You will never understand what that woman does for me—what she is to me.” His words hung in the air, the tension palpable. Then, with a finality that left no room for argument, Trent said, “You no longer work for us. You will never step within 100 yards of my family, my wife, my children. My fucking children.” The rare, burning anger in his voice echoed down the hallway, and you could feel the intensity of it as you stood in the corridor, trying to listen while comforting Teddy. 

“Whys dada yelling?” she asked, her voice trembling. Her small body squirmed against you, her little face scrunched up with worry. 

“Daddy’s upset, sweetheart,” you whispered, your voice soft and soothing. “He’s just protecting us, okay? It’s going to be alright.” You kissed the top of her head, holding her tighter.  But inside, your heart raced, and your stomach churned as you heard Trent’s anger grow. It was rare for him to lose his cool like this, and it only showed how deeply this betrayal had affected him. You rocked Teddy gently, her little arms wrapped around your neck as you stood there, feeling the weight of what had happened, but also the fierce love and protection Trent was showing for you and your family. Trent was pacing, his fists clenched and his voice louder than you’d ever heard it. The fury was raw, and it startled you to see him like this, his protectiveness unleashed into a rare, burning anger. 

“Nah, fuck this!” he shouted, his face red with fury. “My fucking family gives you a job, and you throw pull that shit? Tell me you can do more than my wife!” His voice echoed through the house, each word sharper than the last. You knew this wasn’t the man you saw every day—the calm, collected, loving partner. He was angry in a way that you’d never fully witnessed before, and it felt like the only thing that could calm him was you. You set Teddy down and quietly, you came up behind him, your footsteps soft on the floor, and without saying a word, you slipped your arms around his waist. 

“Trent… Baby…” Your voice was soft, a balm to his fury. “It’s enough now.” You whispered, resting your head against his strong back, you pressed your cheek into his shoulder. He was breathing heavily, the muscles in his body still tense, but your touch had an immediate effect. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but as he stood there, feeling you holding onto him, he began to calm. You whispered again, your voice barely audible, “Please… enough.” Trent took a deep, shaky breath. His fists loosened at his sides, and you could feel the tension start to melt away. Sure, she had only sent a video but it was weighted, it was inappropriate, and both you and Trent felt threatened by it. Being in the spotlight made your relationship with the outside world very scary and this was the that exact fear coming to fruition. 

“Please leave our home,” he said, his voice low and firm. “And please never come back.” He was still angry, but now he was in control. Molly stood frozen, her eyes darting between you and Trent, but she could see it was over. Her chance to explain, to apologize—none of it mattered anymore. You didn’t need words to tell her how done you were. Your eyes spoke volumes, and with a quiet, pleading look, you mouthed, ‘just go.’ She hesitated for a moment but then slowly turned and left without another word, the front door closing behind her with a finality that felt like a weight lifting from the house. Trent turned to you, his face still flushed, but the fire had gone. Teddy, who had quietly trailed behind you, was sobbing softly, her tiny hands reaching out for him. Trent immediately scooped her up, his expression softening as he kissed her tear-streaked cheeks. “It’s okay, baby bear. Daddy’s here,” he whispered, his voice tender and full of love. “Shh, don’t cry. Daddy’s not mad anymore.” You could see the shift in him, the protector back in his role. He held Teddy close, rocking her gently, but you could still sense his need to fully calm down.

“I’m going to make sure Theo didn’t wake up,” he said, looking at you with a softness that replaced all the anger from earlier. You nodded, giving him a small smile of reassurance. Trent gave you a lingering kiss on the forehead before turning and walking upstairs with Teddy in his arms, her little face nestled into his neck. As you watched him go, you exhaled deeply, feeling the heaviness of the moment finally starting to pass. But through it all, one thing was clear: Trent’s fierce love for you and the kids was unshakable. 

You stepped outside, the cool air hit your face, a sharp contrast to the intensity that had filled the house moments earlier. Molly was halfway down the driveway, her posture tense, but she stopped when she heard you call her name.

“Hey, Molly.” She turned to face you, her expression caught between fear and defiance. You walked toward her slowly, every step deliberate. The weight of what had just happened lingered between you, thick in the air. You weren’t one to lash out, but this—this was different. “You know,” you began, your voice steady but laced with a cold edge, “I don’t know why you felt the need to try to seduce my husband. I don’t understand how you could come into our home, take care of my babies, and act like this. But I hope—” your voice sharpened, “I hope you remember this if you ever have a family one day. What it feels like to have someone try to threaten that. To come inside your home and hold your babies with an agenda.” Molly’s mouth opened as if to say something, but you held up a hand. A subtle shake of your head silenced her before the words could form. You didn’t want excuses, and you certainly didn’t want an apology. “We all make mistakes,” you said, your voice quieter now but still pointed, “and I really hope someone’s next mistake happens to you. Maybe then you’ll understand what it feels like.” Her eyes widened, stunned by the venom in your words. You were proud of yourself for not backing down, for standing your ground and protecting the family you’d built. The tension in the air was palpable, but it was clear who had the upper hand now. Your eyes narrowed as you looked her up and down one last time, and with a finality in your voice, you said, “Goodbye, Molly.”

You turned and walked back inside without waiting for her response, closing the door firmly behind you. As you stepped into the nursery, the warmth of the room instantly enveloped you, a contrast to the tension and cold that had filled the house earlier. The soft glow of the lamps cast shadows that danced on the walls, creating a peaceful haven from the storm of emotions downstairs. The sound of Theo’s little giggles filled the space, a melody of pure joy as Trent’s large hands tickled his chubby sides. Theo wriggled and squealed, trying to escape but loving every second of the attention from his dad.

“Is my sleepy boy awake now?” you asked playfully, leaning against the doorway with a smile, taking in the scene before you. Theo, paused his giggling for a second to look up at you with his wide, innocent eyes, a smile still plastered across his face. Trent turned to face you, and the sight of him—cradling your son, with Teddy hanging off him like he was a personal playground —made your heart swell. It was a snapshot of everything you loved, everything that mattered.

“Mama!!!! Come play with Daddy and Tio please!” Teddy’s voice, full of excitement, pulled you from your thoughts as she tugged on Trent’s shirt, determined to keep the attention on her. With a grin, you walked over, your fingers running through her soft hair as you gently pried her off Trent. 

“Come here, my beautiful girl,” you whispered, scooping her into your arms. You couldn’t resist tickling her sides, and her loud, uninhibited laughter echoed through the room, mixing with Theo’s earlier giggles. Her joy was infectious, and soon you were all laughing. Trent chuckled, watching you with that look in his eyes that told you just how much he adored you—how much he adored this life. Still holding Theo in one arm, he reached out with his free hand and pulled you and Teddy in closer, enveloping the three of you in his protective embrace. It was a moment of complete unity, the four of you bundled together, a perfect reflection of the love and strength you had built as a family. You rested your head against Trent’s chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your cheek. His warmth, his strength—it was everything you needed in that moment. You glanced up at him, and his eyes were soft, his lips curled into a tender smile that made your breath catch. Your heart felt full to the brim, the kind of full that brought tears to your eyes. And it must have shown, because Teddy, always so observant despite her age, looked up at her daddy, her little face scrunched in that thoughtful way she had.

“I like Daddy’s smile,” she said, her voice small but sure. “‘Cause makes mama smile.” Her words struck you deeply. You let out a soft giggle, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. 

“I like it too, baby,” you replied, your voice thick with emotion. “I love it especially because you and Tio have it too,  because you look just like Daddy, huh?” Trent’s arm tightened around you, and you felt the slight shift in his posture as he leaned down to kiss the top of your head. His lips brushed your hair, and the warmth of his breath sent a shiver down your spine. 

“I love you,” he whispered softly, his words meant just for you. “I love our family.” But then his gaze shifted, and he looked at both of your children, his expression becoming more serious, more intense. He bent down slightly to meet Teddy’s eyes, his voice quiet but filled with emotion as he said, “I love being yours” The sincerity in his voice hung in the air, wrapping around you like a blanket. He shifted Theo, who was now sleepy from all the tickling, onto his other arm. Theo yawned, his tiny hand resting on Trent’s shoulder, his eyelids fluttering as he started to drift off again. Teddy, still curled in your lap, beamed up at her daddy, her eyes shining with love. 

“We love, dada,” she said, her small voice full of certainty, her arms wrapping around your waist as if she could squeeze you both tighter. You blinked away the tears welling up in your eyes and looked up at Trent. He caught your gaze and smiled, that familiar smile that made everything feel right. 

 “I love you more, baby bear. We don’t ever need anyone else,” Trent cooed. The weight of the day seemed to melt away in the warmth of the embrace.

“Always just us. Just us.” You cooed. Trent pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, lingering for a moment. “Maybe one more though.” You whispered cheekily. Trent pulled back to look at you with all the love in the world reflected in his eyes. He winked at you as if to agree. In that moment, with your daughter in your lap, your son on Trent’s arm, and the overwhelming feeling of love filling every corner of the room, you knew that no matter what challenges came your way, this was your home. This was your family. And nothing else mattered.

⇨ Read other ForeverIsntEnough work here!

[dreamingofep]

Forbidden Love pt. 11 💔❣️

Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Prompt: Reuniting with Elvis was supposed to be the highlight of your summer, but with unresolved tensions between you two, things aren't what they seem. [Fem! reader]

TW: cussing, angst, tension

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: Hi everyone! Haven’t posted anything for this one in a bit! Sorry about that! This one only has 2 chapters left so I’ll be posting more soon. These pics make me feel like a puddle🫠Hope you like this next part.

🖤

After a week and a half of staying with him, you were quite comfortable. Without even trying, Elvis was your home. You had never felt so at peace before. Things would never be the same now. You tried just being friends with him and time and time again, it doesn’t work. You needed each other on a different level and couldn’t stay away. You weren’t sure how you two were going to pull this off, but you weren’t going to give up just because it was getting hard.

For the most part, you two hadn’t hadn’t had any roadblocks yet. You were still careful in the house and always made sure the house was empty before walking around freely. Elvis convinced Dianne to keep staying at her sister's for the next few weeks. That didn’t stop her from calling every day. It irked you how Elvis would continuously answer the phone without fail and feed into her every last whim. Nothing ever came of those empty promises he would make to her but it drove you crazy. You tried not to make an argument out of that situation. You had to remind yourself that you had him all to yourself, not her.

On the other hand, you know you need to make decisions. You needed to talk to John about a ton of things that were bothering you but you needed to start with what he was doing with all the money he was getting paid. It agitated you that he was pissing away all the money he was earning and he couldn’t even make rent.

On a quiet Friday evening, you look at the clock and see it is almost time for dinner. You change into a nicer dress, which Elvis kindly bought for you. Being around Elvis so much made you dress nicer than you ever had. He was always dressed to the nines no matter the time of day. But he didn’t want you going back to your apartment if John was going to be there. He knew John would try to make you feel bad for leaving and try to get you to stay somehow.

A quiet knock on the door makes you look up and you feel your heart flutter.

“Come in.” You say quickly as you go to the closet to put on some cute heels.

Elvis walks in looking down at the floor, looking damn good in a brown suede jacket and red scarf draped on his neck. As good as he looks, you can’t ignore how his eyes are timid and full of pain when he finally looks at you. Something is wrong. His face always lights up when he sees you.

“What’s wrong Elvis?” You ask him stopping in your tracks.

He takes a long, ragged breath before speaking,

“Dinner is ready,” he says quietly. He still won’t look at you, his eyes burning a hole in the carpet at this point. You grew wary and didn’t understand what brought on this behavior.

“Elvis, are you okay?” You ask.

“Yeah, come on,” he says quietly, opening the door for you.

You both make it to the dining room table and Elvis pulls your chair out for you. The uncomfortable silence only grew. You two didn’t normally mind silence but this was completely different. He sits at the head of the table and you are to the right of him. Both of your plates sit there steaming, not a word spoken.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” You say sharply.

“Please, eat dinner, we can talk after,” he says coldly.

“No, I can’t eat if you won’t even look at me! What’s going on?” Your mind races at what could be the problem. Your head only makes up the worst-case scenarios and it doesn’t do your nerves any good.

“Umm, well-, I really don’t want to tell you this because it’s going to hurt you but you need to know,” he says carefully.

“Okay, tell me, I can handle it,” you try to say strongly but you are too nervous.

“I did some digging… I wanted to know what John was up to and where the money I’ve been paying him was going,” he explained.

“Oh, okay, did you find out what’s going on?”

A part of you didn’t want to know. You didn’t want to hear the shady behavior he was being a part of. But if you were to end this, like you’ve been wanting to for some time, it would be best to have a clear understanding of what kind of person he’s become.

“He’s been late coming here to work pretty much every day that he’s started working for me. I don’t like that one bit. Then a few weeks ago, you came to me crying about his behavior and that really upset me. I hate seeing you like that. So I knew I needed to figure out what was going on with him too,” he says low. He looks behind his shoulder before continuing, making sure it is just you two in the room.

“Honey I-, I followed him one day when he said you called and needed him to come home right away. I knew that was bullshit because you were filming that day, not at home waiting for him,” he snarls. His tone makes the hair in your arms stand up. You could feel how much he didn’t like John in this moment. How strongly he felt for you…

“So I followed him and he was in a neighborhood in Bel Air and-,” he grabs your hand, his breathing shaky as he tries to go on, “he pulled up to this house and this woman was standing out on the porch waiting for him… I saw them kiss and-, that’s all I needed to see to understand what was going on… I’m really sorry honey.” He says as he shakes his head.

You felt numb. You weren’t sure if you should be angry, sad, annoyed, or everything in between. You knew things were not good between you two already, but the confirmation that he was doing this for God knows how long still hurt to hear. You wanted to have this blind faith in people that they can be good. John was not a part of that percentage though. He was an opportunist. Someone gave him attention when you weren’t so he clung to that attention until he was tired of it.

“Fucking bastard,” you mutter under your breath. He looks at you a little shocked, not expecting such an outburst.

“Did you know?” He asks gently.

“I always had a feeling. We stopped making time for each other and everything went downhill these last few years. I can say I’m not the least surprised,” you tell him.

“Baby I’m sorry you’ve felt like this. It’s just awful. You have no idea how hard it was to not get out of my car and beat the hell out of him for putting you through all of this,” he grits through his teeth. Your body stiffens at his tone, he had never talked this way around you and threw you by surprise. You squeezed his hand momentarily, trying to assure him you’re okay.

“You deserve better honey,” he says low. His eyes have that sensual heavy look to them, burning their way into your skin. You felt on fire and you couldn’t say anything to assure him that you’re going to be okay. It did hurt to hear your worst fears have come true so you couldn’t lie that you were completely unphased.

“It’s okay, I’ll be okay,” you say shakily.

“I’m so sorry honey,” he murmurs, kissing the back of your hand. He’s so overcome with emotion and you can see how he’s trying to make the situation better. He pulls at your hand slightly to get you closer to him. You stand up from your chair and sit on the corner of the table, looking at him with concern.

“I’ll take care of you, honey, don’t worry about a thing,” he assured you.

That’s everything you wanted to hear from him. You wanted him to take care of your every need.

“I know,” you whisper, your breath wavering.

You didn’t want to cry about it and didn’t want to think about John anymore. You wanted Elvis to distract you from real life. LA was not very forgiving and kept giving you one struggle after another.

Elvis kept looking at you like he was about to rip your clothes off and as much as you would love that, you didn’t want to do that here.

“Get me out of here,” you tremble.

His face flashes a bit of concern, “what do you mean baby?”

“Just get me out of here. I don’t want to be in LA, let’s leave for Vegas tonight,” you plead.

He nods his head and stands up, pulling you into his arms and holding you there.

“It’s okay baby, it’s going to be okay. Go pack your bag, I’ll take care of everything,” he coos, leaning down and kissing you.

You sigh into his mouth and hold onto him tighter. This was exactly what you needed. You needed his lips on you soothing all your worries away. He gets carried away easily, his hands squeezing at your hips, wanting you completely. You want to let him take care of you and have you forget about anything else that might’ve troubled you.

The sound of the front door opening scared you out of your skin and you quickly pushed yourself away from him, turning your back to whoever just walked in.

“Hey EP I-.”

You recognize that voice instantly and freeze. No no no this cannot be happening.

“Y/n?” They say.

You slowly turn around and face John, your stomach dropping looking at him. You stay silent, there was nothing to say to him. Not after how he’s treated you and not after the revelation Elvis told you tonight.

“Where have you been?” He asks you a bit coldly.

“I’ve been here,” you say stiffly.

John looks at Elvis, shocked at your admission.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Elvis has a pompous look on his face before answering and you find it amusing, “you didn’t ask,” he says flatly.

“Why didn’t you tell me where you were?” John says giving you an annoyed look.

“I didn’t feel like you would care.”

“Really!? So you just disappear for a few weeks and I don’t have the right to know where you went?!” He says raising his voice.

You were over his attitude and couldn’t be here a minute longer.

“I know you don’t love me anymore, I’ve known it for quite some time now. I don’t need to answer to someone who doesn’t care about me,” you scowl.

“Unbelievable,” he mutters under his breath.

You glance over at Elvis and see he has the same smug look on his face.

“You were about to go pack your things, right honey? Why don’t you go finish that,” Elvis tells you with a smile. You glance at John and see the disgust he has on his face when he hears Elvis call you honey. To most people, it’s a harmless Southern thing. But John hated it and always has. He must have felt threatened in some way and it always stuck with him.

You thought that was a great idea Elvis proposed though. Anything to get you away from John. You could barely be in the same room as him without blowing up on him. You start to make your way to the bedroom when John starts moving in your direction.

“Woah honey, where do you think you’re going,” he snaps, grabbing your arm to still you. He grabbed you too roughly and looked down at how tight his hand was around your forearm. You pull your arm away from him and look at him shocked. You see red marks where his fingers were and it disgusts you.

“Get your hands off of me!” You snarl. You never wanted to feel his hands touch your skin ever again. It made you so angry with not knowing how long he’s had this affair and how he would still come home and touch you. Elvis is quick to act and steps between you two, his large stature blocking you easily from John.

“You need to relax, right now,” he says through his teeth.

“What’s your problem EP?! You're always so defensive when it comes to her.” He says annoyed

“You don’t need to grab her like that,” he spits back. John takes a step back from him and crosses his arms against his chest, analyzing Elvis in front of him.

“You’re awfully fond of my wife, aren’t you?” He scowls.

Elvis hums softly to himself, amused with such a question.

“I am, always have been, are you?” He questions, cocking his head as he sizes up John.

Your heart hammers away at the challenge. You didn’t think Elvis would say such a thing to John but you can tell he was just as mad as you were over this whole thing.

“Excuse me?!” John exclaims.

“It’s a pretty simple question, are you fond of your wife?” Elvis asks again, anger flowing off of him in waves.

“You’re ridiculous! How dare you question my feelings!”

“You haven’t asked anyone where she’s been! You couldn’t give a shit about anything she does!”

“I do! She’s my wife. You don’t need to defend her shitty behavior.”

Elvis chuckles, “Oh you’re one to talk,” he snaps.

Your heart drops, oh this isn’t good. You’d never think Elvis would confront John about all of this. You look over at John and see how his face lost color and he’s looking at Elvis mortified.

“I know, I know all about where you’ve been sneaking off to. So you have some audacity to yell at her for running to a friend when her husband is being a pathetic excuse of one,” Elvis snarls. John takes another step back, weak and aghast.

Elvis takes a step closer to him, not letting him cower down. “You’re done workin’ for me. I don’t want you near me either. You’re fuckin’ toxic for anyone to be around you.”

He turns around to find your frightened eyes and not sure what to do.

“Go wait in my car, we’re going,” he says sternly.

You lower your eyes and quickly go to the front door. You couldn’t look at Elvis when he was so upset. His eyes seared through you and could have killed you. You reach the door and Elvis’ voice makes your hair stand up.

“And she’s not yours, she never has been. Don’t you dare ever utter those words again.” He growls.

Shit.

You rush out to the driveway and go towards Elvis’ Cadillac. There are some of the guys standing outside with questioning looks on their faces. You grew extremely nervous and anxious with their deafening stares.

“Elvis wants to go to Vegas tonight,” you say sheepishly. They don’t move or say anything but their attention gets turned to the booming of Elvis’ voice coming from the house and the sound of thing breaking inside. He was over the edge and fuming. They don’t make a move, knowing better than to get in the way of Elvis when he’s mad.

Elvis bursts through the front door and looks beside himself.

“We’re going to Vegas tonight. Call in a plane for us,” Elvis demands. Everyone starts to scramble and you quickly get in the car. Elvis puts the key in the ignition and rushes out the gates. The radio blares on a famous LA radio station and it was one of Elvis's songs. You didn’t recognize the tune, it must have been one of his newer songs. A pang of guilt hits you when you realize it’s been well over a month and you still haven’t listened to his new album.

We’re caught in a trap

I can’t walk out

Because I love you too much baby…

Only the first few lines are played before Elvis frustratedly shuts the radio. You stay silent the whole ride to LAX. You were holding onto the door handle the whole way with how fast he was driving. You both get to the airport in record time and he opens your door for you.

A small charter jet was waiting on the tarmac for you two and Elvis led you into the cabin. The engines were roaring and the captain was waiting for Elvis’ call to take off. He sits next to you and holds your hand on his lap. You hold on as the plane starts to take off and slowly ascend into the sky.

After a few moments, you gently caress his face and make him look at you. His anger subsided and all that was left was the look of defeat. You hated seeing him like that and it was because of you in a way. You lean in and kiss his lips, savoring the moment. He sighs into your touch and he places his hand on your cheek. There wasn’t any rush with your kisses, they were just soft and tender. His hands scorched into your skin, clouding any thoughts of the consequences of doing this with him.

“Take care of me,” you whimper pulling at his scars around his neck.

He nods his head and groans at the proposal you gave him.

“Of course, you know I will,” he breathes, pulling you onto his lap.

You instantly wrap your arms around his neck and let your fingers intertwine in his soft hair. Your lips crash into his and the once soft, tender kisses you began giving him soon turned into intense, fiery, needy ones.

You felt lightheaded by the way he was kissing you and how his hands kept drifting up and down your thigh. You wanted him to make all your problems disappear and never get out of his arms. It felt like a whirlwind these last few hours and if you had found out all of that on your own, you don’t know how you would’ve handled it. But something about having Elvis back in your life made you handle things differently. It was complicated, yes, but you would never change a thing that’s happened. He was exactly what you needed.

*

Once you landed and a car picked you two from the airport, it discreetly took you to the International. Elvis was explicit that he wanted his arrival to be discrete and gain no attention. He technically wasn’t supposed to arrive for another two days so the hotel was not ready for him. You were so nervous being here with him. All you needed was one camera to take a picture of you next to Elvis and it would be all over the front pages of magazines.

You ride the elevator all the way to the penthouse and have a sigh of relief once you know you’re out of the view of an onlooker. Elvis loosely keeps his arm around your hip, making sure you aren’t going anywhere. The suite's double doors had his name on a gold plaque in black letters. He opened the door for you and you can’t believe the grandeur of the room. It screamed Elvis everywhere you looked. The heavy black curtains were open and the whole front wall was windows overlooking the loud, boisterous city. There was a piano directly in the middle of the windows and the couches were black velvet and looked plush.

You explore the suite, leaving Elvis in the front room as he makes a phone call. Every room in here was decorated with the most lavish things and you could see how they did as much as possible to accommodate Elvis. You quickly find the master suite and and sit on the edge of the bed.

The world felt heavy on your shoulders and you thought being so far from home would help but it didn’t. You can’t help but think about what was next. Would you get a lawyer and get divorce papers? How long do you stay with Elvis? Would he be willing to take your relationship to another level? There was too much swirling in your head and none of it was going to be easy. A few tears fall down your cheeks thinking of the uncertainty of your life.

And that comment Elvis man before you left the house..

She’s not yours, she never has been…

Did he always want to be with you? Or did he say that just to get under John’s skin? You wish you hadn’t heard that part because now you need it to be true and be his.

You see a shadow approach from the doorway and sniffle.

His eyes look hurt when he looks at you. He hates seeing you like this.

“Baby,” he murmurs walking to you.

You stand up when he’s in front of you to hug him. You needed to wrap your arms around him and feel that sense of safety that you do with him.

“Everything is going to be alright. You have nothing to worry about,” he reassures you.

“Thank you,” you manage to squeak out

“I’ll take care of everything and have some new clothes come in for you. We’ll figure everything out together.”

You lift your head from his chest and pull him back toward the bed.

“Can you lay with me, just for a little while?” You ask.

His lips curve into a little smile, “anything for you.”

•

•

•

Tagging:

@loving-elvis @neptuneismysister@velvetelvis @ccab @presleyenterprise @theresalwaysep

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@dontwanttoputanything. @ohjustpeachy-

@elvisalltheway101@austinsmutler@kingdomforapony.

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@returntopresley. @iloveelvis @rimartin11@that-hotdog @louisejoy86@misspresley@cattcb @annapresley8

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[darkeagleruins]

Dominion (voting machine provider) serves 40% of the US market. It is in 30 states - - The state of Texas rejected the machines.

- Admiral Peter Neffenger is on Biden's transition team.

- Neffenger was the President of the board of Smartmatic

- Smartmatic (another voting machine supplier) entered into an agreement with Dominion in 2009

- Smartmatic counted votes in Venezuela - Smartmatic is connected to Philippine voter fraud

- Smartmatic is run by Lord Mark Malloch Brown who works for George Soros (-he and Brown are life-long friends)

- Brown chairs the Boards of a number of non-profit boards including the Open Society Foundation,

- Brown chairs the Centre for Global Development.

- Open society of course is owned by George Soros

- Smartmatic partnered with DLA Piper Global

- Douglas C. Emhoff works at DLA Piper Global

- Douglass C. Emhoff is Kamala Harris's husband

- Guess who owns Dominion? - -Blum Capital Partners, L.P.

- Guess who is on the board for the company? -- Richard Blum.

- Richard C. Blum is Dianne Feinstein's husband.

- Nancy Pelosi's husband is also a major investor

- An aide to Nancy Pelosi, Nadeam Elshami, was hired by Dominion Voting Systems And it goes on & ON!!

- Dominion Voting Systems is listed on the Clinton Foundation website.

- Dominion Voting is listed as a $25,000 -$50,000 donor to the Clinton Foundation in 2014 by The Washington Post

[umissquotedme]

.Everything stated here is 100% true. Look it up yourself. They’re counting on our ignorance, but we just can’t plead ignorance any longer.

Here you go:

“It’s all connected. It goes to principles and platforms, NOT personalities. Know who your voting for:

Part of the Democratic Swamp;

People should know who they're voting for with these facts. This is some pretty interesting stuff here.

YES, THE GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN USED TO WORK FOR GEORGE SOROS.

YES, CALIF GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM IS NANCY PELOSI'S NEPHEW

YES, ADAM SHIFF'S SISTER IS MARRIED TO ONE OF GEORGE SOROS’ SONS.

YES, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER IS MARRIED TO A MULLAH'S SON IN IRAN.

YES, HILLARY'S DAUGHTER CHELSEA IS MARRIED TO GEORGE SOROS' NEPHEW.

YES, ABC NEWS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER IAN CAMERON IS MARRIED TO SUSAN RICE,

OBAMA'S FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.

YES, CBS PRESIDENT DAVID RHODES IS THE BROTHER OF BEN RHODES, OBAMA'S DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS.

YES, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT CLAIRE SHIPMAN IS MARRIED TO JAY CARNEY, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY.

YES, ABC NEWS AND UNIVISION REPORTER MATTHEW JAFFE IS MARRIED TO KATIE HOGAN, OBAMA'S FORMER DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY

YES, ABC PRESIDENT BEN SHERWOOD IS THE BROTHER OF ELIZABETH SHERWOOD, OBAMA'S FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER.

YES, CNN VP VIRGINIA MOSELEY IS MARRIED TO TOM NIDES, FORMER HILLARY CLINTON'S DEPUTY SECRETARY.

THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A "STACKED DECK". IF YOU HAD A HUNCH THE NEWS MEDIA WAS SOMEWHAT RIGGED AND YOU COULDN'T PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT, THIS MIGHT HELP YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE.

Now you know why no one is investigated.They all have their hands in the cookie jar!

You might remember James Comey who investigated the Clinton email scandal and the Clinton Foundation, and made the final decision to not recommend prosecution by the DOJ.

It turns out that the Clinton Foundation was audited by the law firm DLA Piper. One of the executives there was in charge of the Clinton Foundation audit. Who was it? Peter Comey, James Comey’s brother.

Peter Comey held an executive position with the Washington law firm that did the audit of the Clinton foundation in 2015.

Peter Comey was officially DLA Piper “Senior Director of Real Estate Operations for the Americas,” in 2015 when the Clinton Foundation scandals first broke and Hillary was preparing her Presidential campaign.

Not only was DLA Piper, the firm where Comey’s brother worked involved in the audit of the Clinton Foundation, but according to the foundation’s donor records, DLA Piper has given between $50 - 100k to the Foundation.

It gets even cozier.

DLA Piper executive Douglas Emhoff is taking an extended leave of absence from the firm.

Who is Douglas Emhoff?

He is the husband of KAMALA HARRIS! Just a coincidence? Amazing if it is. You can't make this stuff up! And it only gets worse.

This "Family Tree" will make your head spin. THE SWAMP IS DEEP!!

Dominion (voting machine provider) serves 40% of the US market. It is in 30 states - -

The state of Texas rejected the machines.

Admiral Peter Neffenger is on Biden's transition team.

Neffenger was the President of the board of Smartmatic - Smartmatic (another voting machine supplier) entered into an agreement with Dominion in 2009 - Smartmatic counted votes in Venezuela - Smartmatic is connected to Philippine voter fraud. Smartmatic is run by Lord Mark Malloch Brown who works for George Soros (he and Brown are life-long friends). Brown chairs the Boards of a number of non-profit boards including the Open Society Foundation, Brown chairs the Centre for Global Development.

Open society of course is owned by George Soros. Smartmatic partnered with DLA Piper Global - Douglas C. Emhoff works at DLA Piper Global - Douglass C. Emhoff is Kamala Harris's husband

Guess who owns Dominion?

Blum Capital Partners, L.P.

Guess who is on the board for the company? Richard Blum.

Richard C. Blum is Dianne Feinstein's husband.

Nancy Pelosi's husband is also a major investor

An aide to Nancy Pelosi, Nadeam Elshami, was hired by Dominion Voting Systems. And it goes on.

Dominion Voting Systems is listed on the Clinton Foundation website.

Dominion Voting is listed as a $25,000 -$50,000 donor to the Clinton Foundation in 2014 by The Washington Post.

Georgia Governor Kemp used Dominion Voting after Texas and Florida rejected them.

Dominion has a lobbyist named Jared Thomas - Jared Thomas was Governor Brian Kemp’s chief of staff and press secretary from 2012 to 2015.

You must remember the Feinstein-Kavanaugh-Soros connections to understand this next information:

Debra Katz (Christine Ford's lawyer) worked for George-Soros at the Open Society Foundation. Debra Katz (Christine Ford's lawyer) also worked at Project on Government Oversight (POGO). - POGO is funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundation. POGO is the co-signer of the letter Diane Feinstein presented against Kavanaugh's nomination.

Kamala Harris did not prosecute OneWest Bank for their fraud when she had the authority.

Soros owned OneWest Bank.

Now you know why a woman who placed 7th in own her State when running for President is now VP! Oh what a tangled web of deceit and lies.”

Please share

[jangillman]

Worth the Read – Be an Informed Voter in 2024

Understand the web of political and media connections shaping our landscape:

Political and Media Connections

• Michigan’s Governor: Formerly employed by George Soros.

• California Governor Gavin Newsom: Nephew of Nancy Pelosi.

• Adam Schiff’s Sister: Married to George Soros’ son.

• John Kerry’s Daughter: Married to the son of an Iranian mullah.

• Chelsea Clinton: Married to George Soros’ nephew.

• ABC News Executive Ian Cameron: Married to Susan Rice, Obama’s former National Security Adviser.

• CBS President David Rhodes: Brother of Ben Rhodes, Obama’s Deputy National Security Adviser.

• ABC Correspondent Claire Shipman: Married to Jay Carney, Obama’s Press Secretary.

• Reporter Matthew Jaffe (ABC/Univision): Married to Katie Hogan, Obama’s Deputy Press Secretary.

• ABC President Ben Sherwood: Brother of Elizabeth Sherwood, Obama’s Special Adviser.

• CNN VP Virginia Moseley: Married to Tom Nides, former Deputy Secretary for Hillary Clinton.

These connections reveal a “stacked deck” between politics and media. If you’ve ever suspected bias, this might explain why some stories get buried.

Investigations and Conflicts of Interest

• James Comey: Led investigations into the Clinton email scandal and Foundation but recommended no prosecution.

• Peter Comey (James Comey’s brother): Held an executive role at DLA Piper, the law firm auditing the Clinton Foundation, which donated $50,000 to $100,000 to the Foundation.

• Douglas Emhoff: Former DLA Piper executive, now taking leave—husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Voting Machines and Influence

• Dominion Voting Systems: Serves 40% of U.S. voters, operating in 30 states. Texas rejected it.

• Admiral Peter Neffenger: Biden transition team member and former Smartmatic board president.

• Smartmatic: Partnered with Dominion in 2009 and has been linked to election controversies in Venezuela and the Philippines.

• Lord Mark Malloch Brown: Longtime Soros ally, chairs Smartmatic and the Open Society Foundation.

Financial Ties and Influence

• Blum Capital Partners: Dominion investor, tied to Richard Blum—husband of Dianne Feinstein.

• Paul Pelosi: Another major investor.

• Nadeam Elshami: Former Pelosi aide, now with Dominion Voting Systems.

Dominion has also donated between $25,000 and $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation, suggesting deeper financial and political interconnections.

This web of relationships shows how deep political and corporate interests intertwine. Stay informed as you approach the 2024 elections.

DRAIN THE SWAMP! MAGA 2024 🇺🇲

[abr]

Rampini, non Vittorio Feltri.

"È l’equivoco tremendo all’origine della sua cooptazione come vice nel ticket del 2020. La Harris è stata innalzata al secondo posto dell’esecutivo in quanto donna di colore (...). Lei si è prestata al gioco.  (...)  Biden nel 2020 voleva coprirsi il fianco a sinistra. Donna, di colore, figlia d’immigrati, lei era il prezzo da pagare per placare i radicali e sedurre i media. (...)

In realtà la sua biografia si prestava a tutt’altra narrazione. La storia dei genitori (una ricercatrice universitaria indiana discendente dalla casta privilegiata dei bramini; un celebre economista afro-giamaicano) è l’apoteosi di un American Dream costruito da élite di immigrati qualificati che diventano classe dirigente; il contrario dell’attuale ideologia politically correct. La storia dei suoi genitori, e quindi la sua, è segnata proprio dai benefici della meritocrazia, non dai danni del razzismo. Diventando lei stessa un’icona della politica tribale e identitaria, ha falsificato quella storia familiare che condensa il lato positivo dell’America.

Kamala ha recitato la parte presentandosi come un’esponente di minoranze emarginate, discriminate e oppresse. Una delle accuse che le rivolgono spesso i repubblicani è questa: la Harris non parla in modo positivo dell’America, è più attenta a demonizzare il proprio paese che non a esaltarlo come una terra di opportunità".

La solita ipocrita di sinistra, pronta a tutto davvero - chiedere ai suoi mentori nella macchina Dems. della Bay Area, l'elite del big money high society, opposta ai Dems. pezzenti mafiosi di Chicago - forse per questo Obama la segherebbe subito:

"The machine—which operates around a fulcrum of big money, high society, and socially progressive ideas—has molded such Democratic politicians as governors Pat Brown and Jerry Brown (father and son); Willie Brown (former San Francisco mayor, machine boss, and no relation); Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein; former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer; San Francisco mayors Ed Lee and London Breed; and San Francisco mayor, lieutenant governor, and now governor Gavin Newsom".

[diannepearcefuckingwrites]

"Ummm because I worked for it? Others are not my problem nor responsibility."

Of course, the title of this blog was not written by me; I have better grammar. Snooty response, I know, and I also have better compassion. What happened here, in the United States? When I was a kid I remember my dad would pull over any time he saw anyone having car trouble, and he was right there to help them. Granted, he could fix cars, but it didn’t matter, in my memory, who it was, he…

[1americanconservative]

WORTH THE READ

Be an informed voter in 2024: * THE GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN USED TO WORK FOR GEORGE SOROS. * CALIF GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM IS NANCY PELOSI'S NEPHEW * ADAM SHIFF'S SISTER IS MARRIED TO ONE OF GEORGE SOROS’ SONS. * JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER IS MARRIED TO A MULLAH'S SON IN IRAN. * HILLARY'S DAUGHTER CHELSEA IS MARRIED TO GEORGE SOROS' NEPHEW. * ABC NEWS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER IAN CAMERON IS MARRIED TO SUSAN RICE, OBAMA'S FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER. * CBS PRESIDENT DAVID RHODES IS THE BROTHER OF BEN RHODES, OBAMA'S DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS. * ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT CLAIRE SHIPMAN IS MARRIED TO JAY CARNEY, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY. * ABC NEWS AND UNIVISION REPORTER MATTHEW JAFFE IS MARRIED TO KATIE HOGAN, OBAMA'S FORMER DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY * ABC PRESIDENT BEN SHERWOOD IS THE BROTHER OF ELIZABETH SHERWOOD, OBAMA'S FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER. * CNN VP VIRGINIA MOSELEY IS MARRIED TO TOM NIDES, FORMER HILLARY CLINTON'S DEPUTY SECRETARY. THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A "STACKED DECK". IF YOU HAD A HUNCH THE NEWS MEDIA WAS SOMEWHAT RIGGED AND YOU COULDN'T PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT, THIS MIGHT HELP YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE. Now you know why no one is investigated. James Comey investigated the Clinton email scandal and the Clinton Foundation, then made the final decision to not recommend prosecution by the DOJ. It turns out that the Clinton Foundation was audited by the law firm DLA Piper. One of the executives there was in charge of the Clinton Foundation audit. Who was it? Peter Comey, James Comey’s brother. Peter Comey held an executive position with the Washington law firm that did the audit of the Clinton foundation in 2015. Peter Comey was officially DLA Piper “Senior Director of Real Estate Operations for the Americas,” in 2015 when the Clinton Foundation scandals first broke and Hillary was preparing her Presidential campaign. Not only was DLA Piper, the firm where Comey’s brother worked involved in the audit of the Clinton Foundation, but according to the foundation’s donor records, DLA Piper has given between $50 - 100k to the Foundation. It gets even cozier. DLA Piper executive Douglas Emhoff is taking an extended leave of absence from the firm. Who is Douglas Emhoff? He is the husband of Kamala Harris! L It only gets worse. This "Family Tree" will make your head spin . . THE SWAMP IS DEEP! Dominion (voting machine provider) serves 40% of the US market. It is in 30 states - - The state of Texas rejected the machines. - Admiral Peter Neffenger is on Biden's transition team. - Neffenger was the President of the board of Smartmatic - Smartmatic (another voting machine supplier) entered into an agreement with Dominion in 2009 - Smartmatic counted votes in Venezuela - Smartmatic is connected to Philippine voter fraud - Smartmatic is run by Lord Mark Malloch Brown who works for George Soros (-he and Brown are life-long friends) - Brown chairs the Boards of a number of non-profit boards including the Open Society Foundation, - Brown chairs the Centre for Global Development. - Open society of course is owned by George Soros - Smartmatic partnered with DLA Piper Global - Douglas C. Emhoff works at DLA Piper Global - Douglass C. Emhoff is Kamala Harris's husband - Guess who owns Dominion? - -Blum Capital Partners, L.P. - Guess who is on the board for the company? -- Richard Blum. - Richard C. Blum is Dianne Feinstein's husband. - Nancy Pelosi's husband is also a major investor - An aide to Nancy Pelosi, Nadeam Elshami, was hired by Dominion Voting Systems And it goes on & ON!! - Dominion Voting Systems is listed on the Clinton Foundation website. - Dominion Voting is listed as a $25,000 -$50,000 donor to the Clinton Foundation in 2014 by The Washington Post

[momolady]

Sucks 2BU: Author's April #3

(This was when I was watching True Blood as well as Twilight ages ago. I wrote this as my take on the vampire genre, and I am horribly embarrassed by it now. It's bad, in terms of execution and the send up to the vampire genre. It was my first foray in writing adult stuff, so take it for what it is I suppose. Enjoy, or don't. Read with caution, I dare you.)

Chapter One: 3 Annes

The sun was setting on the twenty-four hour diner on the highway. Inside the staff was moving around listlessly. The only customers inside was a sobering drunk with his pissed-as-hell wife sitting in the back corner booth. And three seemingly young girls, one brunette, one honey blonde, and one darker brunette. All sitting in a tiny booth along the wall beside the kitchen. The sun was coming in heavily through the shutters along the back corner but the girls were nicely shaded by advertisement posters and a crane machine game.

Joanne, who preferred to be called Jo, sat by herself on one side of the table pretending to read the newspaper. Jo was the kind of brunette media loved to portray, intelligent, snarky, witty and with an understated beauty. She was short and had the sort of Marilyn Monroe hour glass figure that would of made a Playboy centerfold back in the day. Her hair was the color of a melted chocolate bar and was cut in shaggy layers around her head and parted far to the left. Peering out from behind this mop-top was a set of eyes so steely blue and off putting people nearly always avoided looking directly at her.

Sitting across from her Didi, actually Dianne, was running her fingers through her long toffee colored hair, not exactly red and not exactly blonde it was the product of research and finding the perfect salon to make the color pop just right. Her bangs were sheered in a straight line across her forehead just above her eyebrows which were a shady blonde. Her wide eyes were a sort of bluish-green that switched back and forth depending on what she was wearing, today they were blue to match her sky-blue sun-dress. She was top heavy with a surmountable bosom and square shoulders. The rest of her was thin and long, especially her legs which made up the most of her.

Then there was Anne, really just Anne, who was a remarkably beautiful girl with creamy milky skin and long, dark curly hair. She had sparkling green eyes surrounded by lush eyelashes. She had a perfectly proportioned body, even if she did appear to be a shade too thin. Her hair was a thick mess of perfectly disheveled curls and waves that made her look like both a model and a wild bohemian pixie. But it was her smile that spoke the most about her. It was the smile of a mad woman, a trouble maker and drama queen who would show you the time of your life. Her smile never lied.

Well, Did and Anne jabbered on and giggled over their hash browns and gravy. Jo picked at the two little chicken strips she had gotten along with her hash browns not feeling like actually chewing food today. She glanced out the window from behind the newspaper, studying the blonde man in the parking lot.

“Okay, so,” Didi spoke up suddenly then giggled without warning. “Okay seriously, guys, I know we’ve been friends for a while now and I don’t know if you’ve figured it out but-”

Here it comes, Jo thought and popped a chicken strip into her mouth and shook the paper.

“I’m a vampire!” Didi blurted.

“No way!” Anne belted, her wide green eyes bugged and she stared slack jaw for a moment.

Once more with feeling, Jo thought again as she chewed.

“Me too!” Anne and Didi squealed happily together. They then looked over at Jo expectantly and were utterly floored by her completely blank expression as her icey blue eyes peered at them from over the top of the paper.

“What?” Jo asked.

“Well?” Anne asked, her and Didi sharing a worried and somewhat fearful expression.

Jo closed the paper and folded it and sat it on the bench beside her. “I already knew.” She replied and reached for her bag.

“She’s getting a gun! Duck!” Didi squealed and fell down under the table.

Jo stared in disbelief at Didi’s empty seat as she produced her wallet. “No, I’m one too. Now get the hell off the floor its covered in gravy and grease.”

Didi popped her head up from underneath the table to peek at Jo. “Really?”

Jo placed a dollar bill on the table then snapped the latch on her wallet shut. “Yes. Really. My gawd you two are dimwitted.”

“Then tell us how you knew, oh almighty and all knowing one.”

Jo tapped the tip of Anne’s nose. “Exactly.”

Anne scoffed in disbelief. “You’re literally all knowing?”

Jo shrugged as she placed her wallet back into her purse. “Kinda sorta.” She made a sideways glance to see if the blonde was still in the parking lot. “It isn’t like you two don’t have your special little abilities.”

Didi and Anne looked at each other with bugged eyes then leaned across the table as if to pull Jo from her seat and shake the tiny bits and pieces of knowledge of Jo’s head.

“You know?” Didi gawked.

Anne pinched Jo‘s cheek and pulled. “Okay, why the fuck haven’t you said anything to either of us?”

“Ya’ll didn’t ask so I didn’t tell. Besides, I don’t use my power to help Didi find her keys so why would I use it to divulge information you guys weren’t going to tell me anyways?”

Didi and Anne sat back down, but Anne kept a tight hold on Jo’s cheek. Anne sighed first, “I’m like the Hulk or Superman or something. Strong, invulnerable. You get the picture.”

Jo smirked and covered her mouth. “So like what? You’re idiot strong or something?”

Anne glared at Jo, boring a hole into her forehead. “You want me to show you then? Huh?”

Didi quickly jumped into the conversation, hoping to change the subject. “I can turn invisible. And kinda climb walls.”

“Like a spider?” Anne asked.

“Like a spider.” Didi replied.

Jo pushed her sideways bangs off her face and pursed her lips. “Mind reading and the like.”

“So you have like mind powers?” Anne suddenly pointed to the salt shaker. “Can you move this from one side of the table to the other?”

Jo arched a beaten brow and raised her hand from under the table, plucked up the slat shaker, and set it back in its holder on the other end of the table.

Anne scowled, “that’s not what I meant, smart ass!”

Jo threw her hands in the air. “That’s not my power, bitch!”

Didi suddenly cleared her throat and Jo and Anne turned their fierce stares to her, which made her jump. “Um uh…not that’s any of my business but uh…how old are you?”

“Twenty-one.” Jo smarted.

“You,” Anne sneered at Jo. “Well,” she placed her palm flat on her chest, “I can’t really mention numbers but I will say that Marie Antoinette was an amazing hostess. Ah! The parties she used to throw! If only the lady knew how to keep her head.”

Didi looked at Jo, “Jo?”

“Pass.”

“Well…” Didi blushed. “I was born in 1903 and then I was changed sometime in the mid-twenties.”

“Ah! A flapper huh?” Anne laughed.

Didi shrugged. “The first time I actually got the nerves up to actually go out and do that sort of the thing was well…take a wild guess.” She looked over at Jo along with Anne. “Well?”

“Pass.”

“You can’t pass again!” Anne yelped. “You already passed once.”

Jo put her hand over her chest daintily. “I think its very rude to ask a lady her age and weight.”

“1435,” Anne blurted.

Jo’s brow furrowed upon Anne and she rolled her eyes. “Can we go yet or are we going to confess anything else?”

Anne sighed, “I guess we should go.”

“So you really won’t tell us?” Didi asked as they all got up from the booth to pay their bill and leave.

Jo smirked. “I like to leave a little mystery in my relationships.”

“Caveman!” Anne blurted for a second time. “I bet you were a caveman.”

Jo snickered. “What?”

“It makes so much sense! How you know everything about anything, how you’re just so…just so…just so you! It all makes perfect, logical sense.”

“Are you saying I have a protruding brow, and under bite, and thick forearms?” Jo prodded as she left money for the waitress.

Anne’s mouth hung open. “Well…maybe just the forearms.”

Jo rolled her eyes and went out the door. Her eyes suddenly darted to where the blonde had been standing and she frowned.

“What’s up?” Didi asked as she unlocked the car.

“Nothing.” Jo went into the backseat. “Just thought I saw someone I knew.”

Anne looked over the front seat. “C’mon, why won’t you tell us how old you are?”

Jo leaned closer to Anne and smirked, “tell me the answer to this, Anne.” She cupped her hand around Anne’s ear and began whispering. Didi tried to listen in but Jo used such a low inaudible voice it was impossible. Anne’s face contorted and she slammed back into her seat.

“Just go!”

Jo smiled smugly as she snuggled into the backseat and took one last look into the parking lot. Still nothing. Damn, Jo thought, I know it was him. I heard him. Clear as day. What the fuck is he doing here?

The heavy purple skyline of night was creeping up over the mountains as the girls pulled into the parking lot outside Fanger Banger. It was small vampire bar which attracted more vampire fans, known as Bleeders, than it did actual vampires. It was one of Anne’s favorite spots and she had become something of a tourist attraction amongst the bars’ clientele. Like the world’s biggest ball of yarn or the grand canyon. If you were here you simply had to go and see it. This was Anne.

The bar out front was nothing more than bricks with a huge red neon sign tacked up in an arch around the door with the bar’s title ‘Fanger Banger’ in large curly font. Inside the bar was painted red with a wide white stripe going all away around the center. The floor was checker boarded tiles in old Fifties joints. The bar was all white with large white stools and glowing lamps dotted all across the ceiling to make it look like an oasis of angels amongst the demonic vampires and Bleeders. The staff dress was bright red t-shirts with Fanger Banger printed on the front in white and their names on the back. The women wore tiny white shorty-shorts which left them a lot of creativity with underwear. The men wore white jeans, some of them were creative with underwear as well. There were booths all along the left side of the bar. Big black blocks with red leather seats and big white tables. To the right there were small white tables for private dates. The rest of the bar was for dancing and finding that special vamp.

In the bar a woman came up to Didi and smiled. “Ba’al, Moloch, or Belial?” She asked with a smoky voice.

“Belial,” Didi replied, referencing the breed of vampire she was. The woman frowned and walked off. Didi could instantly tell the woman was a Ba’al simply because she was clean and had all her hair. Most Moloch’s she had met were gross and balding. She had no taste for Molochs. Ba’als either really but she could at least tolerate them for a while. This one didn’t seem to like Belial very much.

Jo was waiting for Didi in their regular booth. She looked unassuming and misplaced almost like she was over crowded in that empty booth. In all honesty, Jo would admit vampires weren’t the normal company she used to keep. In her heyday she roamed with the werewolf pack of her town. She had plans of becoming a werewolf too and becoming the mate of the pack’s alpha male. But that all went to shit when she was attacked by the blonde.

Anne was gone. She was somewhere in the crowd feeding off the life the party created, living in the music, making some Bleeder a very happy person. Didi was off in a world of her own as she found herself in a place of the music and let a handsome young man take her in for a dance. Once the black lights kicked on you could find a vampire much easier. All vampires glowed under black lights.

Jo sat alone in that booth. She couldn’t out grow her old anxieties about crowds, which was a side-effect of being a Belial breed of vampire. Belial’s keep their old emotions and fears, or at least the ghosts of them. But Jo enjoyed watching the crowd sway and she closed her mind’s ear off to the constant chatter and roar going on in people’s heads. She looked for the blonde and listened for his southern accent and deep laugh. He was still here, she could feel it. A voice then broke through and she held her breath.

“You okay?”

Jo jumped and looked up at Didi. “Um…just thinking.” She clutched the side of her head and forced a smile. “I think I’m gonna go outside and get some fresh air.” She stood and headed to the back door where patrons went out to smoke.

“Jo, I hope you know you can talk to me,” Didi replied. “I mean, I don’t know everything about your power but I’m sure it has you hearing some rather odd things.”

Jo smiled again and shook her head. “I’m used to it. After all this time I’ve learned tricks.”

Didi smiled knowingly and giggled. “Can I take a crack at how long?”

Jo shrugged. “You’re wrong.” She tapped the side of her head then dipped her chin and laughed. “Wrong again.”

Didi rolled her eyes and watched as Jo stepped out the back door.

“Where’d the smartass go?” Anne threw herself around Didi’s waist and danced from her waist down.

“Outside.” Didi glanced down at Anne and furrowed her brow. “Are you drunk?”

Anne pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “Maybe little.”

Didi rolled her eyes again and sat Anne down in the booth. “You fed on someone? What the hell Anne? In the middle of all these people?”

“They don’t call ‘em Bleeders for no shit.” Anne giggled, covering her pink mouth. “Oh c’mon, Didi!”

“But a drunk person?” Didi scoffed.

“Fun,” Anne shrugged.

Outside the air had turned brisk and would of required a human to wear a jacket. But Jo stepped out and remembered how even as a human she would of loved to run in this weather with just a thin shirt on. Winter was coming and Jo hated how much she missed the cold. That was her weakness. She was unable to let go of things she held dear as a human. This probably explained her reason for not growing an attachment to anything as a vampire and why she was planning on leaving town now that Anne and Didi had let go their little secret.

It was then that same voice came back to knock the wind right out of her. “Holy shit,” she whispered and turned. Maybe leaving now wouldn’t be such a bad idea, Jo thought.

Back inside Anne was looking across the room when she saw the woman who had talked to Didi earlier. She sat up right and cursed loud enough almost everyone turned to stare at her. The woman laughed and brought a finger to her lips and motioned for Anne to remain quiet.

“Fuck no!” Anne shouted and headed for the back door. The woman’s laughter reverberated and clinked like ice in a glass just behind her.

Didi remained unaware as she sat at the bar waiting on the bartender to bring her a glass of water and several wedges of lemon. She looked over to the booth and when she saw that Anne was gone she groaned and placed her head in her palms.

“Something wrong, hun?”

Didi looked up and grimaced. “Emile…” she groaned. “What the-”

Emile grinned softly. “Nothing bad. It was just time for a check up is all. So,” he leaned closer to her, twirling her hazel hair between his fingers. “How have you been?”

“Virtually alive, was that how you used to put it?”

Emile pulled back and Didi assessed how much he had changed since she last saw the vampire who changed her. His hair was still dark, thick and curly like storm clouds but it was longer and he had grown a heavy, furry shadow on his jaw to match it.

“I don’t need to have tabs kept on me anymore, Emile.” Didi spat softly. “I don’t need a babysitter or someone using me for my power.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here.” Emile let go of her hair. “I liked you better blonde by the way.”

“Don’t care,” she snipped. “Now, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Your two new little roommates and you, you have more in common than you think. Do you think it was a coincidence all three of you had powers none of the rest of your kind have? Or were you to wrapped up in the girly fun to even notice.”

Didi opened her mouth to argue but she knew she couldn’t argue or lie to Emile. She shut her mouth and pouted instead. “So?”

Emile chuckled. “Same old Dianne.”

Outside Jo had dashed off and hid herself just before Anne had burst out cursing and screaming and beating up a poor defenseless trashcan. Jo shuddered at how violent Anne was and how violent she really wanted to be in her mind. She turned off Anne’s extremely vulgar, violent and disturbing images to focus back on the voice coming from the shadows of the street that had her holding her breath for the past ten minuets. She had two directions to run. Toward and away.

Decisions, decisions, Jo thought shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her pants. I feel as if the music from Jaws should be playing, she murmured to her mind as she shifted listlessly on the sidewalk. What should I do? What the fucking cat screaming of hell should I do?

Another voice came in. The blonde. Jo turned to face the direction the voice echoed from and she groaned. Her options had become two completely different things. She could go towards the blonde or towards the other voice, the overly familiar voice she wasn’t planning on hearing ever again.

“Shit,” Jo cursed as she went away from the blonde’s voice and towards the other.

Didi could recall her first encounter with Emile as being one of unexpected glory and romance. Growing up reading Jane Austin had made her heart soft and dreamy. And Emile fit the perfect description of a Jane Austin hero, or at least Didi’s idea of a hero. He was tall, dark, extremely handsome and had a smile that lit up the early morning. Her family would never approve of him, what with his skin the color of coffee thick with cream. But his eyes, those dark beads of topaz, made her heart beat rapidly and her cheek flush.

Emile came into her family’s bakery and bought a loaf of fresh bread. Tipping his hat to her he gave Didi a card and invited her to his jazz club, Artimes. With the help of her best friend Didi went out and bought her first flapper dress. The long fringe and slinky red silk felt so good and the breeze against her legs was another exciting element.

At the club she handed the man at the door her card and she and her friend tiptoed in and looked around the room drunk on the excitement and romance of it all. Emile arrived an hour after Didi did and when he saw her sitting across the room Didi was almost positive it was love. Emile took her by the arm and they danced together and he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. He then led her to a booth in the shadows of the club and moment after Didi received what she would recall thinking was a divine kiss of true love, like in fairy tales, Emile bit into her neck.

Didi woke a week later far from her home and with Emile, a vampire and her new master.

Now, more than eighty years later, she was sitting next to Emile again and she tried her hardest to suppress her old feelings. It wasn’t going to happen ever again. Fool me once, shame on you, Didi thought crossing her arms. Fool me five or more times, shame on me.

“Listen Didi, I know I don’t have the authority anymore, but you were always my favorite so I worry about you.”

“You didn’t think that way back then,” Didi muttered. “But go on, tell me what trouble I’m in now.”

Emile’s smile was on of nostalgia. “I never turned you…because I wanted to.”

Didi frowned.

“I was told to.”

Didi balked, “told? Who the hell would want me to be a vampire?”

“My master, Franz.”

Didi eased back down. She had heard stories about Franz. Emile had told her many stories during the days they spent together. He was this extremely powerful and old vampire who was the right hand man of the Belial father.

“I’m in something bad aren’t I?”

“You,” Emile sighed and rubbed his heavy brow. “You and your new little friends I’m afraid.”

Jo was unaware of all of this as she raced down the road following that voice. She wondered if he knew she was there, if she was coming to meet him. Or was he simply just wandering around. She stopped, realizing the voice was leading her to the little house she shared with Didi and Anne.

Jo walked up the driveway and into the cobblestone pathway that led to the front porch. She sat down on the stairs and waited. She watched the woods and placed her chin in the cup of her hands. The woods shushed then parted and he emerged looking virtually the same as he did the day they last spoke goodbye. Jo could see he had aged some, enough to make him look rugged and brow beaten. He looked up from the trail he had carved for him and his eyes flashed in the shadows, catching what little light was in the sky.

Jo barely moved, even though she knew he was coming she was still so stunned to see him. She suddenly jumped to her feet and dipped her chin to her chest.

“Jo,” he muttered.

She pushed her hair behind her ear, “hey, Teak.” She muttered and swallowed. “I uh,” she finally pulled herself together and stiffened her back and shoulders and pulled her hands from her pockets. “I thought I told you I didn’t want you looking for me!” She cupped her hand around her face.

“I’m not leaving until you come home.”

“I can’t go home, gawd, why the hell do you think I left?” She stepped off the stairs. “Because I had to sow my wild oats? Because I needed to seek my fortune?” She got closer to him. “Have you not noticed how I haven’t changed? I’m still the short, fat bookworm I was before.” She threw her hands at her sides and looked up at Teak with vicious eyes. “I left home to protect them, Teak.”

“Well now you’re just being selfish,” Teak murmured as he looked down at her.

“Home is a werewolf town, Teak. You’re the alpha male you know that. I can’t go home.”

“You’re wrong.”

She saw the answers in his head. “Fuck.” She spat.

“I’m not the alpha anymore.” He grabbed Jo as she turned to look sharply at him with disbelief. “I was knocked down. I need you back, Jo. I need you to-”

Jo pulled back. “I know! Just don’t even bother, Teak.” She looked over her shoulder and grunted. “Charlie’s here.”

“The one who-”

“Yes, the one who mother fucking turned me.” Jo gave Teak a warning look. “Just go. Please.” But she knew as she went back down the road Teak would be waiting for her on the porch. At least, she thought, this annoyance will help me in dealing with the blonde.

Outside Fanger Banger Anne was still pitching her little temper tantrum, happily ripping and shredding garbage cans like they were paper and strewing the trash inside around on the ground. She was headed for the chain link fence when she heard the all too familiar giggle echo behind her.

“What?” Anne muttered as she turned around hesitantly. There stood Haydee with her halo of overly curly red hair her impish looks and face smeared with freckles. During the days of Versailles and of Marie Antoinette’s favor Haydee would have to use as much powder as possible to cover up those freckles and that garish red hair. Nowadays she wore no makeup at all.

Haydee made a pout and folded her hands before her. “What? I thought you would be happy to see me, Kitten.”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me Kitten. I hate that name.”

Haydee strolled forward, kicking chunks of metal garbage can out of her way. “Well, like it or not I’m here to give you a warning.”

Anne scowled and took a couple of steps aside.

“There are some people coming after you and that lovely little power of yours.” Haydee’s thin fingers caressed Anne’s cheek and she stood beside Anne facing her. “We need you to come back home where you’ll be safe and from the Moloch and Ba’al.”

“I told you last time I’m not going to be kept up like a bird in a cage,” Anne hissed. “I’m not going to keep pretending Versailles is still alive. Its dead just like the rest of us.”

Haydee smirked. “You’re sober.”

Anne grimaced. “Unfortunately I am.” She turned to face Haydee now and she pointed a finger into her freckled face. “Tell me,” she barked, “does this little warning also include Jo and Didi?”

Haydee shook her curls. “Well yes. Their powers are just as rare and magnificent as yours. Everyone wants them.”

“Oh hell, and here I thought they wanted us for our damn personalities.” Anne sneered with a sarcastic grin.

Haydee sighed, “you used to be so much fun, Anne. What the hell happened to you?”

Anne laughed, “I’m still fun. It was you who got boring.”

“Versailles isn’t dead, Anne. We’ve kept it alive. We kept her alive.”

“Tell her she can rot in hell with the rest of you,” Anne turned away to begin her over dramatic exit. “I’m going to try to live again.” She leapt up over the building and landed out front. There she saw Didi standing at the entrance chewing at her nails with a sour look on her face.

“What’s up?” Anne asked, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

Didi looked up and tried to hide her sour look. “Nothing.” She pulled her hair back and started putting it up into a ponytail. “Have you seen Jo? I can‘t seem to find her.”

Anne shook her head then shrugged. “Nope.”

“You look like you’re in a bad mood too.” Didi replied.

“Its all bullshit. Nothing I really care about anyways.” Anne huffed as she walked on to get to the car.

“My old…creator was here.” Didi admitted.

Anne cut her eyes up at Didi. “Ditto.”

“Then maybe Jo…” she hesitated as if expecting Jo to magically appear just then to shed some light on the situation. But no. Jo was off dealing with her own problems and waiting for the light to shine on her.

“I want you back,” was all Charlie said when he was in sight.

Jo shrugged her shoulders up around her neck and swayed to the side as she waited for Charlie’s punch line, his excuse, and his apology. That’s how it always was back when she was first created. All Charlie wanted from Jo was her power and he used it to all his advantage and all his cons. Jo stayed with Charlie because she had nowhere else to turn.

“What? Ya got nuthin’ to say to me?” Charlie asked, his southern drawl all to familiar to Jo. It was a voice she couldn’t get out of her head no matter where she went and how far she went to get there.

“I have plenty to say to you,” Jo hissed.

Charlie smiled, “so ya already know then. Ya can hear me as clear as day.”

“Why the hell would I want to be kept locked up even if it were for my safety? I ain’t ever used this power for anybody I sure as hell ain’t gonna use it for them.”

Charlie shrugged, “good, bad, it doesn’t matter to you does it? You only care about yourself.”

“Learned it from you.”

Charlie threw his head back and laughed, “I missed yer wacky sense of humor.”

Jo arched her eyebrow, surprised the voice he spoke with matched the one in his head. He was genuinely sincere. “Any other arguments Charlie before I turn back home and leave for good?”

Charlie sighed, “be careful, Jo. You are my finest piece of work.”

Jo turned, “fuck off.”

Chapter Two: Baby Come Back

“I’ll make us some coffee,” Jo muttered as she unlocked the front door. Teak stood up and followed behind her.

“What happened?”

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head over?” Jo huffed as she busied herself with the coffee pot.

“You look worried,” Teak replied as he leaned around the corner.

Jo rolled her eyes and poured water. “You’re here. Why wouldn’t I be worried?” She asked and snapped her attention back to the coffee grounds. “Do you really wanna kill me that badly, Teak?” Her voice no louder than a whisper.

Teak jumped, “what? No! You’re a Belial we don’t-”

“You hate vampires, Teak. It doesn’t matter if I’m Belial or not. You said so yourself.”

“I never thought you’d be one.”

Jo spilt coffee grounds all over the counter, “fuck.”

Teak came up from behind Jo and looped his arm around her waist. Jo’s eyes got wide and he turned to look up at him.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jo muttered. “If its taken you this long I don’t think I want it.”

Teak remained silent and pushed the hair from Jo’s face.

“My friends are at the door.”

“Who cares?” Teak breathed. “Its taken me thirty years.”

“Teak,” Jo’s breath shuddered, “I can’t.”

Teak’s lips were on Jo’s cheek then fluttered across her chin. Jo dipped her head slightly and met him. The door banged open and Jo could hear Anne’s huffish threats to the doormat that never seemed to want to work with her.

“Oh look at that! We get stalked and she gets lucky!”

Jo snapped out of Teak’s arms and cleared her throat, “no. He’s an old friend from…” She looked up sideways at him then back at Didi and Anne’s prying eyes. “He’s an old friend from out of town.”

Anne scoffed and kicked off her shoes. “What’s this old friend’s name?”

Teak looked down distastefully at Didi and Anne. “It’s Teak,” he growled lowly.

Jo slapped his hand, “they’re my friends. You could at least be a little civil, werewolf or not.”

“Werewolf?” Didi gasped.

Anne pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and rolled her big green eyes sarcastically. All of her posturing as dramatic as usual. “Of course you would be buddies with a werewolf!” She then clicked on her grin. “Or should I say you could only get action with a werewolf. Can I get a howl?”

Teak stared her down and pulled Jo aside. “Can we go somewhere private.”

Jo pushed him back, “no, Teak. I am not some thirty year old booty call, alright? So you can either be civil or leave now.”

Teak turned and looked Didi and Anne up and down before he sat down at the kitchen table.

“What’s going on?” Didi whispered over to Jo.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Jo’s already pensive look sharpened and deepened so that her brow caused wrinkles to fluctuate up her forehead. “You two were visited by your creators too?”

“How the hell did you know that?” Anne snapped. Didi nudged she and suddenly she remembered. “Oh right, mind reading thing.”

“You too?” Didi asked Jo.

“Yeah. So basically-” Jo stopped and turned to Teak and she licked her lips. She slowly returned back to Anne and Didi and whispered. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow when he finally decides to vamoose.”

“So what’s up with him?” Anne whispered. “You two used to mate or something? I mean, I know that’s common with Belial, but that seems really weird to me.”

Jo rolled her eyes. “Teak and I are old friends. That’s all.”

“He seems really hostile,” Didi murmured, glancing sideways at Teak glowering at them from the table. “Should we worry?”

“You’re Belial right?” Jo huffed. “He hates vampires but he’s not going to hurt us so don’t worry.”

“I don’t like werewolves,” Anne snarled, glaring back into Teak’s eyes. “Never have, never will. Too shifty.”

“You say the same thing about cats,” Didi replied.

Anne scoffed, “yeah. But cats are really weird.”

Jo rolled her eyes and sighed. “I need to go deal with him,” she replied and turned just as Teak stood up from his seat and she led him to her room. “Wait,” she gasped suddenly.

Teak stared down at her and put his hand to the side of her head. “Jo? Jo, what’s wrong?”

Jo cupped her hands over her face and dragged them down, tugging at her skin, making it droop then pop back into place. “Who is Emile?” She called out the kitchen.

Didi sat up from wiping up coffee grounds and cocked her head to the side. “He’s my creator. Why? Is something wrong?”

“And Haydee?”

Anne’s lip curled up over her teeth. “She’s a bitch but yeah, she made me.”

Jo shook her head and let go of Teak’s hand. “We need to go back into the town,” she growled irritably.

“What?” Didi followed close behind her. “Jo, what’s going on with Emile?”

“Shit, that’s what,” Jo snapped as they started taking off through the woods. They came out onto the road before Jo started talking again. “Charlie, my maker, and this Haydee chick have been making plans together to get us to go with them. Violent plans. And Emile is fighting them, insisting on more proper means to keep us safe. Haydee and Charlie are getting violent with Emile now.”

Anne huffed, “I thought Haydee seemed different. She’s a Ba’al now.”

“Charlie too, almost. He’s not exactly Belial and not exactly Ba’al.” Jo licked her lips and tasted the air. Teak whizzed by her, surpassing the girls with his agile wolf speed.

“Teak, stop!” Jo bounded off after him, a close second but just out of reach enough to where Jo couldn’t grab him.

They turned into the alley beside Camp Rogue just as Haydee’s bladed hand went through Emile’s shoulder. Emile roared out as Didi tumbled in and screamed for them to stop. Haydee ripped her hand back out and Charlie released the bleeding vampire. Teak rushed at Charlie, going for his throat with a mouth full of jagged teeth. Anne and Jo lunged at Haydee while Didi dove in to pull Emile from the ensuing brouhaha.

“Dianne?” Emile croaked, touching Didi’s cheek.

“You’re going to fine. You’re going to be fine.” Didi repeated breathlessly. She briefly uncovered the hole in his chest, but he was already disintegrating. Haydee had gotten his heart.

Emile smiled weakly. “I know better than that, kid. Listen, you can’t let yourself give into them. Alright? Promise me you won’t give in.” His face started to perforate and crumble.

Didi drive heaved, it was as close to crying as she could get. “Unh-huh,” she whimpered.

“You and that Anne…if they get you they’ll control you.” His eyes closed and quickly covered his mouth to keep the spray of blood from coating Didi. “Joanne…she,” he rasped and cupped his hand over his mouth again. “They’ll kill her.”

“But-”

Emile smiled. “I never wanted to hurt you, Dianne. I’m sorry.” His hand grazed her cheek then turned to dust.

“No!” Didi screamed.

At that moment Teak tore out Charlie’s neck and pulled his head back to rip it completely off. Jo stopped cold in her tracks, a move that allowed Haydee to knock her sideways, escape Anne’s clutches, and tear a hole in Teak’s side as she escaped.

Anne cursed at the top of her lungs and moved to follow but Jo grabbed a hold of her and held her back. “Don’t,” Jo ordered. “If you do that’ll be the last we see of you. We need to go now!”

“Go?” Anne barked.

Jo grabbed Didi’s wrist and pulled. “C’mon, now!”

“No!” Didi shouted. “No, I won’t leave him here like this!”

“We don’t have a choice! Please just get up and trust me!” He rushed over to Teak who was crouched on the ground holding his gored side. “Are you alright?”

Teak coughed, “not really. Its healing but…its slow,” he wheezed.

Jo slipped her hand under his against his wound and felt around. “Anne, go find a car and hijack it,” she commanded loudly.

“What?”

Jo looked up from the wound and snarled, “you can hotwire right? Get Didi outta here and go!”

Anne frowned but did as she was told. She grabbed up Didi from the from the ground, Emile slipped from her hands and before he could even touch the ground and dispersed into a million tiny pieces that scattered through the air. Jo turned her attention back to Teak and continued poking inside his wound.

“What’s going on Jo?” Teak murmured.

She met his eyes briefly. “A lot of bad shit, Teak. A lot of people are out for us.”

“They got powers like yours too?”

Jo half smiled at him and pulled her hand out along with a shard of Haydee’s fingernail. “Found the problem.” She hefted Teak onto her back. “Once you’re healed I want you outta my life again. Got it?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Don’t argue with me! I know what’s going on and I can pretty much guess what will happen to you if you stick around.” She ran out front where Anne was pulling around with an old Ford Mustang. Jo tossed Teak into the back and pushed Anne out of the drivers seat.

Anne looked up and beamed, “this car had keys in it and it was unlocked! People! Ha,” She snorted gleefully.

Didi looked over at her from the passenger’s seat. “Where are we going?”

“Away.” Jo pulled the car into reverse and squealed out of the parking lot and drove like a madman onto the road. She drove until the road became a four lane and on and on until the town was a small glowing globe at the tip of the horizon.

“We passed our house,” Anne murmured, looking out the back window.

Jo pulled the car onto the curb and stepped out. “Good.”

Didi raised her nose to the wind. “I smell smoke.”

“I smell our house,” Anne huffed, pulling her hair. “This is bullshit.”

“Charlie is back too. They must of reattached his head.” Jo stomped her foot. “I knew I should of burned that mother fucker.”

Didi took a deep breath. “Who is they?”

“Who do you think?” Jo snipped. “Haydee and that new Versailles coven and then Charlie and all his new lackeys.”

“This is bullshit.” Anne jumped out of the car and grabbed the metal curb wall and ripped it out of the ground and flung it into the woods cursing loudly all the while.

“No sense in getting mad now,” Jo dipped back into the car. “We need to go. They won’t expect us to be going in a car.”

Anne flung herself into the backseat and snarled viciously under her breath. She then pointed to Teak who had fallen asleep. “What about him?”

“We’ll drop him off in the next town,” Jo murmured as she put the car into drive and pulled back onto the road. “We’ll get a few things there and then we’ll just keep going.”

Chapter Three: Antiquing

Anne shoved a cheeseburger down her throat then downed it with raspberry flavored vitamin enriched blood supplement. Didi poked at her turkey club and Jo licked the hot sauce from her fingers as she tossed a bare chicken bone into a bowl with similar remains inside.

“C’mon, you need to eat something,” Jo said, pushing Didi’s supplemental smoothie at her. Didi took it, discarding the turkey club.

“You sure you’re okay with leaving your buddy behind like that?” Anne wiped ketchup off the side of her mouth, inadvertently wiping mustard just below her eye.

“Its what’s best at this point. We can’t take any risks.” Jo looked up and around the restaurant. This town was used to vampires like them. Because no one was staring at the girls who ordered only from the menu featuring vampire friendly meals.

“Where are they at now?” Didi asked. “I mean…your maker and Anne’s?”

Jo rubbed her nose. “Charlie is pretty weak so he hasn’t moved far yet. Haydee went back to the New Versailles but I’m positive she’s got several lackeys out and about.”

“Do you think they’ll have hunters out for us too?” Anne asked. “I mean, I know they want us alive but-”

“They want you two alive,” Jo quickly corrected. “They want me dead.”

“Why would they want you dead?” Anne scoffed. “Your power seems pretty much cooler than mine or Didi’s. In order of coolest to least it goes you, Didi, me.”

“They want me dead because they won’t be able to control me,” Jo answered grimly. “With you two they have to chance to sway you and turn you towards their side. With me that couldn’t happen because I know what they really want. I know what they’d be using me for. That leads me to rebellion and more trouble than I’m worth. So-”

“So you’re better dead than alive. I get it,” Anne sighed. “That sucks.”

Jo nodded and finished off her wings. “It does.” She pushed and poked at the somewhat soggy steak fries she had been served alongside her hot wings and looked out across the restaurant watching and listening. She was pleased with the music that was playing so she was able to get herself lost for a moment.

Didi looked over at her then across the table at Anne. “She’s probably used to all this,” she grumbled to herself.

Anne pursed her lips and nodded. “I wonder though, why now all of a sudden? I mean…certainly when we were first created they would of done something to try and control us then and there. Why now?”

“Maybe the planets are aligning,” Didi mused. “Something to do with stars or Mayan calendars maybe.”

“It’s the Fathers,” Jo suddenly replied, breaking her own forced silence. “They have something to do with it.”

Didi stared bug eyed. “The Fathers? Who is that?”

Anne turned and cocked a sarcastic eyebrow at Didi. “You don’t know who the Fathers are?” She scoffed. “Even I know who they are.”

“Yeah, even Anne knows who they are,” Jo snickered.

Anne glared sideways at her. “Shut it.”

“The Fathers are, if  not the first the most powerful of the bloodlines. There’s our Father, Anubis. The Moloch Father Seth. And the Father of the Ba’al, who is actually a Mother, Aphrodite.”

“How come I’ve never heard of them?” Didi asked.

“Its not surprising that you do. Not a lot of people know about them,” Jo replied sipping up the rest of her blood supplement. “Charlie used to talk about his master, Franz and how he’s like Anubis’ go to guy.”

Anne nodded along. “Haydee used to talk a lot about him too. Franz was the one who started up the vampires of Versailles so I got to meet him once or twice and all he talks about is Anubis and his master plan and yakkity yak -yak.”

“I’ve heard of Franz,” Didi murmured. “He was Emile’s master.”

Jo took a quick breath and cocked her head around to look at the door. “Shh,” she hissed.

“What?” Anne whispered.

Jo ducked back down into her seat. “Let me listen. Give me a minuet to think.”

The door flew open and Teak came in. “Jo!”

Jo ducked down further, nearly kneeling on the floor. She groaned, “shit.”

“It’s Teak,” Didi exclaimed.

Jo pulled Didi down, “don’t look! I know its Teak. Get down.”

“He’s no idiot,” Anne chuckled. “He obviously followed us all the way here so you hiding in a booth isn’t gonna make a difference.” She looked up, smiled and waved.

Jo snarled just as Teak put his hand behind her on the back of the booth and leaned over. “Loose something?” He huffed.

“Sonova…” Jo gripped onto her temple. “I told you Teak, it was for your own good!”

“You can’t instantly claim you know what’s good for me, not anymore. Not since you ran away. It took me thirty years to find you and I am not backing off no matter what trouble has found you now.”

Didi hurriedly stood up and scooted in next Anne while Teak took her place beside Jo. “You can say it was right to leave me on the side of road and say it was for my own good. But for me what is right is keeping your ass outta of the fire and protecting you like a man.”

“I don’t want a man!” Jo suddenly barked. “I don’t want a werewolf,” she laughed forcefully. “I don’t even want these two! But I have to stick with them because we’re in the same boat. A boat, I might add, has all three sides coming at us at once wanting us for powers we could care less about! I don’t want  you to get all up in my face about how its your masculine duty to protect a girl you may have had feelings for thirty years ago. It was thirty years ago Teak,” she waited to see if that hit the spot. “Thirty years you could have been spending leading your pack or finding a proper mate. But no. You spent thirty years looking for a girl who doesn’t exist anymore.” Jo stood up on her seat, climbed over the back and left.

“Wow…” Anne uttered, breaking the thick silence that had surrounded them like a horrible wool sweater. Anne looked over at Teak who was staring at the table as if he wished it to turn into a monkey. “Dude,” Anne cleared her throat.

Didi looked upon him sympathetically. “What was-” Teak jumped up before she could continue.

“Excuse me,” he coughed and went back out the way he came, in a huff and full of gusto.

“Dude,” Anne repeated as she sideways glanced at Didi. “Did you hear what she said?”

Didi sighed, “clearly.”

“What does she mean she doesn’t want us?” Anne scoffed.

Didi rubbed her temple. “Yes. Yes that was the whole point of what she was saying, Anne. I’m glad you got it.”

“Who made her the Moe to our Larry and Curly?” Anne suddenly snapped.

Didi looked up at her and shrugged, “she does have a point to that though. Jo doesn’t mean any harm, in fact that’s what she’s trying to keep us away from.”

Anne pouted, “I know. I know.”

“Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk,” Didi clucked pitifully and lacking the enthusiasm needed, which made Anne giggle.

Didi and Anne paid for the meal then left the restaurant in hopes of finding Jo, or vice versa.

Didi shaded her eyes as she looked up at the slowly setting sun. It was dark enough for them to be out, but still light enough to cause them some nausea. “She wouldn’t of left us,” Didi reassured herself.

Anne pursed her lips. “I hope not, she had the keys to Doris.”

Didi stopped in her tracks. “Who?”

“Doris, our new car.”

Didi furrowed her brow. “You named a Mustang, Doris?”

“Why?” Anne shrugged. “What would you of named her?”

Didi flopped her arms exasperatedly. “Something like Electra or Hell’s Kitten, nothing as demur and grandmotherly as Doris!”

Anne turned her head to the side for a moment thinking. “Well she’s green we could call her Pickle.”

Didi shook her head, “never mind! We need to find Jo.”

Anne hummed the theme to G.I.JOE then mumbled, “body massage.” And she skipped off after Didi.

Jo, feeling fatigue from the sun that refused to set, had taken to hiding in a cool basement store filled to the gills with antiques. She ducked under the low hanging trinkets that were attached to the ceiling and maneuvered around close fitting shelves and displays.

The little old lady who sat up front when she entered was now dusting shelves within her sitting range. There was a nagging feeling in the back of Jo’s mind about that old lady. But it was something that happened to her all the time. It was amazing how many people looked like someone else, especially over the decades. And the old especially worried Jo. Who knows who was still alive?

Meanwhile a white cat slinked its way around breakables as if it were a gentle breeze, all the while keeping its eyes tight on Jo.

“Anne was right,” Jo murmured to herself as she cut her eyes at the cat who instantly turned its nose up and rubbed against a rather old looking vase. “Cats are creepy.” She turned on her inner ear to listen for Anne and Didi who she discovered were flitting around the new town looking for her. But they were getting close and any moment now they’d sense her. Teak now was a different story. Jo couldn’t hear him and this worried her.

“You finding everything alright Miss?”

Jo jumped at the sudden voice popping up in front of her. She was so focused on her party she didn’t even notice the man who was standing in back placing a large painting on the wall.

“Um, just browsing,” Jo cleared her throat. “I’m waiting on some friends.” She studied the man as he smiled. His round, pointed jaw, accented by his trimmed facial hair than wisped up into his dark curly hair. His eyes were a dirty green, almost hazel but too green to be classified just that. He stepped down off the ladder and wiped his hands down the front of his dirty white shirt. Jo looked up at the painting then.

“Is this a print?” She asked.

“No, it’s the real deal.” The man patted the frame tenderly, placing it straight along the wall.

“Anyone we know?” Jo asked, pointing at the woman in the painting.

“No. I doubt anyone famous did this painting,” he chuckled.

Jo hadn’t meant the artist but she didn’t try to correct herself. “What about the woman?”

The man shrugged then reached up and rubbed his beard. “Who knows? There isn’t any sort of markings on this painting to say who or what made it. Probably just something from a private gallery.”

“How much is it?” Jo asked.

He laughed, “you’re not serious right?”

“No,” Jo shook her head. “But I would like to know.”

He looked back up at the painting. “Few hundred.”

“Few. Is that before or after five?”

He laughed then turned and held his hand out to Jo. “I’m Robert.”

Jo took his hand and shook it gently. “I’m Jo.”

Robert’s hand squeezed down on hers. “Ah! Like in Little Women?”

“Not really,” Jo looked up into his eyes, “it’s short for Joanne.” She went to pull her hand away but his grip came down tighter and as she tried to fight the white cat jumped down on her. The silver tag on its collar jabbed her in the neck and send a white hot pain throughout her body. If there was one weakness Jo had it was for pure silver.

It didn’t surprise Jo that this Robert fellow had some how outwitted her. She hadn’t been paying attention to him, she didn’t see a need to. She was too busy keeping an ear out for New Versailles, Charlie, Teak, Didi, Anne, and countless other voices who might be coming for her. So when this Robert suddenly attacks her and uses a familiar laced with silver charms she felt like laughing. And when she finally did manage to burp out a sound similar to a laugh it made Robert take a quick breath.

The combination of the silver and sunlight was too much and Jo finally folded to the ground and the cat slipped off her shoulder and curled around Robert’s leg. It’s big pink nose twitched, which was probably because of Jo’s singeing flesh. The room stopped smelling like dusty relics and like bad chicken baking.

Jo became suddenly aware of the scent of human flesh. Her throat was dry and tongue swollen. He looked up weakly at Robert and inhaled. He reached down and grabbed her up by the neck as if she was the only cat in the room. The blood supplement wasn’t doing its job, Jo couldn’t help but think.

Robert pulled Jo into a small dark room at the back of the store and tossed her inside. The white cat followed inside and Robert closed the door behind it.

“Keep an eye on her Karen,” Robert called from behind the closed door as he locked it.

That’s a ridiculous name for a cat, Jo thought as she laid her head on the cold concrete floor.

The cat inched closer towards her and she flinched back. The cat there, smiling smugly under it’s emotionless face. In the dark Jo could just barely make out four silver charms on the cat’s neck. She laid her cheek back onto the ground and took deep breaths to calm herself. She was too weak and too thirsty to really concentrate on anyone except the cat and Robert. So she took her chances.

“You, hey you,” Jo mumbled.

The cat shook its head then scratched at its ear.

“If you don’t let me go I’m gonna do something about it,” Jo licked at her lips with her dry tongue. “You gonna just ignore me? I know you can hear me.” She sighed and closed her eyes. She could see through his eyes, see him going towards the old woman then turn his head away slightly and stare at the mirror on the wall. His eyes were no longer that pretty green but a bright blue.

“See there? Now be a nice fella and let a helpless little girl go.” His eyes turned to the door Jo was behind and she saw it inlaid with silver with a bottle of sea water on the frame. “Hunter huh? Tough work, dude.” He turned back to the old woman and began talking to her. She was his aunt apparently and his only living relative. Well, his only relative that wasn’t a ghoul like Jo was.

“Robert please,” Jo pleaded. “They want me dead because of my power not because I’ve done anything wrong. I’m on your side, vampires are nasty customers. Please just take some pity on me. I’m not even a very old vampire! You should know that since you’re so accomplished.” But Robert just kept ignoring her and talking to his aunt.

“Well,” Jo sighed. “If that’s how its going to be.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. Robert’s vision blurred and he swooned. The cat jumped and started screaming.

“I can make it stop,” Jo murmured to him. “Or would you rather I spread it to your Aunt?”

“No!” Robert growled.

The cat yowled and hissed and rubbed itself against the door. Jo lashed out and grabbed the cat, making sure to grab it by its front legs so as to avoid claws and silver.

The door clanged open and the bottle of sea water dropped to the ground and shattered. Jo released the cat that went out squealing and squalling, knocking over its share of glass. Robert came down onto all fours and pulled Jo up by her hair.

“I can tell you’re a good hunter,” Jo giggled. She reached out slowly and touched taut muscles of his neck. “Now what do ya want with a little ol’ girl like me?”

“The Guild has a hit out on your head. Dead or alive,” he studied her face seeming to question why that would be.

“Just me?” Jo asked.

His face switched from one state of confusion to the other. “What does that mean?”

Jo held her breath and gulped the answer down. “Figured my old man would be on the hit with me.”

Robert let go of her but her hand continued to press onto the side of his neck. “Stop it,” he hissed warningly but Jo kept lifting herself until she was parallel to his face. Robert slammed his fist into her slightly open mouth, knocking her back a spell, just long enough for him to fall backwards out the door and lock it back.

Jo sat up and threw herself at the door, avoiding the silver framing. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to hit a girl? In my day that shit wouldn’t fly!” She huffed and sat back down on the concrete. She smoothed her hand through the sea water and felt a cool relief go through her. Water was supposed to be harmful to vampires but to Jo it was like childhood again when her parents would take her to the cliff in their backyard and they’d dive from it into the cool crisp water below. Jo had been a swimmer all her life and she had gotten to where she could swim great distances without loosing wind and even hold her breath for extended periods of time. But because of her thick hourglass shape she wasn’t considered to be a good swimmer at all.

The sea water on the floor gave her some small relief but nothing like diving into the real thing. She stood back up and gave the door a look over before she resigned herself to falling asleep to regain some strength so that hopefully by morning she could contact someone outside her cage. It also gave her some relief to know the car keys were in her pocket.

Chapter Four: WTF

Anne and Didi passed by the antique store briefly stopping to watch as Robert came out and fill a bucket of water from a tap beside the door. Anne looked inside the window, peering at all the dusty furniture and faded revelries of the years she had actually lived through. She pointed and laughed, “I had that exact couch!”

Didi flapped her arms exasperatedly, “I could of sworn,” she muttered under her breath. She looked up at the sky, relieved the low sun was now getting covered by even darker clouds she noted looked like a beaver with its tail in its mouth. She turned to watch as Robert pulled a rag from his back pocket and dip it into the cold water and start cleaning the wide windows.

“Excuse me,” she beckoned, coming to his side.

He looked at her and smiled charmingly, “can I help you?”

Didi smiled in a flirty sort of way and cleared her throat daintily. “Oh, well, I was wondering if a friend of ours came this way. She’s short, kind of grumpy looking, brown hair, curvy…” she trailed off, seeing the confused look in his eyes that came with trying a picture a girl he had never known existed. “Never mind,” she laughed.

Anne was sniffing the air around Robert at this point and she was heading towards his hand swaddled in what looked like another window washing rag used to wash a secret bloody window. Robert retracted it and stuffed it into his pocket.

“She may have had this big guy with her,” Anne added. “Muscular and shaggy red hair, kind of Thor looking otherwise. Oh and he smells like wet dog.”

Robert shook his head, “sorry.”

Anne’s mouth was watering but she had just eaten so she figured she had better act like the dainty lady she was and whisk herself off into the store.

“Your friend,” Robert said to the dallying Didi, “she do this a lot?”

“Oh,” Didi started shaking her head, “no, Jo is normally very peculiar about things like these. Her name is Jo by the way.”

“Ah,” Robert laughed. The scent of his hand was now wafting up to Didi. She turned away some what reluctantly then looked back at Robert. “I’m Didi.”

He nodded, smiling, “Robert, its nice to meet you.”

Didi’s smile turned girly and whimsical, “you too.”

Inside the store Anne ignored the old lady behind the counter because the elderly gave her shivers and bypassed her to study the old couch in the corner she had had an exactly replica of years ago. She sat down on it and draped her arms across the faded green velvet. She tilted her head to the side and smelled up the arm, pondering if this was her old sofa and if her scent still lingered somewhere in its memory.

A low growl brought Anne to her senses and she looked up above her to see a pristine white cat growling ferociously at her. Anne sneered, “cat’s are so fucking creepy.” The cat yowled and moved to pounce on her. Anne yelped and fell backwards off the arm of the couch, just missing the cats kamikaze claws as it shredded down the back of the sofa.

Anne leapt up, much to the alarm of the older woman and snarled, “your fucking cat nearly ripped my face off!”

“Karen is normally such a docile thing.” The old woman cooed as she moved to try and fetch the mentally perturbed cat.

“That’s a stupid name for a cat,” Anne scoffed. That’s when she noticed the cat’s collar and the pure silver charms dangling around its neck. That wasn’t even the beginning of what Anne had noticed. Being two-hundred and fifty years old made what most of her kind would consider legal, the twenty-one of vampires. Anne knew instantly Robert was no ordinary pretty-boy, he was something that recognized her even if she was playing the naïve waif, which was her specialty.

Anne enjoyed more than anything fooling humans and even more her own kind. No one would ever guess dotty little Anne was actually anything powerful and dangerous. And that was the exact game Robert was playing. Anne inhaled deeply, smelling first the old lady and her Aqua Net and Windsong and then the cat with it’s dry food laced breath, it’s fur tainted with the same old lady smell and then finally she noticed, oddly enough, hot sauce.

Anne jerked her head up suddenly and she jerked it around to look this way and that. “Ma’am, excuse me but has anyone been in here today?”

“There’s always someone here,” the woman grunted, setting the cat back on the top shelf where it glowered down at Anne like a gargoyle.

“Specifically a short, mean brunette.”

The woman shook her head, “couldn’t say, doll.”

Anne moved away from the old woman and the cat and went to the back of the store where her eyes passed over the door and then up to an old painting hanging on the wall that had not a hint of dust on it. It was new to the store. Anne looked it over, smiling at the old frame then looked up at the picture and her jaw went slack. The woman lounging in the picture held an apple in one hand, but she knew that apple was supposed to be a rather heavy bottle of wine. The dress was pulled up higher on the thigh than she remembered and the dark look to the eyes was the same but she didn’t like it even back then, especially not now. She plucked the painting off the wall, which would have been far to heavy for a normal girl her size. It had been over a hundred years since she had last since this picture and its painter but here it was.

“Timur…” she whispered, feeling an oddly human lump rise up in her throat. She placed the painting back on the wall and took several steps back. She would give anything to know where this painting had come from. Anything.

“Finding everything?” Robert called from behind.

Anne pointed up to the painting. “Where did you get this?” She turned to him and found herself angry was following close beside him like a puppy. She straightened herself and put back on the waif mask. “Who did you obtain this from?”

Robert half smiled. “I am rather proud of this piece. It is lovely isn’t it? Especially the model.”

Anne wanted to jump out shout ta-da and confess she was the erogenous model within but that would mean taking off her mask. “Yeah. She is pretty hot.” Anne turned to look at Didi then she thought, awe to hell with it. “Timur,” she said with the correcting tone of an old schoolmarm. “The vampire Timur painted this. He painted me!” She slapped her palm to her chest.

Didi’s eyes got wide, “that’s you? Really?”

“Timur was wanted some years ago and he’s been missing for some odd more,” Anne snarled, her teeth glinting in the dim light. “Now this painting magically appears, a painting he told me meant more than all the gold in the world. Am I to believe you came upon this painting at some art trade or that some poor slob sold it for cash?”

Robert turned his nose up. “As a matter fact,” he said with aplomb.

Anne frowned, “you’re lying about Jo.”

“I swear to you I’m not,” Robert replied, acting so innocent Anne nearly believed him. But Anne could see under his mask to what lay beneath. “You’re a hunter. I can smell it on you like some cheap dollar store cologne. It’s disgusting and I’m getting sick being in your presence.”

Didi’s eyes got wider and she took a step away from Robert who was walking closer to Anne. “You’re not what you seem either,” he laughed. “If you are the model in this painting then you’ve got to be what?” He studied her closely, mainly watching her wild green eyes. He grinned. “At least over two hundred. Maybe more.”

“Two hundred and fifty,” Anne snapped. “I was part of the first Versailles but not the new one.”

Robert grinned then looked as Didi came around and stood beside Anne. She was finally beginning to recognize the signs Robert was throwing out. She whipped out her arm quicker than Robert had expected and she grabbed his hand. She pulled it up and inhaled. The faint scent of hot wings lingered there along with the faint scent of Jo’s shampoo. She dropped with hand with a heavy shove and brought her lips up over her teeth.

“Get him!” Anne giggled and she jumped first. Didi followed, swishing behind him to catch him as he fell backwards under Anne. Anne sat down on his chest while Didi pinned his shoulders to the ground.

“Where’s Jo?” Didi barked, finding him extremely attractive on his back.

“Like I’d tell you,” Robert sniffed.

Anne hovered her face above Robert’s and started hocking, pulling saliva to the back of her throat. She puffed up her cheeks and pursed her lips.

“Oh Anne, please,” Didi groaned. “You’re two-hundred and fifty for God’s sake! Act your age.”

A pearl of spit formed in the center of her lips then slowly started to drip downwards towards Robert’s rather stunned face.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Robert barked.

“Where’s Jo,” Didi watched the spit bubble with unwavering disgust, waiting for the car crash and the mangled bodies. “What do the hunters want with her?”

“Let me go!”

Anne looked up to see the old woman standing behind them. She shook her head then pointed to the door Anne had otherwise figured led to the dumpster out back. Anne motioned for Didi who was instantly at the door. She reached for the knob then grimaced.

“Its silver.”

Anne sucked up the spit and picked Robert up as if he were a doll and forced him to the door. “Open it like a good little gentleman.”

“You better, Robbie.” The old woman barked.

Robert didn’t hesitate when his old aunt commanded him and the door cranked open. Didi dove in first while Anne held Robert hostage at the entrance. “Is she alright?” Anne asked.

“She’s got some really bad silver burns,” Didi answered. “Poor thing, I’ve never seen anyone this allergic before.”

Anne threw Robert back on the ground and pinned him down. She held up his arm and chomped down onto his wrist. He cursed out loud and writhed under her grip. Didi moved Jo over and pulled her mouth open. Anne removed her mouth from his wrist then pulled Jo’s head up and put her lips to Jo’s. She pushed the warm, thick liquid into Jo’s mouth and massaged her throat so she’d swallow.

Jo suddenly started coughing and kicking. She jumped up and covered her mouth as she dry heaved. Anne licked her lips and wiped at the corners of her mouth daintily.

“Jo,” Didi coaxed, patting her back. “Jo, its us. Are you alright?”

Jo nodded and continued coughing. She looked at Robert on the floor then but at Anne and her painted lips. “You?”

“You wouldn’t get enough from his wrist just dripping over ya,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. It was obvious Jo wasn’t the first female Anne had kissed.

Jo stood up and licked at her lips. “I appreciate the thought, but next time,” she wiped at her lips, “next time be more tact about it.”

Anne shrugged, “you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Jo knelt down and looked over Robert. “Now talk.”

“Why do I have to tell you anything?” Robert snarled.

“Because I’ll kill the old lady,” Jo said with as much venom in her voice as possible. So spoke so spitefully it shocked even Didi and Anne who both greatly opposed the thought of slaughtering the somewhat innocent woman but they played along, praying Jo was only bluffing.

Robert believed Jo’s poker face. He roared, “don’t you dare!” He started to buck up underneath Anne but she forced him back down onto the concrete.

Jo cocked her head to the side. “You said the guild only had a hit out on me. Were there any other instructions?”

Robert’s eyes grazed from Anne’s to Didi’s before he went back to Jo. “We were told to leave the other two unharmed and alone. The hunters’ only instructions were to capture you and kill you on sight or bring you into guild headquarters. Bringing you to headquarters meant a whole lot of more money.”

Jo looked up Didi and extended the car keys towards her. “Go get the car. When you park out front get in the back seat.”

“Sure,” Didi replied. “But Jo,” she hesitated, “what are you going to do?”

“Anne,” Jo said standing. “Hold him here while I got get his truck. You’ll take his truck while Didi and I take him in the car.”

“We’re kidnapping him?” Anne asked, mischief sparkling brightly in her eyes.

“Jo, what the hell?” Didi snapped.

Jo scoffed. “We need to know what the guild is thinking. Its obvious they want me dead but why wouldn’t they want you two captured and brought to them? We need to stay one step ahead of them and learn what they’re going to throw our way. Now go get the car.”

Didi nodded and reluctantly left the room. As she came out to the entrance she saw the old woman sitting behind the desk petting the cat who growled as she passed.

“You’re taking him, aren’t you?” The old woman croaked.

“Yeah,” Didi murmured. “But don’t worry, we aren’t planning on hurting him. We just need to know what the guild is planning.”

The old woman looked up and smiled. “At least its by a group of pretty girls. Otherwise he might not be so calm about all this.”

Didi crooked her eyebrow up questioningly but quickly shuffled out when she heard Jo coming out of the back room.

Anne was left sitting on Robert’s chest. She picked at her fingernails momentarily before she sighed. “Did you kill Timur?”

“How do you know him?” Robert sniffed.

“I fucked him a couple of times. What does it matter?”

“You have a very faint French accent,” Robert murmured quietly. “And I can tell you’re very old despite how you hide it. That could mean you’re from the first Versailles.”

“Yeah,” Anne grumbled. “So what?”

“Timur is missing,” Robert replied. “A group of hunters invaded his palace in southern France but we couldn’t find him anywhere. So it is highly possible he’s dead but its more than likely he’s made himself invisible.”

Anne took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

“So that painting really is of you?”

“Yes,” Anne said with a nostalgic smile. “There are many paintings of me but Timur didn’t share them with anyone.”

Robert chuckled, “oh, so they’re those kind of paintings?”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

Jo came back into the room. “C’mon, its time to go.”

Anne stood, picking up Robert with her and pulling him in front of her. “Hey, what about Teak?” Anne asked.

Jo shook her head and huffed, “found me once, he’ll find me again.” She nodded her head then to the old woman as she exited. “Thank you for letting us borrow your nephew.”

“You keep out of trouble now,” the old woman replied as Anne shoved Robert out the door.

Jo opened up the back seat to their car and Anne shoved him in beside Didi. Jo tossed Anne the keys to Robert’s big red truck then hopped into the front seat of the Mustang.

“Wait!” Anne suddenly called out then dove back into the antique store. She emerged a moment later hauling the painting. She cracked it out of its frame and took the canvas and rolled it up then placed it on the seat beside her in the truck. “Okay,” she hollered. “We can go now!” She tapped the roof of the truck and revved it up.

In the back seat of the Mustang Didi glanced at Robert from her peripheral vision and noticed him inspecting the wound Anne had given him but had neglected to take care of. She turned slightly and extended her hand. “Allow me.”

He did so, showing no sign of reluctance or fear. Didi took his wrist and touched her lips down gently. She first took a quick sample, tasting the salty richness of him, then she lapped her tongue over the wound so it sealed shut. She licked her lips as she raised her head and caught him smiling.

“What?” She asked, handing his back his wrist.

Robert shook his head and laughed, “nothing.”

Jo, in the front seat glowered. The thoughts going through both their minds was enough to make her want to crash the car.

Chapter Five: A Little Night Music

Anne and Jo were gone in Robert’s truck heading to gather supplies so they could feed Robert and themselves with blood supplements.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving those two alone,” Jo whispered to Anne as they hopped into the truck to leave.

“Why?” Anne whispered back, enjoying the secrecy of their conversation.

“They’re attracted to one another,” was all Jo said as they drove off.

Didi stoked the fire then leaned back against the Mustang. She hated camping but in their situation there was no other choice. The only money they had they had taken from Robert and that wasn’t a lot.

“Didi, right?” Robert asked from the other side of the fire where Anne had tied him to the tree.

She looked up and nodded, “unh-huh.”

“That cute for anything?” He asked and Didi cocked her eyebrow inquisitively at him. “Is it a nickname? That’s what my aunt calls nicknames and shorts, cute.”

“Dianne,” she answered.

“Really?” Robert laughed. “Seriously? Anne, Joanne and Dianne?”

“I know,” Didi giggled. “When we first all moved in together I took it as some sort of sign. I thought it was maybe fate we were brought together and that we were meant to do something great,” she hesitated suddenly. “In a way I suppose that’s true.”

“You powerful like them?”

Didi nodded, “I am. Although, through the guild you should have already known that.”

“Just curious was all,” Robert hummed. “You ain’t too old, just guessing and all. Do you mind?”

Didi shrugged. “Shoot.”

“You don’t have an accent so I’m guessing you’re from here. And the way you talk doesn’t show much in terms of change. I’m guessing at least a hundred or so.”

“A hundred and seven,” Didi replied with a smile. “You’re really good.”

“I got Anne too. But its Jo I’m having a hard time placing. She could be only in her fifties or even in the fifty-hundred.”

“She hasn’t even told us her real age,” Didi stood up and walked over to Robert and untied him enough to where his arms were free. “Don’t go slapping or punching me or anything. I’m not as strong as Anne but I can still put the hurt on you just as good.”

“Trust me,” Robert laughed, rubbing his wrist. “I’ve learned not to mess with a woman while tied up.”

Didi looked up at him with a shocked look and he bust out laughing. “I’ll take that with a grain of salt,” she sniffed and sat down beside him.

“Talk to me,” he suddenly said.

Didi looked up at him and swallowed. “About what? What could we have to talk about, really?”

“I dunno. Were you married before you got changed? Any kids? Any family?”

Didi looked back to the fire. “I was betrothed. Some young accountant in my father’s bank. I wasn’t married, so no kids. And I’m sure by now my family is all gone. At least any that would know me.”

“Anyone now?”

Didi shrugged, “my creator, Emile…I loved him but we got into a fight and I realized he didn’t really feel the same way even if he did care a great deal. He just died. That’s why we’re here now. He tried to save us.” She turned and looked at him. “Why are you so interested to know if I’m single or not?” She hiked her leg up over his legs and straddled on his lap. “All you gotta do is ask.”

Robert’s face flushed and his breathing quickened. “Shit, you don’t play any games.”

“I’m a hundred year old girl, Mr. Flowers.” Didi replied with a coy smile. “I’ve learned all the ropes and I know there isn’t any shame in makin’ whoopee every so often when you wanna feel good. Hell, its almost necessary.” She leaned forward and licked the hollow base below his throat then traced his neck and jaw, going over the dark stubble of his chin and nipping at his bottom lip.

His hands reached up and grabbed her arms and ran down till his hands came onto her hips then squeezed onto her tight ass. Didi giggled as she slid her tongue between his teeth and met with his to do battle. Didi grinded against his thighs and she could feel him stiffen up under his khakis. She snapped open the button then pulled down the zipper and reached inside, fighting first with the elastic of cheap boxers and then grabbed him, stroking the length of him.

“Shit,” Robert gasped. He reached out and grabbed Didi’s tits then unbuttoned her shirt with one hand. He pulled the bra up over her buyout breasts and started suckling on the nipples.

Didi removed her panties and guided Robert inside her. Robert groaned with pleasure as Didi let out a small squeal. She started moving and grinding. She touched Robert’s face and licked his skin. She wanted more so she cut the rest of the rope and pulled his dingy t-shit up and over his head. She touched his chest, running her fingers through the curly, dark hair. She sunk her mouth onto his nipple and tasted the soft pink bud. Robert grabbed her up and threw her back onto the ground so that he could pump himself into her. Didi let out a cry. As a vampire she had never made love to a human so she worried she wouldn’t get pleasure from Robert. But she was happily wrong.

“I’ll admit, I was worried about this,” Robert rasped. “You’re my first vampire.”

“You’re my first human,” Didi moaned, writhing under him.

Didi arched, molding herself to his hard frame. She took his hand and guided it down to rub the sensitive button above her sex. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and helped herself to his taut flesh. Her fangs punctured his skin and he let out a low growl but his hips worked harder. She suckled at him, inhaling his blood like air.

“Yes,” Robert exhaled loudly.

Didi let out a cry and she nearly came off the ground. Robert lay on top of her, his hand kneading her breast while she licked at the wounds on his neck. Robert lowered himself down and stuck his head between her legs. Didi moaned with pleasure and touched her breasts, feeling his saliva on her nipples and his blood coursing through her. Now his tongue penetrated her and sent her on a whole new wave of pleasure. She ran her fingers through his thick, brown hair and wrapped her legs around his shoulders.

Was it reckless, she thought, to be screwing their captive? Oh fuck yeah it was reckless, she laughed to herself, but when they sex is this good who gives a fuck? Well, Jo will most definitely care and Anne will only get a little jealous. But right now all that matters is… She suddenly had to take in a breath as she felt his teeth nip at her playfully and then she climaxed. Her thighs tightened around his ears and she sighed.

“Who cares?” She whispered to herself and laid back to accept more of Robert’s affections.

Elsewhere, Jo was coming out of a grocery store, hefting a couple bags of nonperishable food. She had sent Anne to go get the blood supplements. She tossed the bags into the back of the truck and looked around, expecting Anne to have been back before her. She picked at her fingernails momentarily before jumping back up into the truck. Suddenly she heard a thud in back and then Anne was up in the front with her, holding something to her chest and grinning from ear to ear.

“Anne,” Jo snarled. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. Just go. C’mon, lets go!”

Jo eyed her, “did you get the blood supplement?”

Anne bobbed her head excitedly. “Oh, ho yeah! Now c’mon. Lets get!”

Jo cranked up the truck and pulled out of the parking lot and as they drove down the road she saw blue lights flashing in the distance. As they came upon them Jo saw the convenience store she had sent Anne to had a huge hole in the brick wall. She turned sharply to Anne who was watching the whole scene with a huge grin on her face.

“You robbed and defaced the connivance store?” Jo said with a low voice.

“Don’t slow down keep driving.”

“I am so mad I could rip your head off! What the hell were you thinking?” Jo was nearly foaming at the mouth.

Anne pulled her hands away from her chest to reveal the messy wad of green bills stuffed into her shirt. Jo’s eyes got wide and she felt a white hot surge go through her.

“Oh no, Anne,” she growled.

“C’mon, this will save our asses! We need money.”

Jo shook her head and remained silent. She would ream Anne something good when they got back. And when they did get back it didn’t take either one of them very long to realize what had gone on since they had last been there. Anne was the first to notice.

“I smell sex,” Anne said as they pulled up.

“Don’t try and change the subject!” Jo snapped before she could realize that yes, she smelled it too. “For the love of-” she bit her tongue. “Didi!”

“Oh hell you look mad,” Didi shivered. She looked a little disheveled but otherwise normal. Robert on the other hand, who had been tied back up to the tree, looked as if he were on cloud nine.

“Of course! I’m made of hell!” Jo roared and spit, pulling Robert out of his post-sex state. “I come back and you’ve fucked the human and Anne robbed a convenience store!”

Didi gaped, “you did what?” She shrieked at Anne.

Anne‘s lip curled up over her teeth. “What? Like you fucking a guy you just met is any better?”

Didi’s head bobbed. “Yeah, actually, it is! You don’t just rob people out of the mother fucking blue! What the hell were you thinking?”

“She wasn’t! That’s why I didn’t hear her,” Jo growled and she whipped her head towards Robert who shrunk back against the tree. “Get him free. We gotta go now!”

“What?” Anne snapped.

“There are cops every-fucking-where,” Jo hissed. “We can rest once the sun rises. Until then we need to get the hell out of here before someone gets wise to us!” She snapped her head towards Didi who was untying Robert from the tree. “You and Anne ride together in the truck. Fuck buddy, you’re in the Mustang with me.”

���What?” Didi sniffed.

“I don’t want to look at you two for a while. I can’t trust him with either one of you so he’s riding with me.” She gritted her teeth at Robert who was standing, placing his hands on Didi’s back. “Get in the mother fucking car!” Her voice was loud enough to shake the trees and scare some birds out of their sleep. Robert didn’t hesitate to remove his hands from Didi and head for the Mustang. Didi and Anne did their own running. Jo put out the fire then got into the car and took off, pressing her foot so heavily into the gas peddle the speedometer didn’t know what was happening.

“Slow down Steve McQueen,” Robert gasped, breathless.

Jo wanted nothing more than to slam on the breaks and have Robert collide with the windshield but she had to settle with the sudden jarring her slowing down caused.

“Had I known you could get that angry I would of left you alone,” Robert breathed, running his fingers through his sex-splayed hair.

“Exactly,” Jo sneered.

“Did she really rob a convenience store?”

Jo shook her head like a dog just out of water. “That girl just doesn’t think!” She slammed her hands so hard into the steering wheel it became concaved and more like the steering wheel of a fun park car.

“Being from Versailles, I’m not surprised by her voyeurism,” Robert settled back, putting on his safety belt and brushing his fingers through his hair.

Jo took a deep, relaxing breath and reached for the car radio. Turning it on it started in the middle of a Chuck Berry song which relieved her into a more normal state.

“You like this kind of music?”

“Yeah?” Jo sneered. “What, something wrong with it?”

Robert shook his head. “No. I’m still trying to settle on your age.”

Jo snickered. “You’ll never ever guess, dude.” She settled back into her seat and breathed slowly. Her eyes became focused intently on the road ahead and on the music coming from the radio. Elsewhere in her mind her internal radio traced several frequencies. Charlie was nearing better from his werewolf wounds and was aware of the hit the hunter’s guild had put on only Jo’s head. Haydee was back at the new Versailles and was purring over a young virgin sacrifice. Teak was somewhere deep in the woods searching and sniffing and worrying. He had been to the antique store and the old lady hadn’t hid anything from him when he asked.

When she was sure she was calm enough she clicked on over to the Didi and Anne channel and to her horror discovered they had been pulled over by a cop.

“Mother fuckers!” Jo pulled over onto the curb and slammed her head onto the steering wheel.

“What?” Gasped Robert, frightened out of his pants.

“Anne and Didi,” Jo growled as she slowly started turning the car around.

Robert glanced behind him, noticing now headlights. “Where are they?”

“They got pulled over,” Jo grumbled. She suddenly released the wheel and unbuckled herself. “You drive. I’m far too angry I might just kill us both or at least you.”

“Thank you for the thought,” Robert sighed as Jo crawled into the backseat. “Why do you suddenly trust me?” Before he could even finish his thought Jo had her hands around his throat.

“I don’t actually, so you better know where to go and you better get us there.”

He laughed, “yes, ma’am.” Her hands slid off his throat and she disappeared back into the backseat.

Jo scoffed, “and I thought this week couldn’t get an worse.” She closed her eyes and laid her head against the back seat, listening as Anne and Didi were led into a squad car by an Officer Shaun Ivory.

Chapter Six: An Officer and the Undead

“Vampires huh?” The sheriff chuckled as Officer Ivory led in the two girls. “That explains the hole in the wall down at the Kwik Trik,” he rubbed his mustache and smirked. “Put ‘em in cell 2B.”

“I could make a joke, but I won’t,” murmured Anne to Didi.

“Its your fault we’re even here. Isn’t that joke enough?” Didi snarled.

Anne stared. “I don’t get it.”

Officer Ivory tugged on their chains. “C’mon girls, no talking.” It was the first time Anne really looked at Officer Ivory. During their arrest she had tried to keep her face hidden, knowing the surveillance camera in the Kwik Trik had gotten her and in the cop car he had had his broad back turned to her. But now, in the lighted police station, she saw his face and her breath was taken away.

“Timur,” she was breathless. He looked almost exactly like her lover Timur. He had the same curly flaming red hair and scruffy lumberjack beard. Bright clover green eyes peered out from behind arched brows. His face was rectangle shaped with a smooth and chiseled chin. He was wearing the tan police man’s uniform and he had sweat stains under his pits and down his back which led Anne to looking at his firm ass. She giggled and looked up impishly at him.

The young officer’s eyes lingered a little too long on Anne before he turned around to usher then down the long narrow hallway towards the cells. It was apparent cell 2B was strictly for vampires. The bars were made of pure silver and there was a salt water tank just above it and the box window was fitted with a small herb garden.

Anne stayed as far away from the salt water tank as possible while Didi had to cover her nose when a gentle breeze blew in through the window.

“What’re we gonna do?” Didi sighed.

Anne was already studying the cell, noticing the small town quality of it. Unlike most of the big city jails she had been placed in throughout the years this one would be a piece of cake.

“If there’s one thing I know its that we simply need to play the waiting game,” Anne replied.

Didi frowned. “Yeah, but the sheriff was a vampire. Didn’t you notice?”

“Uh…” In all honesty Anne hadn’t. She was too busy inspecting the officer who she was sure could be a clone of her Timur. “Well, that changes things. Then again, I’ve been in a few vampire wards before.”

Didi arched her brow questioningly at Anne then turned back to glance out the window and the sprigs of lavender dancing in a gentle breeze. She gagged and looked back out the silver bars on the steel door. “I wonder if Jo even knows.”

Anne set her jaw stiff and placed her lips in a firm line. “She was pretty pissed at us.” She looked back over at Didi. “So how was he?”

Didi smirked and hid her face behind her hand. “He was my first mortal and-” she giggled.

Anne winked. “Nah, I totally get it. Most of my best times have been spent with human lovers. Its always nice to top off the whole shebang with a little bite.” She grinned from ear to ear, showing her retracted fangs.

It was then Officer Ivory came back up to the bars and slid open the little glass panel so he could look inside. “You ladies need anything? Phone call?”

Anne stood up and slinked over to the door. “I would like to um, use the little girls room.” She smiled, wrinkling her nose. “I need to freshen up a little bit.” She trailed her hand down the slope of her pale chest and onto her small but plump bosom. “I’m a little sticky from this hot country air.”

She wasn’t sure if her advances stuck home or not because Officer Ivory slapped the little window shut. She stood there in disgust for a moment before he opened up the door and placed the shackles back onto her hands.

“This way,” he guided her.

It was remarkable how much he looked like Timur, but their voices were different. Then again, Timur was a centuries old vampire and had the voice of a man with knowledge and years of experience. And this little Officer Shaun Ivory had the voice of a twenty-something boy who was faking the toughness in his voice. He had a cop’s voice. But those eyes, it was unmistakable. She wanted him. But she needed him to look at her and it was obvious all the cops had been taught not to stare directly at a vampire or else they’d be under their spell and in their glamour.

“It’s so hot out tonight isn’t it?” Anne asked in a breathy, husky voice.

“Always is around here,” was all he grunted.

Anne scoffed exasperatedly. She knew he noticed her. She saw his eyes before and how they lingered just the right amount of too long. All she had to do was get him to look a little longer and she’d have him. If Didi could have a little fun in the woods why not her in the women’s bathroom?

“Anne!” Jo’s voice boomed through the hallways. Anne flinched and turned to be greeted by Jo’s ever grumpy face with Robert in tow behind her.

“Holy crap, I didn’t think you’d ever come back for us,” Anne laughed.

Jo rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t planning to show up till tomorrow but this guy,” she elbowed Robert in the gut, “convinced me I should go ahead and show up. So-” she spread out her arms and bowed.

“Okay, you can let me go, my friend is here now,” Anne said up to Officer Ivory.

He scoffed, “you ain’t going anywhere. Not tonight anyways.”

“See?” Jo slapped at Robert’s hand. “I told you.” She turned back to Officer Ivory and folded her arms across her chest. “So when can my friends go Officer…” she waved for him to pronounce his name.

“Ivory,” he cleared his throat. “Officer Shaun Ivory.”

Jo suddenly smiled brightly all the anger inside her melted away and she looked so innocent and sweet as a bucket of icing. She reached out and touched his hands. “I want to thank you for helping my sister.”

“What?” Officer Ivory murmured, looking as if he was suddenly starting to go to sleep.

“Thank you for helping my sister,” Jo repeated, her hand suddenly sliding up to his face and covering his eyes. “Truly, I thank you for helping my sister out of that horrible situation.” She pulled her hand back and Officer Ivory was completely still like a statue. Jo took his keys and unlocked Anne from her handcuffs. She then took the keys and handed them to Robert. “You go get Didi out of-”

“Cell 2B,” Anne finished. “How did you do that?” She asked Jo.

Jo tapped her temple. “Since he wouldn’t look me directly in the eye I had to use my head.”

Anne beamed. “You’re just a whole bundle of magic ain’t you?” She then came around and put her hand on Officer Ivory’s neck.

“Anne,” Jo scolded, “you’re in trouble enough with me. Don’t go doing what you’re thinking.”

“But I like him,” Anne pouted. “Besides? Won’t we be needing more people on our side?”

Jo grimaced, knowing that no matter what she said wouldn’t change Anne’s mind. She was going to glamour Officer Ivory into being her servant and slave, a Renfield as the moniker had been since Bram Stoker. Anne pulled Officer Ivory down and sunk her teeth into his neck. When she had her fill she bit down on her finger and placed it between Officer Ivory’s lips. But as she did so a gunshot rung out through the halls and she was forced to drop him to the ground.

“Thought I recognized you,” Sheriff Thelen laughed.

Jo tensed up, “shit. He’s with the guild.”

“Oh bull-” Anne was cut off as the sheriff shot at them again. They scrambled. Anne fell into the bathroom while Jo scooped up Officer Ivory and ran down the hall. The sheriff went after Jo.

As he passed by the bathroom Anne stuck her head out and scanned around for the bullets. Sure enough she found one and when she picked it up her skin began to itch and turn green. She dropped it and sneered. “Bastard is using silver bullets.”

“Anne,” Didi called as she and Robert came from the cell block. “What’s going on?”

“The sheriff is with the guild,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course! Who would trust a vampire sheriff otherwise?”

Didi flinched but huffed. “Well, we need to do something?”

“How are we going to protect her from silver bullets?”

Didi shrugged and dashed down the hallway, evaporating into thin air as she did so. “Invisibility is so cool,” Anne scoffed as she turned to Robert. She tossed her thumb across her shoulder towards the front of the police station. “You and I need to make a few calls.”

Robert arched his brow and stared after Anne suspiciously. “Call who?”

“What?” Anne asked with a catty grin. “I’m two-hundred and fifty, remember? Surely you don’t think I have no one dying to earn my favor?”

Robert hesitated momentarily only to stare down the hallway where Anne and Jo had gone along with the sheriff.

Jo was ducking down in an office with the unconscious Officer Ivory in arms reach slumping in the over stuffed chair. She was scanning, listening to the sheriff who was keeping quiet, save for humming old war songs. He obviously knew what he was doing. Anne was calling her ghouls and followers, finding her worshippers to come to her rescue and earn favor in their master. Didi was stalking the halls a few feet behind the sheriff all the while invisible to even the well trained sheriff.

Jo rubbed at her eyes and sighed. She was looking for Teak now, wondering what had become of the boy since she had blown up in his face. But Teak was still silent which pissed Jo off even more than before. She wanted the sheriff to come she wanted him to see what she was made of.

“Jo,” Didi gasped in her head. “There’s someone here.”

Jo searched the local area but she didn’t hear any new voices. “What are you talking about Didi?” She returned signal. “I don’t hear anyone.”

“I’m looking at him right now!” Didi spat. “I think I know him. But I can’t remember.”

Jo went through Didi’s eyes momentarily to see the man walking gracefully down the hallway as if the sheriff weren’t blowing bullets. But she didn’t have a chance to see his face. The door splintered and shattered. Jo narrowly saved Officer Ivory from being just another part of the fodder. She, unfortunately, got hit by the bullet.

Jo screamed and screamed and screamed. She dropped Officer Ivory and started writhing and dry heaving on the floor. It was like a scene in The Exorcist. Her body contorted in odd angles and she vomited green tinged blood. She tore and ripped at the bullet wound on the back of shoulder but above all else she screamed.

“Got you,” the sheriff chuckled sadistically.

“Bastard!” Didi grabbed him by his temple and twisted his neck until there was a loud pop and he crumpled to the ground. She became visible and raced to Jo’s side. She tried to hold her still but Jo beat violently against her. Suddenly, Jo became focused on Officer Ivory and she went screaming towards him.

“Don’t!” Didi cried out.

“You should listen to your friend,” the mysterious man laughed.

Jo came to a complete halt and she stopped screaming just as suddenly. But her breathing was rapid and sharp.

The man walked into the room and dipped down. He smoothed his hand across the top of Jo’s head and down her back. With the other hand he bit down on the heel of his hand and placed it to Jo’s mouth. Jo fed greedily as he tended to her wound as a doctor would removing a thorn from a child’s hand. He plucked out the bullet as elegantly as a dancer despite the obvious discomfort it caused him to hold it. He tossed the horrible object out the door and eased Jo up into his arms. He smiled at her as she continued to suckle.

“Voracious little thing,” he gleaned over at Didi, “isn’t she?”

Didi was working herself into a fit trying to figure out where she recognized this beautiful man. He had a waning Italian accent, much like Anne and her basically nonexistent French one. He had the most perfect nose and set of dark lips. His dark hair looked as if it had been neat that afternoon, but now it was ragged and dripping into his smooth face. And his eyes, both seductive and steely, penetrated her. Leaving Didi breathless and somewhat aroused just by being in this man’s presence. And lucky little Jo was feeding off him like he was a Happy Meal.

The man looked away from Jo and back at Didi again. He smiled at her and Didi felt like swooning, something she hadn’t done since the twenties. “I’m going to borrow your little one.”

“Go ahead,” Didi giggled and posed while the man waltzed out of the room with Jo anchored in his arms.

It wasn’t until the man was out of sight that Didi suddenly came to her senses. At first she was questioning herself, “did that really just happen? What just happened?” She then jumped to her feet and shouted. “Hey! Hey! Get back here!” As she went to chase him it was only then that she realized he had used his glamour on her. But vampires couldn’t glamour one another, could they? Obviously, this mysterious vampire had a power to glamour his own kind.

“Anne?” Didi snapped as she came up into the lobby where she caught Anne sighing and giggling.

“Huh?” Anne smirked.

“Anne,” Didi grabbed her, “snap out of it!”

“Didi? What?” She blinked. “Did you see that guy?”

“Yeah, he took Jo from us! Where’s Robert?” She turned to see Robert not but a few feet away on the ground, his face deeply rouged.  “What happened to him?”

Anne shook her head, dismayed. “He swooned and fainted. I haven’t done that since the twenties.”

Didi picked up Robert and set him on her back. “We need to track that guy. He’s probably with the guild too and we just let him dance out of here with Jo in his arms!”

“I called a couple of my servants too, oh that reminds me!” She dashed off and came back with Officer Ivory in her arms. She sat him on the couch in the lobby and whispered into his ear. “Follow me, protect me, do not let anyone get to me that you can stop with your cop powers.”

“Cop powers?” Didi scoffed.

Anne sneered at Didi before she dipped back down and kissed Officer Ivory on the lips. “I’ll reward you once you catch up.”

“Can we go now?”

Anne stood up and scoffed, “no need to get so huffy Mrs. Huffington!” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and sighed. “I called a few of my ghouls so if any really bad shit should go down we’ll have them to take the brunt of the work.”

“I really need to get around to making me some ghouls,” Didi sighed as they dove out of the sheriff’s office and into the Mustang.

Anne pointed, “I can smell him, he’s heading what I think might possibly be north.”

“That’s actually east.”

“Just go that fucking way.”