****

Alison sat in the throne she had conjured for herself. She was trying to get into the part she was supposed to play, but so far she was mostly bored. Logan’s cryptic promises of royalty and freedom from pain were not enough to sustain her interest at this point. She hated waiting.

“I’m bored,” she complained, as she looked over at Logan.

He was on his own throne, playing video games on a mammoth screen TV.

“Yeah? Conjure something to do then,” he shrugged, never taking his eyes off the game he was playing.

She stood up and went over to him. She stood between him and the TV in order to gain his attention.

“What’s the use of having all this power if we don’t do anything but sit around here?”

Irritated that she interrupted his game, he tossed the controller down and stood to face her.

“If you’re so freaking bored, I’m sure I could think of some way to pass the time,” he offered suggestively, as he ran his fingers up her arm. Sparks crackled against her skin, giving her a warm, tingly feeling.

“I don’t think so,” she shot him down.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him. “We’re not going to play this game again, are we? I know what you want.”

She glared at him and shoved him away. The energy from their contact was so immense that he went flying across the room. He hit the wall and bounced off onto the floor. Before he could upright himself, she was on top of him. Straddling his body, she forced his hands over his head.

“That hurt!” He exclaimed angrily at her.

“Yeah? You like it rough though, right? I can play that game.” She chose to throw back his own disgusting words from the night they’d first met.

“You’re a real bitch.”

“Well, you’re an asshole. So we’re even.” She dug her nails into his wrists.

“Ease up a bit,” he urged her as he felt her nails cut into his flesh. He may have been technically dead, but he still felt pain.

“Why should I? This is the game you like to play isn’t it?” She purred into his ear as she released his wrists and ran her hands down his chest.

The energy was intense, and he knew with each passing moment the power would continue to grow. The more contact they made, the more power that was shared, making their bond unstoppable.

He grabbed one of her hands and tried to guide it to his manhood. She wrenched it free, and held his arms above his head again.

“No, we’re going to do this my way,” she scolded him.

He wanted to toss her off of him. He knew he could do it, it was just a matter of following through. But his body was responding to her touch in ways that made him crazy and intoxicated with lust. He was willing to relinquish the control for the time being. He’d let her have her fun.

“I’m bored and I want you to entertain me,” she whispered to him wickedly.

He smiled at her and she released his arms again, but this time his hands traveled under her skirt. She closed her eyes and smiled. Apparently he’d made the right move this time. She leaned down and kissed him, as sparks danced between their bodies. In one swift movement, she rolled him over on top of her. His hands were still caressing her, and she was making little moaning sounds against his kisses. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back.

“Do it,” she commanded him.

He eagerly started unzipping his pants, and she grabbed his wrist.

“No, I said I wanted you to entertain me,” she reminded him firmly.

“That’s what I’m trying to do. If you let go of my wrist, we can get this party started,” he said quickly.

“Nuh-uh. That’s not how this works,” she wagged her finger at him. “Don’t tell me you’ve never entertained a girl before,” she laughed in disbelief.

It took him a moment to understand what she meant. He wasn’t used to caring at all if the woman he was with was enjoying herself. That never mattered to him before. But he smiled at her.

“Okay, sweetie. I get it. You mean you want me to—”

“Just do it,” she commanded again, this time certain he understood what she was talking about.

He kissed her neck roughly as his hands worked under her skirt to free her of her panties. He tossed them aside carelessly. He began caressing her most vulnerable spot. She moaned and closed her eyes.

“Is this what you like, baby?” He asked with a satisfied grin.

“It’s a start. But you’ll have to do better,” she smirked at him.

He then scooted his body down and lifted her skirt. He dove underneath it, immediately sending her body into a fit of passion.

“Hmm…yeah,” she murmured, completely lost in the moment.

“I take it this is what you wanted?”

“Yeah...” She tried to drown out his voice. It was ruining her moment.

“You know, I don’t do this for just anyone. That’s how special you are,” he reminded her.

“Will you just shut up and keep going?” She was getting frustrated.

“Maybe you should be a little nicer to me. What with my face between your legs and all that,” he snapped at her bitterly.

“At least then I don’t have to look at it,” she shot back.

“Ouch. That hurts, princess,” he sighed.

“It’ll hurt a lot more if you don’t finish what you started.”

She laid back and tried to get herself back into the moment. She thought that if she closed her eyes hard enough, she could pretend he was someone else. Not that it really mattered right now. She didn’t care who he was. All she cared about was the feeling. The sensations he brought to her body were more powerful than anything she’d ever felt. It wasn’t just sexual energy, but an overwhelming sense of control. She was making him do this. He was the one who liked to be the aggressor, and here she was commanding him to do as she wished. And he was doing it. She’d turned the tables on him, and it felt exhilarating. It was less about the sex, and more about the power. At this point, she felt she could do anything.

From his point of view, he was slightly sickened at how easily he was obeying her. Here was the bitch who’d killed him, and he had his face between her legs, taking orders from her. It was disgusting. And yet, he was doing it. Almost gladly. Just as he had a wicked hold over her, she had the same hold over him. It wasn’t voluntary. Not entirely anyway. He figured he might as well surrender to it. He was going to get laid after all, and that was never a bad thing. It didn’t matter who it was with. He’d never been choosy before, so why start now?

It didn’t take long to push her over that edge and she crashed over with wild abandon. She felt dizzy and disoriented, and her entire body felt numb. He lifted his head and looked up at her. She was panting and small sparks crackled at her fingertips. He crawled up the length of her body and gazed down at her.

"Was that entertaining enough for you?" He asked with a smug look on his face. He was pleased at himself for making her scream so easily.

She was so out of breath, she couldn't answer him. She just stared at him with heavy eyelids. He kissed her hungrily, and she could still taste herself on his tongue. He pulled away from her, and straddled her legs. He reached down again and unzipped his pants all the way. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked him

"What does it look like? It's your turn, baby," he said reaching into his pants.

She sat up quickly and shoved him off of her. He fell back onto ground sharply.

"What the fuck is your problem?" He asked angrily.

"I'm not doing that to you," she said firmly.

"What? Excuse me? I just did you a really nice favor and you're not gonna return it?" He asked incredulously.

"In case you've forgotten, I don't return favors."

He reached over and grabbed her arms. He growled at her, and his eyes danced with flecks of red energy.

"You better start returning them," he said heatedly.

She stayed completely calm and looked up at him.

"I'm not putting that thing in my mouth."

"Oh really?" He asked gripping her arms tighter.

"Really," she said evilly, as she gripped his waist with her legs and flipped him onto his back. His head smacked the ground and it amused her. She reached down into his pants and grabbed him tightly. He groaned loudly and smirked at her. He knew she'd come around.

"Be careful there, sweetie," he said, as her grip tightened around him.

She ignored him and stroked him roughly with her hand. His eyes rolled back at her powerful touch. He was getting a taste of the immense pleasure she had just experienced.

"We only do what I like. And you know what I like?" She asked him curiously.

"What's that?" He croaked out.

"I like being in control. And I'm not putting that thing in my mouth. Do you understand?" She asked as her grip tightened again.

He squeaked out a small acknowledgement and nodded his head.

"Good," she smiled, as she lifted herself above him, and guided him inside her waiting heat.

He moaned loudly and she cried out. The intimacy of their connection was almost more than either one of them could bear. She looked down at him with greedy eyes.

"I thought you weren't gonna do this?" He asked breathlessly.

"I just said I wasn't putting it in my mouth. I didn't say anything about other parts of the body," she said with a smirk.

They were both flying. Every thrust and every little bit of friction between them set them on fire. Alison actually feared she might pass out. The entire room seemed to be spinning and it took her a moment to realize it actually was. Literally, their coupling sent the room spinning around them. All at once they both erupted in a shower of sparks, and she collapsed on top of him. Both of their eyes were glazed over in a fog of dark energy.

He reached out and stroked her hair gently.

“That was pretty fucking amazing,” he told her with awe.

She didn’t respond, but she had to agree. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt in her life. And the fact that it was so wrong somehow made it even better. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to give him that satisfaction.

“Don’t you agree?” He asked, when she said nothing.

“It was,” she admitted softly.

“See, this is how it’s gonna be from now on. Sex, power…all of it. Anything we want, it’s ours.”

“I can’t wait,” she told him. “I can’t wait…”

****

Jax sat in his office with the door closed and only a small desk lamp to light the room. It was getting late, almost eight o’clock, and he knew that he should go home. The shop had closed at six and when he’d last left her, Angela was counting out the register. It had been a slow business day, which normally would have upset them both, but with so much going on, they found it a relief. He wondered if she had already gone home. Normally she would tell him goodnight before she left, but it was possible that after their strangely timed liaison behind the books, she was feeling awkward. He knew he was. He never should have caved in so easily, but she had run into his arms. Once their lips touched, he was a goner.

It had been ten years since his wife had left him. Of course there had been others after her, but he had felt strongly about none of them. Angela on the other hand was different. Her energy was vibrant, whereas he was more reserved. At times he found her quite maddening, but endearing as well. Even as his student, she had never kept quiet if she disagreed with him or what he was teaching. She made for a challenging pupil, and an even more challenging employee.

But his feeling was that they balanced each other out. She brought out a wilder side in him, as proven by their impromptu make-out session. And he tended to bring out the softer side of her. For example, her admitting to him that she was frightened about what might happen with Alison. But now he really wasn’t sure where things stood. Angela had mentioned kissing him was something she wanted to do at least once before she died. But was that all it was? Was it out of her system now? He couldn’t possibly expect a young, strong, beautiful woman like her to settle with a middle aged bore such as he was.

Suddenly the office door opened and Angela walked in carrying a brown paper bag and a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee.

“Hungry?” She asked hopefully.

“Angela? I-I assumed you’d gone home.” He tried to straighten the papers on his desk.

“I did. But then I came back.” She handed him the bag and the cup. “With food,” she added.

“Yes, thank you. That was thoughtful of you.”

She fiddled nervously with the buttons on her blouse. No one had ever made her feel as unsure of herself as he did. The feelings of apprehension and awkwardness were new to her.

Finally they both spoke at the same time.

“You first,” she offered with a small smile.

“No, it wasn’t important. What were you going to say?”

She sighed and sat down across from him. “I don’t want things to be weird with us. They aren’t weird right?”

“No. Not at all,” he lied as he averted his eyes from her and onto the paper bag she had handed him.

“Then why aren’t you looking at me?”

“I was just going to see what you’d brought me. I’m famished.” He opened the bag and pulled out a sandwich from the local deli.

“Please don’t change the subject.” She pulled the sandwich out of his hand and plunked it down onto the desk. “Is something happening with us, or not?” She asked pointedly.

He leaned back and rubbed his temples. “What would like to have happen with us?”

“Well, not this. Not the awkward silences, and trying like hell to avoid each others eyes like we have deadly laser beams shooting from them,” she told him heatedly. “I want things to be the way they were. Only with the kissing part added.”

He stood up now and walked the room anxiously. “Angela, I’m forty-seven. Twenty years older than you. What on Earth could you possibly want with an old man like me?”

“Old man? You make forty-seven seem like it’s completely geriatric,” she scoffed.

“Well, sometimes it feels that way,” he admitted with a faint smile.

“What about Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones? There’s like thirty years between them, and they don’t seem to notice. The May-December thing is very trendy right now.”

“Yes, well, be that as it may, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“Why not? I’m hardly Lolita. I’m twenty-seven, Jax. Almost thirty! I’m a big girl.”

“I just don’t want this to be a mistake. It’s complicated, don’t you think?” He tried to reason with her.

“It doesn’t seem that complicated to me. I like you and you like me. It’s pretty simple.”

“What about Kyle?”

“Kyle? What does he have to do with this? That’s been over forever. And he was the one who didn’t want to marry me.”

“Yes, but it’s awkward enough when he comes around now, if we…well, if he knew that we…I think he’d be pretty upset,” he tried to explain.

“So what? If he wants to go out and find himself someone else too, I’m not stopping him,” she said simply. “That’s what people do when they break up. They move on. And Pinewood Lake is sort of small, so if I need to move on with someone he’s never met, then it’s going to be pretty hard. He’ll deal with it.”

He wasn’t sure what he should say next. She seemed to have everything already figured out. But as the voice of reason he wanted to make sure she truly understood what they might be getting themselves into.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” She softened her tone and looked at him seriously.

“Afraid of what?”

“Getting hurt. I know your wife left you. But that doesn’t mean that I will too,” she assured him softly.

“I realize that.”

“I don’t think you do. You think I’ll get bored of you, and want to leave you for someone younger and more hip. Is that what she did?”

Jax was silent for a moment, amazed at how well she read the situation. It was something he never talked about with anyone, although it was common knowledge that Melinda had left him.

“Yes. I didn’t give her the attention she needed. She said I was dull and more interested in my students and my studies than in her. And maybe she was right,” he confessed.

“I don’t care if you’re dull.”

“Yes, well, thank you. I think.” He wasn’t quite sure that was supposed to be a compliment or not.

“I just meant that because I’m younger and possibly more interesting at times, doesn’t mean I’ll grow bored of you.”

“Again, that’s good to know. I think,” he scratched his head with confusion.

She moved closer to him and put her arms around him. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating rapidly. He pulled her tightly against him and savored the comfort she was trying to give him. If he was ever going to allow himself to feel something for someone again, it was going to be her. She had a way with him, that no one else ever had.

“Just stop thinking so much, Jax, and just let whatever happens, happen,” she whispered to him.

He pulled her away from him gently and looked deep into her eyes. “Are you sure about this?” He wanted affirmation.

“Yes,” she smiled genuinely.

With that he leaned down and kissed her again. Maybe it was a mistake, but if it was, he was determined to make it an enjoyable one.

****

The next day, Jax and Angela were in the stockroom before the shop opened. She was attempting to unpack boxes, and he was supposed to be logging everything in their inventory book. But they kept stopping to kiss or grope each other. It was quite distracting, but Jax felt like a teenager again. He knew they were behaving childishly or like animals in heat, but he didn’t care. Once he’d made the decision to surrender to this, there was no stopping him.

That was until Stephanie walked through the door. Luckily they were shielded by stacks of supplies, so wasn’t able to see what they were doing when she called out for them. They leapt apart and tried to erase all evidence of their encounter.

“We’re back here,” Jax told Stephanie.

She walked around the stacks of boxes to where they were.

“We were just unpacking boxes.” Angela held up her box cutter to prove it.

“Oh.” Stephanie then noticed pink lipstick smeared across Jax’s mouth, confirming what she’d already suspected yesterday. She started to say something, but Jax interrupted her.

“You’re early. How very unlike you,” he noted. “Did you need something?”

“Yeah…I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes,” she said carefully.

“Oh, well, okay. About what?”

Stephanie gave Angela a look and she hurried towards the door. “I’ll just be out there if you need me,” she mumbled as she passed them.

Once she was gone, Stephanie turned to Jax again.

“I knew it!”

“Knew what?”

“You were kissing her?” She stared at him incredulously.

“What? Of course not!” He denied it.

“Right. So then you’re the one who picked out that pink lipstick? I must say, it’s an interesting new look for you.”

Jax wiped at his mouth frantically then pleaded with her, “it’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” She raised her eyebrow at him.

He exhaled noisily, “well, alright it was, but—”

“You can explain?” She finished for him.

“Yes, I can. We were just…then there was this thing…and then we…okay, fine. I can’t really explain it,” he gave up.

“Have you gone insane? You’re old! And all proper and boring…and old!”

“Yes, you already said old,” he said dryly.

“Well, it’s true! You’re not supposed to be kissing her!” She was mortified.

“You act as if I’m a hundred.”

“Well, you might as well be. Jax, she’s my friend and you’re like my father. That’s just…icky. And gross and weird. Plus she was engaged to Kyle!”

“I realize that and so does she. I don’t really see where that has any bearing on this. They aren’t a couple anymore,” he pointed out to her, trying to recall everything Angela had used to convince him.

“But still! He’s gonna freak when he finds out.”

“Well, I’m not rushing to tell him, are you?” He asked pointedly. “Besides, Angela is free to see whomever she chooses.”

“And she just happened to choose you?”

“Is that so horrifying?”

“But you’re like a father…” she muttered.

“Not to her, I’m not,” he clarified.

“This is like some whacked out mid-life crisis thing, isn’t it? Just like my father. What is it with men and younger women, huh?”

“I’m sorry if this upsets you. It wasn’t my intention. But I don’t really think I need to justify any of this to you, Stephanie.”

She leaned against the wall and tried to take it all in. It seemed that everything had gone crazy in only a few days. Nothing felt familiar or comfortable anymore.

“I’m not trying to come down on you. I’m just in shock,” she told him truthfully. “How long has this been going on?”

“Not long. Yesterday, in fact. It wasn’t something planned, things just happened,” he assured her. “But I care for her and she feels the same for me. I just want you to understand that. This isn’t some mid-life crisis thing.”

“I still think it’s yucky,” she pouted.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way,” he shook his head. “Was there something else you wanted to see me about?” He asked, recalling she had shown up early to talk to him.

“No, nothing else. I was actually going to ask you if something was going on with her. But now I know. I saw the way you two looked yesterday when Jason and I walked in on you. The whole thing with the dictionary? Not very stealthy.”

He looked at his feet and shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, well, not my finest moment, I admit.”

“I was hoping I’d come here and you’d tell me I was nuts. But the lipstick sort of confirmed things. Plus, you’re a terrible liar,” she added with a faint smile.

“Are we okay? You aren’t angry with me?” He asked, truly caring what she thought of him. He did view her as a father would, and her approval did mean something to him.

“No, I’m not angry. Just a little grossed out, but not angry. I’m sure I’ll forget all about it once Hell opens up and demons start invading the world.”

“Yes, about that actually…I uncovered a few more things last night. Why don’t we go into my office?”

They walked out of the storeroom and through the shop. Angela glanced in their direction wondering if Jax had told her about them. Probably not, she realized, since he still seemed to think their coupling was a bad idea. But she figured sooner or later, everyone would know and they wouldn’t have to hide.

Stephanie just smiled weakly at Angela as they passed, and she followed Jax into his office. She shut the door and sat down.

“So what’s up? What did you find out?” She questioned.

“Well, I did find a passage that referred to three people, or beings. They are indeed referred to as the Trinity. Apparently they are the only ones with enough power to stop Alison and the Dark Ones.”

“Okay, good. But we kind of already figured that part out. Did you get to the part where it says who they are and how we find them?”

“That’s the trickier part. I’m trying to get the translation correct, but some of the symbols have faded so much it’s hard to decipher them,” he rubbed his eyes. “But from what I can gather, it refers to them as being the three who should not be, or should not exist.”

“That’s not all that helpful. What’s that even supposed to mean?” She crinkled her nose.

“I’m not certain. It mentions how they are not supposed to be of this world anymore, yet they roam. Possibly they’re ghosts or spirits themselves?” It was the only explanation he had.

“Well, then we can forget about finding them. If they’re already dead, we can’t do too much. Unless we’re the ones who are supposed to bring them back?” She offered.

“That’s dangerous territory there. Bringing people back from the dead is never a good idea. You shouldn’t mess with that,” he asserted.

“Like I’d even know how to mess with that,” she scoffed. “I just thought it was a possibility.”

“I’m not necessarily saying you’re wrong, just that it’s not something I care to delve into. Not to mention that it would take incredible power to do it. And without specific targets to bring back? Impossible.”

“So then, we really don’t know anything else, do we? We’re no closer to finding them. Maybe we aren’t even supposed to find them? Maybe they find us?”

He sat down on top of the desk and thumbed through the book absently. “See, that’s what I was thinking. But someone sent this book to me. They must have known I’d know what to do with it.”

“But you don’t,” she reminded him.

“True, but why send it to me at all then? Obviously there’s something I have to do. That we have to do. You were dreaming of this event, and then the book arrived. That can’t be for nothing.”

“Did you at least find out what Alison was doing with that ritual? Why is she doing this?” She shifted the subject slightly.

“I don’t know why she’s doing it, but I did manage to decipher what was supposed to happen.” He stood to his feet and excitedly began pacing. “Apparently, the walls between Heaven and Hell are closing in. They’re disintegrating. This has been happening slowly for thousands of years. But now the walls are thin enough that someone with enough power can break them down altogether. Thus rendering Heaven and Hell completely obsolete.”

“Meaning what for us?”

“Hell on Earth. And no possible place to escape. Even in dying, we’d be trapped here, with no peaceful afterlife to greet us. There would be nothing but this. Demons roaming, souls lost, humans perishing and being tortured…not a pretty picture, I’m afraid.”

“And Alison is doing this? What could she possibly gain? Won’t she be as tortured and miserable as all of us?” She just didn’t get it.

“Not necessarily. If she’s the one to carry out this task, the Dark Ones would certainly hold her in the highest esteem. She’d be the most powerful being on this earth. She will have freed them from their prison, given them life again. She’d likely be revered like a queen, not punished.”

Stephanie shook her head sadly, “where did this all go wrong, Jax? How did Alison ever even get to the point that this would be a viable option for her? And how did I not see it happening?”

“She didn’t want you to see,” he remarked quietly. “Alison is a very troubled soul. Perhaps she always has been. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father was always drunk. That sort of upbringing can damage a person beyond repair. She learned at an early age that she couldn’t trust or rely on anyone but herself. She likely felt powerless over her own life. When James left her, she went into a tailspin. He was the only thing in her life that had even remotely symbolized stability, safety and comfort. Then he was abruptly removed from her life. Then when Logan Winters attacked her, she snapped. Any safety or inner strength she may have regained was lost again. She was already on that edge, and he just gave her a push.”

“And she pushed back, apparently,” Stephanie added.

“Unfortunately, yes, she did. And now here we are.”

****

Stephanie walked up the path to Jason’s house. She realized that she had a very flimsy excuse to be there, but the truth was, she wanted to see him. For reasons she didn’t comprehend, being with him these last few days had felt nice somehow. She assured herself that it didn’t necessarily mean she was falling for him or that he’d gotten to her. But end of the world catastrophes tended to bring people together. At least she imagined they would anyway, never having actually witnessed one before. She was just there to tell him what new information Jax had given her, and then she’d be on her way.

As she got closer to the steps, she could hear music blaring loudly. Someone was singing. It was Jason, she realized. His band must be over practicing. Suddenly, she thought that maybe it wasn’t that great of an idea to be there. He wasn’t alone and what if there were groupies there or something. Astonishingly she realized that seeing other girls hanging all over him would actually upset her. She tried to force that thought out as she knocked loudly on the door.

At first no one heard her, they just kept on playing. So she went to the front window and knocked on that. It seemed to get their attention, because the music stopped and the door opened.

“Steph? What’re you doing here?” Jason asked with surprise.

He was all sweaty and had no shirt on. She noticed that he had a tattoo of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Also around his left bicep were a band of tribal flames. Normally she found tattoos vulgar and unattractive, but not on him. His chest was muscular, and she found herself mesmerized by the way the sweat beaded off his skin. Much to her dismay, she couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Hello? Steph? Are you gonna answer me?” He inquired when she didn’t respond.

Realizing that she had been staring at him like an idiot, she shook her head, “oh, yeah. Wait. What was the question?”

He smiled slyly at her and spoke very slowly, “what. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

“Don’t be an ass. I was just coming to tell you some…stuff. But I can see that you’re busy. So I should probably go.” She started to turn and walk away, but he caught her arm.

“Don’t go. Why don’t you come in and meet the boys?” He offered.

“I-I don’t want to meet your boy band,” she protested.

“Boy band? We aren’t the Backstreet Boys, Steph.”

“Well, whatever you call them. I-I don’t want to meet them.”

“Oh come on, don’t be shy,” he started dragging her back up the steps. “Hey guys! There’s someone here I want you to meet.”

“Why did you do that? I said I didn’t want to stay,” she grumbled at him.

He pulled her inside and saw a room full of smoke, musical instruments, and two men. One guy sat behind a drum set, and another sat atop an amplifier with a guitar strapped around his neck. He was smoking and had a bottle of beer at his side.

“This is Stephanie.”

“Hi,” she muttered to them uncomfortably.

They grunted at her and said hi back. At least she thought they did. She wasn’t really able to tell.

“Steph, this is Tommy,” he pointed to the guy on the amp. “But you can call him Shooter.”

“Shooter? Let me guess, you’re either a Wild West gun slinger or you like to play pool?” She attempted humor.

“Actually, I like Tequila,” he said as he crushed out his cigarette on the bottom of his boot and reached out to shake her hand.

“Of course you do.” She tried not to be grossed out by his sweaty handshake.

“Yeah, Shooter here can down like twenty shots before he passes out. You don’t want to play Quarters against him,” Jason laughed, and the others joined in.

Stephanie didn’t know exactly what was so funny since she’d never heard of Quarters before, but she found herself laughing anyway.

“And that there is Mitch,” he pointed the guy behind the drums. He saluted her with a drumstick.

“Hey,” she managed to smile back. “Look, I really should get going,” she said to everyone.

“No, you just got here. Why not listen to a set?” Jason urged her.

“How long is a set?”

“Couple of songs. It’ll be fun.”

“How about one song?” She compromised.

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged and went back to the microphone.

Shooter and Mitch got back to business and began to play their music. Jason began singing and although she’d heard them play before, she had been so drunk she hadn’t really been listening. Jason’s voice was actually pretty good, she thought. He sounded like Jon Bon Jovi. His voice was strong, but had a rough edge to it. She actually found that she was enjoying herself as she listened.

One song had turned into four and before she knew it, they were done with their practice for the day. Jason grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and came up to her.

“You were really good,” she was impressed and decided to let him know that.

“You think so?” He was unsure.

“Oh please. Now you’re being humble? You knew you were good or you wouldn’t have asked me to stay and risk the embarrassment.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure you would think we were good. You do realize that you’re hard to impress,” he reminded her.

“Granted. But seriously, you guys were pretty awesome.” She looked away from him. It felt scary to let her guard down with him.

She noticed his band mates were packing their stuff up and hauling it out the door into their waiting van.

“Shouldn’t you be helping them or something?” She asked.

“I think they can handle it.”

Jason glanced at the door where Shooter had just carried out his amp. A small kitten ran inside the door, scurrying past his feet.

“Shit! Someone’s cat just ran in.” Jason left Stephanie and headed for the tiny animal.

It ran past his feet and into the kitchen. He chased after it, which amused Stephanie to no end.

“Stop laughing and help me catch this thing,” he snapped at her.

“What? You’re afraid of a tiny little kitten? That’s priceless!” She giggled.

“I’m not afraid of it, but you know how cats are. Once you let them in, they won’t leave.”

The white furry kitten, ducked between his legs as he reached for it, and ran down the hallway. He ran after it and Stephanie followed him.

“That little bugger is fast,” he remarked when he got to the bedroom and realized he had lost it. “Where’d it go?”

“Maybe it’s under the bed?”

She got down on her hands and knees and peered under it. Surprisingly it was clean under there. She had been afraid she’d find old underwear or stinky socks. All she saw were a few boxes and two little glowing eyes staring at her.

“Hey kitty. Come on out. I won’t let that big bad tattooed man hurt you,” she cooed to the kitten.

“I wasn’t going to hurt it.” Jason protested, not wanting Stephanie to think he was some kind of serial killer who liked to maim animals.

“Get on the other side of the bed,” she told him. “Maybe we can get it to run out if I poke at her a little.”

He went over to the other side and kneeled down. He stuck his head under the bed and smiled at Stephanie.

“Fancy meeting you here. Come here often?” He joked.

“Yes, Jason’s bed is the hottest spot in town.” She joked back before realizing how suggestive that sounded. She blushed and was just glad he couldn’t see her face that clearly in the dark.

“You bet it is, baby,” he grinned at her.

“Okay, shut up. That’s not what I meant,” she protested. “Let’s just get this kitten out of here.”

“Here kitty. Come over here.” She tried to grab it but it was too far away. “Your arms are longer. You try and grab it.”

He reached out and was able to touch the cat, but not get a hold of it. His touch freaked her out and she ran out at the foot of the bed where they had no coverage.

They both scrambled up and went to join the chase again. They ended up running into each other and falling down. They were both laughing so hard they momentarily forgot about the kitten. Jason was half on top of her and she shifted slightly under his weight.

“If this is how good we are at catching a kitten, then I definitely think there is no hope of us saving the world,” she joked.

“That kitten is pretty evil though. Did you see it take a swipe at me?”

“That’s just because you scared her. I’m sure she’d warm up to you if given the chance.”

“Kind of like you, eh?” He asked softly as he ran his finger down the side of her face. “Are you warming up to me yet?”

As much as she wanted to lie to him and say no, she just couldn’t do it. She swallowed hard.

“Maybe. I might be,” she admitted quietly.

They stared at each other for what felt an eternity, but was likely only a few seconds. He leaned down and kissed her softly. She didn’t stop him. They’d never kissed before. She’d never given him that chance. But she had left it wide open this time, and she had to admit, it was pretty incredible. She forgot for a moment where she was but was brought back to reality when she felt something licking her ear. And it wasn’t Jason. She started laughing against his mouth and he pulled back and looked at her curiously.

“Okay, laughter wasn’t what I was going for there.”

“Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. Something is licking me,” she giggled.

They turned and saw the kitten staring at them with wide eyes. “Hey there cutie. You done playing with us?” Stephanie asked the animal, which responded by licking her forehead this time.

Stephanie reached over and picked the kitten up and got to her feet. “Aw, it’s so cute!” She proclaimed as she started walking out of the bedroom.

The guys were just finishing up when they got back to the living room.

“Thanks for all the help, asswipe,” Shooter said jokingly to Jason.

“Kiss my ass,” he shot back. “You fuckers let some kitten run in here. We were trying to catch it.”

“Do you think she has a home?” Stephanie asked as she pet the little thing.

“She’s probably from next door. Mrs. Anderson has like twenty of them,” Jason told her.

“I’ll go see if she belongs there.” Stephanie walked to the door. “It was nice meeting you guys,” she said to Shooter and Mitch.

She disappeared out the door, making sure she closed it after her. Jason looked at his friends.

“Any progress, man? She lightening up yet?” Mitch asked, knowing that this girl had been a conquest of Jason’s for some time.

“None of your business.”

“That means she shot you down cold again, huh?” Shooter laughed.

“Fuck you. She did not. In fact, I think I’m going to ask her out again.”

“Glutton for punishment?” Mitch taunted.

“Nah, it’ll be different this time,” Jason said self assuredly. “Now get lost you two. I want you gone before she gets back.”

They grumbled and complained about being thrown out even knowing they’d do the same if they were him.

“Later,” Jason waved them out and saw Stephanie coming back from Mrs. Anderson’s place. He called over to her, “was it hers?”

She nodded and came up the steps. “She said that she accidentally left the back door open and was quite appreciative that I brought Mitzy back.”

“Mitzy?”

“Cute name, huh? Anyway, look, I really should get going,” she informed him.

“Already? I mean, the guys just left…”

“I know, but—”

“Wasn’t there something you were going to tell me?” He remembered.

“Oh, yeah. Kind of. It’s really not that important.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“I really do have to go. I promised Jax I’d come in this afternoon because Angela has to go somewhere or something.”

“Okay then. How about tonight? You can tell me tonight,” he offered.

“Tonight?”

“Yeah. I thought maybe we’d go to dinner, talk about the apocalypse. The usual.”

“A date?”

“Yeah.”

“We tried that before. It didn’t really—”

“That was before. This time, it’ll be different. I’ll be a good date this time. Just give it one more chance,” he pleaded.

She knew that she was going to say yes, but she wasn’t ready to let him realize that. She didn’t want to make things too easy. Not after all the protesting she’d done in the past.

“You can’t tell me that you weren’t into that kiss, Steph,” he reminded her. “Give me a chance.”

“Fine. But you better be impressive this time. No gross clothes or burping or anything else rude or obnoxious.”

“I never burped on one of our dates.”

“Well, just in case you feel the urge to, don’t,” she smiled at him.

“I’ll pick you up at seven? Your house?”

“Sure. I’ll see you then.”

She turned around and walked to her car not sure if it was wise to be feeling as giddy as she was feeling. She had spent so much time denying there was anything between them, it felt foreign to actually allow these feelings to surface. She just hoped she wasn’t making the worst mistake of her life. But she supposed if it was any consolation, that life might not be a very long one if Alison had her way.

****

Jason stood in his living room pacing back and forth. He was barefoot and shirtless, and had a pile of clothes lying on the couch.

“I hate everything that I own,” he muttered as he continued pacing. “Why do I insist on dressing like a bum all the time?”

“You’ve got lots of decent outfits,” Shooter said, as he watched his friend distressing.

“Like what?”

Shooter glanced at the pile of clothes and realized his friend was probably right.

“Why don’t you just buy something else then?” He offered.

“Because, I don’t have enough time. I’m supposed to be at her house in twenty minutes. I should just forget it. I have no idea what I’m doing,” he said miserably. He plunked down roughly in his chair, and held his face in his hands.

“Have you ever been on a date before?” Shooter asked sarcastically.

“With Stephanie?”

“Or at all?”

“Dude, of course I have. It’s just most of the chicks I’ve dated are cool with hanging at the club, or watching a video and making out all night. Stephanie is not like that.”

“This chick has really got you in knots, bro,” Shooter shook his head, “it’s sad.”

“Screw you. You saw her. She’s awesome.”

“Yeah, but so are lots of other girls. Why is this one freaking you out so much?”

“Because!” Jason shouted and then added softly, “I think she’s the one.”

“The one? Dude, you’re in love?” Shooter burst into laughter.

“Fuck you. So what? Is that so hard to believe?” Jason began getting irritated. “Remember when you went all soft for that Janet chick? You cut your hair for her, man! So don’t give me shit about Stephanie, okay? She’s just got me freaking out about clothes, at least I’m not getting the fucking scissors out.”

“Whatever man. Either way, you should just relax. I don’t think she’s going to care what you’re wearing,” Shooter assured him.

“But I told her that this time things would be different. I thought maybe I should look different too.”

“But she seems to like the way you look.”

Jason thought for a moment and realized Shooter was right. He was trying too hard, and he was only going to make a fool of himself. He just wanted everything to work out this time.

“You’re right. I’m acting like a jackass. I’ll just wear this.”

He grabbed a blue button up shirt out of the pile and pulled it on. It was the nicest thing he owned, and the only thing that wasn’t a t-shirt with a band name scrawled across it. He also had made sure that he wore jeans without holes in them. That would have to be good enough. He looked at himself in the mirror and tried to get his self confidence back. He buttoned up his shirt and put on his shoes. He turned to Shooter expectantly.

“Dude, if she’s not impressed, then you don’t need her,” Shooter offered his own brand of support.

“Thanks. Now what about these flowers?” He asked as he held up a bouquet of yellow and purple wildflowers.

“They’re nice I guess.”

“Yeah, but is it too much? She likes flowers, right?”

“I don’t even know her. How the hell would I know what she likes?” Shooter asked shaking his head.

“I don’t know what she likes either. That’s the problem,” Jason said, as he sat back down in his chair again.

“Wait! She likes kittens. She was all gooey over that little thing today. Get her a kitten,” Shooter suggested.

“A kitten? Where the hell am I gonna get a kitten?”

Shooter shrugged, “I don’t know. Next door? Snag that little bugger back from Mrs. Anderson. It’s not like she doesn’t have others.”

Jason shook his head, “I’m not gonna kidnap a kitten for her. Besides, what kind of man brings a bouquet of kittens to a woman’s house for a date?”

“If it would help me get laid, I would,” Shooter laughed.

Jason chuckled at that and shook his head. He looked back down at the flowers.

“I should have bought the roses. These things look like I picked them off the side of the road.”

Shooter just sighed. He wished Jason would hurry up and leave so he could watch television in peace. Jason noticed that Shooter had run out of things to say, and he took that as his cue to leave.

“I should go now, huh?” He asked him.

“Yeah, get lost,” he tried to shoo him out.

“Don’t fuck up my place while I’m gone.”

“Just go already.”

Jason nodded and went out the door.

****

Stephanie sat in her living room watching the clock. Jason said he would be there at seven, and it was only five after. But she was growing impatient. She tapped her fingernails on the coffee table and Melissa finally groaned and turned to her.

“Will you stop doing that? It’s irritating. I’m trying to watch TV,” Melissa complained.

Stephanie folded her arms and sighed.

“Sorry. It’s just, he’s late. What if he changed his mind?”

“He’s five minutes late. And he so did not change his mind,” she assured her.

“Well, maybe I’ve changed mine,” she said as she got up and started pacing.

“Will you just relax? What is it you’re worried about? It’s not like you guys haven’t been out before,” Melissa told her.

“I know, but this time it feels different. Before I was all aloof and annoyed and had already made up my mind that I hated him. Now, I’m sort of thinking I might like him. A little. It’s much more nerve wracking when you actually care what the other person is thinking.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Melissa jumped up and ran to get it. Stephanie stood up and smoothed her clothes down. She hadn’t been sure where he was taking her, so she had put on a nice pair of khakis and a black top. She wanted to look nice, but not overdressed. Now she worried she should have picked something else. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She’d just seen him a few hours ago. But things had changed then. She’d let him kiss her. And she liked it. That suddenly made the whole evening seem intimidating to her.

Melissa opened the door and saw Jason standing there muttering something to himself. She looked at him strangely.

“Who are you talking to?” She asked him.

He looked up startled to see Melissa watching him. He hadn’t even noticed the door open.

“Um, no one. Just myself. Is Stephanie here?” He asked awkwardly.

“No. She got tired of waiting,” Melissa deadpanned.

Jason’s face fell and he figured he had already blown it by being late.

“She left?” He asked unhappily.

“I did not leave. Melissa, go be…elsewhere,” Stephanie said irritated, as she walked over to the door.

“I was just kidding. Jeez, you guys are so tense,” Melissa sighed, as she went up the stairs.

“Sorry about that,” Stephanie apologized for Melissa’s misguided humor.

“It’s alright. I guess I am a little tense,” he admitted.

“Me too,” she said softly. Then she looked up at him and saw the flowers he was clenching in his fist. “Are those for me?” She asked.

“What?”

“The flowers?”

“Oh these?” He asked, as he realized the stems were being crushed under his tightening grasp. “Yeah, they’re for you. Unless you hate them, then they’re not.”

She laughed at his nervousness and nodded her head.

“I like them. But if you keep squeezing them like that, I think I’ll actually be able to hear them scream,” she teased.

He smiled awkwardly and handed them over to her. She took them and headed towards the kitchen. He just stood at the door and didn’t move. She turned around and looked at him.

“You gonna stay out there?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No. I mean, unless you want me to,” he said, cautiously taking one step into her house, and stopping.

She walked back over to him and put the flowers on the hall table. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked at him.

“Jason, relax. You’re acting all weird,” she said, trying to calm him.

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do everything right this time.”

“I noticed. But you’re making me nervous. Just be…Jason. Okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled, feeling slightly more at ease.

She smiled back at him, and picked up the flowers again.

“I’m gonna put these in some water.” She walked towards the kitchen, and this time he followed distantly behind her. “Where are we going?” She asked over her shoulder.

“Um, dinner?” He offered, realizing he didn’t actually have much of a plan. He had been so focused on the fact she said she would go out with him again, that he forgot to think about where to take her exactly.

“Sounds good. I’m starving,” she smiled as she grabbed a vase and filled it with water. She put the flowers into it and arranged them.

“I was thinking maybe we could go to this seafood place near the waterfront,” Jason offered. She looked up at him and crinkled her nose. “Except, you apparently hate seafood,” he said, noticing her expression.

“I don’t hate it. I just don’t like to eat it,” she said sheepishly.

“Alright. Well, we could go somewhere else. How about that French restaurant on Main?”

“Do you have a reservation?”

“No.”

“Well, then we’ll never get in there,” she explained.

Jason watched as the whole evening dissolved in front of his eyes.

“How about that Italian place near the mall?” He croaked out softly.

“Again, reservations.”

Jason realized he was probably the worst date that she had ever had. Again. And they hadn’t even gone anywhere yet. She saw his unhappy expression and she went over to him.

“I don’t care where we go, Jason. Anything that doesn’t involve evil friends or the apocalypse is a great evening out for Stephanie. Trust me,” she reassured him.

“I should have planned better. I didn’t realize you didn’t like seafood.”

“Well, now you do. It doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said with a smile as she took his hand and pulled him towards the front door.

She called upstairs to her sister.

“I’ll be back later, Melissa!”

Melissa peered around the corner.

“I won’t wait up.”

“Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

“I won’t. I’m just going to invite a few hundred friends over for a party.”

“Very funny.”

“Have fun. Don’t forget to practice safe sex!”

“Oh my God, Melissa shut up!” She gave her a death glare. “I’m gonna kill you.”

Melissa just laughed and disappeared around the corner again.

Stephanie grabbed her jacket off the hook by the door and they went outside.

“Your sister is funny,” he remarked with a grin.

“Yeah, real funny,” she groaned.

“So where should we go? Since all of my ideas went up in smoke,” he asked her.

“I don’t know. I think there’s a carnival down at the park. Why don’t we just go there? I haven’t had any juvenile fun in a long time,” she smiled at him.

“What about dinner?”

“You can buy me a corn dog,” she shrugged.

“A corn dog? I sort of had something fancier in mind,” he said disappointed.

“It doesn’t have to be fancy to impress me. I’m not much for those frilly restaurants. I never know which fork to use. I end up feeling like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman,” she told him.

“Pretty Woman?”

“Yeah, you know? They go to the restaurant and she ends up launching that snail across the room? That would so be me. Except the whole plate would probably end up in my lap,” she laughed.

“So you’re not an escargot kind of girl?” He smiled.

“Nope. I’m more the corndog and Slushy girl.”

“Well, if that’s what you like,” he was skeptical. “But I just assumed after our last outing of pizza, beer and a video, you’d prefer to be wined and dined a little.”

She looked at him thoughtfully, “honestly, I’m quite easy to please.”

“Yeah? Well, could’ve fooled me,” he said with a laugh. “Mostly I find you very—”

“Bitchy?”

“I was going to say difficult, but bitchy works too,” he admitted with a smirk.

“Look, I’m really sorry about the way I acted. It’s just, you bugged me and I didn’t want to like you,” she tried to explain.

“Why not? Am I that despicable?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It’s just you’re not like any guy I’ve ever dated. I mean, you’ve got the grungy thing going on. And the tattoos and the long hair…it’s just not my type.”

“Please don’t ask me to cut my hair.” He could already hear the shit he’d have to take from Shooter over that one.

“I’m not asking you to do anything. I was just telling you why.”

“So you were afraid you couldn’t bring me home to Mom?”

“Well, no, because my mom is dead.”

“I didn’t mean to mention your mom,” he instantly felt horrible. “Shit. This evening is going great already. Bring up the dead mom. That’s a great mood setter,” he muttered.

She saw that he felt badly and tried to put him at ease. “It’s fine, really. But hey, if you’re me, you never know if she might pop back for a visit just to tell me that I should be dating a nice rich doctor.”

“Does she do that? You know, pop by?” He suddenly wondered.

“No, she doesn’t,” she said softly, not real eager to talk about this again. “So, should we get going, or what?”

“Yeah. I borrowed Shooter’s van. Thought that might be more comfortable for you than the bike.”

“Okay, sounds cool. I did spend forty five minutes curling my hair, so at least I won’t have to worry about wind damage now.”

He smiled at her, “you do look really pretty, by the way.”

“Thanks. You look nice too. Your clothes aren’t ripped. It’s a good look.”

He grinned and ushered her to the van. He opened the door for her and she climbed in. Once he got into the drivers seat he noticed the marijuana leaf air freshener dangling from the rear view mirror. She already thought he was on drugs all the time, she didn’t need to see that. He quickly snatched it down and tossed it into the back of the van.

“What was that?” She asked, not having seen it before he tossed it.

“Nothing, just some crap of Shooter’s,” he told her. “So the carnival at the park?”

“Sure. It’ll be fun.”

As they drove off, she glanced over at him. “So, what about your parents? You’ve never told me about them.”

He shrugged slightly, “well, they’re still alive, if that’s what you mean.”

“Well that’s a good thing,” she laughed slightly. “Do they still live here?”

“Yeah. Well, kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“Well, they’re into this Bohemian type shit. They spend most of their time in an RV traveling. They don’t like to be tied down to one place too long,” he explained.

“So then they aren’t here?”

“Not at the moment. Which is probably a really good thing.”

“Yeah, it probably is,” she agreed. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have an older brother, Kenny. He’s in New York. We aren’t exactly close.”

“How come?”

“Well, for starters, he’s ten years older than me so we never really vibed, you know?” He told her. “And we are so opposite that it’s almost scary. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he’d been adopted. He was a straight A student, an overachiever. He’s a corporate lawyer now and a Republican. My parents are deeply shamed,” he laughed.

“They are?”

“Yeah, I’m actually the good son. That tells you what kind of family I come from,” he chuckled. “My parents still think it’s 1969. They met each other at a war protest and were married two weeks later. Someday you’re going to have to sit through that story. The best part is when they tell how Kenny was conceived in the back of my dad’s Volkswagen.”

“I can hardly wait to hear it,” she joked.

They got to the park and put the car in the lot. They got out and started walking towards the festivities. The lights from the ferris wheel shone brightly in the night sky. The noises of games being played and children running around permeated the night air. It had been a long time since either of them had been to a carnival.

“I remember going to this same carnival when I was in high school,” Stephanie remembered.

“Yeah? You went to Pinewood High right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I dropped out.”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me that before,” she reminded him.

“Right. I forgot,” he felt awkward. “But I did get my GED. So, you know, I’m not a total loser.”

She laughed and shook her head, “that’s a plus.”

“I really should spend more time showcasing my assets instead of my faults, huh?”

“It might help, yeah,” she nodded.

He suddenly realized that might be one of the reasons she hadn’t liked him. He tended to ramble on when he was nervous, and it was usually about something stupid and/or unflattering, like dropping out of high school. He needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut.

They entered the carnival midway and they walked past the various games. He looked over at her.

“How about I show you my incredible skills with a dartboard? I could win you that,” he pointed at a large purple stuffed bear hanging from one of the games.

“These games are fixed. You’ll never win that,” she shook her head.

“Watch me.”

Jason plunked down his money on the counter, and the grubby looking man behind the counter handed him three darts.

“Break all the balloons, get the bear. But you can’t break any of these balloons over here.” The man pointed to a spot on the game board. “If you break those, the game’s over. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Jason picked up his darts and began throwing them. His first two darts hit their targets and he was feeling mighty proud of himself. But then his last dart went into the so-called no man’s land and he popped the wrong balloon.

“Shit,” Jason deflated.

“I told you it was too hard to win,” Stephanie reminded him.

“Oh hell no. I’m gonna win.” He put more money down on the counter.

They stood there for ten minutes and she watched as he kept losing. But he was determined to get the damn bear, even if it killed him.

“Jason, come on. Forget the bear. It’s not that important,” she tugged at his arm.

“This time, I’ll do it,” he promised her. And finally delivered. He hit the last of the three targets. “Awesome! Hell yeah! Finally!”

The grubby man handed over the stuffed bear and he gave it to Stephanie.

“See, I kick ass at darts,” he said proudly. “Well, sort of anyway.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I won, though didn’t I?”

“Yeah. I mean this nice fifty cent bear only cost you like twenty-six bucks. So I’d say you made out like a bandit,” she teased him.

“Twenty-six bucks?”

“I was actually keeping count.”

“Damn. That’s an expensive piece of shit bear, isn’t it?”

“But it’s cute! Really, I like it. Thanks,” she assured him.

“Good, cause it was a bitch to win,” he laughed. “Hey, you still hungry? I see corn dogs and other food items on sticks.”

“Why does everything at a carnival have to be on a stick?” She wondered aloud.

“They even have something called ‘Lemonade on a Stick’,” he pointed to the sign.

“How does that even work? That’s like defying all laws of gravity or physics or something.”

“I think it’s frozen. Like a popsicle.”

“Then why not just call it a popsicle?”

“Because that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the carnival, now would it?” He remarked with a grin.

“Well, I think I’ll just take a good old corn dog. And maybe some fries.”

They walked up to the food stand and he ordered for them. They took their food and sat at a picnic table. They ate silently, taking in the sights and smells around them.

“So was it any good?” He asked as they finished their meal.

“Yummy. I haven’t had one of these in forever. Alison used to work at that place at the mall. You know, where they make you wear those humongous hats? We ate corn dogs all the time then. I got burnt out.”

“I’m sorry but, Alison worked at Hot Dog on a Stick?” He had to laugh.

“I don’t think she was proud of it or anything,” she laughed along with him.

“I just can’t picture her wearing that hat. Or bright colors, for that matter.”

“It was really funny, actually,” she remembered with a smile.

Then a tension filled the air. Stephanie realized that the friend she was remembering was the one who was now their enemy. There likely would be no more fond memories of Alison. Not unless they could somehow find her and stop all of this before it started. But she wasn’t really sure if they’d be able to do that or not.

“Maybe we should ride the ferris wheel?” He offered when he sensed the conversation had ventured to a bad place once again.

“Yeah, we should,” she agreed.

They walked over to the ticket booth and bought a string of tickets. They then headed over towards the ride. They gave the man their tickets, and he directed them to the waiting car. They sat down and pulled the lap bar into place. Within moments, the wheel began to turn. They sat there in silence for awhile, each of them taking in the view and the calming motion of the rotation.

Jason was still in awe that he finally seemed to get through to Stephanie and that maybe she might actually be warming up to him. He really didn’t understand why he’d been pursuing her so relentlessly. Shooter had been right when he said there were plenty of other girls. Jason was no stranger to women and knew that just about any night of the week, he could have a different one. Being in a band made him a local celebrity of sorts. And chicks always dug the lead singer.

But he was never really into that. Not that he hadn’t taken home a few girls he that he wished he hadn’t. But for the most part, he preferred to be with just one. One special one. He thought Stephanie could be that. He really wasn’t sure why. She’d given him so much shit since they met, he should have just cut his losses and moved on. But she was a challenge. Something that the mindless bimbo’s at the club never were. She also intrigued him. He knew now that she had told him she was psychic so he’d freak and go away. But at the time, he thought it was the bravest thing he’d ever seen when she told him. Plus he thought it was super cool to actually know someone with a talent like that. He wished he could read people’s minds too. Especially now with her. He’d give anything to know what she was thinking right now.

“This is cool,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah. It’s so peaceful up here.”

They had stopped at the top and were now waiting for other people to get on and off.

“It kind of sucks to know that all of this might be ending soon.” He couldn’t help but think of what was about to happen. Even if it wasn’t suitable date talk.

She looked at him and sighed, “it really does suck. None of these people know anything. They all think everything is normal. I wish I was one of them.”

“No you don’t. Wouldn’t you rather know?”

She shook her head, “no. I’d rather be oblivious.”

“Why?”

“What’s the use in knowing something like that if there’s nothing you can do?”

“There might be something we can do. Isn’t Jax working on it?”

“I guess. Yeah. But my whole life I’ve seen things before they happened. And a lot of the times, I still couldn’t change them. Even when they were bad.”

“Like what?” He wondered if she’d known about her mom, but was definitely not going to be the one to bring that up again.

“Well, I knew my father was sleeping with his secretary. And that he didn’t love my mother. And that he thought me and Melissa were burdens. And that he was going to leave us,” she informed him. “And I was only ten when I saw most of this stuff.” She added. “And if I could go back and not know about it, I would.”

“That must have been rough,” he admitted.

“It was. Every time he would hug me or kiss me goodnight, I’d be able to see what he was really feeling and planning. A kid doesn’t need to know that stuff.”

“I guess not.” He needed to shift this conversation again quickly. Things were taking a nosedive. “But I bet there are some cool things you can do with that little gift. It can’t all be bad, right?”

“No, not all of it’s bad. I did once help the police solve a crime.”

“What? Get out! You did?” He was impressed.

“Kind of.”

“Tell me about this. I’ve heard about this stuff on TV but I didn’t know the police actually used psychics.”

“Well, they do sometimes. But that’s not really how this happened,” she explained. “I was on this nature hike. This guy I used to date was a real nature freak. Anyway, we were hiking and we stumbled onto this spot. It was by this big rock where a lot of people would stop and rest before moving on. Well, I sat down and all of a sudden it just hit me. Bam! This vision came on so strong. I saw this little girl who’d been hiking with her family, but she got separated from them. She was around five or so. And this man came up to her and told her that he’d help her find her parents.”

“But he didn’t. Did he?” Jason asked.

“No. He didn’t. He dragged her off to this secluded spot…and well, you can guess the rest,” she added uncomfortably. “But I did manage to see where he’d buried the body. I called the police and left an anonymous tip. I gave them a description of the guy I saw and told them where he’d left her. I was afraid they wouldn’t take it seriously, but apparently the case had grown stale months before so they were checking out everything even if it seemed ridiculous.”

“And they actually found her?”

“Yeah, they did. She’d been missing for almost a year. They combed those woods for weeks, but never found anything except one of her shoes. Her name was Amber Fox. I read about it in the papers afterward.” She recalled. “Using my description and DNA evidence he’d left behind, they arrested a man for the crime. He’d done it before too. But now he won’t be doing it again.”

“Thanks to you.”

“Yeah, I guess. It was so awful that I saw what happened to her. I mean, I saw it and felt it all. I had nightmares for weeks. But I guess the fact that what I saw actually helped someone, it was worth it. It gave her family some closure.”

At this point, the ride had brought them back to the bottom and it was time to get off. The stepped off and began walking down the rest of the midway.

“So, have you always been this way? You know, psychic?” Jason asked curiously.

“Yeah, I guess. For as long as I can remember anyway. When I was really little, I used to have imaginary friends. Only they weren’t really imaginary because I could actually see them. Turns out they were dead people. But I didn’t know that. My mom just thought it was cute that I was always talking to these ‘friends’. By the time I was seven, I realized that no one else could see them. Until then, I honestly hadn’t known.”

“So did that like totally freak you out when you realized?”

“Yeah, a lot actually. I tried to tell my mom a few times but she just told me I was imagining things and should stop telling stories. At first I believed her, and thought maybe I really did imagine all the stuff I saw. But then, I knew it was real and just figured I was crazy. It took a long time before I actually accepted the way I was.”

“I wish I had something cool like that about me.”

“You do. You can sing. And that’s definitely not one of my strongest points,” she laughed.

“So you won’t be offering up any duets with me or anything?” He joked.

“Um, no,” she shook her head. “I’m like one of those poor saps on American Idol, where they sing their hearts out and the room is just deadly quiet and then Simon says ‘That was absolutely ghastly!’ and then I run crying from the room.”

“Well, I won’t take you to Harold’s Karaoke Bar any time soon then.”

“You’d better not because I’d have to kill you.”

“Look! It’s the Haunted House. Should we go in?” Jason asked as he pointed to the attraction.

“I’m thinking no. I see enough of that stuff all the time,” she declined. “Speaking of haunted houses…seen anything lately?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything else. I think your little cleansing helped. Maybe that’s a good sign? Maybe all this other crap is just that. Crap,” he suggested hopefully.

“I wish I could say you’re right, but I really don’t think so,” she sighed. “That was another thing I was going to tell you tonight. Remember when I said I had something more to tell you?”

“Yeah, what was it? Is it bad?”

“If by bad you mean the worst possible scenario that could ever happen, then yes. It’s bad.”

“Well, what is it? I can handle it,” he said bravely.

“You can’t handle this, Jason. No one can. But I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes version. Basically, there are some kind of dimensional walls separating Heaven and Hell. Apparently, those walls are weakening, and Alison is going to do some kind of ritual to break them down completely. This would result in the standard Hell on Earth that we’ve heard about. But also it means that people in Heaven come back to Earth.”

“Whoa. But isn’t that kind of a good thing? They won’t be dead?”

“No, it doesn’t mean that. They come back here along with all the demons and other nasty things down in Hell. So even if we die, we don’t go anywhere. We stay trapped here forever. Tormented and miserable. There’s no where left to go because even in dying you aren’t safe,” she clarified. “That’s why that spirit at your house was afraid. They’re being torn out of Heaven and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“That doesn’t sound pleasant. It’s like being evicted, only much scarier.”

“Much, much scarier,” she agreed.

“So this Trinity thing? Did he figure that out?”

“Not really, other than it’s three people that should not exist yet they roam. Or something like that. I really didn’t understand it. But it sounded like they’re already dead.”

“If they’re dead, maybe they don’t get here to save the day until the walls come down? Maybe they can’t prevent it, but they can fix it?” Jason proposed.

“You could be right. But I hope they get here before that because I’m really not excited to see what kinds of things are lurking in Hell.”

“Me neither.”

For a few moments they were silent, taking in the magnitude of the situation. Logically they both realized it was odd of them to be on this date in the first place. And not just because it was with each other, but because they were trying to pretend that they were just two regular people out for a regular evening, when in fact they knew this terrible secret. The world might be ending tomorrow for all they knew. Jason supposed that they were just trying to enjoy what little time they might have left.

Around midnight, they decided to call it an evening. They’d ridden almost all the rides and Jason spent the rest of his cash trying to win another stuffed animal, just to prove once again that he could do it. It had been a pleasant evening, Stephanie had to admit as he walked her up to her house.

“I had a nice time,” she said.

“Really? Me too,” he agreed with a smile.

“Thanks for the gifts.” She held up the purple bear and the smaller pink cat that he had won for her.

“No problem.”

They stared at each other, neither one sure what to do next. This was always the most awkward part of any evening. Jason didn’t know whether he should try to kiss her again or not. Their other two dates ended with her just leaving him and not looking back. He never even got a chance to make a move. And if he had, she’d probably of smacked him. This time was different. He tried to read her, but she wasn’t giving anything away.

“So I guess I should get going, huh?” He offered.

“Yeah, it’s late.”

“Okay then. I’ll see you later.”

He turned around reluctantly and started heading down the steps. She watched him walking away and felt something stir inside of her. She couldn’t believe he was just going to leave. She set the stuffed animals down and called after him.

“Jason?”

He turned around and looked at her. “Yeah?”

Before she could stop herself she’d walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him quickly and pulled back.

“I just wanted you to know that tonight didn’t suck,” she smiled.

“Yeah? You thought it would?” He wondered with a smirk.

“Sort of. But it was okay.”

“Just okay?” He leaned over and kissed her again softly.

She smiled, “well, until now. I’m liking this part.”

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his, this time a little more powerfully. He pulled her closer and things began to heat up a bit. He pushed her back against her front porch as his hands tangled in her hair. He kissed her neck and she smiled. Her eyes fluttered open and suddenly grew wide. She pushed him back.

“Stop,” she whispered quickly.

“What? Did I do something wrong?”

“There’s someone watching us,” she told him.

He turned around and saw a woman standing across the street, staring blankly in their direction.

“Looks like someone needs to get a life,” he laughed.

She took his hand. “Why don’t we go inside? I don’t like being stared at,” she said uneasily.

He followed her back up the steps and she gathered up her things. She unlocked the door and went inside. Before entering, Jason looked back over his shoulder and saw that the woman was now gone. That seemed strange to him and he stood there for a moment, puzzled.

“Are you coming in, or not?” She asked impatiently.

He turned around again and walked through the door.

“Now where were we?” She asked slyly and she pulled him towards her again.

“Was she a neighbor of yours?” He asked curiously.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before.” She tried to kiss him again.

He pulled back, “don’t you think it’s strange that she was out so late? And that she was just staring at us like that?”

She groaned and stepped back from him. Glaring she asked, “is this what you want to do? Talk about my wacky insomniac voyeuristic neighbor?”

He suddenly realized that this girl he’d been chasing for months was now all over him. And he was ruining it by being freaked over some stupid woman who had nothing better to do than stare at people.

“Sorry. No, believe me, I’d much rather be doing this.” He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her passionately once again.

They backed into the living room, trying to find the couch without actually looking for it. Neither one of them could see in the dark. Jason backed into the coffee table and they lost their balance and landed on the floor with a thud.

“Ouch! Why do we keep doing this?” Stephanie laughed softly, praying Melissa hadn’t woken up.

“I could come up with something really cliché like being head over heels for each other, but I think mostly I’m just a clumsy jackass,” he chuckled as he brushed her hair out of her face. “But I do think that I’m falling for—”

“Oh my God!” She interrupted him as she shoved him away with a panicked look on her face.

“What?” He was confused. And also relieved that he didn’t finish that sentence if this was going to be her reaction.

“That woman. She’s here,” she told him hurriedly as she pointed.

He turned and saw the same face staring directly at them.

“How the hell did you get in here? Are you retarded or something?” He asked angrily.

“Stop Jason.” Stephanie tugged at his sleeve. “She’s not retarded. She’s dead.”

“What?”

“She’s dead. S-she’s a ghost.”

He turned his head and studied the woman. She didn’t look dead. Not like the little girl or the old woman at his house.

“Are you sure?” He asked unconvinced.

“Yes, I’m sure,” she nodded. Then to the woman, “why are you here?”

“You’re our only hope,” the woman whispered softly.

“Who me? Me the only hope? I-I don’t think so,” Stephanie protested.

“You can stop her. Time is running out. The night of the blood moon, it will begin,” she announced.

“What’s a blood moon?” Jason asked.

The woman then vanished as quickly as she appeared. Jason shook his head.

“That was bizarre. Blood moon? And why didn’t she look all ghostlike?” He wanted to know.

“Because the walls are breaking down. It’s getting easier for them to cross over,” she explained. Then she looked at him. “What did she mean I’m the only hope? I can’t be the only hope. I’m completely devoid of hope. I’m hopeless.”

“Maybe she didn’t mean you personally?” He suggested.

“Maybe she meant you?” She looked at him pointedly.

“Me?” He laughed. “I think not.”

“Well, she meant one of us, didn’t she?”

“Maybe she meant me?” Melissa offered as she emerged from the shadows and turned on the light.

“Ahh!” Stephanie jumped. “What are you doing down here? Spying on me?”

“I was sleeping. On the couch. You guys woke me up with your kissy noises and clumsiness,” Melissa informed them.

“You were here? The whole time? Why didn’t you say something?” Stephanie was mortified.

“I didn’t have a chance,” Melissa shrugged. Then, “So do you think she was talking about me?” She asked.

“No. Why would she be talking about you?” Stephanie scoffed.

“What? I’m not capable of being a hope? If you’re capable, then I’m definitely capable,” she argued defensively.

“I never said I was capable. In fact, I said I wasn’t.”

“Well, she was talking about someone in this room, wasn’t she?” Melissa reminded her.

“Um, maybe I should leave now,” Jason interrupted the sisterly debate.

“You don’t have to leave.”

“Yeah, I really should.”

“No, I’ll leave,” Melissa said as she angrily grabbed her pillow and blanket off the couch.

“Melissa…” Stephanie uttered in exasperation.

“What?”

“Don’t be pissed at me.”

“I’m not,” She insisted. Then she added softly, “I’m scared.”

Stephanie’s look softened and she went over to her sister. She pulled her into a hug.

“I don’t want the world to end.” Melissa tried to fight back her tears.

“I don’t either.” She smoothed her hair comfortingly. It was the only comfort she could really offer.

Jason felt awkward once again, and wished he could say something useful.

“We aren’t going to let the world end,” he spoke up, knowing it was likely an empty declaration. But it was the only thing he could think to say.

“Do you know how to stop it?” Melissa asked.

“Not yet. But we’ll figure it out,” he assured her. “For whatever reason, someone out there seems to think we can do this. Now I don’t know if it’s me or Steph or you or whatever. But these people are coming to us. So we’ll just have to figure it out.”

Stephanie released Melissa and sat down in a chair. She hung her head in her hands.

“I think it’s me. I’m the one who’s supposed to stop this, and here I am making jokes and going on dates like everything is normal. I-I’m not doing a damn thing except hoping it’ll all just go away. I suck.”

“How do figure it’s you? A moment ago you were convinced otherwise,” Jason recalled.

“I just didn’t want it to be me. But I had another dream. My mom said it was up to me to stop this. And now this person says I’m the only hope. They’re talking about me.”

“You saw Mom in a dream? Was it really her? Why didn’t you tell me?” Melissa asked.

“Because. I didn’t actually see her; I heard her. And I wasn’t sure it was really her. I thought maybe I just imagined that part because I needed her right now. But maybe it really was her talking to me.”

“Did she tell you how to stop this?” Melissa asked.

“No. She said I’d figure it out. But Alison is my best friend. Or was. Logically, I should be trying to find her and talk some sense into her. And I’ve done nothing,” she confessed.

“We don’t even know where to start looking for her.”

Stephanie looked at them both seriously. “I think I do.”

[Part Six]