Moonrise - 3 - A Secret

Mary Cavaliere had a secret.

Actually, she had a lot of secrets, not the least of which was that her name wasn't Mary. Her name was Mariah and she was living in Evergreen Harbor, in hiding, because she'd testified against crime boss Nick Alto.

On the whole, she was finding that life in hiding wasn't all that bad. Sure, she had to work a boring sales clerk job at S-Mart, but she'd done far worse things to earn money in her young life. They weren't rich, but they had enough to pay rent and get by on. Above all, they were a 'they.' She was getting to live a fairly quiet life with the woman she loved. Really, it had actually let her set aside so many of the secrets she carried.

Unfortunately, it had led to the embarrassing secret she was currently hiding. 

It had started weeks ago, when she'd gotten off an early shift. Home alone, and unsure what to do with herself, she'd found herself poking at the TV. She had no idea what had possessed her. Curiosity? Perversity? Insanity? Whatever it had been, she was totally hooked now. 

Not for the first time since that fateful day, her shift had ended early enough for to race home and indulge in her secret vice. 

If anyone ever found out that 'Riah B - all around tough girl, ex-gangster and sometime spy -  was a total KPop Demon Hunters fan, she'd never live it down.

But no one knew. No one knew that she watched the movie every chance she got. No one knew that she knew the words to every single song (even the ones in Korean). Absolutely no one knew she always... always... cried during the final, climactic musical battle.

Or that she couldn't help but sing along. 

[Golden - Huntrix, music video]

"I'm done hidin', now I'm shinin'," she sang, and if she was off key, there was no one there to care. "Like I'm born to be."

"We're dreaming hard, we came so far," a beautiful, perfectly pitched voice joined in.

"GAH!" Mariah gasped, leaping to her feet, mortified.

"Sorry," Miranda laughed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I didn't... I wasn't... I was just..." Mariah stammered. "Porco cane! I thought you were at yoga class."

"I was," Miranda said. "We finished early. I really am sorry."

"OK... it's OK," Mariah said, taking a deep breath. "It's nothing. I was just... someone at work suggested this silly movie and I was just..."

"Singing along," Miranda finished.

"I... ummm," Mariah stammered.

"Well, I... ow," Miranda flinched, her hand jumping to her side.

"What? What's wrong?" Mariah's hands practically flew to her wife's side. "Are you alright? Is it hot? Swollen?"

The Alto Family hadn't taken Mariah testifying lightly. She'd broken the Code of Silence and, within the criminal Families, there was no higher offense. When their killers had caught her, it had been Miranda who'd taken a knife. Mariah could still feel her wife's bright red blood, hot and sticky, flowing between her fingers as she'd desperately tried to save her.

"I'm fine," Miranda said, reassuringly. "It's healed. The muscles are still a little weak and I overdid it at yoga. That's why I came home early."

"OK... OK, I just..." Mariah took a deep breath.  "I mean, you could have died!"

"Hey, immortal witch here," Miranda smiled fiercely. "It takes more that some bitch gangster with a knife to kill me."

"Liar," Mariah countered. "Gwen told me... you don't get old, and you hardly get sick, but she was very clear. Accident or injury, or some putana with a knife, can still kill you."

"Well, she didn't," Miranda said soothingly. "I'm fine. Just a little sore." 

"I can't lose you," Mariah breathed. 

"Immortal witch. You will never lose me," Miranda said, a hint of sadness hiding deep in her eyes. 

"OK, good," Mariah sighed.

It was something they had both quietly agreed not to talk about. Miranda would never grow old. Mariah would. Someday, hopefully years from now but someday, it would be Miranda who lost the woman she loved. They both knew it. They both put it aside.

"Now, let's talk about this movie," Miranda said lightly, pulling her wife back down onto the couch. 

"Oh God, I just..." Mariah said.

"I like it," Miranda said.

"You've seen it?" Mariah blinked.

"A movie about a trio of KPop singers, with magical powers, who fight demons," Miranda laughed. "Of course I've seen it. It's great." 

"Yeah, it is." Mariah felt her enthusiasm threatening to break through. "I mean, it's OK."

"Oh come on," Miranda laughed. "You love it... and you're allowed to like it."

"I mean, it's..." Mariah stammered. 

"Not exactly on brand?" Miranda teased. "Sure, for tough girl Mariah... but maybe it is for Mary Cavaliere. Maybe Mary Cavaliere loves KPop and musicals. Maybe she even sings!"

"OK, maybe she does," Mariah laughed. "What would her wife Mandy think of that?"

"Oh, I think Mandy thinks Mary is a total nerd," Miranda grinned. 

Without warning, Miranda leaning in and starting tickling her. Mariah squealed, amazed as she always was, at how this strange, beautiful woman completely disarmed her. 

"Stop, stop," she laughed.

"It's one of the many things Mandy loves about Mary," Miranda, or Mandy Cavaliere as she was now, smiled.

"So, how was Mandy's day otherwise?" Mariah, or Mary, asked as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Fine," Mandy smiled, "Except I think someone stole my spare towel out of my locker at the community center."

"Really?" Mary chuckled. "Lame."

"So, wanna watch this movie again?" Mandy grinned.

-----------------------

Author's Note

Yes, like Mariah, I am a KPop Demon Hunters fan. I do sing along and I do cry during the final song. The first time I saw that movie, like Mariah, I was just looking for something watch, decided "what the heck?" and I fell in love with it. More, I knew Mariah would be a fan of it despite it being "not on brand" for her. So, it had to exist in the Wyrd'verse. :)

If you haven't seen it, KPop Demon Hunters is on Netflix and a soundtrack playlist is on YouTube. 

Anyway, I had wanted to include elements of this story as a chapter in In Shadow, to show what M&M were up to, but I just couldn't find a way to make it fit. This short story actually takes place sometime before the events of In Shadow - Ch 32 - The War Goes On. The missing towel Mandy mentions was taken by Jake Volkov, for use in Etta's folk charm that misdirected Max V's occult henchmen (which can be seen in one of the flashbacks in that chapter).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed checking in with M&M as much as I did.

Mary and Mandy Cavaliere will return. 

Moonrise - 2 - Changes

Etta Blackwood stood alone, watching the evening sunlight dance on the water, and thought about changing her life.

She could smell the rich autumn scents of the Moonwood, with the peaty smell of old leaves and the sharp bite of evergreens. She could feel the stirring breeze that rustled through the branches, the wind whispering secrets to the ancient trees and kicking up the waves on the water. She could feel the cool spray of wind-carried water against her skin. 

Almost, almost, she could feel the magic in the earth, the air and the water. She knew she shouldn't. Her Power had been ripped away by the Council's justice, punishment for her crimes. She should be blind to the currents of magic in the world, but there was so much magic in the ancient Moonwood, even blinded, she could still see.

She wondered sometimes if exiling her here where she could almost, but not quite, touch the magic that was her birthright had been a kindness or another, subtler punishment.

"You asked to see me." The woman's voice, cool as the wind on the water, interrupted Etta's thoughts. Etta hadn't heard anyone approach, for the simple reason that the woman hadn't. She was simply there, at Etta's side, as if she had always been there. 

Tall and graceful, ageless and wise, her hair like woven sunlight, her eyes the violet of gathering twilight, Gwen Silveroak was almost painfully beautiful. Here, in a town of werewolves, she made no effort to conceal the sharply pointed ears that marked her as one of the true alfar, the timeless immortals of the Magic Realm. If the Fairy Queen stepped from the pages of a child's storybook, she might look like Gwen.

Etta pushed down the terror that rose inside her in the presence of the Elder Guardian of Glimmerbrook. She remembered the words of another story - you must never run from anything immortal.

"I did," Etta replied, forcing herself to remain calm, to show no fear. "I am pleased you came."

Gwen smiled at the antique courtesy. To thank the elven-folk directly had once been an unpardonable breach of etiquette. It was a nicety few remembered or enforced, but Etta was determined to avoid giving even half-forgotten offense. This was too important.

"You said once that you could restore my powers," Etta said after a moment. There was no reason to dance around the issue. 

"I did," Gwen agreed. "You refused. In fact, you begged me not to restore that which the Council had taken." 

"I remember," Etta nodded.

"Do you remember why?" Gwen asked mildly.

"My magic... the magic my father taught me... is dangerous," Etta said. "He raised me to hate and fear the alfar, the Old Families and the Witches' Council. He said that they are tyrants who hoarded the deeper secrets of magic for themselves... yourselves... to keep dominion over the world. He trained me to be a weapon against the Council. His weapon. All my magic was bent to that purpose."

"I should mention to Uncle Simeon that he has dominion over the world," Gwen mused, more than half to herself. "I imagine the very notion would send him to his bed in sheer horror. Magic is neither good nor evil. It is a thing of nature, like fire... and like fire it can be used to create or destroy," she added, returning her focus to Etta.

"It is easier to destroy," Etta said. "I was taught to destroy." 

"You were taught fear," Gwen said in disagreement. "To use fear, yes, but more, you were taught to fear. You fear the Council. You fear your father. You fear me. You fear yourself."

"Yes," Etta whispered.

"Why do wish to have your powers restored now?" Gwen asked. "What has changed?"

"The world has changed," Etta replied. "I'm not a werewolf, but I work with the Wildfang pack now. We patrol the outer boundaries of the Moonwood and beyond. I've seen the dangers growing. The Dark Court seems to be in disarray, but they are growing stronger... and they aren't alone. There are other things moving in the shadows. Something is taking shape in the Dark, something great and terrible. I... I want to help. I want to protect. I need my powers back."

"Do you?" Gwen asked. "You have a brilliant mind and a grasp of magical theory that rivals most magisters. You have the imagination and ingenuity to put that knowledge to use. The Council took your Power, and in its place you have made yourself into a formidable hedge witch."

"I'm... I'm blundering around in the dark," Etta cried. "I'm a blinded artist trying to paint. A deafened musician trying to play a concerto by rote memory and dreams."

"And you have achieved wonders," Gwen said calmly. "So, I ask again - Why do wish to have your powers restored now? Or perhaps I should ask - who wishes to have her power restored? Does Etta Blackwood ask for the power to protect, to do good. Or does Claudette Faust, daughter of darkest magic, ask to regain the magic that is her birthright? Who are you really?"

"I don't know," Etta whispered. "God help me, I don't know."

Gwen turned and looked out over the water, over the Moonwood. Perhaps, Etta thought, she turned her Seer's eyes to the future, to the Inevitable Moments Etta knew were gathering like a storm, just beyond the horizon.

"Summon me again when you do," Gwen said with a sad smile.

---------------

"She's right, Lux," Etta moaned.

After Gwen had vanished, Etta had walked the paths of the Moonwood alone for a long time. It had been dark when she'd finally reached the Wildfangs' old trailer and had tried her best to explain her meeting with Gwen to her friend and partner.

"I don't know the answer," Etta continued. "Am I really Etta, or am I still Claudette? Sometimes I do catch myself thinking of my witchcraft as a birthright... as something the wicked Council took from me. I know why they did it... why I let them do it. I misused my powers. I hurt people... betrayed my friends. I thought that I couldn't be trusted with those powers... but I've wanted them back. Every. Single. Day."

"So, who am I, Lux?" She sighed. "Am I really Etta? Or am I Claudette, just pretending to Etta?"

The tawny-haired woman gave her an odd look. Slowly, she stood up and gave Etta another slow, considering look, as if studying her from head to toe. Finally, she smiled.

"You're a big dummy," Lux Demarco said with a smile.

"Oh thanks," Etta groaned. "I knew I could count on you."

"Etta, I'm a werewolf, " Lux said firmly. "At least once a month, I lose control and become a Wolf rampaging though the woods, a danger to anyone in my path. The truth is I am always at some risk of losing control. It takes constant work to keep my balance.... the balance between Lux Demarco and the Wolf, because I am both, at the same time, always.

"So, have you ever considered that you, Claudette 'Etta' Blackwood, are both, at the same time?" Lux concluded.

"You're right. I'm a big dummy," Etta groaned.

"Yeah but at least you're cute," Lux smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

Etta Blackwood stood with Lux, this strange, wild woman who knew all her secrets and somehow still welcomed her, allowing her to be best friend and lover. They stood together watching the firelight dance, and Etta thought about changing her life.

Moonrise - 1 - Rising Star

'Cause I've been battered and bruised

Been lied to and used

but now I'm rising...

 - Rising Star by Cassie Goth

Corrie couldn't get the song out of her head, but she was OK with that. Cassie's words spiraled through her head, heartfelt advice from a friend she still hadn't quite met yet (though Jenny had promised to introduce them).

As she walked into the studio, she was surprised by how calm she felt.

This was it. She was here, at last. After the auditions and rehearsals. After George's lies and abuse. After escaping home and running away to the city. 

... been battered and bruised / Been lied to and used

I'm rising, she sang along in her head.

"Umm... hi, Mr. Chavarrin. Sir. I'm here... for the shoot. I'm Corrie... you... remember... I... umm... hi," Corrie stammered, knowing she sounded like a complete idiot and totally unable to stop the flood of words tumbling from her mouth.

"Hi, Corrie." The skinny dark-skinned director smiled soothingly, with all the grace of a man who had spent many years shepherding nervous young actors. "Good to see you. You didn't have any trouble finding us."

"No. No trouble, sir. I just followed your directions," Corrie said, with a deep breath.

"Well, just keep that up," Mr. Chavarrin chuckled. "I need to talk with Alex here about getting the sound set up. Why don't you grab a bite to eat and then get into costume. We'll call you when we're ready for you."

Through the dark of night

Try as they might

I kept shining 

Now I'm rising... 

"Corrie, come on over here," the director called at last.

"I'm here." Corrie dashed to his side. "I'm ready. I was just going over my lines."

"Good, that's good," Mr. Chavarrin smiled.

"I was thinking... about my character, about how maybe she's just really happy to be there. How she feels free and... it's silly. I'm sorry," Corrie blushed.

"You know what... I like it. Go with that," Mr. Chavarrin said, a little surprised with himself for getting caught up in her enthusiasm.

"Really?!" Corrie beamed.

"Really," the director laughed. "Show me that freedom. Let's do a run through."

"Quiet on the set."

Corrie took a final deep breath, settling herself into the moment. All her fears seemed to evaporate under the heat of the studio lights. 

Now I'm rising... 

"Camera... and rolling!"

With a cheerful grin, she threw herself into her part.

"Aaar yea sick o' grime and mess when y'er swabbin' the deck?

"Thar be one cleaner that'll blow yea down!

"That be Salty Sudds, me hearties!"

"... and cut!" Mr Chavarrin shouted out. "Perfect. That was fantastic."

Looking out over the studio, seeing all the eyes on her, Corrie smiled.

I'm going to be a star, she thought to herself.

'Cause I've been battered and bruised

Been lied to and used

but now I'm a rising star!

In Shadow - Afterword

There you have it - In Shadow. 

I have to admit, I'm not entirely happy with it, but there it is.

In Shadow has its roots in the final chapter of College Years, where Miranda has a vision of her future life with Mariah. I actually put some thought into the course of their life together. One thing seemed obvious... Mariah having testified against the Alto Family had to come back to bite her, and the young couple would end up living in hiding. I thought it would be a great opportunity to give the "sidekicks" a chance to take the main stage. So the core idea of In Shadow was born...

I knew I wanted to feature Genie and Jenny, and that they had the potential to be a great team. Unfortunately, I didn't really know what the story was going to be. 

I contented myself at first with the short stories Lobo's Den and A Tartosan Wedding, both of which were intended to re-introduce, or introduce, readers to our main characters and kind of sum up all that had come before. (I really wanted In Shadow to be accessible to new readers.) 

Still, I couldn't stall forever. I went through several ideas before settling on Genie trying to help her friends by investigating the Altos.

Orange was actually a late addition to the cast. I had decided the ladies need a male supporting character who would be supporting without taking over. At first I considered making a new character, as a potential love interest for Genie. Then I remembered Orange and his little teaser moment from Lobo's Den. So I decided to include him.

That was probably my first mistake. 

My second was George T. 

George has been lurking in the darkest corners of the Wyrd Tales since before I started writing my first story, back when this was just me playing the Sims with Gwen and Cassie. For reasons probably better not examined, his major claim to fame was sexually assaulting Cassie on New Years Eve of her final year at university (and then being set on fire). He has remained in the background ever since, never taking the stage or even appearing except for a brief cameo and mention in Raven's Apprentice. (He actually, entirely autonomously, stalked teen Cassie during my setup playthrough for Raven's Apprentice.) 

I have, several times, wanted to tell their story, but never felt comfortable doing so because it always felt too dark. I have hinted at it, alluded to it, but never directly addressed it. I honestly didn't plan to here. I just wanted a gangster to fill out scenes involving the Alto family. So, put him into the background, intending him to stay there, as an underboss working for Marco. I gave him a henchman and a girlfriend (who I deliberately modeled on Cassie, reflecting George's obvious obsession with her), but I assumed he'd stay in the background again.

To understand what happened next, you need to understand that I usually play each of my characters for a few sim-days before actually starting the story, just to get to know them. Well, I was playing Orange. He was out jogging and suddenly there was Corrie, George's girlfriend, looking sad. Orange being Orange, I knew he had to stop and ask what was wrong.

From that moment, I derailed my entire plan for In Shadow. A story that was supposed to be about Genie and Jenny taking on Marco and Max V became a story about rescuing Corrie from George, and confronting at last who George was and what he'd done. The dark story I'd been avoiding, I wouldn't avoid any more.

I consoled myself that, in the end, the bad guys lose. George would lose. How exactly he would lose went through as many different plans as any other part of the story. I feel rather pleased with his final fate. Gwen is terrifying sometimes.

Anyway, despite my going off the rails and not being completely happy with the results, I hope you enjoyed In Shadow.

Of course, you can't have missed that, epilogue notwithstanding, we ended on a cliffhanger with Axis, the Elderberrys, and Representative Friend (who, yes, is green). I'm already well into outlining the next story, tentatively entitled In Moonlight (because In Shadow, Part 2 is just a little too on the nose). It should deal with some of those threads left dangling and some of the original ideas behind In Shadow. 

My current plan is to take Thanksgiving week off. After that, I have a collection of single-chapter shorts that could be thought of as an extended series of "post credit scenes" to both resolve a few other dangling threads and to set up others for Moonlight. I expect to have those in December and into the new year.

Meanwhile, I plan to do some more outlining and planning in the (probably foolish) hope that I can keep In Moonlight on the rails. 

Genie Elderberry and her friends will return.

In Shadow - Ch 33 - Epilogue

Content Warning: misogyny, profanity 

George T sat alone in his cell.

Irongate Prison was in serious need a good decorator, he thought. The stone walls, cold and damp, were probably as old as the musty castle that had held prisoners of the Crown since before the royals had handed power over to the Republic. Modern justice had added a few homey touches, like running water, electric lights and new bars. 

George was looking forward to getting out and making every single person responsible for him being here pay. What was keeping his people, he wondered with a sigh.

Looking up, he was stunned to see two women stepping impossibly out of the shadows. For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating. Some flashback from when he'd been young and stupid enough to sample his own product.

Cassie Goth looked perfect. Was perfect. Her raven black hair framed her pale, beautiful face with her bottomless dark eyes and lush red lips. Her sleek black dress clung to her soft, flawless curves. She was a work of art. As he always did, he longed to possess her, to mark her, to damage that perfection in order to prove his ownership of her.

The woman next to her was white to Cassie's black. A tall, lean white taper that made his scars burn to look at. He knew ought to extinguish Gwen Silveroak's flame, but deep down in his secret heart he screamed to run, to hide, anything to escape that pitiless fire.

"What, did you bribe the guards to see me?" George snarled. "A little conjugal visit, maybe. Don't worry, when I get out of here I'll be looking you up... you and your little bitch, Miranda."

They just watched him. Cassie's fathomless dark eyes and Gwen's cold violet ones, studying him through the bars as he ranted.

"You think you've won?" George snapped. "You think you've beaten me? You'll never beat me!"

"Enough," Cassie said softly, to herself. "It's enough."

As George continued to rant in his cell, impotently threatening lurid acts of revenge, she turned and walked away. He was powerless, she thought. The last, lingering echo of power he had once held over her was broken. It was enough. It was over. 

With a whispered Word, she vanished. 

George stood, stunned, cut off in mid rant. "She's... she's gone," he gasped. She was really gone.

"Yes," Gwen replied softly.

"She's just gone," George said. He couldn't believe it, wouldn't let himself believe it. "She thinks she can just leave me here?"

"I would have killed you," Gwen said simply. "She asked me not to. Not, you must understand, out of any feelings for you. No, she simply said that she did not want me to. I think she felt that it would be the wrong thing to do. I did not understand, but I stayed my hand because it was what she wished. I wonder if perhaps she foresaw your fate, here."

"I'll get out," George snarled. "I'll get out and..."

"No, you won't," Gwen said. Her voice held neither rage nor pity. Just inevitable, undeniable truth. "You will never get out."

The ancient stone walls seemed to shake, echoing the merciless flame of that voice . "George Tobar, this Doom I place upon you.  You will never again walk as you will upon the earth. You will never again breath free air. You will never again touch the open waters. 

"This Doom I place upon you. You will live out all the long days of your life as a prisoner. You will endure all the dark nights of your life with only your guilt, your shame and your fear. You will die alone, unmourned and all but forgotten. 

"This Doom I place upon you. By the Oak, the Ash and the Elm. By the Sun, the Moon and Stars. By the Earth, the Wind and the Sea. So may it be." 

She spoke a Word that seemed to gather up all the despair that had long ago sunk into the stones of the ancient prison into invisible chains and wrapped them around George's soul. Under the weight of it, he sank back onto the cell's hard bed.

Satisfied, she spoke another Word and was gone.

George T sat alone in his cell. 

The stone walls, cold and damp, were probably as old as the musty castle that had held prisoners of the Crown since before the royals had handed power over to the Republic. Ancient justice, older than the castle itself, imprisoned him. 

He was a prisoner of his own guilt, his own shame and his own fear. 

He would never be free.

----------------

Gwen stepped from the darkness and despair of Irongate into the cool, fragrant twilight of Glimmerbrook. With deep, calming breaths she drank in the rich green of the earth, the sweet stirring of the breeze and the sound of the rushing brook. She set aside the Aspect of Vengeance and allowed herself to be simply Gwen again. 

She found Cassie where she expected to, standing by the side of the brook.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am," Cassie smiled. "You know, I never really believed he would even go to jail. No matter what he'd done to me, to anyone, I never really believed he'd be punished. I think I owe Genie and Jenny and Orange an apology and thanks... though it was still a horribly dangerous and foolish thing they did."

"It is the path they have chosen," Gwen smiled. "Just like our daughter and her wife."

"I know Miranda and Mariah can't come home yet," Cassie sighed. "It will take time for the authorities to dismantle enough of the Altos' organization for it to really be safe... but I hope they are... safe, I mean."

"I don't think 'safe' is in their nature," Gwen mused. "But they are well."

"I guess that's enough," Cassie smiled.

The past floats away

Like leaves on the water

As I stand by the brookside

and let them go.

- the chorus of Brookside, by Cassie Goth

 

In Shadow - Ch 32 - The War Goes On

"Are you sure you're OK?" Corrie asked.

"I'm fine, really," Genie said with a smile.

It had been a couple of weeks since her confrontation with Uncle Max in the Harbor, and her arm was healing nicely. Etta, having looked at it, had assured her it was a "through and through" as if having a bullet pass completely through her arm was a good thing. It turned out it was, given the alternative of shattering bone or severing an artery. The doctors were confident she would be fine, but her arm still hurt.

"Have they caught Max yet?" Jenny asked. 

Jenny had been annoyed that Genie had left her behind, going off to confront Max 'alone' (ignoring the fact that she'd had Etta, Jake and the Evergreen Harbor werewolves with her). Genie 'getting herself shot' only proved to Jenny that she should have been there. It added to the list of reasons the actress was eager to see her ex behind bars. 

"No, they're still searching for him," Genie replied. She had no doubt her uncle had made good his escape. 

"I saw on the news they've picked up Marco Tennari. He was trying to get out of the country," Orange said. "They've arrested a lot of senior Alto guys now."

"... and, did you see were they're arresting a bunch of guys in the National Police," Corrie added enthusiastically. "I said the Altos owned the cops."

"Yes, you did," Genie replied, inwardly torn between being pleased to see Corrie's confidence grow as she was proved right, and feeling sick at just how deep the corruption among the police, who were supposed to be protecting them all, had turned out to be.

"I read your article," Jenny said. "Pretty amazing, seeing it all down in print like that. You made me sound like some kind of hero."

"Well, you are a hero," Orange said, beaming at her. The undefined something between him and Jenny had really come into focus after the events at Mill Lane. "You all are."

"We all are," Corrie corrected. Turning to Genie she added, "Oh, did I tell you... Jenny got me an audition! It's just a small part but..."

"There are no small parts," Jenny smiled.

"That's great," Genie said. "Have you found a place to stay yet?"

"Well, Jenny says it's OK for me to keep staying here," Corrie said.

"Yeah, well, I've been sleeping over at Orange's..." Jenny smiled, leaning against the big man.

"Oh, do you sleep?" Orange teased.

"Hush you," Jenny purred.

Genie smiled. Things were really working out for her friends.

"Um, Genie... we didn't see anything about your mom in the article," Corrie said. "I don't mean to pry but I thought you said there would be something."

"My editor cut it," Genie sighed. "There's no evidence of her involvement with the Altos."

"But the ledger?" Jenny said, pulling herself away from Orange.

"There were pages missing," Genie said. "I asked Anthony and Gabbie and they agreed. Someone had torn out whole sections of it before we got hold of it."

--------------------

"Well, I could hardly have let Marco have that evidence to hold over my head, could I?" Luna Elderberry said coolly. 

"Lucky you managed to remove the pages just before your daughter stole the ledger," Betty Bow smiled acidly. 

"Honestly, I had no idea what that foolish girl was planning," Luna said. "It was obvious that Marco was in trouble... and I have no doubt he planned to use the proof of our business arrangements to force me to help him stay in power. The meeting with the Families was my best chance to get to the ledger and remove that leverage."

"Your daughter obviously had the same thought," Representative Friend mused. The idea held a particular fascination for him. "You must be very alike."

"Oh yeah, they are," Rohan Elderberry grinned.

"We are nothing alike," Luna huffed. "Genevieve is full of these foolish idealistic notions. I blame the influence of Miranda Goth. I never should have encouraged Genevieve to pursue a friendship with her. That was obviously my mistake." 

"Fortunately, I was able to remove the evidence of my connections, along with the evidence of Axis's ties to the Alto family, in time," she continued. "The organization is protected, even if Genevieve's foolishness has disrupted our plans."

"Removing Marco Tennari and dismantling the Alto Family was always part of the plan," Mr. Friend replied. 

"Would have been better to do it after the election of course," Rohan said. "We were really playing up the whole 'crime wave' angle and now that's shot." 

"The timing is inconvenient," Mr. Friend agreed. 

"What about our associates in the Dark Court?" Luna asked, turning to Lady Bow.

"Complete chaos," Betty smiled. "Most of the major Houses have lost their agents in the National Police, as well the men they were positioning to take control of the Alto Family. Naturally, they're all blaming each other and they, and the lesser Houses, are taking the opportunity to settle scores. They have centuries worth of old grudges, vendettas and petty jealousies to deal with. By the time they notice anything we're doing, it will be too late."

"How are things going with your Mr. Grey?" she added.

"He'll still take a little convincing," Luna replied. "His first loyalty has always been to the Alto Family... but I think he'll come to see that working with us is the best chance to serve them, just in a new form."

"The benefits of bringing order to organized crime seem so clear," Mr. Friend mused.

"Grey will come around," Luna assured him.

"What about the election?" Rohan asked. "Unity is getting the credit for taking down a major criminal organization. After our whole 'crime wave" rhetoric, it's a problem."

"The revelation of corruption within the National Police can be used against them," Mr. Friend replied. "My people will have a speech for you in time for the morning news. We have a whole team of psycholinguistic experts working on it. Our socio-historical projections still show Axis gaining seats in the House, and only a slightly slimmer possibility of winning a majority. Meanwhile, we have been able to accelerate the work of placing our agents in the key positions within the National Police and the Agency. 

"Soon, my people will be able to bring order and security to Republic, and your assistance will be rewarded," Mr. Friend smiled.