Authors: Felicia Jedlicka
He looked at her dubiously, but decided that she wasn’t kidding. “You lead a very raucous life, don’t you?”
“I am a huge pain in the ass. Aside from sticking around for this,” she trailed her finger along his bicep, “I really did need to get your input on these rings. I’m already in hot water for not revealing the whole truth about them, and now I’m going to have to tell him about the genie. I need to give Danato some answers upfront, so he doesn’t panic and try to put me in a plastic bubble.”
“He’s that protective of you?”
Cori snorted derisively. “He’s beyond protective, although lately I think he’s been trying to ease up a little. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly helping that process by getting myself wrapped up in more drama.”
Ethan nodded more to acknowledge her words than to agree with them. “They’ll take care of you though, right. I mean they won’t…punish you.”
Cori shook her head. “I imagine I’ll need to do some pretty hefty negotiating with Danato, and some unpleasant groveling with Belus, or vice versa, but in the end they’ll just do their best to clean up my mess.” He nodded again. “I should probably get cleaned up. I’d like to speak with Danato before I go back.”
She started to get up, but he rolled on top of her. She thought he was intending to go for round two, but his panic stricken face told her otherwise. “Don’t go.”
“What?”
“Stay with me.”
“Ethan what do you mean stay? I can’t stay forever.”
“The last person to ever tell me they loved me was my mother, and obviously you know how long ago that was. You can’t leave me, not now. I think I’m in love with you. God help me I’ve known you for a day, but I can’t imagine being without you.”
“Ethan I’m not…” He kissed her ardently. When he pulled away his eyes were brimming with tears. “Oh, Ethan, I’m not leaving you. I’m coming back to you.”
“What if it doesn’t work? What if you go back, but I’m just stuck here in this world?”
“I need you to trust me. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. If I go back we can be together from the very start. You won’t have to wait…well, not as long.”
“We could make a life together here. You, me, and your mother.” Cori cringed at his cruelty of including her mother in the negotiations. She pushed him off and started retrieving her clothes.
“We are both better off if things go back to the other way.”
“Why?”
“Why?” She mirrored the question sarcastically. “Because of the relationship that I’ve built with Danato and Belus. I don’t want to start from scratch again. Because of the relationships you’ve built with the guards, and with Daniel and Heaton. You are missing more than a few friends in this reality. Not to mention my accomplishments as a member of this team. If you think I had a raucous life there, imagine if I had to redo everything I’ve accomplished over the last two years. Some things just can’t be redone. I have a right to my past, Ethan. I’m sorry if you think I’m being selfish, but I promise you, this is not your real life.” She pulled on her underwear and jeans disregarding the idea of a shower for a quick exit.
“Wait.” He stopped her before she could piece together her bra and gripped her arms. “Okay, I get it. I didn’t mean to insult the importance of your history, I just…want you. I’m not thinking about anything else.”
“Ethan you have to understand, you are him. I’m not leaving you. I’m just giving you back the last two years of your memories. You have to trust me, can you do that?”
He floundered for a moment before he nodded. “Okay, but I still want you to stay—for the night. You have until tomorrow night.”
“I really shouldn’t wait until the last minute to do this. That’s how raucous starts.”
“Tomorrow morning for sure, tonight: supper, maybe another round of bed wrestling, and then you fall asleep in my arms. Okay?”
Cori gave a perturbed sigh, but he had already talked her into staying longer.
“So when are you leaving?” Gypsy sat across from Cori picking her teeth with a fork. Danato gave her a stern look, but turned to her for the answer as well.
“Tomorrow morning.” Cori glanced at Ethan beside her. “Ethan has some interesting insights to my rings. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s help me a lot.”
“I bet he has.” Gypsy flipped her fork around and licked the length of the handle suggestively. Though she meant it for her, Ethan’s hard glare forced her attention to him. She smiled pleased that her display was angering him.
Cori understood the intemperate rivalry that comes about when two people are partnered involuntarily, but with Gypsy and Ethan’s relationship, there was no sexual tension and as a working team they were unparalleled. She didn’t understand the pleasure Gypsy got from making Ethan mad, or anyone for that matter.
She decided Gypsy’s social retardations were the last thing she wanted to get involved with, so she ignored the mock blow job she was giving her fork and searched for another topic of interest. “So Belus, do you come here often?”
“What?” Belus looked up from his plate.
Cori heard a thwack and ping that also got Belus’s attention. Gypsy’s fork had taken up new residence on the floor near the door. Judging by Danato’s murderous glare it was clear that he was less than amused by her uncouth display. Cori pinched back her lips refusing to allow herself to find humor at anyone being chastised by Danato. None the less, she found it hilarious.
When she looked back at Belus he was waiting for her to repeat her question, or translate it. “Do you eat here often? Visit often?” She asked.
He shrugged. “I guess. Depends how busy I am. Why?” His question sounded defensive.
She sighed and leaned forward. “It’s called small talk. I thought you’d be good at it.” She winked at him, unable to resist the small joke. To her surprise he didn’t glare or offer a clever retort. He just stared at her, his brain still trying to wrap around her personality. She imagined that was how he managed to get under her skin so easily. He had observed her long before he ever reacted to her, which, in and of itself irritated the hell out of her.
“I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to get rid of you, but you really shouldn’t wait too long,” Danato said with unease in his voice. “Things tend to go awry very quickly here.”
“Yes, I know, but there is one more subject that I wish to get Ethan’s opinion on,” Cori said.
“Well, go ahead.” Danato nodded to Ethan. Cori glanced at him and he seemed to understand that the excuse of spending one more night together may not cut it with Danato.
“Speaking of things going awry,” Ethan jumped in saving her the trouble of a frantic mental search for a new topic of discussion. “Cori said we have an inordinate amount of escapees at this facility.”
“Well, I didn’t say inordinate…” Cori clarified seeing the mental volley that was happening between Danato, Ethan, and Gypsy.
“She says they only deal with escapes once a month or so.”
“It depends on the activity in the prison,” Cori amended though no one was listening.
“What’s your point, Ethan?” Gypsy asked.
“Yes, what is your point, Ethan?” Danato asked.
Ethan and Gypsy stared at each other for several seconds before Ethan finally looked away, finding new interest in his plate. “No point, just an observation. Something we should work on I guess.”
Danato looked between the two and then at Cori. She grimaced and shrugged. If there was something more to this argument, she was going to have to file it under things she didn’t have time to deal with.
“I hear you’re knocked up,” Gypsy added to her one line conversation starters after everyone had settled into the living room for coffee—and a touch of Irish for those able to partake. Cori noted that not only did Gypsy not partake, but no one even offered her the option.
“Crap Gypsy, do you ever have an off switch?” Ethan sat down beside Cori on the couch. He placed his hand over the back of the sofa. She wasn’t sure that was his original destination, but that’s where it ended up.
“You can’t even find the switch to turn me on, why do think you’d be able to find the off?” Gypsy waggled her head from her chair.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Cori admitted to interrupt the banter. For once she understood why Danato had thrown her an Ethan into the time bubble.
“I guess that’s convenient. No confusion on the baby daddy front, if you’re already pregnant.”
“Nope,” Cori said flatly not bothering to deny she was having sex with Ethan. She didn’t want to get involved in this passive aggressive Jerry Springer ruse for domination. Cori was content knowing that she would never have to see Gypsy again after this was over, and that was enough to conciliate her temperament for rudeness.
“Aren’t you afraid, fucking this Ethan will give your baby two heads or something?”
“Gypsy!” Danato scolded her from his chair, but he seemed more embarrassed by her than mad. It was Belus that was giving her a stare hard enough to crack glass.
“I don’t imagine that would ever cross my mind,” Cori said when Ethan’s hands moved to his lap. He was fisting them, leaving half circle tracks in his palms. “I’m sure once all this is over, things will go back to the way they were, without regard to any displeasing aberrations that arose because of my wishes.” Cori couldn’t resist one jab at her. Despite the mutual smiles between them, Gypsy didn’t miss the intimation.
“I don’t know, Cori. I think I would be worried about a lot of stuff if I were having a baby in this place. I mean, how do you begin to list those questions? Is my baby technically the property of Danato since I am his slave?”
Cori felt an ache in her gut when she realized that did need to be answered. One she had not thought of. One she probably should have asked prior to getting pregnant.
“How will my child be educated?” Gypsy continued twisting the knife in her gut with the rudest form of social intercourse…the truth. “Who will my child play with, since there are no other children here? Does the child have to stay out of the prison, in which case, is this house their prison? Who watches the baby when I’m working or do I just automatically become a stay at home mom, which likewise, makes me a prisoner of this house?”
“Gypsy enough,” Danato bemoaned. “She isn’t the first woman to contemplate having children in this facility. She’ll get it figured out.”
Cori was surprised and slightly relieved to hear that she wasn’t the first. “I have my concerns, Gypsy, but I will consult with my family on them rather than delve into “what if’s” with you. You needn’t worry, since you aren’t the one having the baby.”
“Well, not anymore,” Gypsy whispered and winked at her.
Cori gave a quick scan around the room to see who had the answer to this particular ambiguity. Either no one heard it, or they were ignoring it to prevent further discussion on it. Cori jumped when Gypsy touched her hand with gentle intent. She was leaning across the corner of the coffee table. Ethan had leaned forward defensively, but the expression on Gypsy’s face did not appear to precede violence.
For the first time Cori saw Gypsy. She saw the real Gypsy, behind the tarantula eyes, perpetually lip glossed smirk of condescended pride, and purple ponytails. If the warmth that was radiating off her was a mockery, it was her best performance yet.
“If it gets to be too much, Cori…” Gypsy whispered and squeezed her hand. Cori felt tears instantly spring to her eyes from an emotional memory she couldn’t quite match with a visual one. “I know someone who can just make the baby go away.”
It took a half second for Cori to realize what she meant by “go away,” but before she could begin to be insulted by the suggestion of aborting her baby, Ethan was across her lap.
For a moment, the world went blank. Gypsy knew exactly what Ethan had done, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. There was a scuffle and when she looked up, Danato had Ethan in a full nelson on the floor by the fireplace. Belus was towering over them prepared to save Ethan from Danato if need be. Cori was still sitting on the couch debating on interfering or just bawling uselessly.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Gypsy?” Ethan said struggling almost uselessly against Danato’s hold.
Gypsy felt her cheek. He hadn’t slapped her with his full strength, evident by her conscious state, but it was hard enough to seek out an ice pack and a pain killer.
She should have been delighted. She had finally won her game, but it was a hollow win. She had been working toward this moment for so long, keeping Danato and Ethan and even Belus on the brink of giving into their baser instincts. She had predicted the day was coming soon, but she hadn’t anticipated Ethan would be the first.
Despite Ethan’s underdog triumph, Gypsy was not happy or proud of her accomplishment. Her game was based on the balancing act of anger and actual physical violence. Though the ultimate goal was always to break one of them, she wanted it to be on her terms.
Unfortunately, this time, she wasn’t even trying to make Ethan mad, let alone hit her. She didn’t understand why her effort to counsel Cori on her options had finally defeated Ethan’s chivalrous exterior.