Mouse
Mouse was surfing the Net through her computer, headphones plugged in and blaring so she didn't notice when Fafnir's position went from relaxed, to surprised to vengefully angry.
No. No. That can't be right. No. NO. NO! Fafnir leapt to his feet and howled. SHE ISN'T PACK!
"Fafnir, what is it?" Mouse hooked the headphones around her neck and frowned at Fafnir.
Pack, oh god, it can't be right. No. Can't be feeling this! Fafnir wailed mournfully. Mouse frowned, and then delved into her link with her wolf. Emotions, glimpses, cascaded over her and she sat back in her chair numbly, mouth slightly open with shock.
"No. You must be wrong. Tay wouldn't do that."
We have to find out. Fafnir shepherded Mouse through dressing, nydging her out the door with his nose. She caught a taxi and gave it the address of the Hanson House. She let herself in with her key and went upstairs, the blood roaring in her ears. Fafnir's snarl when she opened the door told her all she needed to know, her link making her painfully aware of the scent of sex in the room. Taylor was on his bed, and she could tell everything from his satisfied emotions.
Mouse swayed on her feet, and then turned and stumbled down the stairs, gasping for breath. Tears started running down her cheeks and she blindly stumbled towards the door. Heart broken into little tiny pieces. "Oh god..." She tripped on the bottom step and lay there for a moment before getting to her feet again and trying to open the door with nerveless hands. Fafnir pressed against her legs as a comfort, howling her anguish that she couldn't seem to voice. "Why won't you open?!" She screamed at the door, breaking down into more tears.
Christian
Christian came down the stairs almost smugly.
Mouse was quite possibly his only real threat at being caught out emotionally, so this would actually be good - to get rid of her. From his life that is, not kill her. We wasn't willing to kill a girl.
Holding the door shut with his telekinesis, he stopped at the bottom step and sat down.
"You knew it had to happen sometime," he said calmly, "you've been extremely distant since the whole wolf thing, and I didn't think it would work out. You need some time alone to sort yourself out."
Mouse
"I ca, can't believe you! YOU BASTARD!" Mouse felt herself growing so angry. "I TRUSTED you!" She knew she had to look a fright, tears running down her face and all twisted up with pain. "I need TIME to sort myself OUT?! I was getting along fine, because I thought I had you, YOU BASTARD! How could you?!" Mouse ran her hands over face and sobbed into them some more. Fafnir was snarling and showing his teeth to Christian.
I could rip out your throat right now! YOU WERE PACK! You don't betray pack! Fafnir stalked forward, muscles rippling under his fur as his snarling reached a fever pitch. She HURT Mouse! And you MATE with her?!
"Let me out now, or I will let him knock you unconscious," Mouse informed Christian icily. "I just hope you have fun with whatever her name is. So much for not sleeping before marriage. I hope she gives you the clap." Her lip curled up bitterly.
Christian
Christian snorted.
"The doors open," he said, mentally letting it go to make her seem like an idiot.
He wasn't afraid of Fafnir. He had no reason to be. Even if he showed himself to be a telekinetic there was always blackmail... or death... to keep things quiet.
He stood and began up the stairs again.
Mouse
Mouse ran out the door, crying her heart out. She ran up to the taxi which was still waiting at the curb and choked out the Halliwell's address. She thought Faith was still staying there, and she really needed a shouulder to cry on about now. She spent the rest of the taxi ride, crying and sobbing into Fafnir's fur while he licked at her face comfortingly, sending wolfish images of retributiuon that she veto'ed but nevertheless appreciated. Throwing cash at the driver she made her way to the front door of the Halliwell's door and knocked on it. Someone opened the door, and she fell into Faith's arms, a hiccuping, crying mess. "Tay, oh god, slept with this stalker, I ca, can't, can't believe it," Mouse wailed. "He said something about the wolf thing, and oh GOD!"
Faith
Faith fell back under Mouse's sudden fall. She managed to lift her up again and pulled her into the kitchen where she seated Mouse on a stool. She filled a glass with water and handed it to her, before finding a tissue box and putting it in front of her.
"What happened? Take it slow." Faith reached over and pushed some hair out of Mouse's eyes, unsure of what to do. No one had ever come to her for help before.
Mouse
"Tay, Tay, he," Mouse gulped and then made a concerted effort to calm herself down. "Fafnir has this thing, he can sense what happens to members of his Pack. Tay is Pack-"
WAS. Fafnir corrected loudly, with a snarl and snap of his teeth.
"He cheated on me with some girl who was at that concert. I don't think I told you about it? She was an alien and a teleporter. She did some bad stuff, and then all the Spider stuff came up. And then Fafnir felt it through the link, and I went over, cos I knew it couldn't be true, but it was, and he said I needed time to put myself back together after the wolf thing at the Spider's warehouse. I can't believe he said that! And that I should've known this would never last, and he's right. I should've known. I'm so stupid..." Mouse buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Oh, Faith..."
Faith
Faith sighed. "Ah, this is why I don't do the relationship thing now."
She leaned over and hugged Mouse again. "Mouse, don't worry about him. Ok, guys are stupid. And Taylor is extra stupid if he's done this." She paused a second. "Want me to kick his ass?"
Mouse
Mouse giggled, then hiccuped. "Fafnir wants to rip his throat out, but I think that it won't go down well in the keeping cover as a vampire Slayer thing if you kick his ass the way it deserves. I can do mature, I can." Mouse's face crumpled again. "It just doesn't seem like Tay! It's not like what I thought he was like at all, and I *felt* him at the concert. He was worried and concerned and disgusted that something like that should happen to me. Is my talent going all messed up on me?"
Faith
"Mouse, don't blame yourself. Guys are losers. Well, there are some nice ones. Really, I've read about them."
Faith grinned. "But honestly, Mouse, don't worry about him. And I don't think it's your power. There might be a good explanation for this. Apart from the fact he's obviously a moron. Do you want to stay here for awhile? I'm sure the P's won't mind."
Mouse
"Yes. Taylor is an idiot," Mouse said firmly. "If you think they wouldn't mind...I really don't want to go back to my apartment. Kinda lonely and not having people who get this whole relationship thing, cos I know I don't. I wish I knew if it was something I did, or said, or something!" Mouse felt frustrated. "I mean, c'mon! A few days ago, he's all yeah, I won't have sex before marriage, and then he goes and pulls this kinda crap!"
Faith
"Well, let his momma deal with it. Isn't she an empath? She'll be able to tell he's done the badness." Faith let out a laugh. "He'll be busted custard. Yeah, should be cool, hold on a sec."
Faith stuck her head out the door. "Paige?"
"Yeah?!"
"Can Mouse stay with us for a bit?"
"A mouse?"
"No, Mouse, Jane!"
"Oh yeah sure!"
Faith came back into the kitchen. "Yeah, it's all good... hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go out tonight, find a coupla studs, use them, then discard them?"
Mouse
Sounds like fun. Show him what he threw up. Fafnir agreed wholeheartedly with Faith. Especially since you won't let me rip his throat out.
Mouse laughed, and then rubbed her face clean with the tissue. "Sounds like fun. Thanks for letting me cry all over you, I really don't know anyone else here in Tulsa. Does this clasify as a thing normal girls do? Cos, I haven't had much of normal."
Faith
Faith grinned. "It's cool... well, I don't really know what normal girls do. You're a hoot and a half, if I'd had a friend like you in high school... I still woulda dropped out, but I'd be sad about it, you know?"
She glanced at Fafnir. "He's not gonna... hump my leg or anything? No offence. And hey, we can go to P3, there are always lots of studs there. And dressing slutty, is definitely the way to go. You might not have anything particularly slutty, so borrow something of mine and..." Faith whispered. "You can probably borrow Phoebe's stuff. But I didn't say that."
Mouse
"He won't. He's just worried I'm gonna go off the deep end again. Tats?" She exposed her wrists. "There to cover up a hack job I did on myself one day when all the emotions got to me, so the pain was better and cleaner. Just the slick slide of the knife, ya know? But, anyways, not doing that. This sounds like more fun." She grinned at Faith. "I'll make sure to send a pic to Nyx. She'll be yeah! you go girl! Because she wanted me to buy stuff like that when we went shopping but I wouldn;t."
Faith
Faith frowned the brightened. "Then why are we sitting here? Why aren't we shopping for other such clothing? Let's go man!"
Mouse
Mouse dug into her wallet and flashed the platinum Visa at Faith. "Major benefit of getting adopted by immortals. Unlimited cash flow." Fafnir growled at her and she looked down. "Yes, you can go hunting while we go shopping." She looked back up. "He gets bored."
Faith
Faith grinned. "Excellent. Besides, I know some cheap places where you can get wicked cool stuff. Plus, I've never heard a guy complain about what I was wearing..."
Mouse
"I'll let you be the guide then, oh most excellent teacher of the ways to enthrall men!" Mouse laughed then bounced to her feet. "Spending money always cheers me up, especially when it's the cats money. Let's go put a serious dent in their bank account." They headed out the door.